Jaisalmer and the Thar Desert

Jaisalmer and the Thar Desert:



View of Jaisalmer from the fort

    
After heaven in Udaipur, it was time to leave for Jaisalmer. After a long travel with plane and car (well to be honest, the car ride could have very well lasted for a bit longer, cause he drove like crazy and I wouldn’t have minded a bit slower speed). We knew we were getting close to Jaisalmer and the desert when a bunch of camels crossed the road in front of us… We had booked the whole Jaisalmer/Thar desert tour with a local operator there: Prince Desert Camp.  So everything, including pick up from airport in Jodhpur, hotel and tented desert tour with camel ride was included. We arrived at the hotel in Jaisalmer and guess what… We were UPGRADED J Again! Me like! Too bad it was just for one night this time so we didn’t really have time to enjoy the tower suite too much. The day after we went for a guided tour of Jaisalmer and the fort. We had a really interesting guide, which actually held a master degree in history. He showed us this beautiful city and told all about its history. Nice, think everything is better with a guide (except from the “showing you  where to buy this and that from my cousin/brother/friend etc.) 
  

Jaisalmer

 

In the afternoon we left for the Thar Desert, which boarders to Pakistan.  We arrived the camp and checked into our tent. Really nice place with a large tent and our own bathroom as well as air condition: that was some tent! In the evening we went on a camel ride to see the sunset, nice and scary…Was sure I was going fall off when the camel got up and when the camel guide made it go fast…But somehow survived J When we got to the sand dunes we expected to see some other tourists, though not beggars, street performers and drink sellers. But I suppose every large gathering of people and especially tourists is a possibility to earn some money for the locals, though a bit annoying while trying to enjoy a peaceful sunset. Afterwards we went back to camp and enjoyed some local entertainment and dinner. We noticed that all the foreigners went to one are for the dinner and the Indians somewhere else, as foreign Indians we had to ask why and it apparently was because the one buffet was not spicy and prepared with the foreigners in mind and the other one with Indian spice level. Off course we went for the Indian one ;) We like spicy!

Our camp in the desert!

Inside our luxury tent

Local entertainment



Most luxurious tent I have been in!




The next day we were booked in for a camel safari and candle light dinner at the sand dunes. So here we went again on the camels…Amazing and scary at the same time, but a really nice way of experiencing the desert J It was just us, the camels and the desert. On the way we passed lots of watermelons which is one of my favorite things in the world! Out camel guide asked if we wanted some and off course we said yes, so he picked some for us and brought to lunch – fantastic!



Mmmm, fresh watermelon



Camel safari

 
We had lunch in the middle of the desert under a tree, nice to relax in the shadow for a while during the warmest hour of the day.  Afterwards we continued to the sand dunes where we were supposed to see the sunset and have our dinner. When we arrived, the manager of our camp was there to prepare for the dinner and he gave us the one thing we wanted the most exactly at that time: a nice cold beer! J Sooo nice! Then after we had a fantastic dinner under the full moon, just us, our waiter and the sand dunes. Really nice experience!












Nothing like a cold beer in the middle of the desert ;)



Our dinner being set up...








The day after it was time to leave the camp and head towards Jodhpur, our next and last stop in Rajasthan.