See The "Golden City" of Jaisalmer by Camel - Rajasthan, India
Tourists can now arrive in Jaisalmer without hours of jolting on the appalling roads. Kingfisher (a great airline) is now offering flights from Delhi (October-March only) and Jaisalmer is planning to open a new airport in 2010. Who knows, it may be now open even as you read this. There are also trains from Delhi, buses, cars OR, I understand there is a grueling 14-day camel trek from Bikaner. That may appeal to some of Travels With Sheila's more adventurous readers. If this doesn't appeal, do what most tourists do and take a sunset camel ride out to Sam dunes or Bara Bagh for photos of Jaisalmer at its golden best. (More about that later...)
However you arrive in Jaisalmer, it would be impossible to forget the first sight of this Golden City standing on a ridge of sandstone and crowned by a fort. So called because the yellow sandstone and sand gives a golden tint to the entire area. It will be one of life's most unforgettable moments. Jaisalmer is located in the heart of the Thar Desert and was founded in 1156. With this strategic position on the camel route between India and Central Asia, money flowed in and people built magnificent houses carved from wood and golden sandstone.
ex-Marine and I nervously looked out in the Narain Niwas Palace Hotel courtyard only two see two very tall camels being prepared for a ride...View image and waiting for us. ex-Marine looks tough, after all he was a Marine - the proud, the few, but has the insides of a wimp. He was already muttering oaths and finally uttered out loud that he was not going to ride on his own camel. The two of us would die together on one. Steve then instructed the young boy who was going to lead the camel into the desert that our camel was not to run under any circumstances and if the boy followed these orders, Steve was going to give him a huge tip!
One last bit of instruction to Francis. "Meet us at the sunset viewing spot and we'll drive back to the hotel." Fine...swell...at least he was on the camel clutching me and off we plodded past small herds of camels, our trusty camel taking mini-steps thanks to visions of big tips dancing in small boy's brain.
The camel ride was only about four miles outside of Jaisalmer to Bara Bagh where we stopped to watch the glorious sunrise turn the fort and town into a golden vision. There were also beautiful marble cenotaphs. A cenotaph is a monument erected in honor of a dead person whose remains lie elsewhere. Small camel leader was ecstatic over his tip as was ex-Marine who gratefully climbed down from camel, all bones intact. It was priceless...both the getting there and seeing...
