That is the question we faced when we decided to visit Jaisalmer. Like the dodo bird 300 years ago, the fortress of Jaisalmer is on the path of extinction. It has lasted for over 900 years despite several battles and sieges. However, in the past several decades, it has shown signs of deterioration. Unlike other Rajasthani palaces, it is a 'living fort'--a good portion of the the town still lives inside its walls. This was not a problem with only ten thousand inhabitants, but with the influx of tourism the fort has started to crumble.
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| In fact, a section of the wall came down in 1998, killing several people. |
With the end of the spice route, tourism is now the lifeblood of the city. There is not enough water to farm, and there are no major industries. Experts have blamed the excess water used to accommodate the many tourist staying at the hotels inside the fortress. That water is eroding the foundation of the sandstone walls. Eventually, if no solution is found, the fort will come toppling down, tourists will stop coming, and the town will likely die out. Of course the fort can be maintained by halting tourism, but that will destroy the local economy too. It's a bit of a Catch-22.
The short term answer is limiting the tourist hotels within the walls of the fort. Many guidebooks have recommended to their readers to stay at havelli's outside of their fort. Our tour company strongly dissuaded us from staying inside as well, telling us that we would have to make the arrangements ourselves as they didn't think it was ethical to contribute to the fort's demise. Personally, I think it would be really cool to stay inside what is essentially a medieval sandcastle. If that fortress is coming down, I want to get my punches in too. I want to be one of the last people to eat that dodo too.
However, my conscience (aka The Wife) piped in and used her Jedi mind trick on me. I DO want the Jaisalmer Fort to exist indefinitely. I DO want this fortress to be around for my children, my children's children, and my children's children's children (okay, maybe not the last since I will be long dead and never get to know them anyway).
Maybe someone will devise a plan to fix the water and foundation problem before it is too late. A lot of scientists, NGO's, and corporations are already trying. The least we could do is not speed up the process of degradation. Therefore, we decided to stay at the Hotel Fifu, a 10-year old havelli outside of the fort.
Our overnight train arrived in Jaisalmer a bit past 5 A.M. The journey in AC3 class was miserable. We shared a room with an Indian couple and their two children. Nobody in the room said a word during the duration of the ride. The cabin was so hot and stuffy that I essentially had to sleep with my head in the aisle to feel the overhead fan. The Wife got less than an hour of sleep. We curse the person who recommended the train rather than driving.
On the upside, we did enjoy a delicious dessert that we got in Jodhpur right before boarding the train.
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| Raismalai is a sweetened paneer soaked in saffron-flavored milk. |
The folks at Hotel Fifu were really nice. They gave us our room when we arrived (a good 6 hours before check-in time). The facilities are nice with modern amenities and a comfortable bed. The family that runs the havelli are thoughtful of their guests' comfort. They had a small army of young men (most of whom spoke very little English) available to help us with any problem. We napped until 10 A.M. as we were exhausted. We were then taken for a tour of the fortress.
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| View of the Jaisalmer fortress from the Fifu Hotel |
Twice in the fortress' history it has been besieged. Twice it has fallen, but never surrendered. In the proud Rajput tradition, the inhabitants of the fort chose death over dishonor. The men adorned their armor, mounted their horses, and proudly sallied forth through the open gates to their certain deaths. Many of the women committed sati (fire suicide), their handprints in the wall as evidence. Others chose to jump to their deaths from the high ramparts.
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| These handprints of women who committed sati are a grim reminder of the "no surrender" mentality of the Rajputs. |
Sadly, the only thing falling down from the city's walls now is trash.
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| The base of the Jaisalmer Fort is littered with detritus. |
Despite the litter marring the fort's grandeur, we could see the beautiful architecture of the buildings and towers that peeked over the high walls.
Our guide took us through the four gates of the fortress.
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| The main gate of the Jaisalmer Fort |
Immediately, I was glad we had decided to stay outside the fort. Motorcycles and scooters sped through the narrow alleys. Trash and cow dung clung to the streets. And hawkers peddled their wares. The whole fort is just one large tourist trap. The old, stately havelli's have been converted to hotels or shops selling the usual junk.
Inside the fort, the passageways--gates, tunnels, and stairs--are narrow.
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| Streets are easily blocked by all sorts of obstacles. |
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| Colorful carpets and bedcovers are prominently displayed outside of shops. |
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| Ganesh is frequently painted on walls by those seeking prosperity. |
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| Camel saddle |
We stopped off at a small store run by a Mr. Kanu Swami, an artist who paints miniature paintings. They are called "miniature" not necessarily for the size of the paintings, but because of the attention to the intricate details of the subject matter. Often, the artists will use brushes with only a few fine hairs to paint such minuscule features. The colors are often vibrant with pigments made of crushed minerals, vegetables, gemstones, silver, and gold. We purchased a few paintings and found that to our dismay that Mr. Swami doesn't take credit cards. Small towns like Jaisalmer are mainly cash-only. In order to pay with plastic, we had to go outside the fort and use a third party financial institution to finish the transaction.
Once we finished exploring the city-fort, we took the audio tour of the Maharaja's palace. The tour is not on the same level of the Mehrangarh Fort, but it is still worthwhile.
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| Meticulously-carved balconies overlook the palace's courtyards. |
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| Golden throne |
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| Palace bedroom |
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| Model used to teach young children how to ride a horse |
At the very top of the palace, there is a very nice view of the fortress and the surrounding town.
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| These buildings are occupied by the townspeople. Most are used in a tourist capacity, whether they be hotels, shops, or restaurants. |
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| These stone balls date back to more violent times. They would be dropped onto the heads of invaders. |
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| This shaded bench overlooks the newer houses of Jaisalmer. |
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| This Window screen carved into rock allows for a discreet view of the activities below. |
It was hard to appreciate the attractions as the sun is even more unbearable here than in Jodhpur. I wish we could have made this trip in December when it is cooler. An interesting tidbit from the tour is that the land is so dry that a child can go seven years without ever seeing rain. On the bright side, that makes it much easier for parents to plan outdoor birthday parties in April.
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| This hook is used to hang wet curtains. Evaporating water cools the surrounding air. |
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| This rain gutter gets very little use. |
We went to the restaurant 8 July strategically located next to the palace. The balcony seats overlooking the main square is a good place for people watching. Unlike other Rajathani women, the lady running the place is a bit vociferous. But she seems nice enough and helpful. We ordered the tawa tamancha (organic vegetables and spices with rice), navratan korma, kaju mawa korma (cashew nuts, paneer, and mawa cooked in red gravy, and a special radish parantha that we were told is only made in Jaisalmer. Those dishes were all pretty good.
However, we were more interested in the sweets. The owner had really good specials for the day--a black currant smoothie and freshly-squeezed Alphonso mango juice. Unfortunately, she would not let us buy any of her Alphonso mangoes which she had imported from Mumbai. We finished with two refreshing ice creams. Although she recommended the honey ice cream with toasted sesame seeds, we actually enjoyed the rose ice cream better. You can really taste the essence of the rose in the sauce. I am cursing myself for not pulling the trigger on the rose syrup that I had seen earlier in Jaipur.
We retired to the hotel for the afternoon and then did a camel safari later that evening. We elected for the "non-touristy" sunset camel ride for about 700 Rs/person. We were driven about 45 minutes into the desert where we encountered a large camp of camels and guides waiting along the side of the road for clients.
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| Camel jockeys ready their animals for evening rides. |
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| As a camel stands up, the rider is lurched forward violently. If able to hang on, he or she will fall comfortably backwards into the saddle. |
Our guide led the camels about half-an hour out towards some "empty" sand dunes. The ride was bumpy when the camels lazily sauntered on the road. Once they started galloping across the fields, it was pure torture on our derrieres. After we disembarked from the camels, we were beset by locals who seemed to appear from nowhere. After much prodding, I bought two 30 Rs. Mountain Dews--one for us, and one for the guide. Ours must have been sitting out in the hot sun for several days, because it was pretty skunky.
The next we knew, there were some musicians playing songs near us while a little 4 year-old girl all decked in traditional garb danced.
I am okay with adults trying to hustle a living by these methods, but bringing a child into this type of business is sad. Teaching a child that young to pander just propagates the cycle of poverty. Reluctantly, I did tip them some money knowing full well that I was just encouraging their behavior. Eventually, the hawkers left us alone to enjoy the peaceful sunset.
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| It's hard to see how these camels can stand being near each other as they were continuously passing gas. |
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| The soft sand of the Thar Desert is just like that of the beach. |
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| I enjoyed a nice, romantic desert sunset with a smelly camel. |
At the end of our camel safari, I tipped the driver 200 Rs. I was surprised when he had the gall to ask for more money. It's a GRATUITY! Disgusted as I was with him, I didn't want to argue with a stranger out in the middle of the desert. I gave him another 100 Rs and went our separate ways. While the amount wasn't much by Western standards, it was still a significant amount by local standards. I'm against the principle of tipping a lot to somebody who really didn't do much at all.
We were glad we just did the sunset ride rather than an overnight journey. It was worth the experience since we were already in the Thar Desert, but those several issues really soured the trip. Needless to say, I am in no hurry to ride a camel again.
We ate dinner back at the Fifu Hotel. Their fare is vegetarian only. I can't begin to tell you what the dishes were.
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| The "Maharaja" thali |
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| The "Rajasthani" thali |
The food was good and the prices were very reasonable. Overall, compared to many of the other cities we have visited so far, Jaisalmer was the least expensive. A 300ml soda here is ~20-25 Rs compared to up to 100-125 Rs at some tourist dumps elsewhere.
During our dinner, six Indian Air Force jets did annoying flyby's over the town. We would see the jets first way overhead and then hear their sonic booms a few seconds later. The military's presence is a constant reminder that the Pakistani border is a mere 35 miles away. In the event of war, this city is toast.
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| View of the illuminated fort at night |
*****
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
We slept in the next morning as we had practically hit all of the highlights that the city offered. After breakfast at Fifu, we headed to see two havelli's. The first one is the Nathmalji Ki Havelli that was built by two brothers. One did the right side, the other the left without looking at each other's work. Surprisingly, the sides match up pretty well with only slight differences easily missed on a cursory glance. Trust me, it is not worth going inside. There is only a lame tourist shop within.
We then proceeded to the Patwon Ki Havelli which is actually five houses originally built for one family. Currently, only a few are inhabited.
Our guide recommended that we go to the government-owned one as its interior still contains the original craftsmanship. After paying 50 Rs/person, we entered the poorly-kept building.
We climbed up to the second floor which had more of the painted frescoes.
I kept hearing a bunch of chirping from above. There are so many small birds and pigeons fluttering around the city that I figured it must be some bird nests up there. I looked up to take a picture and, to my surprise, discovered that the ceiling was covered with little bats. I informed my wife who beat a hasty retreat outside. As I exited the havelli, I told our guide about the bats. He nonchalantly said 'It is okay, they usually do not bite'. I guess that he usually does not worry about rabies.
Our guide then took us to his "cousin's" shop near the Patwa Haveli which distributes locally-made textiles. Deep down, we were both thinking 'Not this s__t again!'. The owner, Amit Kumar Singh, did the usual spiel that we have heard about a billion times so far. Please look, no pressure to buy. Hand-made. Supports local craftswomen. Blah. Blah. Blah. At this point we just told him to cut to the chase. How much. After an outrageously high initial price, we haggled him down to a decent level for a table runner. His assistant took the fabric next door to make some modifications.
While we waited, we made conversation with the storekeeper. He seemed like a pretty nice guy. Amit showed us some old photographs of Rajasthan which he said his grandfather took. They were for sale, but he never even offered to sell to us. Amit told us that people here are always the unfortunate ones. Delhi gets the carpets. Agra gets the marble. Jaipur gets the jewelry. Jodhpur has nothing else so they sell the textiles. He said that most of those fabrics are really produced right outside Jaisalmer. By the time people reach the city they have either done all of their shopping or are broke. We were both.
We told him that he really needs to get a fresh sales pitch because everybody has heard it 50 times before they even step foot in Jaisalmer. We mentioned that there is a shop in Jodhpur that tells everybody they export to big name fashion houses. At that point, he blurted out 'Maharani Art Emporium'. He then proceeded to whip out the 'Kenzo' bed covering from his back store room. He said it is machine made. He said he would not sell it for more than 1500 Rs ($35). The guys in Jodhpur were selling it for a whopping $200+. We got a good laugh about that.
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| Amit inside his shop. |
He then invited us into his home which is actually connected to his shop. He lives there with his wife, son, and brother's family. Despite all the dirt and filth on the streets, the middle class home is clean and neat. His kitchen is spotless. His pots and pans are much cleaner than mine back home. Although the place is not huge, it is more than ample for both families.
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| Amit's wife and son |
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| Kitchen |
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| Living room |
He then went into great detail with my wife about the eating habits of the Brahmin caste. Tea for breakfast, bread and potatoes for lunch, no curds for dinner, and never any meat. No wonder they can stay thin. I think I have already gained 10 pounds on the ghee-rich Indian diet. We were honored to get a brief glimpse into his private life.
We ate lunch at The Trio, overlooking Gandhi Chowk market. Three of the dishes were fine, but the ker sangri was too sour. We had a few hours to kill before our train was to leave. After eating there for an hour, we were given the subtle hint to leave when the manager slipped a 'reserved' placard on our table. It was not as if the restaurant was close to being full, and we were still ordering drinks too.
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| Mugh E-subz (boneless chicken stir fried with vegetables) |
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| Ker sangri (desert beans and capers) |
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| Barvan tamatar (tomatos stuffed with vegetables, potatoes and coconuts) |
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| Pudina paratha (flatbread seasoned with mint) |
We headed back to the Fifu Hotel. We were craving ice cream which they did not have on their menu. However, in true Fifu style, they insisted upon us being perfectly happy. One of their workers went to the market and bought up some of the kesar and pista kulfi within ten minutes.
We spent the next two hours lying on the 'couches' at their rooftop restaurant/lounge watching the slow pace of the townspeople. The fort in the distance provided a great backdrop to a relaxing afternoon.
We caught the train back to Jodhpur and checked back into the Ratan Vilas. Our side trip to Jaisalmer burned up two days in our already tight schedule. It was scorching hot to being almost unbearable at midday. There really isn't much to see besides the fort, the ornate havelli's, and the camel safari which can all really be done in a few hours. So was it worth it? Probably. It was a chance to see a 900 year-old fort and meet friendly and interesting people like Amit the shopkeeper and the folks at Fifu. Who knows if we would have gotten that chance in the future? Someday, they may all go the way of the dodo.
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