Jaisalmer Fort at night - a fairyland golden sandcastle.
Heading back to Delhi marked the end of our Indian Himalayan adventures and the start of our tour of Rajasthan - this area is perhaps the quintessential image of India; maharajas, desert fortresses and sprawling towns and bazaars.
Flying back to Delhi was an absolute luxury compared to some of the gruelling overland trips that we had taken recently in India - definitely worth the splurge. We quickly got off our flight, saw the holy beacon of the "Pre-paid Taxi Booth" and were on our way to our hotel, recommended to us by Jules, and old friend of mine from university that we had bumped into at McLlo's (what became our local pub) while we were in McLeod Ganj. She had been living there for two years, volunteering for the Tibetan government in exile.
After a bit of confusion with the taxi, we finally arrived checked into our room at the Garden View Hotel (which lacked both a garden and a view) and did what we do best, showered and napped. The hotel wasn't anything to write home about (still worth blogging about), but it was a thousand times better than the dirty hell-hole of Pharaganj, where we had stayed during our previous visit to Delhi.
We only had one night in Delhi, which gave us a little bit of time to do some sightseeing, as well as collect something that we had been working on for quite some time, Steph's Australian Residency papers.
Everything comes with free delivery in India!
This was the task of our first day in Delhi. After our nap, we headed out and caught the metro down to the Indian Parliamentary area, then took a rickshaw to the Australian embassy. After getting checked through the high security wall, we set foot on Australian soil for the first time in 8 months!
It still didn't feel like Australia, but the air conditioning was icy cold, just like home!
We handed over Steph's passport, had the necessary paperwork done in record time and were just about to jump for joy, right there in the embassy waiting room, when Steph noticed a small detail on her papers. There was a "Date of Latest Entry" marked for 27 November, 2008 - 2 weeks before we were scheduled to fly back in to Sydney!
The Indian embassy couldn't help us, as they had only been authorised to put the visa into Steph's passport, so it looked like Steph's long-term relationship with her case officer in Washington was going to continue...
However, despite the small discrepancy, we were still joyful that Steph was officially an Australian resident and headed to Delhi's most prestigious hotel, the Imperial, for a glass of Australian red to celebrate. A bit exxy at around US$10 a glass (this normally buys two people three courses with beers in India), but we were celebrating!
The doorman at the Imperial, still dressed like they were during the British Raj.
Our next day in Delhi, we got up, had brekkie and checked out, then took our massive packs on the Metro (this is neither recommended nor officially encouraged) and dropped them off at Old Delhi station's left luggage room, where we were catching the train to Jaisalmer that night. We then headed to the National Gandhi Museum (as in Mahatma, not Indira Gandhi - that's a whole different museum, Mr. Tuk-tuk driver!) where we would spend the morning before hitting the Red Fort in the afternoon.
A poster of Gandhi, wearing his usual dhoti, at the National Gandhi Museum.
The museum was built at the place where Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated and now contains a detailed history of India's pursuit of independence, hundreds of photos (pretty much every one that was ever taken of the man, I'd say) and various items of memorabilia from this great man's life.
Gandhi's last footsteps, ending at the place where he was shot.
We spent a long time getting absorbed into the story of Gandhi's life and we spent a lot more time there than we had anticipated, leaving practically no time to explore the Red Fort!
The Red Fort is an iconic image of Delhi and ruling power in India, dating back to the peak of Mughal power, built by the Emperor Shah Jahan in 1648. Nowadays, aside from the tourist gawk value, the red fort's ramparts is where the Indian prime minister's independence day address is made every year.
The ramparts of the Red Fort.
This is all we saw of it - we didn't have time to go in.
We just had time for a few shots outside before we hurriedly picked up some Macers for dinner (interestingly, no beef on the menu - I had a Maharaja Mac, basically a Big Mac with chicken and spicy special sauce) before making our way back to Old Delhi station to catch our train.
Old Delhi station - there's smoking but at least no spitting!
The Red Fort is an iconic image of Delhi and ruling power in India, dating back to the peak of Mughal power, built by the Emperor Shah Jahan in 1648. Nowadays, aside from the tourist gawk value, the red fort's ramparts is where the Indian prime minister's independence day address is made every year.
The ramparts of the Red Fort.
This is all we saw of it - we didn't have time to go in.
We just had time for a few shots outside before we hurriedly picked up some Macers for dinner (interestingly, no beef on the menu - I had a Maharaja Mac, basically a Big Mac with chicken and spicy special sauce) before making our way back to Old Delhi station to catch our train.
Old Delhi station - there's smoking but at least no spitting!
We had only caught one overnight train before in India (on our way to Amritsar from Rishikesh), however since that time, we had discovered the hidden secret of using the internet to book our tickets. This is not as easy as it sounds, as it involves a couple of different websites to help you find what you're looking for and then book the actual tickets. However, although it's a bit complicated, it saves hundreds of rupees in travel agent's commissions as well as some assurance that you're getting what you actually want.
Our train was amazingly on time and the crowd of Indians rushing for unreserved seats swept by us as we calmly walked to our reserved, air-conditioned sleeper carriage.
It may be cheaper...
Our train was amazingly on time and the crowd of Indians rushing for unreserved seats swept by us as we calmly walked to our reserved, air-conditioned sleeper carriage.
It may be cheaper...
...but this is more our style.
Although we were travelling "3AC", basically three-tier bunk beds, we had requested side beds which are only two-tier. We were happy, in air-conditioned comfort and headed towards our first stop in Rajasthan - the desert town of Jaisalmer.
The flag of Jaisalmer flies from the top of the palace.
Lonely Planet describes this town as a "giant sandcastle with a town attached" and, upon seeing it, it's a pretty apt description. Jaisalmer itself is a pretty small town, dominated by the Fort - built in 1156 by the Rajputs to safeguard (and tax) caravans heading from India to Central Asia. It is made completely from the yellow sandstone of the surrounding area, giving it a golden, fairyland appearance.
We pulled into Jaisalmer at 3:00pm, about 21 hours after our departure from Delhi and two and a half hours late (this is actually pretty good by Indian standards). We got a pick-up from the station and checked into our hotel, the Hotel Golden City, renowned as it's the only budget hotel with a swimming pool (water was a bit milky, we ended up not using it at all, but at least we had one!).
Being still on the tail end of summer in the desert, the sun was unbelievably hot! As such we had a leisurely lunch and waited until the late afternoon to have a stroll around town. As per the description, the village surrounds a gargantuan castle, rising out of the sands from the surrounding desert. Despite seeing a swag load of ruins and monuments this year, I was still taken aback by it's size, grandeur and beauty. We headed up the hill and through the gate to have a look inside.
A view of the Maharawal's palace, entering from the main gate of the fort.
The fort is basically a city within a city, with buildings, markets, hotels and restaurants all surrounded by a wall on the top of a small hill. All of this activity inside the fort is actually contributing to its own destruction as water systems, designed in the 12th century, are trying to cope with a population ten times what they were originally designed for. Jaisalmer Fort is listed as one of the 100 most endangered monuments in the world.
I'm a bit wary of the ever-present cows, after getting "butted"in Rishikesh.
Some of the buildings inside the fort with the most amazing stonework - so intricate you can scarcely believe it's made out of stone.
The walls of the fort - there are 99 of these semi-circular bastions around its circumference.
The view over town at dusk.
Ringing the bells for merit.
Wandering in the streets of the old fort.
Inside one of the havelis, a large atrium surrounded by the living area.
The flag of Jaisalmer flies from the top of the palace.
Lonely Planet describes this town as a "giant sandcastle with a town attached" and, upon seeing it, it's a pretty apt description. Jaisalmer itself is a pretty small town, dominated by the Fort - built in 1156 by the Rajputs to safeguard (and tax) caravans heading from India to Central Asia. It is made completely from the yellow sandstone of the surrounding area, giving it a golden, fairyland appearance.
We pulled into Jaisalmer at 3:00pm, about 21 hours after our departure from Delhi and two and a half hours late (this is actually pretty good by Indian standards). We got a pick-up from the station and checked into our hotel, the Hotel Golden City, renowned as it's the only budget hotel with a swimming pool (water was a bit milky, we ended up not using it at all, but at least we had one!).
Being still on the tail end of summer in the desert, the sun was unbelievably hot! As such we had a leisurely lunch and waited until the late afternoon to have a stroll around town. As per the description, the village surrounds a gargantuan castle, rising out of the sands from the surrounding desert. Despite seeing a swag load of ruins and monuments this year, I was still taken aback by it's size, grandeur and beauty. We headed up the hill and through the gate to have a look inside.
A view of the Maharawal's palace, entering from the main gate of the fort.
The fort is basically a city within a city, with buildings, markets, hotels and restaurants all surrounded by a wall on the top of a small hill. All of this activity inside the fort is actually contributing to its own destruction as water systems, designed in the 12th century, are trying to cope with a population ten times what they were originally designed for. Jaisalmer Fort is listed as one of the 100 most endangered monuments in the world.
I'm a bit wary of the ever-present cows, after getting "butted"in Rishikesh.
Some of the buildings inside the fort with the most amazing stonework - so intricate you can scarcely believe it's made out of stone.
The walls of the fort - there are 99 of these semi-circular bastions around its circumference.
The view over town at dusk.
We had a whole day of sight-seeing scheduled for the next day, so we had a quick dinner and a few beers overlooking the fort lit up at night, before heading back to the hotel. On the way home, we walked by (but didn't go in) Jaisalmer's famed Bhang Shop - the word "bhang" before anything with marijuana/hashish; you can have bhang lassis, bhang cookies, bhang pizza - so many different ways to have a bhang in India!
Amsterdam, eat your heart out!
The next day we were up early so that we could get up to the fort before the hot Rajasthani sun made the day unbearable. We headed straight for the palace to have a look around how the maharawals used to live during the days of the Rajput kings (I think a maharawal is to a maharaja like an earl is to a duke...or some such thing).
The coat of arms of Jaisalmer.
More of the stonework found in and on the palace.
The foreigner's fee to the keep includes a mandatory audio guide fee, however we didn't mind so much - the audio guides are a great way to answer those questions that frequently come up as one walks around a museum, such as "I wonder what's so significant about this chair with the built in parasol...".
Amsterdam, eat your heart out!
The next day we were up early so that we could get up to the fort before the hot Rajasthani sun made the day unbearable. We headed straight for the palace to have a look around how the maharawals used to live during the days of the Rajput kings (I think a maharawal is to a maharaja like an earl is to a duke...or some such thing).
The coat of arms of Jaisalmer.
The palace has only relatively recently been opened to the public by the current maharawal, who has made it into a museum. This also provides much needed funds for the conservation work being done on the palace and the surrounding fort area.
More of the stonework found in and on the palace.
The foreigner's fee to the keep includes a mandatory audio guide fee, however we didn't mind so much - the audio guides are a great way to answer those questions that frequently come up as one walks around a museum, such as "I wonder what's so significant about this chair with the built in parasol...".
The throne of the Maharawal of Jaisalmer.
The keep itself was a maze of different rooms, including all sorts of artifacts from the maharawal's private family life and the history of the region. There were photographs, portraits, statues, gifts from other rajas and countries as well as an entire room with cots and toys for the royal princes.
The royal family tree, that traces the lineage of the maharawal's directly back to Krishna.
A wooden horse, carved to train the young princes in riding horses.
A photo of the gathering of kings and princes from Rajasthan, during the British Raj.
Many of the corridors had screens carved out of the stone wall, called"jalis", that allowed the maharawal's concubines and wives to look out on the goings on of the palace, but shielded them from the prying, covetous eyes of the outside world.
Steph, wearing an attractive audio guide while walking along one of the narrow corridors lined with intricately carved jalis.
A model of Jaisalmer Fort, carved from a single block of sandstone.
The view back on to the fort from the top of the palace.
The royal family tree, that traces the lineage of the maharawal's directly back to Krishna.
A wooden horse, carved to train the young princes in riding horses.
A photo of the gathering of kings and princes from Rajasthan, during the British Raj.
Many of the corridors had screens carved out of the stone wall, called"jalis", that allowed the maharawal's concubines and wives to look out on the goings on of the palace, but shielded them from the prying, covetous eyes of the outside world.
Steph, wearing an attractive audio guide while walking along one of the narrow corridors lined with intricately carved jalis.
A model of Jaisalmer Fort, carved from a single block of sandstone.
The view back on to the fort from the top of the palace.
After finishing our extensive visit of the palace, we stepped back out into the fort and toured the Jain temples. Jainism, one of the oldest religions in the world, was founded and revivied in India around 6th century BCE. Under persecution from Hinduism and Islam in other areas of the sub-continent, the Jains found refuge with the Rajput kings and many temples can be found throughout Rajasthan.
The Jain temples in Jaisalmer are very prominent in the fort as the Jains, one of the wealthiest segments of Indian society, funded much of the building of Jaisalmer's walls and bastions.
The amazingly intricate stone work on the Jain temples.
The conical roof structure is distinctive of Jain temples.
The Jain temples in Jaisalmer are very prominent in the fort as the Jains, one of the wealthiest segments of Indian society, funded much of the building of Jaisalmer's walls and bastions.
The amazingly intricate stone work on the Jain temples.
The conical roof structure is distinctive of Jain temples.
Ringing the bells for merit.
The day was almost at a close, and we spent the late afternoon hours having a wander about the streets and managed to fit in a visit to one of the traditional mansions, called a "haveli", that still exist about town before having dinner and heading back to our hotel.
Wandering in the streets of the old fort.
Inside one of the havelis, a large atrium surrounded by the living area.
Other than the fort, the other major drawcard of coming to Jaisalmer is taking a camel tour into the desert, which the hotels are very, VERY keen to sell you when you get to town.
Having had an amazing desert tour in Morocco, we didn't feel the need to repeat the experience here (and for those who have experienced the slight "sea-sickness" and sore asses from these "ships of the desert", you can probably understand why).
As such, we limited our stay to two days and one night in Jaisalmer and boarded our overnight train for the next stop on our whirlwind tour of Rajasthan - Jodhpur!
Having had an amazing desert tour in Morocco, we didn't feel the need to repeat the experience here (and for those who have experienced the slight "sea-sickness" and sore asses from these "ships of the desert", you can probably understand why).
As such, we limited our stay to two days and one night in Jaisalmer and boarded our overnight train for the next stop on our whirlwind tour of Rajasthan - Jodhpur!
