Jaisalmer

17^th Feb 2011

Day 1

I board 6.30am bus from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer. It is a 5 hour ride and I sleep the whole time. Somebody pokes me on my shoulder and yelps, “Where you stay. Hotel. Good. Fort view. Come madam.” I know I am in Jaisalmer.

Tourism is a major source of income in Jaisalmer, there is high pressure on hotels and travel agencies to get business. Jaisalmer’s bus stand is always swarming with tourist-pickers literally pushing tourists into their jeeps and booking camel safari, basically trying to smother your entire budget right there! It is always better to book your hotel in advance and get a pick-up.

My hotel La Mystica is located near Gadisar Lake, a little outside the old city, 5 minutes from the bus stand. I check into a spacious double room on the ground floor but sadly with no view. I ask the manager/owner Mr Ashraf Ali if he could shift me to the top floor. Thankfully he agrees. I am looking forward to the desert festival in the evening and to see world famous Kalbelia dancers perform magic on stage.

La Mystica offers rooms to fit in all kinds of budgets. You could stay in a single room for Rs250, pay Rs150 for a dormitory or hang about for Rs80 only if you are ready to sleep in the common hall and share common loo. It is quite a popular option with hippies, bag packers and frugal travelers. The roof top restaurant at the hotel has a great view of the fort and serves great fried eggs. Other services like jeep safari and camel safari are claimed to be best in the city but it’s always good to explore yourself, and talk to fellow travelers and find out the best deals.

Jaisalmer is a tiny city and can be walked through all in 1 hour. No place is more than Rs40 by tuk-tuk.

The crowd at Poonam Singh stadium is peaceful without the cops outnumbering them. I can’t imagine such big crowd in such discipline anywhere else in India, with foreigners in sight. I found Rajastani people to be generally nice without north-India’s brashness or south-India’s snobbery.

Elaborately decorated and skillfully trained camels were paraded and performed by BSF jawans. I never had any special liking for the big smelly animal but I was pleasantly surprised to see their elegance in the parade. Who would have guessed that one day I will race these farting giants! (read camel safari :)

The giant beast squats on front legs and spreads its neck on the ground to greet the audience. Very touching.

We rule the desert together

After the show finished at 5.30 and I stroll towards Gandhi Chawk to rent a bicycle. Narayan’s bicycle shop gives bicycle on rent for Rs40 a day. As it’s mostly plains in Jaisalmer, bicycle is a good way to get around.

I return to the stadium on my cycle for the evening festival of Rajastani and Gujrati folk dance and music program. The stadium is jam-packed, bluffing as a VIP tourist I march straight into the special placed reserved for the media and foreign photographers with big cameras. I have a small camera but big luck maybe!

I feel fortunate to be able to witness such incredible performances by the local artists. I am touched to see their dedication towards the local art, which is kept alive only by their hard work and devotion.

Mesmerizing Kalbelia dancer

Kalbelia dance is of the kalbelia tribe of rajasthan, the snake charmers. It is a vigorous dance form, performed by women embellish in traditional black skirts with silver embroidery. They dance to the folk songs, reminding the graceful movements of the snake. They sway sensually to a loud chant, which increases in tempo and vigour with the increase of the beat. Their dance movement resembles that of the snakes.

My limited vocabulary and hazy photographs can never explain how mesmerizing it was. The agility and elegance with which the dancers performed can never be conveyed through these pictures.

Many other traditional dance forms were also performed, equally bewitching.

Mayur Nritiya (Peacock Dance)

Legend behind the peacock dance goes something like…. Radha beloved of Krishna was very fond of peacocks and would play with them in the garden every day before she eats anything. One day she does not find any peacock in the garden, so she is sad and refuses to eat. Lord Krishna gets upset to see his dearly loved sad and to please her disguises as a peacock and dances for his beloved!!!! Such love, such devotion, such reverence was created by the dancers on the stage, the legend came alive.

Jaisalmer splashes its colors on me, I am spellbound.

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