Day 1
What comes to mind when we first think of Jaisalmer? Thar desert? Sand dunes? Camel and Jeep Safaris? Large forts? let’s find out about Jaisalmer tourist places.
We had two days in the Golden City and wanted to make the most of it. This being the third week of December 2019, we were carrying all the necessary winter clothes and were bracing ourselves for the low temperature. We booked a place to stay at Guesthouse Tofu, which was bang in the center of the city. One could overlook the Jaisalmer Fort at just a few meters away.
The receptionist here was very friendly and kept referring to me as Dada throughout the stay. Clearly, Bengalis were regular tourists to this area and he was definitely not one!
1. From Guesthouse to Milan
Our room was the last one down the corridor in the guesthouse. It was reasonably comfortable and we spent an hour or so settling and relaxing, and it was time for lunch. The receptionist recommended a Milan restaurant in the vicinity for eating nonvegetarian fare.
We got a comfortable seat and guess what? It is here we realized that this restaurant was not just full of Bengalis but was also being run by Bengalis. (Of the people, by the people, for the people, did someone say?) Already loving the smells in the air, we ordered Mutton Roganjosh and tandoori rotis. Here’s what we loved about the food:
- Quick service
- Juicy mutton
- Tender and cooked well (I still salivate when I think of that taste!)
- Only INR 400 (Along with two cold drinks!)
We didn’t need a second invitation to start hogging on our fare.
2. Digesting the meat
With such heavy food, it was natural that we had to either walk around or drive around for the food to settle down. Since the Gadisar lake was situated close by, we decided to visit it. A bit of advice here- speak to the locals instead of following Google Maps all the way to get to this location. We realized that we had driven in circles a couple of times so far, which was helpful for the food inside us but not so much for petrol!
3. Gadisar Lake
The parking spot for vehicles is right in front of the lake. Plenty of people will try to pursue you for photographs and for local jewelry. Bypassing all this, we managed to reach in front of the lake. Nothing unusual, I must admit though. Of course, the cameraman was able to find plenty of frames all around, so that was good. Boats were present in the lake but they probably required special permission. Fort-like architecture could be seen close to the lake, which again made for good photographs.
4. Patwon ki Haveli
The next stop in the evening was the famous Patwon ki Haveli or the Mansion of Brocade Merchants. . The main two characteristics to describe this would have to be
- Beautiful inside out
- Full of history
This is an entire cluster of five Havelis that were built by Guman Chand Patwa for his sons in 1805. Patwa was recognized for being a very wealthy trader. The first among these Havelis was the largest to be made in Jaisalmer. It took 50 years to complete all 5 Havelis for the 5 sons, all of them being on different stories. The area is currently managed by the Rajasthan State Art and Crafts Department.
Several items such as safes, utensils, cameras, crockery, and others are visible in every story. We also saw mock layouts of different rooms such as drawing rooms and kitchens. From here, we proceeded towards the Jaisalmer Fort in the evening.
5. Jaisalmer Fort
We entered the fort at around 6 pm and a local guide with the “gift of the gab’ caught us at the ticket counter. He seemed to be knowledgeable and after bargaining, we agreed to a sum of INR 250. He took us around and uttered bits of Bengali here and there (not only are Bengali tourists most common here, but the fort got the name ‘Sonar Kella’ from the famous 1970s movie by Satyajit Ray. At the entrance, I noticed a vintage car in the parking and ran to capture it. A local told me that in reality, that ‘vintage car’ was a modified Maruti Gypsy!
He showed us areas where different scenes had been enacted. This being a living fort, there were a number of homes inside; even a few two-wheelers kept passing us by. The golden color of the fort against the backdrop of the night was simply magnificent. I had exhausted all possible camera angles and still couldn’t get enough of its walls.
On the way, we found a shop for souvenirs, T-shirts, and other items. I purchased a T-shirt from here. We went to the top of the fort to get an aerial view of the city and also found a cannon here. It was quite cold in the evening and we were lucky to stop at a tea stall here. The owner of the tea stall was a young and friendly person who mentioned how our guide was forever telling tall tales to his customers!
After spending a few minutes on Google, we located a suitable rooftop restaurant called Pleasant Haveli, ate nicely, recalled good moments in the day, signed the check, and headed towards Guesthouse Tofu. Feeling tired but soooo.. happy!
