Jaisalmer
Rajasthan's golden city
We took a flight of less than two hours from Mumbai to Jaisalmer. A small city in Rajasthan, the most traditional state in northern India. In this country, small is relative because everything is really big, everything is a lot, too much, a whole lot. But compared to other destinations in the region, indeed, Jaisalmer is small. Rājputana means land of the Rajputs, land of kings, of brave sons. Rajasthan is the land of the maharajas.
On the plane, the flight attendants reminded that it was forbidden to take photographs at the airport, this because the city is located very close to the border with Pakistan, a country with which India maintains an enmity that forces a strong presence of armed forces. In fact, Jaisalmer is the base of the strong Indian army, so during our stay we got used to see combat aircrafts, helicopters, trucks and tank caravans.
Jaisalmer is located in the Thar Desert. It is known as the golden city, because of the color of the stones of its walls.
At the airport, our driver Birmaram showed up and took our bags and guided us to the car. He was to be our driver for the entire visit of Rajasthan.
Quiet, somewhat parsimonious, but always ready for our requests on the roads, such as bathroom or photo stops, he would later become our favorite driver.
A short drive from the airport to our Gulaal hotel, with an architectural style in line with the golden city, carved in limestone, very particular. There are only a few rooms and the common areas are beautifully decorated with elements of local folklore. It was one of the accommodations suggested by the travel agency that had passed our filter in the research prior to booking and we really loved it.
After settling into the spacious room we were assigned, I decided to take some Ayurvedic massages. That first day we had some free time and after the marathon Mumbai, had been, we decided to take it easy.
Later Sanjay Vyas, Jay, our guide in the city, showed up and took us to Gadisar Lake to enjoy the glorious sunset over the desert dam. It is a large 14th century pond with remnants of temples and chaatris (a type of gazebo or small round domed pavilion characteristic of Indian architecture). Sunset sipping a rose cappuccino (cappuccino with roses) at the Mugs4Buds coffee shop was super comforting. Meanwhile, Jay talked to us about Hinduism, about the caste system, which he called communities, and he even proposed an astrological reading after telling us that he belongs to the priest caste. Very interesting.
In the evening, we had our dinner on the hotel terrace, tasting what would be one of my favorite dishes of the whole trip, a chestnut curry and panner pakora cheese, the typical Indian fresh cheese in batter, with tomato sauce.
The hotel restaurant is vegetarian like most in India, plus no alcoholic beverages are served to honor the Hindu philosophy. It is located on the terrace so the view of the fort is simply wonderful.
Without realizing it, we did not pay attention to the advice Helena had given us, about measuring the orders as the dishes are usually served in abundance, so a large banquet was presented to us that night. We ended up trying in addition to those dishes the cheese naan (bread), jeera aloo (potatoes cooked with cumin) and a jeera rice (rice with cumin and butter).
Contemplating the living forte of the city from that viewpoint while indulging in those delicacies was truly a blessing. We felt very fortunate. Edji and Sibu (the friendly waiters) kept asking us if we were satisfied. That's how we learned that we should order half of what we initially planned to order.
In the morning, the tour of Jaisalmer awaited us.
First we went to get the sim card for the phone so that we would be connected. A small little room on Saddar Bazar market street served as the office of Airtel, India's big phone company. There they sat us down, while Jay translated and we made the transaction while the motorcycles in the alley were honking, the cows were coming and going as they do all over India and the traders were starting to open their stalls.
Connected now, we returned to the car for Birmaram to take us to the first gate of the fort. From there we started an uphill walk, passing through the four zigzagging gates that protect the fort.
The fort is not only remarkable for the beauty of its architecture but is also characterized by the fact that the locals still reside there. It is the most unique living fort in India.
Walking among the motorcycles, which seemed to be about to collide at every moment, among the centenary passages, the cows and the vendors, was like a trip back in time.
Our gaze was ecstatic, unable to define where to focus. Everything caught our attention.
Once in the fort, we visited the Hindu temple Shri Laxminathji, Sonar Durg, dedicated to Laksmi-devi, the wife of Vishnu, the preserver god who had nine avatars or reincarnations. She is the goddess of wealth and good fortune and her vajana (vehicle) is Garuda, the god of birds, who transports them to oversee the world. We took off our shoes, sat on the side and while Jay gave us the details, we watched trying to understand the rituals and beliefs of the locals. Again, lots of color, lots of people, lots of worship, overdose.
As we wandered through the alleys of the fort, we found the image of Hanuman, much like Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec god. Hanuman is a monkey god, who is considered by some to be an aspect of the god Viṣṇu.
In India, temples and gods abound. In Hinduism besides the three main gods, Brahmā (creator god of the universe), Viṣṇu (preserving operator god) and Śiva, destroyer god, there are countless gods, goddesses, reincarnations and transporters. We got confused all the time when referring to one or the other. Little by little we were learning.
One young woman who had all her hands painted with henna with extraordinary designs caught our attention. Jay explained to us that it is a tradition for women to decorate their hands in this way for celebrations.
A short walk to two small Jain temples of extraordinary beauty. Surya Mandir and Chandraprabhu Jain Temple. In these Jain temples there are 6666 statues of the gods and it is a pilgrimage site that the faithful should visit at least once in their lifetime.
Again, we took off our shoes, sat on the side, Jay told us about the cult and about the temple while we kept watching the priest doing his rituals. Then, he was willing to take nice pictures in exchange for a few rupees which he asked for at the end of the session. All very Indian.
On the way out, we decided to stop for a refreshment on the nice terrace of KD Palace hotel with an extraordinary view of the ancient fortress and its walls. Our favorite drink during the whole trip was the sweet lemon soda, a bottled sparkling water, natural lemon juice and syrup, very fresh.
That was when Jay inquired about the reason for the name @tripticity_. We told him that the blog was born in pandemic with stories about past trips and that when we were able to leave home we started to travel more and more. The name is a combination of the English words travel and cities plus an addition, ti, which I had come up with for no specific reason. Well, Jay told us that Tripti was a Hindu name, in fact, it was the name of his cousin who lives in the fort. He also told us that Tripti is one of the sacred cities of Hinduism (Ujjain), a place of pilgrimage with Jain temples. He detailed that Tripti means satisfaction or peace of the heart, all very symbolic of what @tripticity_ is for us!
Before we left, we decided to stop by and give our namesake Tripti a hug. In one of the old houses in the over six hundred year old fort lives Jay's cousin, so we knocked on the door, greeted her, took the mandatory picture and moved on.
We were still surprised with the discovery, of having found the meaning of the word we thought we had invented when @tripticity_, was born, which in reality has always existed on the other side of the world and has a meaning that perfectly characterizes the idea of this project.
Birmaram looked for us from the same place and took us to Riyaz's place. We had realized that India was the right place for us to get a genuine cashmere pashmina. When we consulted Helena, she recommended Riyaz's store. Riyaz, a native of the mountainous region of Kashmir, migrated to Jaisalmer because of the conflict there. Kashmir is a region of India that Pakistan considers its own and attacks are common there.
Riyaz is dedicated to the manufacture of these beautiful garments by inheritance, his family has been doing it for a long time, so we had no doubt that we should buy our pashminas in his store.
He offered us a very tasty and unforgettable saffron tea for us to try, while he told us about its beautiful history, the manufacturing process and the quality of the weaving.
We bought a pashmina for each of us (a colorful checkered one and a bright pink one), very soft and a warm sweater. We were happy to leave. But... a few days later I realized the mistake of not buying an off-white one. I contacted Riyaz who did not hesitate to find the solution for me to return to Argentina with my beautiful pashmina as he called it. He sent it to Delhi, my last destination in India, to a friend, who arrived at our hotel half an hour after the plane landed. Unbelievable!
After shopping, we went to a cooperative where the exquisite handmade patchwork style carpets made by local producers are gathered. The display of one and another and another, of all sizes and colors, began. One prettier than the other.
Next, we visited Patwa-Ki-haveli, a maharaja-era tax collector's house outside the fortress, highly decorated with delicate filigree. Its facade is simply extraordinary. Hal means wind and veli circular, i.e. the house where wind circulates.
With haste we went again to the Gadisar lake although we did not arrive at sunset. Still a restorative coffee was magical while the sky was covered with pink tones.
In the evening we went to eat a tali, the typical Indian vegetarian meal, composed of several dishes and a flat tortilla type bread that accompanies the different vegetables, lentils and beans on the terrace of the fantastic Killa Bhawan- KB Lodge, restaurant, right in front of the haveli and with an extraordinary view of the fort.
The dining experience was beautiful, perhaps not so much for the food, but for the ambience up there contemplating such beauty. We ordered the food with little spiciness, so it was fine, but for those who do not like spicy, they should order it with a specific request that it not have any spicy.
Birmaram was waiting to take us back to the hotel when another unexpected event happened.
Directly across the street from our lodging was Udaan, the neighborhood school in Shastri Nagar, which was serving as a party hall that night.
We got out of our car and temptation prevailed. We approached. It was a wedding. They looked at us as if we were aliens, inviting us in, even asking the photographer to take our picture. It was the father of Nitish, the groom, who welcomed us with a smile. A marriage in India involves several stages: first the elders agree on what would be a match; then the astrologers study the candidates' charts and their chances of compatibility. If they are good, and the bishop authorizes, the future spouses are presented. They should form a family and a happy home. It is known: what the gods unite, men cannot divide. A strong smell of cumin and ghee pervaded the schoolyard.
They wanted us to stay for the whole celebration, so for a while we honored them and then crossed to Gulaal for a needed night's rest, after such an intense, happy day.
In the morning it was time for the first Indian style breakfast on the hotel terrace, vegetarian of course. We asked Sibu to bring us very little of each dish so that we could taste the flavors. And so we did.
From then on we opted to eat breakfast Indian style and skip lunch. We then made sure to have two meals a day in safe places, almost always the hotels where we stayed.
We had a free morning, so we asked Birmaram to take us to the local market. When we got off we doubted if we had done the right thing because we felt -at first- a bit insecure. We were the only outsiders among so much chaos of people, but we started walking and noticed that no one even noticed us, so we continued to Patwa-Ki-haveli, walking very quietly among the locals, among the cows, among the filth, among their charm.
Just in front, in one of the many stalls selling souvenirs for tourists, I had seen a colorful jacket that kept echoing in my mind. I went back, found it and bought it, after bargaining. We also spent some time chatting with the salesman in the huge store, which turned out to have several floors and an infinite number of objects.
In a street stall I was also tempted by a T-shirt with a print of the typical moustache characteristic of maharajahs and the traditional turban on top. How not to do it!
Then we went to visit a luxury hotel, Suryagarh, on the outskirts of the city. I was finalizing a private event, another wedding. We went in the wedding season, the one determined by the calendar that takes into account the disposition of the stars. A display of musicians and dancers. Quite a show. We had contacted in advance to visit it but it was booked for the wedding.
We entered the central courtyard, sat at a small table and enjoyed another sweet lemon soda while we admired the huge structure of the super luxury hotel and witnessed the coming and going of the wealthy wedding guests.
Back at our hotel we relaxed by the pool while waiting for the camel safari we had arranged for that afternoon.
It took about forty-five minutes to get to the camp. We were the only visitors. We were invited to a coffee, which we hesitated to drink after wondering if it would be made with filtered water. By then there was no other alternative and we decided to try it, asking their gods not to make us Delhi Belly sick.
Then some children told us that our camels were ready, they gave us instructions on how to get on, almost like a safety first but in the Indian version, that is to say "get on and let's go", that was all.
And so began our camel riding tour through the Thar desert.
We reached a point where there were more dunes. It's not like that imaginary desert where you don't find any vegetation. In India, in the monsoon season, they receive rain water so there are bushes growing in the area.
A squatting Marawi was preparing food. Next to him a man accompanied him. We approached him with curiosity. It was Shin, a former Japanese banker who had left finance to devote himself to humanitarian aid. He had just come from volunteering in Calcutta and was planning to spend the night in the open, alone under the stars.
Meeting him, learning his story, was moving, like everything in India, which never ceases to amaze. We chatted about his experience, about life itself, and we set out to enjoy the thunderous sunset in the desert, when the sun, like a ball of fire, was hiding in the golden sand.
As soon as it happened, the children - our chiefs - sent the camels back up to guide us back to the camp. We bid farewell to the colossal Shin in the expectation of keeping in touch.
On the one-lane road we made our way around the city in the middle of the night. It felt like another adventure every time a vehicle approached, because until the last moment we did not know which one would pass first, which one would win the battle.
In the last hours in Jaisalmer, we wanted to say goodbye looking at the beautiful fort and enjoying the favorite dish, cashew curry.
The experience and stay was one of the best in India. A small Indian style hotel with very good service, with squeezed orange juice every morning and comfortable rooms, with very attentive service from each of the men who work there. That is another curious fact: in all the hotels only men work, there are no women. However, in the streets, many times we saw how women work in the construction of highways, roads, and work sites.
We will never forget Jaisalmer, where we understood the meaning of @tripticity_. That name that originated this adventure and whose meaning coincides exactly with its intention, with its raison d'être.