As the final conclusion, the skin of the Rajastan desert people may look like dried beef-jerky, but if you take the time to look deeper under the coarse skin there is a soft and ever so open heart.
Ram-Ram :-)
What gives rajastani food that lethal kick?!
The streets of Jaisalmer are full of life at the evenings.
The vehicles parking in front of the house. And a black goat that must be feeling a bit inferior.
The local tourist industry tries real hard to capture the heart (wallet) of the foreign visitors:-
Until the beginning of the last century Jaisalmer was home to several big families that possessed immense amounts of wealth mainly due to the bloom of international opium trade. This photo shows the facade of a family palace of one of these clans. The intricate stonework is done on send-stone which is used mainly throughout the whole city. Sand-stone gives out a golden glow when gets wet after the rain. This is where Jaisalmer got it's nickname; "the golden city".
A proud grandfather.
The only tree in eyesight.
It looks lonely, but when you get close, it harbors all forms of life. And the camels give the leaves a neat trim on the bottom.
Most of the times I find it real difficult to observe local life as it is, because as soon as we appear, this is what happens.
But if you do work up the guts to go out into the desert, you find treasures in the small villages.
These are three gems here.
Dashing trough the west-Rajastan desert on a small moped around noon time (42-45 C) is a very safe thing to do, 'cause the roads are practically deserted. The locals know it better. They thought we are insane.
We've found this nice old Baba up the hill. He is the first Baba I met that does not smoke. But he did make a splendid chai for us.
I just have learneth that the camel keeps his water supplies in and around his knees. Than it makes me wonder what is in the hump?! Maybe his knee-caps?
A high-tech moment of an old couple.
Two gypsy girls in Jaisalmer. They did everything they could to sell us this little doll that can be flipped upside-down so it changes from Prince into princess.
This is a holy lake (whatever is left of it since it hasn't rained here over 3 years) in Jaisalmer, this hot-hot desert city just off the Pakistan border.
N/c
This is the mighty-big fort of Jodhpur. It has immense proportions and amazing send stone buildings.
Jodhpur is called the Blue City since back in the days the old city was highly populated by Brahmin families and theirs is the only cast that can paint their houses blue.
In the tiny streets of the old city there are thousands of these small little shops, selling just about everything. At the hot afternoons they have a real meditative vibe.
After Pushkar we headed west towards the Pakistan border. Our first stop was Jodpur, this large and happening desert city with an eighteenth century charm. This is a young tailor. His age at the workplace doesn't raise too many eyebrows. This is India.
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