Tues 15: The land steadily got drier and the vegetation hardier and more sparse as we drove west. Further west before the Pakistan border it turns into sandy desert. Jaisalmer is known as the Golden City because of the yellowish colour of the local stone.
As in many of these old cities there is a large fort above the town. Jaisalmer is unusual in that the fort contains part of the town, including shops and houses. They call it a "living fort".
One of the highlights of Jaisalmer are the old "havelis" (houses) built by wealthy merchants. We visited a narrow street of them in the town where one man had built five in a row for his sons. They are like small palaces, finely decorated and faced with detailed hand-carved stone facades.
We were shown into one haveli where our host tried to interest us in fabrics and antiques he has for sale. The haveli are expensive to restore or maintain, and this is one way of financing that work. There were all sorts of interesting things on offer, but we were not buying.
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| Feeding the fish as part of his morning prayers. |
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| Close up of the catfish. Don't look if this sort of thing gives you nightmares. |
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| Fixing a small problem with the outer wall. Lucky its not serious! |
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| Sue and Kevin high on the fort, looking over Jaisalmer |
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| Havelis in Jaisalmer |
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| Ceiling decoration in one of the havelis. |
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| Incredibly detailed stonework balcony with screens |
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| Helen poses for the cameras |
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| Don't litter! |
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| Close-up of haveli stonework |
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| For sale in the haveli. |
