Jalsaimer - the Golden City

Photos from Jaisalmer -

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=153545&id=771224918&l=abf51779e4

Well I've had some welcoming committees in my time but Jaisalmer really took the biscuit!! I'd started out on the local bus from Jodhpur - bit of hassle from the beggars in the bus station who were not at all impressed when I gave them food instead of money - you just can't please some people! The bus itself was a bit of a shed, holes in the floor in front of me but it was a really nice ride through scrubby desert, past windfarms and in Pokhran I was best friends for life with the little boy I bought water off.

The problem started just as we arrived in Jaisalmer and three blokes got on outside the railway station and started harassing me about hotels - one was even there because the guy at the hotel in Jodhpur had rung him up to tell him I would be arriving that afternoon - not a very happy bunny I can tell you. Arriving at the bus station it was complete pandamonium - there more than twenty of them all clutching their hotel cards which I think it was a bit excessive for one tourist - just got of the bus and ignored them. Then they all started to follow me - one claiming to be from the bus company and I should get in this white car "okay mate where's your badge then!" - got half way down the ring road before I realised I was walking in the wrong direction. I still had three of them tailing me at this point - in the end I gave up and went with the guy whose mate had rung from Jodhpur only because he was offering rooms at 100 rupees and it was allegedly near the fort - though I thought he was hedging on me taking a camel safari to claw back the money on the cheap room - little did he know...

I found Jaisalmer quite expensive and very hassly - it was all "madam you buy this" "what country" every thirty seconds - the coke cans had the correct price felt tipped over and even the beer shop tried to rip me off wanting 100 rupees for a bottle marked 60 - that's the beauty of India prices stamped on the items and most people will charge tourists the rate shown. Sorted out my train ticket to Delhi but not without having an altercation with this goofy looking guy who shoved in front of me - me protesting that if he had been in the queue he would have been facing the counter not to the side - I just wished my Hindi was better as they just looked at me like I was some mad old woman. Moved hotels pretty quickly as well much to the disgust of mi laddo from the bus station mainly because I couldn't remember the hotel name, where it was (nowhere near the fort) and there was rather a bit to much massage conversation to my liking when I was having dinner.

That said I did go for a bit of reflexology - you would think you would be safe with your feet but Dr Vyas "Master of Massage" as proudly proclaimed on his business card I think had other ideas. First off he had to check my ayuvedic category for no extra cost, this involved pressing various pressure points and from that he concluded I was having really problems in the stomach department - "a western tourist in India having stomach problems that's a bit unusual "I thought (though I kinda buck the trend - it's a genetic thing). Amazingly he said to sort out this anomaly he needed me to take off my blouse, err I think we'll leave my stomach problems as they are, thank you very much I told him. He wasn't best pleased and then continued on to the reflexology bit - I've had this a couple of times in the past and usually had whale music playing and soft bed with fluffy pillows to chill on - this time it was a bench, oil was slavered on my feet and with his builder like hands Dr Vyas pressed my toes a few times and told me I was depressed and couldn't sleep. Naturally he could sort this if I came back and gave him 100 rupees, he would then press his finger on my forehead and chant mantras over me - I'd need to do this three times and then I would sorted and bouncing around like a little bunny. I said I'd think about his offer to unburden me of a further 300 rupees.

My new hotel was really nice and the staff didn't hassle too much about camel safaris, it was where I had originally wanted to stay - the room was lovely with Rajastani paintings on the wall and the most amazing view over the desert from the tiny balcony. As I'm not into riding on animals I decided instead of a safari to just take a drive out in to the desert for sunset as I do love a good sunset. Ended up travelling with two Japanese girls in beat up Tata (the Indian Fiat Panda) which had seen a lot of action on the passenger door so I belted up for once. I thought the dunes would stretch to the horizon and there would loads of camels wandering about by the roadside but it wasn't like that at all - bit harsh but it reminded me of Southport with sun and the only camel I saw was one looked after by these "one pen" kids that one of the Japanese girls rode. Out in the dunes there were a couple of safari camps but it did strike me there wasn't a lot to do once you had got off your camel - drink beer, do handstands and dance a round like a loon which seemed to be what one Israeli guy was doing. Sunset wasn't the greatest I know I'm a harsh critic but there were no fiery reds and oranges as the sun dropped below the horizon. Bit of a hair raising drive back to town - 90 mph all the way and I had to stop myself from saying "mind the cyclist" as the driver sped along the unlit roads. As a place to look at Jaisalmer is really lovely but it was the people that got me down, I even said if you didn't hassle people so much maybe more people would come, but I don't think they'll take any notice.

The next day I left for Delhi - cool price to the station by rickshaw, but when I got to my carriage I thought "oh shit" as it was full of soldiers smoking and drinking and sitting in the dark. I immediately started opening all the windows to let a bit of air into the place and then the older soldier Mr Kumar started talking to me - usual crap "not married and not looking either" kind of stuff. He then wanted his photo taken with me - it gives me the creeps what they do with them (when I worked at Pontins we used to have a dartboard of dodginess photos) so I said no and then he started becoming a pain about it - "why" "because I don't like having my photo taken with creepy soldiers, thats why" I did want to say. He left me alone after that spec when I told his mate to go and buy his own water after he asked to drink mine - a young family moved into their seats and they were none too enamoured by their presence either. The next morning we were still chugging towards Delhi and the carriage got really busy - 10 people squeezed into the space for 6 and going to the toilet was a bit of an ordeal as sometimes the guys just pressed against you on purpose as you squeezed past - saw it with one other traveller big grins on their faces as she tried to get past - I was a bit unfortunate as I didn't know which groin to knee when it was done to me.

Made a bit of a mistake with the station as I thought we were stopping at New Delhi - so it was lucky I met three other travellers Sara, Brian and Halyat(sp) who knew we were going to Old Delhi. I wouldn't really recommend the Delhi metro with a rucksack as it was so rammed, arriving at the next station down the line we were all bundled back on to the platform through sheer weight of numbers pushing behind us but as Brian said they don't use their heads plenty of space at the back but everybody was crowded round the door. This time I decided on the Lords Hotel - as it had looked clean when I looked round it in August - the others despite my warnings went for the Vivek - "its grim but at least the sheets are clean" were Brians words - with me it was "never again".

Okay that's it the moment - maybe a bit more later on this week as I'm now in Kathmandu and have found a real cheapy internet cafe.