The Swirling Dusts of the Thar Desert

Threading the needle to Jaisalmer

Today brought a whole new appreciation for “eat my dust” as we made the 5 hour drive from Bikaner across the Thar Desert to Jaisalmer. 


The quality of the road system had improved markedly due to the presence of the Indian military who have a 60,000 force in place watching the nearby border with Pakistan.

Surrounded!

The highway drive was interspersed with adventures through small communities. Goats, cattle and camels roamed the roads at will and our hearts were often in our mouths as we threaded our way past slower vehicles and oncoming traffic. 


Goats have absolutely no road sense and the cattle meander bucolically along as though they own the road.

Rice offering in Phalodi's Jain temple

An interesting stop en route took us to the town of Phalodi, a community surrounding the 15th century Fort.  The town grew in the 18th century when Jain traders built their havelis and temples.

The Jain temple in Phalodi positively sparkles with gold and Flemish glass.  The gentleman who showed us the temple also showed us his own haveli that has been in the family for four generations.

Workers on their way to the fields

While we had seen many havelis earlier in Mandawa, we particularly noticed the intricate carvings and workmanship in the Phalodi buildings.

Many of Phalodi’s havalis have been abandoned which seems to be the case generally because of cost of upkeep and disputes over ownership.

Continuing our journey we met more and more military traffic on the roads as we entered the outskirts of Jaisalmer.  

Sun sinks behind Jaisalmer's Fortress

From the rooftop of our hotel we watched an orange ball of sunshine sink behind the Fort on the hill.  
More adventures await us in the old town tomorrow.