Mountains?? Done...Beaches?? Done…
Deserts??None…
Yes, deserts usually get ignored. So this time(jan 2020) when winter was already very chilling in Delhi, I was in no mood to head towards any hill station and beaches were not easy to be on list as it was only a weekend that I have. Finally I decided to go for a trip to the city lying in the heart of the Thar desert - Jaisalmer. Looking into a number of travel agencies, I finalised to go with Go4explore.
The evening of our departure came, and the trip started with 20 unknown strangers. After a few hours of driving, a halt for dinner was taken and there we all tried to break the ice which in turn made all of us comfortable enough to look forward to enjoying the trip together. Overnight we were sleeping. When we woke up in the morning, roads of Rajasthan were welcoming us, rustic vibes were a treat to the soul. Music and in between fun chit chats with the travel buddies made it easy for us to pass the time while covering the distance to Jaisalmer. Finally we reached Jaisalmer, our stay was arranged outside the city in Swiss tents. After having lunch there, we got ready to go for desert safari. The view of desert at campsite was eye soothing, jeep and camel safari was thrilling and once in a lifetime experience.
Sunset in the desert is another mesmerising thing. Relaxing and having tea and Maggi on chai tapri in that desert area with new pals was adding to the pleasure. As it was almost dark now, deserts were giving a different joy.
After spending an hour or so we came back to our tents. Their folk music and dance along with some amazing feats by local Rajasthani performers made us awestruck, we were feeling like royals. After the show it was time to light the bonfire and rock the dance floor on beats of folk music and our typical party Songs. We danced like there will be no tomorrow and then was the time to have Rajasthani dinner. My goodness the dinner was finger licking. No doubt nothing can beat Rajasthani thali. We spent the night gazing at stars and having sound sleep in tents. Camping at Sam sand dunes should be in every individual’s bucket list.
Next day, after a delicious breakfast we started with activities like parasailing, quad biking - outside the campsite. Finishing up with that we forwarded towards Kuldhara, the cursed village. Visit to this place was my favourite as its history was very fascinating that how overnight the whole village got abandoned. It’s a must visit while on trip to Jaisalmer. Now, Jaisalmer fort was on the list.
The fort was having a uniquely relaxed atmosphere with bright bazaars and rooftop cafes within the fort. It was difficult to realise that it was time for the sun to come down. So we close friends, I got on that trip, decided to walk to Gadi Sagar lake to cherish the sunset view. Ahh..it was a state of tranquility. The day came to an end and we got back to tents. After a tasty meal, we all travel buddies decided to interact about philosophies, experiences and other such deep topics to enrich our learning. It was a great session.
Last day of our trip arrived and somewhere I was feeling heartbroken as the tour and fun was on the verge of end. But I was still excited too to see the Blue city – Jodhpur. After a few hours' drive, we reached the impressive fort of Jodhpur – Mehrangarh fort. The fort served to take a deep insight in the history and culture of the city. Jharokas, mirror work, museum of the fort and blue houses around the fort delighted all of us.
And there the sightseeing of the trip came to an end. Though there were many other places to visit in Jaisalmer and Jodhpur, our agency and we travellers too decided to enjoy it without any hassle of rushing from one place to another. We tried to have the fullest experience of limited places only.
Finally, we bade goodbye to royal Rajasthan with sweet memories of travel and companionship of fellow travellers.
