A walk around Jaisalmer

After coming back to the hotel after the camel ride we had a short rest / shower and then a guide arrived to take us for a brief tour of the city attractions.

I am not going to comment much in this blog entry because the internet connection is spotty. Just let the photos overwhelm your senses, just as India does.

Our Deepak hotel is in the fortress itself and there is a warren of lanes running everywhere. These lanes are lined by all sorts of exotic buildings.

Mysterious courtyards.

Usually we shared this passage with a scooter or a cow. Sometimes both at the same time.

The side view of the Prime Minister's Palace. Jaisalmer has its own Prime Minister.

Colourful fabrics everywhere.

My gate photo for the day.

We made it to the wall of the Fort. The view was similar to what I was getting from my hotel room.

My hotel room did not have a cannon however.

The Fort was never conquered. The location on a steep hill top helped, but a bigger factor was the remote location in a dessert. A besieging army would have no ready local source of food or water.

It looked like a group of students.

We left the Fort entrance and went into the surrounding city. 

A fruit and vegetable market.

Looking back up to where we had been with the cannon.

Not all the fancy buildings are old. Here a new one was being constructed.

The city is made entirely of this sand stone that glows golden in the sun.

Yet another narrow mysterious lane.

Another Prime Minister's residence that is still occupied by his descendants. It was designed by two architects who each did one side. They are similar but with small differences.

Elegant dog kennel.

Inside.

Made of camel bone.

Good luck symbol, common in the area.

The original owner of the palace.

This town is often used as a  backdrop for Bollywood films. Indians come to this part and put on elaborate costumes and have their photos taken growing out of Alejandro's head.

Our guide then took us to a CO-OP shop that has government support to provide employment to the surrounding rural villages. The men and women both create the following products. The blue one on the right is shown as a demonstration of the poor quality of what you usually find in the market place.

A samosa was brought for those of us who were hungry.

As usual, I got bored hanging around while some of the group selected their purchases so I went outside and here was a vendor selling pizza.

This town is quite something.