Prismma Holiday 2014

By Shalinidigvijay @shalinidigvijay
 Jaisalmer City ,Golden sandstone,legends and Ingenuity
  3rd January,2014Day 5 JaisalmerDesert Safari in the Sam Sand Dunes...

After a breakfast of liberally sanded coffee and Bedmi Puri with Methi Wale Alloo with the sparrows for company...

We headed out for exploring the historic city of Jaisalmer.
Before you hit the city,this is what you see.
Awesome.
You can scream your lungs out,and maybe rouse a few Chinkara...

Alternative sources of energy. ..solar farms and windmill farms dot the desert landscape. We ventured off the ribbon like road on to a windmill farm. Guarded by a lonesome dog who was quite ecstatic to have human company we checked out the windmill. Huge .
The panoramic shot couldn't capture the entire windmill.

We encountered these playful fawns...
Chinkara country this. ..this is what put Salman Khan in jail...
This got the boys  super excited.
And back on MDR53(major district road 53) cranes and heavy equipment were visible. Hubby dear had to take a detour. ..so as I sat in the car and blogged(too sandy, too dusty, too sunny and too many workers)...the boys watched a windmill being installed .
Discovered what really happens when documentaries are made for discovery channel. The crew at the site was only too happy to have an educated and super curious audience...so Gadisar lake and the Havelis AND THE FORT wait while the boys have their questions asked and clothes coated with sand.

Jaisalmer fort. .. India.s only living fort vibrant and alive ,a place where time has stood still.

Quaint shops in the nooks and alleys and tiny back lanes...

So many palmists...Hubby dear and I got our palms read ...obviously we were sold an optimised future.
But that was good fun ,to be told that money would never stop coming...
The architecture was amazing,the facades of carved golden sandstone,the demand of the king,that every one one has to adhere to...
The color of the sky was so blue....

Lunch at one of the oldest restaurants...

The view was amazing.
The juxtaposition of the old and the new...
A bajaj scooter that has probably not been used for 14 years and sweet child...
The fort houses a museum that was once the Rajas palace. I found the fort more interesting.

The fort was constructed in a time period of over 400 years,with each new king adding his bit to he castle.
Gradually built,it has character. All the forts in Rajasthan have been built like so,housing man and bird alike.The people are warm and friendly,even those who dont run shops or hotels.
This is an old wok which was used to make food for the soldiers,now discarded.

 And the most fascinating to me was the block printed ,hand dyed ,Barmeri linen. With the directions of the palmist ,that the money would keep coming ,I went ahead and splurged on bed sheets worth Rs10000...
Complimentary drop off to the car made me realize that I had forgotten to buy applique and leather stuff which is another speciality.
A creative approach to advertising.

The bed sheet is applique...but the ideas are unique.

And then further on...
Even though a place is  beautiful,its the people one encounters and chats with that make fascinating memories.
Jaisalmer,with its vast open never seen before blue skies,friendly sun darkened faces and spicy food laden with love and the smell of the desert is one such place.
We missed the havelis and I did not get a chance to buy the leather and applique,but I'd love to return. To the ramparts of this throbbing ,live fort ,that is so welcoming.
And there is also a Bhanh shop...Marijuana-legal here!
Next on...Jodhpur
But there is Madhani Marchi and Moongodi bari to buy yet.
'Till I bake again...