The Rajasthan Chronicles-Day 3 (Jaisalmer)

Awoke within a few hours, got dressed really quickly while a couple of my friends were singing useless parodies of songs. For the first time since the trip begun our group was the first to be present for breakfast-we had fast become notorious for being the late-comers.

Breakfast was to be served up in the terrace and we sat there playing on the swing until I spotted a shop with a computer in it. I desperately needed to clear my memory card to accommodate newer pictures. I ran down to the shop with a pen drive and sent another friend to get his memory card reader. But alas! the friend had packed the memory card reader deep in his luggage which was now entrenched atop the bus. Hopes dashed I started leaving the shop when the shopkeeper produced his memory card reader and offered to transfer the pictures into the pen drive. Elated, my friends and me watched him start the transfer process only to then read a message saying that the pen drive was full. He tried repeatedly but luck wasn't on my side. I left the shop in a downcast mood and got myself some breakfast. The rest of our class had nearly finished their breakfastD. ( So much for being first to get ready :) )During breakfast inspiration struck and I realised I could transfer the pictures onto a DVD. I hurried to the shop and finally my work was done. I could once more wield my camera. Yipee!!

There seemed to be a certain amount of friction in the air that day amongst certain students. When we halted at Sonar Killa, some students refused to get down stating that they wished to visit Desert National Park. The tour manger was giving us a choice between Desert National Park and Akaal Fossil park. This was a new development of which my group was not aware of. His logic was that Sonar Killa would take all afternoon to visit so one of the 2 parks had to be scrapped while the students vehemently stated that they would prefer skipping Sonar Killa rather than missing the National Parks. It was wrong of the tour manger to give us a choice but since our group was curious about Sonar Killa we got down and made way.

Sonar Killa turned out to be a lovely experience, something that I had only read about in novels and then later had let my imagination to take me to such haunts.  It was built in yellow sandstone and 1/4th of the population still resides in this Killa. It is a walled city with numerous by lanes meandering through from all directions. How I ached to run down all the lanes and explore all the shops that sold such strange and antique items. It was a place in which it would have been a grand adventure to get lost in. Mazes upon mazes, cobbled alleys, small temples, a large tree in the courtyard where the oldies sat and spoke about the daily ventures and who gazed at us with unconcealed curiosity. We were allowed to explore just one part of the fort and that too was a labyrinth of complex passageways, with innumerable steps, turns and doors. So many feet must have traipsed that path, many a queen must have walked floating in her own fairy world. She must have gazed down at her city with so much pride and now from her seat we could look down at the entire city and we spied hills rising up in the distance, windmills and rows of houses. At one spot there was a replica of the fort placed on a stone table and stone seats around it. It was like an open-air war room. I was tremendously glad to have got the opportunity to visit this place, I kept scurrying about here and there looking for newer marvels to sigh at. It was certainly one of the highlights of the tour for me.

I did some shopping in there and ended up with puppets and a bag which i did not have the heart to leave behind so pretty was it. I finally left with gnawing sensation- I was craving to explore the place thoroughly while I was also glad to have visited a place of which I, previously, would only dream of.

We went back to the hotel for lunch and then checked out. Once again we were back on the road, this time making our way to desert country-Sam Sand Dunes. After lunch everyone was sleepy and everybody's meter went down slowly one by one. Eventually just me and friend were left awake. The time passed somehow and after a couple of hours we could mark out the change in the scenery. The soil was much more arid and sandy, the vegetation sparse and scattered and air was dryer. And then the suddenly we were on a road with sand on either sides and the camels made their way in the distant. The thrill at spotting the first camels was soon replaced when they became plenty and then later seeing a caravan held no new novelty for us. After a long time we drew up and the first thing that caught my eye was a row of 15 camels sitting (which looked like squatting) with their backs to us. The sight got out a chuckle from me- these camels were to be our ride into the desert!!!

(to be continued)