Nomad Diaries: Workation from Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer is suitable for a short trip, covering the forts, lakes, havelis, and a desert camp at Sam or Khuri. I had a great time exploring the places and making friends.
Reaching Jaisalmer
After a successful trip to Jaipur and Pushkar, I started my train journey to Jaisalmer on 4th February, Saturday. I boarded the train at Ajmer at around 12 pm and had lunch inside the train. It is a long journey train, with more than 9 hours from Ajmer to Jaisalmer.
Inside the train, I met two couples — an Indian couple and an Australian couple. The Indian family was going to Jaisalmer, where the husband works in the Indian Air Force. It is indeed great to talk to the people who serve the country and risk their lives to protect us.
The Australian couple was visiting India as a part of their South Asian tour. Scotty Paul and his wife are now retired from work and were exploring South Asian countries. They covered Vietnam and others and ended their trip this year with India. After Jaisalmer, they were heading to Rishikesh and Varanasi, and as you might have expected, I shared my experiences of Varanasi with them. It was good talking to them.
We reached Jaisalmer at 10 pm, and I went to my hostel, The Hosteller Jaisalmer, where I booked my stay for the next 5 days. Since the town is relatively smaller, cab aggregators are unavailable. Hence I had to pay whatever the local autos demanded, although the distance is short.
I had dinner and met two amazing people in the dorm — Sourabh and Sajal. They both came from Bengaluru to attend a wedding in Jaipur. They arrived in Jaisalmer so that they could cover this place and head to the wedding the following night. We just met, and since I was tired, I slept soon.
Here are things that may help you about Jaisalmer:
How to reach: By Flight or Train or Bus (in that order of preference)
Food: Restaurants serving Vegetarian Food are widely available. Couldn’t see any South Indian eateries. Mostly local dhabas and small restaurants.
Stay: There are multiple hotels but only two hostels available, The Hostelle and Zostel.
Mode of Transport: No cab aggregators. We have to depend on local autos or taxis. We can rent cars but have to talk to local people about that.
Desert Safari: We went to Pal Rajah Desert Camp, and the experience was good. There are many such camps and organisers. If you want to visit Pal Rajah Desert Camp, contact Khem Singh at 9588223936, 9829762275.
Okay, let’s get to my experience in Jaisalmer now :)
Jaisalmer Fort and Havelis
The next morning, it was Sunday, and we discussed visiting the places there. Both of them had a bus to Jaipur at night. So, wherever we went, we had to return by the day’s end.
We started from our hostel to Jaisalmer Fort, and Manasi, another solo traveller, accompanied us. Four of us walked towards the mighty Golden Jaisalmer Fort and hired a guide. The guide took us to the places of importance, like the well, which has been there since the Mahabharata days, Rajguru Haveli, and the viewpoint at the top of the fort.
Rajguru Haveli is one good place to capture photographs. We got a handful of good pictures of us, and the views from the top are amazing. Also, we got a birds-eye-view from the viewpoint atop the fort and took some pictures.
We purchased the Pagdi near the fort and wore it throughout the day! Since we didn’t have breakfast, we had lunch at a nearby place soon after covering the fort. After lunch, we headed towards another beautiful Haveli, Patwon ki Haveli. We sat there for an hour or two, listening to the songs of a local singer who was changing the lyrics of popular songs to accommodate our names and singing them soulfully with his harmonium. We sat on a bench, listening to his songs and observing the tourists and the tourist guides there.
One girl was into creating Instagram reels, and her tourist guide became a director for her reels. It was a funny experience for us, though, watching him give instructions and being hyperactive while directing that girl. He was handling the camera, giving her instructions while explaining the backstory of that haveli.
Khuri Desert Safari
While we were at the haveli, Manasi and Sourabh arranged for our Desert Safari for the second half. They coordinated with The Hosteller Jaisalmer manager, Suraj, for a guide and vehicle to take us to Khuri, another good desert place with a lesser crowd.
It was the last day of the famous Desert Festival, and we were looking to have a maximum desert experience without many people. The finale of the Desert Festival was at Sam, and we didn’t want to go there.
We went to Khuri and had a good desert safari in a Jeep. It was a crazy ride with the jeep speeding up at the top of the dunes, only to make us scream while going down. All four of us were standing at the backside of the Jeep while it was taking us on a roller coaster ride. It was one such thrilling experience with a lot of fun.
We were there for almost an hour, took pictures, walked on the sand, witnessed the wind eroding the sand, and the beautiful sunset at the dunes of Khuri. During the sunset, we just stayed calm, didn’t talk, and just felt the vibe of desert facing towards the setting Sun.
It was a peaceful and calming experience inside the desert. It was my first desert experience, and it went well. We didn’t book our stay in the desert camp.
While returning to Jaisalmer, the guide accompanied us narrated the story of the infamous abandoned village, Kuldhara and busted the myths of the village. Although I couldn’t hear much of it owing to the wind disturbance inside the vehicle, I got the gist of it.
One good tip: When you’re travelling to any place, instead of relying much on the internet, try talking to the locals. They engage you in the real stories in their own version with their great storytelling skills.
We returned to our Hosteller and bid goodbye to Sajal and Sourabh after having our dinner together.
Change of Plans
On the same day, I realised I don’t have much to do in Jaisalmer for a week. Initially, this was my plan:
February 4th to 10th — Jaisalmer
But soon after coming from the desert safari, I have five more days there, but the town is relatively small to spend five days there!
After this Jaisalmer trip, my plan was to visit Jodhpur for 3 days — the 10th, 11th and 12th, and from there, end the trip by visiting Udaipur from the 13th to the 18th.
I changed the plan and sent an email to The Hosteller team about the change of plan, asking them if they could accommodate my request and modify the booking as I booked my entire stay with The Hosteller. Thankfully they agreed and modified my booking so I could leave Jaisalmer on 8th February.
Gadisar Lake and Desert Cultural Center
I still had two days in Jaisalmer — Monday and Tuesday. So, on Monday evening, Manasi and I went to the Gadisar Lake at sunset and sat at the lake facing the sun until it was dark.
After that, we went to see a Puppet Show at Desert Cultural Center near the lake. That place is a museum + Cultural Center having puppet shows performing the stories of Rajasthan, an initiative led by Mr NK Sharma, 88, a retired Government Teacher, who has been running this for a couple of decades now.
We witnessed the puppet show, and it was one great experience. We saw what goes behind the scenes of puppeteers. Among the 5–6 stories they narrated, I was amazed by these:
- Songs sung by the lonely wives of the soldiers of the erstwhile Rajasthan when the soldiers were in wars, leaving behind their families.
- Girl child was seen as a taboo, and female infanticide was rampant in Rajasthan. Puppeteers raised awareness by performing the shows highlighting the importance of girl children and contributing towards preventing the heinous crime of female infanticide.
I was in awe after watching the show, and soon after the show, we had a good speech from Mr NK Sharma about the origins of this Cultural centre and how the town developed in the post-Independence era. This 87-year-old man stood for about 20 minutes and spoke without pausing or feeling tired.
Apparently, there were no resources and proper infrastructure in the town until Lal Bahadur Shastri visited this place when he was the Prime Minister. He laid the foundations for basic infrastructure, and after that, during the Indo-Pak war, the infrastructure developed in Jaisalmer, with good roads and other facilities owing to providing the facilities to our soldiers. Jaisalmer has an Air Force base even now.
After the show, I was fortunate to meet Sharma Ji personally, and he asked me where I’m from. Though it was only a formal greeting, I felt good talking to him. A legend striving for the development of his place for decades together, spending all his money to save the dying art of Puppetry. He also wrote a couple of books in multiple languages about the history of Jaisalmer and other places around Jaisalmer. I was unlucky — there was no English book to purchase.
We returned to the hostel after having dinner.
The next day, I was alone in The Hosteller Jaisalmer and didn’t step out. On Wednesday, 15th February, I boarded the train to Jodhpur. Surprise, I saw the same Australian couple on the same train! Sweet coincidence. I was happy to meet Scotty Paul and his wife on the same train again.
I also met a couple from London who were on a work sabbatical to explore different parts of the world. They were away from work from the end of 2022 till March, and they were about to end their sabbatical with India, joining their work in March. I’m sorry, I forgot their names, but it was yet another good conversation talking to them and knowing them.
I was amazed to learn that they stay in a compact space in London, and together they have prioritised exploring the world over living in a bigger place in London. They covered parts of Europe and, now, parts of India. I loved their thoughts on the decision to explore the world and live under their means in London, saving more to travel and explore.
Thankfully Jaisalmer didn’t have extreme temperatures in early February, and I didn’t have to wear winter during my 5-day stay there. Though I was on a solo trip, I made friends with three good people, and we are planning for a short trip post-monsoon this year 🤞
Also, one thing that impressed me during the stay in Jaisalmer is their respect and pride towards their heritage and craftsmanship. All the havelis, the fort, and multiple buildings are made with Yellow Sandstone, marking it as the identity of the place.
The reception in The Hosteller has a table made of single yellow sandstone with miniature artwork that people won’t observe carefully. It is mesmerising to see the finer details on the table.
We learned that on the outer wall of the house of people having weddings in their home, they paint the invitations by adding a picture of Lord Ganesha as a tradition, bringing good luck and happiness. Good tradition indeed!
I’d like to thank my friends, Varun Savai and Sumit Tiwari, who helped me with the recommendations around Jaisalmer and the desert safari.
Please read my whole Rajasthan solo travel experience here (coming soon). Before Jaisalmer, I’ve been to Jaipur and Pushkar. After Jaisalmer, I covered Jodhpur and Udaipur.
Happy Travelling 😀
