Our luck duly topped up we headed west to Jaisalmer , finding camp hidden deeply in the thorny thickets of acacia trees and euphorbias along the way . The ‘ Golden City ’ at the western edge of the Thar Desert is often perceived as India ’ s guard to the frontier with Pakistan and traces its beginnings back to the 12th century . We found a hostel with views of the famous Jaisalmer fort from its rooftop restaurant and settled in . The Sonar Quila ( Golden Fort ) houses shops , hotels and ancient havelis
where generations live to this day . Sharing the old narrow streets with cows and touts , we made the most of the afternoon marveling at the intricate stone masonry and ancient architecture of the fort made entirely from the area ’ s yellow stone .
I was excited for the next day , as we had arranged for a glimpse of nomadic life different to our own roamings . We switched from motorbikes to camel-caravan and set off towards the area ’ s pristine sand dunes . Riding a camel is surprisingly bouncy , if you ’ re not used to it , and
we welcomed a break by a water hole . Sheep and camels came here to drink , and a tractor filled a tank mounted on a trailer to supply the local area .
Reaching the dunes just before sunset , our hosts unloaded the animals and let them roam , their legs loosely tied together so they wouldn ’ t go far . Exhausted and a little bowlegged from the long hot ride , we flopped down into the sand . As if he ’ d read our minds , a man appeared over the dune and offered to fetch us beers , if we paid him in advance .
TRAVERSE 76