So before I begin this post I must make mention of my (Steve's) travel booking blunder and the quick game-time thinking that kept us on our course. While in Jodhpur waiting for our train to Jaisalmer at a nearby hotel, we decided to take a peek at the boarding time and see if we had time to finish some odds and ends. The current time was 9PM and the ticket said 5:40 AM. Hmmm? Not what we had expected. In fact the time was 5:40AM for that morning. A train already left with neither of us on it. Arggg! The booking agent messed it all up, but you've gotta stay on your toes to make sure that you get the right docs...I have been extra careful since.
So with some quick thinking, we ran to a travel desk and found an overnight bus which departed in 45 minutes. Yes, 2 please! And before we knew it we were in a sleeping compartment of a bus bound for Jaisalmer.
Okay, now it's Stacey here. Now that we have arrived, we are able to see Jaisalmer and its incredible beauty. Many believe that it is the oldest continuously habitated fort in the world, and unfortunately time and those living in it are helping to show its age. The fort, having been built so many thousands of years ago, was not built to withstand the modern plumbing that the restaurants, guesthouses, and museums now use. The fort is now on the 100 Most Endangered Monuments list. We are not proud to say that we stayed inside the fort, but we did. As much as we both truly believe that it is everyone's duty to do what they can to help save the fort, the onus is on the Indian government to shut it down and temporarily move the thousands of families so they can restore it - our room was going to be rented out to someone whether we stayed there or not. May seem like a cop-out on our part, but the opportunity to experience life inside the fort (and the views from the windows!!) was something a bit hard to pass up. Okay, guilty explanation finished now.
Next on our list of things to do in Jaisalmer - the Bhang Shop. If you don't know what Bhang is, google it. We had heard about this particular shop from tons of travelers, and even saw Anthony Bourdain visit it in his Rajasthan episode of NO RESERVATIONS. This is a goverment authorised shop, and was clean, had a great view, and had a wait inside the shop at all times. Nothing more popular in town, it seems! Now, those of you who know me, Stacey, know that I don't much partake in Bhang, but Steve really wanted to try it so I went along. And decided to have a sip of his Bhang Lassi. Mmmm, Banana - that's tasty. I'll have another sip, please.
Before you know it we are both pleasantly 'happy' and have a seat on the cushions at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the fort.
Next we were off to visit the City Palace, where the current Maharaja of Jaisalmer still lives (off and on). Since we had so much fun the previous night, and also because we have seen WAAAY too many palaces to see another one sober, we headed to the Bhang Shop in the afternoon (not morning, OK??) and then went off for the coolest Palace tour we've seen. This is really the way to do your 100th palace and fort tour, let us tell you.
Then we watched the sunset over the fort, ate some delicious Indian deserts (the best in the whole world, we swear), and went to bed.
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