One afternoon in Jaisalmer I took the chance to head out into the desert for sunset.  I drove out with a bunch of backpackers to an area of the desert covered with rolling sand dunes.

Some of the other backpackers had arranged to take a camel ride across the desert for a few hours, but I swore I wouldn’t be sucked in (I’ve traveled on a camel before in Australia – not comfortable!).  When we arrived at our destination we found that every local farmer and shepherd had brought their camel along in the hope of making a quick buck.  As the lone backpacker without a pre-arranged ride I was hounded by all of them.  The cost for a one hour ride started at about US$20, but just by saying “no” a lot of times, next thing I knew the price was down to about $1!  So hey, why not?!

A man and his camel – I can’t remember his name but the camel’s was Sonia…

For the second half of my trip around India’s “Golden Triangle” I delved into the deserts of Rajasthan to visit three very different cities – Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Bikaner.  Jaisalmer was my first stop and an overnight 2nd class train ride away.  It was quite an experience – triple bunks and no linen, a couple of useless fans on the roof, no glass in the windows…  One of those different and fantastic travel experiences!

I arrived at dawn and was greeted with an amazing sight: the old city of Jailsalmer rose like some massive sand castle above the golden sands of the desert.  It was a delightful town that I really enjoyed exploring, not least for the beautiful Rajasthani fabrics and crafts I found there.  There were also some mansions dotted throughout the streets that were covered in ornately carved sandstone.

A typical street market scene.

Some of the incredible sandstone carvings on a local Jain mansion.

   
A Jain temple in the old city.                      The palace exterior.

Cute!!!

Thanks to my mate Milan’s family connections, I’d been able to arrange a private tour around the Taj Mahal (for free – yay!).  The only catch was that it started at five something-or-other in the morning, meaning a veeeery early start.  This didn’t turn out to be a bad decision however, as it was much cooler at that hour and the tourists hadn’t yet flooded in.

The Taj is one of those big tourist attractions that truly live up to their reputation.  The scale, symmetry, architecture and craftsmanship of the buildings and surrounding garden left me in awe.  The timelessness of the place literally took my breath away (all I could say was "wow!"), and I couldn’t help but think of the millions of people that have visited it over the centuries.

The tranquil Taj Mahal at sunrise…

I feel like royalty!

   
The entrance gateway.

    
You don’t really get the scale of the Taj until you get up close!