Jaisalmer - the desert city

Within a few hours of reaching Jaisalmer we were in the back of a jeep heading out into the desert. We had arranged an overnight camel safari which would have us riding camels, sleeping under the stars and returning the next morning.

Riding a camel is one of those masochistic things that people feel they must do, no matter how many bad stories they hear about it! We were no exception, and within the first few minutes we were feeling sore. The constant quest to find a more comfortable position detracted somewhat from enjoying the serenity of the desert, but we can now tick “ride a camel” off the list!

It was really fun sleeping out in the desert. Our guides gave us thick blankets that formed heavy cocoons around us as we settled in for the night. The moon was so bright we didn’t need a torch to see, and it was gorgeous looking up at the night sky full of stars.

Aside from the camel safari, Jaisalmer’s main attraction is the huge sandstone fort. It has a dramatic presence in the skyline of the town, particularly since the population here is just 60,000.

View from the fort

Within the fort we got to visit an interesting and photogenic Jain temple. Jainism is an ancient Indian religion with a focus on non-violence towards all living beings.

We had a bit longer than we needed in Jaisalmer, but that turned out to be good news for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it turns out Sal hadn’t fully recovered from being sick… But we also confirmed a volunteering placement for the New Year! So we have a lot of preparation to do now.

For our placement we will be teaching Karen refugees from Burma (Myanmar) who are living in refugee camps and villages in Thailand, near the Burmese border. The Karen people are an ethnic minority in Burma who have been in a long civil war with the military junta leading Burma. While Burma has begun some democratic reforms in the past couple of years, violence and human rights abuses continue to force Karen people out of their homes. We will be teaching adult students at a college called Kaw Tha Blay. The college aims to help the students become future leaders of their communities.

The college sounds like a really worthwhile project, so we’re excited to be involved. It will be a change of pace, a different kind of experience and a big challenge too. We’re aware that we’ve got a lot to learn in a short time – including the history and situation in Burma, life on the Thai/Burmese border and how to teach! We start in the second week of January.

Our last day in Jaisalmer was on Christmas Eve, but rather than hanging out our Christmas stockings that evening we settled in for an overnight train journey. Our Christmas Day will be spent in Jodhpur, and then we go straight onto another overnight train bound for Delhi, our final stop in India.

Being away from family, in a majority Hindu country, makes Christmas feel very distant. Although we realised that riding camels through the desert is actually quite a biblical way to celebrate Christmas! So Merry Christmas, Rajasthan style:

Comments from WordPress

• Sujai 2012-12-28T03:24:37Z

  Love the camel pictures and the santa hats (did you try to get the camel to wear one too? ;-))

  Was great having you guys here. The next stage (in Thailand, at the college) sounds very exciting and challenging. Looking forward to the updates!

• Craig and Sal 2013-01-05T03:44:54Z

  Hey Sujai,

  Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a camel size Santa hat (and we suspect they’d be too grumpy to wear one!) The hats did get a lot of use, as everyone wanted to borrow them for their own Christmas photos :-)

  We’ve just put up our Delhi blog, with some cool photos of us all. Hope your upcoming trip around South India goes really well, we look forward to hearing about it.

• Benni 2012-12-28T13:21:11Z

  This Jain temple is very impressive, incredible that such beautiful architecture has been constructed in-mid a desert area. I’m glad for you that you have the opportunity to work within this voluntary project, shall be nice to be involved again after a long time of traveling and this project in special seems to be quite interesting and useful. With your many knowledge and positive thinking I guess you are both perfect for teaching. :-) Best greetings from very cold Berlin! Cheers, Benni (+ Vera, who also greets you cordially)

• Craig and Sal 2013-01-05T03:41:43Z

  Hey Benni and Vera,

  Great to hear from you! Thanks for your kind words about volunteering. It’s just a few days away now and we’re really excited :-)

  Yes, we bet Berlin is freezing right now! Hope you had a lovely Xmas and New Year. Stay warm :-)

Written by Craig Drayton and Sally Robertson