This is part of ‘The Road trip’ to Rajasthan. Check out part I – https://www.storyberrys.com/2022/11/21/the-road-trip-i-gurgaon-jaipur-jodhpur/

The Road Trip – II ( Jaisalmer )

After the fun-filled pre-Diwali night with friends, lots of adda, drinks, music and laughter, the next day would be the drive to Jaisalmer. Our friends boarded the train to Jaisalmer and we set out by our car. Not surprisingly I had a tiff with my husband just after we started driving because I wanted to drive, so some tantrums and silence later I was beneath the wheels with music, lovely roads and windmills grazing the roads. That was one of the most beautiful drives of my life with virgin roads, rugged landscapes and nothing but horizon ahead. Maybe being Diwali day traffic was sparse and being tough terrain as it is population seemed sparse as well!

The road was deserted and there was hardly any open restaurant. We found few choices in Pokhran with most of them being closed. But had fresh Gatta curry, rotis, and kadhi-chawal in smallish local joint types. Even my daughter a bit exasperated with ‘eat local cuisine’ preaching, actually loved the food and for once agreed when in a new place we must try local cuisine overlooking the pizza burger fair once in a while.

The surprise of the drive was just waiting for post lunch when I was planning to doze off with my husband behind the wheels and daughter in front with him. The road straight ahead unfurled the most beautiful sunset which compelled my husband to pull the car sideways and we just leapt out of the car. Later daughter remarked ‘ What a strange couple you are! One moment you were fighting tooth and nail and the next you were leaping out of the car… sunset sunset!!’

Yes, it was one of those moments, my ‘Kahin dur jab din dhal jaye’ moment when we put behind our tiffs and just marvelled at…hues of the sky, the road and the horizon!

‘In umr se lambi se sadko manzil pe pohochte deha nahi 

Bas daudti phirti rahti Hain humne to theharte dekha nahi!!’

Gulzar couplet for every occasion!

We checked in to Hotel Chowki Dhani and settled for the vegetarian fare at night which was kind of disappointing for the adults and the kids alike. Though the news of the availability of eggs in the morning came as a huge relief!

Day 1: Jaisalmer : Sonar Kella, Patto ke Haveli, Bada Bagh, Gadisar Lake

Like all bongs, Satyajit Ray’s Sonar Kella weaved a spell over Jaisalmer…the desert and the golden fort. Even the daughter who had read the English translation kept asking ‘ Maa where do you think were Mukul’s treasures in this crowded place!’ The next morning after breakfast was the day trip to the charming old-world Jaisalmer. The beginning was of course with Sonar Kella…the Golden Fort with its alleys, with its residents manoeuvring deftly their two-wheelers around the tourists and stray animals, the lanes with antic shops…one would just love the vibes!

Absolutely ‘ Padharo Maro des’ vibes, did some street shopping as I love, dupattas, jhumkas , sling bags, some souvenirs.

The next stop was Patto ke Haveli, my visit to Jaisalmer wasn’t the first and the Jaisalmer I remembered from mid-nineties…laid back, charming, and royal with palaces, havelis and desert straight out of the movies and serials I had watched!

Day’s last stop was the beautiful Bada Bagh and after that, we headed for a light and sound show at the Gadisar Lake. Many old movie songs were shot at Bada Bagh like ‘Jihale Miskin ‘ that haunting nomadic track and we witnessed a solar eclipse in the open horizon… which left us to spell bound.

Day 2: Drive to Longewala, Tanot Mata temple 

The next day was the drive to Longewala which was not on my bucket list but followed the group. The road was ethereal amidst sparse vegetation and almost no villages or sign of life nearby. 

Longewala evoked emotions especially from the movie ‘ Border’…the songs echoed throughout the drive and though anti-war at heart, the place struck chords at those soft corners where it hurt! The drive to Tanot Mata temple where the supposed Pakistani bombs did not blast was also ecstatic.

Longewala

Day 3: Mandir Palace, Kuldhara Village, Jeep Safari, Sam Sand Dunes

The next day visited Mandir palace and had a fabulous non-veg lunch of Laal Maas and other stuff and the kids jumped in with chicken chicken….well can’t blame them..took after their parents after all 🙈.

Next was the supposedly haunted Kuldhara village, nothing much noticeable , a Bhangarh like feel if anything eerie is there…is lost among the crowd!

We checked in to the desert camp in the late afternoon where I quickly changed into a long dress for some instagramic reel and was set for desert safari. Husband was not happy at the little stretch of sand and the crowd, his friend was raving about the vast Dubai desert and I was shooting my Razia Sultana reel with glee and the kids giggled madly at the jeep safari where we adults had our hearts and stomach popping out of us!

The evening was colourful at the camp with folk music, dance under the sky and the theme of the trip, ‘ Maare Hivde mein’ moment for me!

Under the clear sky and stars, we listened to the singers and then played from our playlists and sometimes it was a Lamhe, Rudali or ‘Jihale Miskin’ set where we were transported! Kids made a fuss over the wild insects on the door of the camps to which we did not pay any heed.

Day 4: Drive back to Jodhpur 

And the next day was the drive back to Jodhpur! The trip was nearing an end….the dunes of Sam, the camps at night, havelis and palaces…we were leaving the land of fables with memories and music in our hearts… So many Chitrahar songs seeing the light of the day and reel life and real life turned into one for some moments!

Soma Bhattacharjee