currently in jaisalmer , the golden city

on the right ganesh a friend whom i met and a really nice guy (mumbai)














top : marina drive , connecting to form the queens necklace at night in mumbai.

(mumbai ) ok whats got i to do with this huge ballon ? : P

jaisalmer

raving from the heat and the smoke dust that have blown off the thar dessert. i arrived in dusty, dry and hot jaisalmer. the city of trade , tourism , military bases and also the magnificent living city , the jaisalmer maharaja palace.

jaisalmer is a border town in between the india and pakistan border in between it is the great thar dessert dunes. the once great fort that was never surrendered to the invading armys of the muhgal army and named after the founder of the fort , jaisal and mer which means castle.

when i first arrived, i knew it was going to be a touristy place in the off season and the moment i arrived, i was swarmed by what seemed like tons of touts and hasslers wanting me to go to their hotel. unraved i insisted on the only hotel i wanted to go to. the fort view hotel. as good as it sounds, it really was a great view to behold from my very own balcony (minus the absence of a tv).

moving into the fort , i noticed how small jaisalmer was till i walked around it vitually. a surreal tasting of local town life as well as to marvel at the significence of the motifs and the strikingly well carved sandstone havelis , or old houses. which really looked like wood but made from sand stone. everyday passed and i slowly but surely fell in love with the place.

now into my second day here and i am raring to try the camel safari. but as i have not been feeling too good , will think i will go forward and see if i can go do the half day ones.

jaisalmer has also its great history and repeatedly in the history of the rajas are the sati marks or jarvur of the wives of the rajas which throw themselves at the funneral pyre of the maharajas. which such a practise is now banned in india.

watching the sandstone glow in the glistering sunlight was a treat only the beholder can enjoy!

ahmedabad

ahmedabad a city of centralised learning , the center piece of mahmat gandhi ashram , the subramati ashram. A city split between old and new with a river in between and a city with a high muslim population of 40 percent.

ahmedabad is like overwhelming at first , with the fog and smell and pollutition. but see past that , there is actually a whole school of arts and crafts from the very golden age of northern indian. highlights of the city include the majestic jama masjid of admedabed , with its 88 pillars and one of the world's first mosque to invite and have a special partition for women to come and pray. also one of india's oldest mosque with some residual jain influence at 600 years old.

syed ali mosque was also the main highlight as its frames were also centeries with with jain influences perched with the tree of life.

the irony of ahmedabed is that there are so many ancient mosques at every corner that at prayer time , you can virtually heard the various mosques trying to outdo each other with their ohmm up decibels challenging even the loudest and biggest street traffic horns. creating a symphony of prayer calls coming together to sum it up that islam is alive and thriving in this city.

ahmedabed also prides itself as a center of religious learning and torelence, which makes this city a very interesting place, also a feeling like singapore. but plus the bustle and the ordered chaos of any india city.

a gem indeed !

mt abu

a prilgrem center as well as the highest point in rajathan. feels more like a tourist center then anything. but with cooling temperatures and a wealth of jain and hindu temples. superseeded by lake nikki and a barrage of shops and curios around town. cannot stop loving the weather.