Am stat in jaislamer 3 nopti. Nu a fost destul:) Una din ele am petrecut-o sub cerul liber din proprie initiativa. A fost minunat (mai putin pt Cristina care este putin racita).

Jaisalmer ne-a primit cu o gara a carei fatada parea scoasa dintr-o poveste persana. Era 11:30 noaptea si jeepul de la hotel ne astepta. Ne-am cazat repede in Pol Haveli si am picat la somn. A doua zi am avut timp sa ne admiram hotelul si tot orasul.

Jaisalmer este o mare de galben auriu in jurul unui fort ridicat pe un platou in mijlocul orasului. Totul in oras striga deșert: praful omniprezent, camile, arhitectura hindo-persana, nuantele aurii ale cladirilor. Fortul e dragut cu fatade minutiosa lucrate si cafenele si restaurante pe acoperisuri. Orasul se intinde dedesupt plin de vechi Haveli, un fel de conace ale desertului, multe transformate in hoteluri drăguțe si primitoare.

Punctul culminant a venit in ultima noapte: safari in desert. Am pornit cu un jeep si dupa o ora de mers ne-am cocotat fiecare pe camila lui si ne-am invartit doua ore in desert. Dupa 2 ore pe camile ne-am asezat si am incercat sa lasam dunele si peisajul arid sa ne faca ganditori. Am mancat, am stat langa foc unde s-a cantat si apoi ne-am facut curaj sa ne culcam: pe saltele asezate pe nisip cu stelele si luna deasupra. Norocul nostru, a plouat in deșert in acea noapte. Pana la urma, cum necum am adormit desi am impartit salteaua cu un catel bucuros de caldura noastra. A doua zi inca o ora de camile si apoi relaxare prin oras inainte se cele 18 ore de tren inapoi spre Delhi.

English
We spent 3 nights in Jaislamer, not enough:). One night we slept under the stars. It was great, less for Cristina which has a cold.

Jaisalmer welcomed us with a train station whose façade seemed taken straight from a Persian tale. It was 11:30 and our hotel jeep was waiting. We checked in fast at Pol Haveli and fell asleep like babies. The next day we had time to admire the hotel and the city.

Jaislamer looks like a golden see battering against a rising plateau on which a watchful fort sits. Everything in the city cries desert: the dust, the golden hues, the hindu-persian architecture, the camels. The fort is cute, full of intricate façades and small rooftop restaurants and bars. Below lies the city, full of old havelis converted into welcoming hotels.

The highpoint was the desert safari we took for our last night. We started off with 1 hour of jeep and then hoped on our camels and wondered around the desert for about 2 hours. After 2 hours we descended and tried to look thoughtful among the dunes and arid landscape. We ate, we listened to music around the fire and then we braved for sleep: on mattresses laid on the sand under the star filled sky. Just our luck, it even rained in the desert that night. We somehow managed to sleep, sharing our mattress with a dog that enjoyed our company and warmth. The next days we spent one more hour on the camels, some time in the city relaxing and then 18h train to Delhi.

Suntem in intarziere si nu foarte cronologici, dar iata un update de prin 10 martie 🙂

Exploram incepand de la Agra trecutul Moghul al Indiei. Dupa minunea numita Taj Mahal si ale lui linii Persane a urmat orasul roz al Indiei, Jaipur, capitala Rajahstanului.

De la gara ne-a luat 20 se minute intr-o ricsa sa ajungem la hotelul nostru, un Haveli plin de sarm si istorie. Intregul drum prin oras am admirat curatenia (relativa fata de Delhi si Agra), fatadele minutioase si rosii ale cladirilor si bazarul local. Inapoi la hotel am fost primiti cu fastul Rajahstanului: am intrat sub petale de trandafir si am fost binecuvantati la intrare. Oli a si observat un mic Ganeș ce ne proteja din fața camerei. Ne-am instalat si am pornit sa admiram rosul de mai aproape.

 
Am avut noroc sa dam peste Dl. Khan, un sofer de rikshaw care, pentru urmatoarele zile, ne-a fost ghid pentru oras si minunile lui. Alaturi de el am vazut Palatul pe Apa, Fortul de Chihlimbar, Palatul Vantului, Observatorul Astronomic si Templul Maimutelor. Deja mi-e teama ca am scris prea mult ai nici nu am inceput macar:)

Toate obiectivele sunt simboluri ale Rajahstanului, ale independenței dar si subordonării fata de imparatul Moghul si ale puterii si bogatiei acestui stat. Amestec de Hinduism si Islam in stiluri si simboluri, delicatețe specifica arhitecturii persane si deitati Hinduse, opulenta, lux si tehnica. Fortul domina impunator valea de jos, mandru precum fostii regi ce l-au numit casa.
 

 

English
Starting with Agra we have been exploring India’s Moghul past. After Agra and the breathtaking Taj Mahal with his Persian lines we stopped in India’s pink city: Jaipur, the Capital of Rajahstan.

From the train station we had a 20 minutes rickshaw ride to our hotel, a charming and history filled Haveli. Through the city we admired the cleanliness (compared to Agra and Delhi), the intricate red façades and the local bazaar. At theObservf we were greeted with a typical Rajahstani greeting: we entered under falling rose petals and were blesses. Oli even noticed the small Ganesh protecting us from in front of our room. We settled and then left to see all thst red from closer.

Our luck was called Mr. Khan, a friendly rickshaw driver who, for the following days became our guide to the city and its wonders.  We saw Water Taj, The Amber Fort, The Wind Palace, The Astronomical Observatory and the Monkey Temple. I am already afraid that I have written too much and I have not even started yet.

All the sights speak about the delicate relationship between the Rajahstani kings and the Moghul Emperor, about being independent and of a different religion but being one’s subject. A mixture of Hinduism and Islam. Styles, symbols, persan curves and Hindu deities, opulence, luxury and technology. The fort dominates the valley bellow, proud as its former inhabitants