It is no secret that old cities are best explored on foot. One reason for that is that when you are walking you tend to notice and observe things more closely. You are more comfortable stopping whenever you spot something interesting. And at times it is impossible to take your vehicle inside the narrow lanes where the heart of the city actually is.
Like Bikaner, the streets of Jaisalmer as well were narrow. Most people were travelling on two-wheelers or on foot. There was a lot of dust on the streets and of course there were feral cows and bulls that were at home in these streets so we also needed to dodge several dung piles.
However, once you manage to look past that, you turn your eyes towards brilliantly carved, bright yellow walls of the city. While these were expected in the Havelis, even the regular houses looked amazing with intricate latticework and floral patterns carved into the yellow sandstone. At several places we were confused whether we were looking at a regular house or one of the old opulent havelis that Jaisalmer is famous for.
There were several indications of how different life is in these lanes when compared to a much more private, or even secluded, existence in apartment complexes. Frescos, such as the one in the above picture, were common. This one would continue to commemorate the wedding of Megha with Mohit Ji until it is time to repaint this wall, I assume.
In general, the streets in Jaisalmer were a little narrower than Bikaner, but felt a little less crowded. There were fewer commercial outlets inside the residential part of the town, apart from the ticket counters of the havelis.
The shops such as the above were mostly close to the havelis where tourists are more likely to spot them. Eateries as well as grocery shops were mostly in the market area. There were also several shops selling puppets, bags, and clothes.
On one of the snack shacks, we noticed an item called "Ghotua". We asked the shopkeeper what a Ghotua is and he handed us a besan ka laddoo. He encouraged us to taste it. It was a besan ka laddoo, though was very soft and tasty. After that, we noticed some kachoris on his shop and decided to have one with tea.
The Kachoris were tasty. And he very generously refused payment for the Ghotua. There were also several shops there selling lassis. There is also one Government Authorized shop where you can have bhang lassi at various levels of potency. You can also have bhang laced fruit juices, shakes, hot chocolates, and even cookies. Unfortunately, we did not try these.
Overall the lanes were quite quirky and interesting. Some post-covid impact was evident, but I think things are slowly picking up. Foreign tourists have also started returning and as a result the business too is picking up. We would once want to go back when things are back to normal.
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