Two days in the Golden city, Jaisalmer

From the never ending sand dunes to ancient forts and fortress, Jaisalmer has everything in it's pot. You will see a peep of culture perfectly in contrast with the monochromatic or toneless desert lifestyle giving it's all colors.

We not only experienced one of the beautiful sunsets in the vast expanse of Thar desert, but also met interesting personalities during our trip to Jaisalmer.

As I said, it's not just about the breathtaking views, Jaisalmer had got many more things for you to experience.

Here are the top pick of interesting things to do in Jaisalmer!

Look in awe at the majestic sight of Jaisalmer fort
Standing proudly on Trikuta hill in the endless sands of Thar desert, the mere sight of majestic Jaisalmer fort is definitely going to make your heart pound.

Made of rich yellow sandstone, indigenous to this area, this fort is one of the largest living forts in the world. The locals often refer it as Sone Ka Quila(Golden fort).

This fort indeed depicts the sheer strength of man kind of bygone eras.

Walk the lanes and by lanes of the Jaisalmer fort

This is one of my favorite things to do in Jaisalmer. Walking the lanes of fort to give yourself a glimpse of the lives of culturally rich people.

If not for the walk, we would have never got to interact with shop keepers who carried the rich heritages of Jaisalmer.

Treat yourself to the interesting vistas at every corner

Be it the Intricate carvings in the fort complexes or just the view of Jain temples from one of the windows of house, Jaisalmer treated us at every corner.

Jain temple from a different angle

Go on a shopping spree!

Colourful dresses, shawls, umbrellas, handmade items, interesting souvenirs, showcase items, artificial jewellery, camel leather bags, mirror work pieces, and the list goes on. Name anything, you will find it in the lanes of Jaisalmer fort.

Indeed a shopaholic favorite place!

Explore a house inside Jaisalmer fort

This one was not a planned one.When we saw people entering the house and the entry fee was just Rs.50, we just put ourselves inside to see how the old Rajasthanis lived. But what came in as a pure surprise was that there was a place put up very neatly in a marwari style, where you can take photos.

The house had also showcased the lives of Rajasthani by displaying the items used during those times. 

Explore the havelis of rich merchants

When a renowned trader of Jaisalmer in 19th century, Patwa, came up with an idea of building mansions for his five sons, he ordered them to be started. It took around 50 years for it's construction that the father Patwa had passed away before the havelis got completed.  

So thus formed the Patwon ki haveli, a combination of five havelis each with a distinct quality of it's own. Now these havelis mirrors the rich beauty of yesteryear.

Patwon ki haveli is such a beautiful master piece that shouldn't be missed in your Jaisalmer tour. I was mind blown at the mere imagination of rich merchants who had lived over there years ago. 

Hanging handicrafts everywhere

Though the fort was packed with palaces,houses, havelis and temples, what took my heart was those beautiful handicrafts hanging all around the fort lanes.

Inquistive to know why these handicrafts stole my heart? Read about my tryst with a shop keeper selling Patch-works.

Watch a puppet in the making
Puppet show is a popular sighting in Rajasthan. The colourful handcrafted wooden puppets hanging together are a pure delight and can make it to be a perfect souvenir.

But the best part was that we got lucky enough to have watched the same puppet in the making.

Watch the people unwind for the evening in Gadisar lake

Always a lake or a water system in a city or a town amazes me like no other. Proper water management system is a lifeline of any city.

Not only that, it also serves as a favorite part of the city where people unwind for the evening. Gadisar lake was one such lake with some brilliant vibes.

Watch the sun go down in Bada bagh

As most people head to Bada bagh for the spectacular sunset, we also intend to see the sun go down painting the sky in interesting colours. But we could only make it to the place just after sun went down.

Disappointed, paid the hefty amount of INR 100 per head and walked fast to catch a glimpse of colour painted sky atleast. But guess what? Things got better, when we saw crowd melting away from the place after sunsets, giving us an offbeat Bada bagh.

And we were happy to have the whole place all to ourselves.

Is that how we find an offbeat place in a touristy corner? Just play with the time.

Desert experience like no other
The thing about desert is that it looks like a place lost in time, surrounded by nothing but sand.

We sat on a camel's back and enjoyed the vast expanse of Thar desert coming to life in the evening.

Hell yeah! We went for  dune bashing (Adrenaline junkies!). We winded up the day seeing the desert wearing the jewel of stars in the night.

During our stay in Thar desert, we were treated with incredible sunset and sunrise.
(A detailed post on my Desert Odyssey in Jaisalmer is updated!)

Treat yourself to exotic veggies with a brilliant view
Ker - Berry, Sangri - Beans. These two unique variety of beans and berries which grow abundantly in Rajasthan, are stir fried with local spices. That's the story of scrumptious Keer Sangri ki sabzi.

Pair it with rotis for a perfect delight.

Forgot to mention! When in Jaisalmer, though cliched, it is always "Food with a brilliant view". Want to know what I am talking about? Have a look yourselves guys!

Quirky things about Switzerland

Art! Art! Art Everywhere!
When in Switzerland, you will find creativity at its best.

If they can ramp up an old shoe to something like this, well do I have to mention how creative Switzerland art look like?

Flowers at the windowpane

And be ready to be mind-blown by the wooden houses with blissful flowers adorned on their window panes.

Go on and on around the winding cobblestoned alleys of Brienz to treat yourself to the popular traditional wooden houses decorated with flowers.

Forget about the wooden houses, even the modern houses have their window panes or balcony decorated with flowers.

Colored Window doors!

Whether it is wooden house or modern house, you would find window doors in interestingly colored traditional patterns.

Excellent public transport system
Ohoo! This is my favorite part of travelling in Switzerland.Trains are perfectly timed to catch the next connecting bus or worse next connecting boat cruise.

Everything in your hand
A one stop solution for any worries regarding Public transport - SBB App.

We loved this app and anyone would love it too. Read ''Travel at your ease with Swiss travel pass and SBB App''

Time

No doubt that they are the finest manufacturer of clocks. They value time.

All public transports were on time throughout the duration of our trip! Not even delayed in seconds.

Organised

The best part about this country is that everyone is completely relaxed and no one is in a hurry ever. Even in the busiest hours, you would see office goers wait for the passengers to get down before getting in.

When you are crossing a zebra line (irrespective of the color), you would find the person driving the car stop for you to cross. No rush-push! No hurry! Just Chill!

Can you imagine such a thing in India?

Flowers, an untold affair

They love flowers. No No! It’s not just love. Imagine it in a superlative degree!

You would find a bouquet shop in every street having some exquisite collection of flowers. 

  

Hiker’s Paradise

Home to more than 200 mountains(over 3000 meters height), Switzerland indeed is a hikers paradise.

Read about my spine chilling journey of climate change in Morterarsch glacier.

You can do any hike all by yourself as the sign boards are perfectly placed and there is no chance for you to get lost in the woods. 

Best Water Management in place

Every town/city in Switzerland has a lake. Yeah from Zurich to St. Moritz, every city has their own lake.

St. Moritz town surrounding its lake

Studies have proven that Switzerland water is of highest quality that you can drink water from any tap.

Switzerland indeed a dreamland!

When a dense fog, which blanketed the view of the Spiez castle and its surroundings, moved its way, looking out of the world, we couldn’t but marvel at the scenery painted in front of us. Of course this dreamland threw us lot of surreal scenes like this at every nooks and crannies.

PS : This was the view outside Spiez Rail station

Another one from Brienz! When your railway station looks something like this, do you ever need a vacation from this place?

Divided by language, United by Nation

To know what Multilingualism is to Switzerland, one must visit Switzerland and experience it. 

To those, who aren't aware of the Switzerland's multilingualism, here’s a pictorial depiction.

You would find German part of Switzerland speaking German, while French part of Switzerland speaks French and yet living in perfect harmony with each other, despite the difference in language and culture.

You won’t find them mixing up English, when they talk to their peers. And almost all citizens are well versed in at least two languages. 

This peaceful co-existence among different language groups is indeed a pride factor for Switzerland.

Souvenir? Swiss cowbell ! 
Thinking of souvenir to take it back to your country, look no further! Cow bells hanging everywhere at different sizes can make it to be the best souvenir you can buy.

DDLJ fans out there? I know I know! You can't leave without buying it right? 

Chocolates anyone!

Sometimes in life, all you need is a little chocolate to lift your mood right? Is this the reason behind Switzerland's happiness quotient?

If you have plans to buy chocolates for taking it back to your country and you are staying anywhere near the border of Austria, I would recommend buying it in Austria as the price of chocolates were less than half that of the price of chocolates in Switzerland.

Happiness Index in Switzerland

As per 2018 Happiness Index issued by United Nations, Switzerland holds the fifth position in the world.

Well! Happiness seemed contagious in Switzerland.

Feel at home in Switzerland

Be it the conversation we had with the co-passenger we met in our first train or the smiling attendant in Interlaken Ticket counter who answered all our questions patiently(for four days!), everyone was so polite and made us feel at home while guiding us.

These are the few things I observed on our trip to Switzerland. Have you ever visited a country and wondered how much different they are from your own country?