Diwali in the Desert

          The Diwali atmosphere my generation used to experience is nowhere to be found in the current times & so everyone has his/her own unique plans to spend these holidays. The time slows down due to overall festival feel in the air and a not so social person like me tries to run away from the awkwardness of being the odd man out in the Indian society.

          The Diwali 2024 was approaching, I started visualizing the boring days both at home & at office & to avoid the lonely scenario booked a group tour to Jaisalmer.

       So the dawn of the Hindu new year arrived on the NH-68 to Jaisalmer & I liked the welcome change of not having to wait for breakfast till reaching Jaisalmer. Although the tea was bad & the bread had little butter on it, the opportunity to relax my bowels was enough to rejoice.  

Tiger's breakfast - Poha & bread butter

The journey lacked the hullaballoo of trekking tours I had done in the past for this was a group of families & not of youngsters without parents. Finally we reached the hotel but the comfort was still far away as the lengthy process of room allotment was going to take about an hour. Anyway low cost group tours  always carry its own inconveniences & so it was not surprising at all except the shock I got when I was offered a staff room & common bathroom as there was no other single male to share a room with me.

I haven't changed drastically as a person in all these years but still my tolerance levels have definitely improved & so I did get the room I had paid for.

Anyway the best this day had to offer was rest before another long journey to Longewala on the next day. I skipped the boat ride in Ghadisar lake & instead took a ride down the vodka road.

Golden T in Golden city

Next day marked my second visit to the Bada baug & Tanot mata temple on the way to Longewala war memorial. Only difference from the previous trip was that this time I went inside the temple as far as it was allowed to go wearing shoes.

The sightseeing in Jaisalmer is meaningless unless you have a guide & that's where this trip had an upper hand compared to previous one.

The 2 hours given for Bada baug exploration were too much for many but somehow they discovered joy in making reels inside the Cenotaphs & created Instagram memories.

Finally came the cultural night to lift the spirits of the remaining tourists & although music & dance was not up to the mark for my taste, the company of old monk did it for me.

The last day brought the most exciting moments of the Jeep Safari in the Sam desert. For those whose thirst of thrill couldn't be quenched by complimentary Jeep & Camel Safaris, costly Quad biking was ready to go. Thus making the last morning a success.