Day 276: Desert City

Post from Michelle:

This morning we arrived in Jaisalmer, a city nestled in the Thar desert, close to the border of Pakistan. High on a hill towers a huge fort, dominating the city landscape. Built in 1156 for protection against invaders, it now houses a busy city life including hotels, shops, and restaurants for tourists. Contained within its massive walls are giant gates, a maze of narrow lanes and alleys, small courtyards littered with cows and sleeping dogs, and a magical palace whose sandstone walls are covered in intricate carvings.

It is five in the evening and I am sitting on our hotel roof high above the city, across from the palace. I am alone except for the company of gray pigeons, singing sparrows, and the whispering dry hot wind. Everything is the color of yellow sand - the ground, the walls, the buildings, and the roads. From this height I can see far into the distance where civilization ends and only stark desert terrain remains.

Directly below me is the massive fort wall and then a steep rocky slope. A family of pigs makes its way down the slope as a dog chases and teases the piglet, who squeals in protest. A woman balances a water jug on her head as she passes on the road below. A cow lumbers down the road.

It is easy to see the desert houses from this height. They are simple square structures with courtyards in their center. A woman sits on the ground in her courtyard with a child in her lap. They both wave as they see me peering down on them. Large clay pots for storing water surround them and wash is laid out on the house roof to dry.

As the sun sinks lower, I watch the hues of honey yellow change. I relish the solitude and quiet up here. The lone voice of a man singing Muslim evening prayers begins and floats up to me. His voice is melancholy, slow, and soothing - reflective of my mood.

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