the golden city

traveling in India can be rather arduous. we hired a driver to journey with us for the continuation of our expedition through Rajisthan, our next stop being Jaisalmer. It is strange to have a driver who is essentially a stranger joining us on this adventure, but there is an element of safety I feel in his presence. during the 10 long hours on roads that have no end, I thought much about what his life must be like, what he thinks and dreams about. I often muse about the private lives of these people I encounter, whose lives are so disparate to my own...we arrived to the Golden City in the late evening. the illuminated Jaisalmer Fort greeted us at this small city which feels like a mirage in the middle of a barren desertscape. about 25% of the city's inhabitants reside within the walls of the Jaisalmer Fort, which harbours a palace, temples and hundreds of sandstone havelis. this feels much like walking within a living museum. beyond the walls of the fort lies a connecting complex of seven beautiful yellow sandstone Jain temples, dating from the 12th to 16th centuries, stunning! a very spiritual day was spent in this Golden City.