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Desert A few days later, another bumpy bus ride to Jaisalmer, deeper in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. As we clatter farther west, the land opens up to scattered cacti, a few scraggly trees, sand, and camels. Rajasthan is a land of fortresses that enclose many of its cities until they grow beyond the protection of the fortress walls. Jaisalmer's fort is perhaps the liveliest in all of India, with many people living and working within its walls, waking with the desert sunrise and playing cricket in the golden sandstone glow of sunset.
Jaisalmer fort The touts are out in force around the Jaisalmer bus station and block our path with auto rickshaws offering free rides to their respective hotels. I settle on a room at the "Desert Boys" guest house up along the outer wall of the fortress. The sandstone is carved into a panorama of intricate temples, yet crumbles away in other places. On a hand-held tape recorder, I listen to the flute of Hariprasad Chaurasia, a well-known Indian classical musician, at sunset -- breath passes to melody, immortal yet ephemeral as it trails off into the sky.
At night through the "Desert Boys" bedroom window, a view of the new city of Jaisalmer that hugs the fortress walls. The barking of dogs reaches a frenzied peak down below, and somehow the new city, illuminated under evenly-spaced street lamps, recalls a U.S. suburban sprawl.
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