Havelis - or residence of
the rich merchants,
are littered all over
the outer city of Jaisalmer. These are the most lavishly decorated rich man's
houses I have ever seen., and very ironically, its smacked right in the middle
of poverty. These are really the legacy of the Silk Road, the ancient trade
route which traces all the way to China..
All the structures are carved out of solid red sandstone. Its detail and craftsmanship is uncompromising, whichever way you look at it. Its a grand masterpiece all around.
Desert bazaar shopping is really something. Yeah, we flirted with the buyers and bargained like crazy. Sometimes, so crazy till we realized that we spent like half an hour trying to bring down just 20 cents. :)
From
rainbow of turbans to meticulously sewn shoals in silk and Kashmir, from
grotesque ancient dolls to aromatic incense. You can find almost anything
exotic, well, except maybe for that Magic lamp. :)