The bus ride from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer was unbearably long. There were no toilet or lunch stops from 10am to 4pm. But the scenery was spectacular. We saw wild antelope, camels and sheep feeding on the trees and shrubbery, it was like being on a safari! Except sometimes the bus driver suddenly hits the break or swerves to avoid the passing cows.
Instead of looking for a place to stay, the place found us. There was a tout on the bus who asked if we wanted to see his guest house and since it was cheap and clean, we stayed. It had a great view of the fort, rising like a sand castle in the desert.
We were lucky to be there on the first day of the Desert Festival. It's the time when they crown Mr. Desert ( a beauty pageant for men) and hold moustache twirling contests. There are also camel races, camel polo matches, and (gasp!) camel tattoo contests.
Rajasthani men are proud of their facial hair, and Henri's moustache gets a lot of compliments here for its (unintended) sophistication. In fact, one of the guys at the guest house pleaded, "Please sir, don't cut your moustache."
After the festival, we wandered around the market to talk to some camel safari operators. We met a guy with a sparkly silk suit who invited us to try his lassi. I was curious why they had a picture of Anthony Bourdain Photoshopped onto a fake landscape, and they showed us a segment where they appeared on "No Reservations" on the Discovery Channel. They sell VCDs of the episode too... though I don't know if they are authorized to. They slipped Bourdain a "super sexy" bhang lassi. Bhang is religious marijuana and it's totally legal in holy places.
