The Golden City | Jaisalmer | India Travel Photography, Part 4

I have one more India excursion to share before we return to the last post on the Indian wedding festivities. On Saturday morning, the last full day of the wedding, we headed out early for a brief visit to the town of Jaisalmer. The palace where we were staying was about 30 minutes from the town, and we were provided a tour guide and driver to take us around, which was yet another wonderful accommodation of Anika and Vijay’s wedding.

Jaisalmer is nicknamed “The Golden City” for its yellow sandstone– a perfect palette for this desert town. At the center of the town is a sprawling fort that dates back almost 1000 years to medieval times. We started by walking into Jaisalmer fort, which is now populated by townspeople.

The walkways are all lined with small stands geared toward tourists.

The leathers are all camel hide– cows are sacred and protected in India.

Our tour guide took us up to a rooftop for some great views of the fort and the surrounding town. You know how much I love a roof view!

The only downside was the sweltering 98-degree weather.

More tiny autorickshaws and lots of cows hanging out.

Ilya up on the second roof deck.

This view was actually outside the fort, looking in.

I loved the rooftops and walking around to this point, but then things took a turn, as our guide started bringing us to shops he clearly had ties to… It was still cool to see the shops, but I felt bad because we really had no plans to spend any money.

Jesse mentioned shahtoosh while we were walking, which led to us being given a lengthy lecture and demonstration inside this scarf shop. We learned all the differences between cashmere, pashmina, and shahtoosh. Shahtoosh is indeed extremely soft, but I don’t have any plans of spending $2000 USD on a scarf.

More scenes around town

Next, we were led to a textile shop. It was cool to see the signature patchwork pieces that Jaisalmer is known for.

We ended up with a giant pile of scarves and blankets on the demonstration floor…

This man holds a Guinness record for his beard.

All in all, I loved being able to see the town, even if briefly. I am so glad we took the time to make this morning excursion.

Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco but often jetsetting around the world. Follow her on facebook for more photography and travel adventures.

India Wedding Extravaganza

Delhi | India Travel Photography, Part 1 of 5

Anika & Vijay’s Wedding | Suryagarh Palace | India Travel Photography, Part 2 of 5

Camel Rides at Sunset | Sam Sand Dunes | India Travel Photography, Part 3 of 5

Anika & Vijay’s Wedding | Suryagarh Palace | India Travel Photography, Part 5 of 5