The golden city of Jaisalmer, on the northwest fringe of India in the Thar Desert, is a truly magical place. One of the few inhabited medieval forts in the world, Jaisalmer is a throwback to the Silk Road, a sandstone city suspended in time.

	We arrived in Jaisalmer at sunrise, just in time to see the outer wall of the fort glowing in the early sun. This is actually the view from our hotel!		From our hotel, you can see the outer wall, decorated with stone balconies, snaking its way around the fort.
	Each morning we had a leisurely breakfast of porridge, toast and chai, with the sun rising just over our shoulders.		View from our breakfast table.
	Contemplating the view...		...and just relaxing.
	Susanne's turn on the balcony.		Basking in the morning son.
	A view of our room's interior.		Sandstone houses in Jaisalmer's new town, seen from our balcony.
	The Maharaja's palace, one of the finest sandstone buildings in Rajasthan.		Performing for spare change at the palace gate.
	A young souvenir seller outside the palace.		A local sadhu.
	Turbans for sale...		... along with colorful marionettes.
	A woman selling quilts.		One of the resident cows outside our hotel; she usually slept by the tree with her calf.
	Even though Jaisalmer is known as the golden city, many of the local Brahmin families paint their houses blue, in the style of Jodhpur.		Steps jutting from a blue house.
	Pilgrim's arriving at one of Jaisalmer's main temples.		Jains, an ancient offshoot of Hinduism, are strict vegetarians; some even wear cloth over their mouths to avoid accidentally inhaling insects.
	A jain priest showing off one of the statues inside the temple.		Jain statues are often very intricate.
	Women exiting the temple.		Two boys playing around outside the temple.
	View from our hotel of a classic Jaisalmer haveli, a medieval mansion owned by a wealthy guild family.		The same haveli, from the square across the street.
	Details of the haveli's facade.		Children playing in front of the haveli.
	An artificial lake, not far from the fort, now used by families renting boats by the hour.		Three giggling girls who followed us around as we visited the lake.
	Two girls at a lakeside temple.		Passing another kid on the street.
	A boy working at his father's bike shop, between the lake and the fort.		He was very eager to have his picture taken.
	Two girls playing with some of the turbans for sale in their father's shop.		It's a good color on her.
	This baby goes on a stroll after a nice bath.		A boy tends to his donkeys not far from the palace; Rajasthani tie-dyes for sale in the background.
	Typical Jaisalmer neighborhood inside the fort.		A family sitting on their rooftop; people in Jaisalmer are always taking advantage of their roofs, whether for laundry or for sleeping on a hot night.
	Every time we returned to our hotel, the little puppy from the hotel next door came out to greet us.		Susanne gets some quality time with the pup.
	Another lazy afternoon in Jaisalmer.		Jaisalmer's royal chattris, several miles outside the fort.
	Andy poses on a chattri, with Jaisalmer fort in the distance.		The chattris mark the locations where the city's royal family were cremated over the centuries.
	A man goes probing for cobras near the chattris.		The cobra man, with the chattris behind him.
	A desolate Shiva temple, well outside Jaisalmer on the way to the Thar Desert.		A Jain temple out in the desert.
	We stopped briefly at a village populated by dalits, the caste of Hindus also known as untouchables.		More of the village children.
	A young woman combs her hair in the courtyard of her house.		A man in the village calls out to say hello.
	Village woman visiting a waterhole in the desert.		A girl carries a vessel from the water hole.
	Heading back to the village.		Susanne on her camel as we head deeper into the desert.
	Our guide walks ahead as Andy rides his camel.		Andy checks out the sand dunes.
	Nothing but desert between here and the Pakistani border.		One of the many dung beetles we spotted in the dunes.
	Susanne climbs the dunes.		Camel shadows before sunset.
	The Thar Desert just after sunset.

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