I have journeyed to Khuri, a small village 45 km south of Jaisalmer. Villages such as this one, within an hour's drive of Jaisalmer, depend almost entirely on tourism for their daily bread. The place has no less than nine village-style guest houses. And the tourist trade brings hefty profits: a chilled cold drink here commands Rs 15 (50 per cent more than in Jaisalmer) and a bottle of beer Rs 80. The owner of Mama Guest House, a burly Rajput, tells me that air-conditioned rooms and cable TV will soon be added.
Here and elsewhere in the area, camel safaris are the in thing. Some say it is the camels, as much as the magnificent 800-year-old fort rising above the city, that have put Jaisalmer on the Rajasthan tourist map. Your camel ride can be as long as you want—from a few hours to a few days, even weeks. At this time of year (even the locals are complaining about the heat!) a Sunset Safari is about all you want.
