Editor Carla Geerdes
The next day we had plenty ahead of us and rented a car with driver through Jag. Beside the restaurant and the hotel he is running some kind of travel agency for excursions as well. Supported by him we had worked out a tour to cover all destinations we wanted to visit on just one morning. But we had to get up very early as we sought to experience sunrise in the desert. Therefore the Sam Sand Dunes had been chosen first destination. To be there in time for sunrise, we had to start at 06:00h from Jaisalmer to be at the sand dunes at about 07:00h.
It was still dark when we left Jaisalmer at 06:00h, and our eyes became nearly as big as the blinking stars above. The nearer we came to Sam sand dunes, the bigger the stars seemed, dancing up and down the night sky in the rhythm of heartbeat, if one was patient enough to fix them for quite some time. The city lights left more and more behind us made the stars appear increasingly big, and the vibrations of the heart was the inner movement projected outside. Approximately one hour we followed MDR 53 (Major District Road) in western direction from Jaisalmer to Sam.
About 07:00h in the morning the horizon became bright
In the middle of nowhere the driver stopped and told us with a protruding gesture to the left that we had reached the first destination. On the right side over the street the lights of a so-called desert camp blinked on the top of tents. We climbed up the hill and finally looked over an accumulation of sand dunes which disclosed its shape with the rising sun only.
20 minutes later the sun emerged from the horizon
3 minutes later the landscape was resplendent in golden red.
The wind engines of a big wind farm at the horizon looked like greetings from another time and world. Even on the way from Balotra to Jaisalmer we noticed them as they had nearly all over the countryside been erected to both sides of the road.
In the desert camp on the other side of the road humans and animals were preparing for the day ahead.
Please get in, we are going on!