Dream Trip 2008: September

Great Travel Moment

This remote, forgotten-by-time town in the barren Thar desert offered me a picture of India few are privileged to see. Comprised of centuries-old hand carved, sandstone dwellings called Havelis, Jaisalmer was the antithesis to the modern world I had come from. It was a study in contasts of old to new, of mystical, eastern culture to my western one, of life that seemed too hard to endure, painted only in hues of brown to our modern civilization. I remember thinking, as I went around a camel who thought he owned the road, that it was a desolate and isolated place to live one's life. Then I came upon these women selling their produce. The colorful, vibrant hues contrasting with their drab surroundings stunned me. They were unaware of the impact their presence had on me - a lasting impression of color and contrast, a symbol of fresh life.