We are traveling west from Bikaner to Jaisalmer,which is not far from the Pakistan border.

We are traveling along the main highway and while driving techniques have not changed local enforcement officers are monitoring speed limits and as a consequence the speed of traffic seems to have dropped dramatically.

We are chiefly traveling through rural lands and remnant bush land, which makes for pleasant scenery. Litter has diminished outside the towns and as the closer we approach Jaisalmer the military presence increases, no soldier will tolerate a messy environment. 😀 We have seen solar and wind farms and again the electrification network is extensive. With someone doing the driving you get to note the difference between what we do in Australia and India. Their fence posts are made out of stone, looks similar to the red sheets of shale like material you can find in South Australia. No termite problems here. Their petrol stations are like ours but smaller and more of them and many are landscaped and devoid of fast food rubbish. There are many toll gates, we are not sure how they are dispersed.

As we pass through villages there is an abundance of small businesses making anything from concrete benches, posts, bricks, selling food, clothing, and mechanic shops. The footprint of each is small so a whole street can be lined with a great variety of wares and services.

We have the caste system explained to us and learn how one of the dominant castes turned a working system to one that favored them only. However, it seems the younger generation is breaking away from the caste norms. There are concerns that these youth driven changes will take time but may also result in some loss of culture.

We stop at Jaswant Vilas it’s perched on a hill over looking farmland it’s very picturesque. The facilities are reminiscent of rural tourist spots in the Kimberly’s in WA. The bird life is prolific. There is also an abundance of trees and shrubs and the flowering Tecomella undulata, this is a medium-sized tree that produces quality timber and is the main source of timber amongst the indigenous tree species of desert regions of Shekhawati and Marwar in Rajasthan where it is locally known as rohida and serves as the state symbol. Traditionally this tree was used in Ayurvedic and folk medicine. The crops grown here include mustard seed and castor oil.

We crossed a subsection of the Indira Gandhi Canal (IGNP)

Originally known as the Rajasthan Canal, this is one of the largest canal systems in the world.

• Origin: It starts at the Harike Barrage in Punjab, at the confluence of the Satluj and Beas rivers.

• Extent: The canal runs through the Thar Desert, largely parallel to the Pakistan border. It covers several districts, including Sri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, and Barmer.

• Structure: It consists of the Rajasthan Feeder (approx. 204 km) and the Main Canal (approx. 445 km), along with thousands of kilometers of distributary channels.

We make Jaisalmer in time to unload, get laundry organized and rest before heading out to the lookout to view the Golden Fort, Sonar Killa, built from golden colored Jurassic Sandstone. The fort is one of the world’s very few “living forts,” as a large portion of the city’s population still resides within its walls.

We also visit a silversmith/jeweller who works from his house, a beautiful home and beautiful jewellery. We are enjoying how locals invite us into their houses to learn about how they live and work.

We have dinner in town on a balcony of a hotel with a view of the floodlit fort. The food, particularly the traditional food we have been eating is divine.

We again have spotted many birds and still trying to work out what they are. We have seen many bee-eaters but not sure what species, we have seen eagles, house sparrow, the Eurasian Collared Dove and the beautiful white-browed fantail, Rhipidura aureola.