After a joyful, friendly breakfast conversation with Avi, I continued wandering to visit Jaisalmer Fort by day. The golden fortress towered magnificently in the light, filled with the supreme energy of the brilliant sun overhead.
At the entrance to Jaisalmer Fort, I met my next friend, Kamal, a government-licensed tour guide. Seeing me, he approached with a smile and sincere energy, friendly. In fact, I initially intended to decline, because I had always preferred traveling independently, without a tour or a tour guide. I did not want to rush around, hurry or chase an itinerary. I wanted to travel quietly and gently. On some trips away from Vietnam that lasted a whole month, I still explored on my own, receiving messages wherever I went and making arrangements as I moved along. Although this was not necessarily the most cost-effective approach, because some things are cheaper when booked early rather than at the last minute—air tickets, for example—it gave me the best experience. Sometimes I woke in the morning and realized I was in a new place. To be honest, at that moment I was not even sure how long I would stay there or where I would be when I woke the next morning… These days I am much more balanced and no longer travel quite so spontaneously. Yet it remains one ‘color’ in my style of traveling, just not as ‘extreme’ as before. I balance the energy of ‘planning, itineraries and structure’ with that of ‘spontaneity, relaxation and going with the flow.’
So I had turned Kamal down once when he offered to guide me around Jaisalmer Fort. Fortunately, he was not disappointed, did not give up, and did not become annoyingly ‘clingy as a leech.’ He continued to offer gently and comfortably, telling me not to worry: the price was only 100 rupees, he had no intention of ‘ripping me off,’ and having 1 skilled guide like him would greatly enhance my experience at this vast fort. I smiled and agreed: “Just do it”. So we ventured deeper into the fort together…
Experiencing Jaisalmer Fort was truly more interesting and meaningful thanks to Kamal. This is one of the largest and most beautiful forts in all of India, covering around 100ha, built 76m above ground level, and home to approximately 1/4 of the city's population. Jaisalmer Fort was also built in the 12th century, by the founder of the city himself. You can also call it the “Golden Fort,” because whether viewed from afar or up close, it looks very much like a brilliantly shining fortress of gold. I love this radiant yellow alongside the peaceful blue sky, complemented by the gentle, beautiful green of the trees and grass. Everything blends into a picture that looks so complete, filling me with wonderful energy and inspiration.
Jaisalmer Fort has exactly 1 official entrance, but as many as 4 “layers of gates.” In designing this fortress, its builders accounted for situations such as limiting the distance and speed available to battering equipment and siege devices, including war elephants, thereby minimizing the damage the gates could suffer from these elephant warriors, which were commonly used in warfare in India. Historically, these giant elephants also halted the advance of another great king and conqueror, Alexander the Great. He had conquered lands far and wide, but failed in India when facing them, ultimately abandoning his campaign to advance farther, leaving his dream unfinished in the saddle after a war elephant struck him a devastating blow and knocked him from his horse. After his “encounter” with India, Alexander changed greatly, and later reached the final stage of his journey of conquest with the kingdom of Macedonia… A king, a true conqueror, is not necessarily someone who conquers with a sword on horseback or guns on the battlefield. History’s truly great conquerors were Shiva, the Buddha, Jesus, Lao Tzu… even though they no longer had any need to conquer. These awakeners had undertaken a profoundly deep journey to “conquer” the instinctive needs hidden in the darkness of the unconscious, awakening to every necessary lesson so that the radiant sunlight of consciousness could illuminate them, mindful in every moment of their presence.
