Christmas Day last year we found ourselves in the desert city of Jaisalmer, a beautiful place to spend the day but somewhere that doesn’t celebrate the festive season like we’re used to.  With not much to do in the way of Christmas evening festivities, we decided to climb up a hill to watch the sunset over the city and the Fort.

Along the way we walked past small homes, cows in the garden briefly paused their grass munching to watch us, old people sat in the doorways and waved hello to us as we passed, and children ran out to climb the steps with us.  When we reached the top, they sat with us, smiling and grinning that they’d made new friends, even if we couldn’t speak the same language.

The view over the city was a stunning one; golden havelis dotted the ground, the Fort towering over it all in the centre, with the desert reaching far into the distance.  It really did feel like an ancient Indian city, more so than anywhere else we had visited in India.

Children and teenagers of all ages joined us to fly their kites over the rooftops.  Everyone was silent as we watched the sun set, making the entire city glow orange with the beautiful silhouettes of kites dancing in the sky.  In a country full of people, noise and commotion, it was one of the rare few times I felt peaceful and relaxed in India.

Kite flying over Jaisalmer city at sunset

One of these photos was taken by Mr Ayla and the other by me but we still can’t agree on which photo is best!  Which is your favourite?

Find out more about our Indian Christmas here!