Jaisalmer, a fortified city on the far edge of Rajasthan, was a strategic gateway for the silk, spice, and opium trades that helped us westerners develop our expensive habits. I'm sorry if I sound turse but it's very hard to keep track of who fought whom in the bloody battles and which Mogul kings, Rajput maharajas, and hot young princesses were involved in the continuously changing kingdom-merging weddings. Family poisonings, royal affairs, stables of wives, mass suicides, opium crazed warriors, and 15 year sieges were just a part of everyday life. Honestly, it makes the Medici's story look like a children's book. Naturally, we're in India so it goes without saying that everyone has a different story as to what has happened in these parts. I cannot tell you how many forts I've been to where a guide has looked me square in the eye and whispered in exclamation that the only fort that was never conquored by an opposing faction is the one in which I'm standing.

So, back to Jaisalmer. When approaching the city the fort looks incredibly ominous as the walls seem to rise straight out of the desert floor. Upon arrival the actual structure is another story. There's something very strange about the proportions. We saw some people standing on a balcony and they looked huge. It was like a film set built at ¾ size. Anyway, once inside the fort we were swept into an Indo-medieval fairyland of little shop-filled alleys, temples and mosques, and the buildings comprising the palace grounds. Once inside the fort's inner buildings, we found they were comprised of a series of low passages with hobbit sized doorways. Another thing that I couldn't figure out was why all the stairs had different rises. One guide told us that both of these were security measures against attack. The small doorways were so invading foes would have to enter a room single file and bent forward thus allowing a waiting defender to easily lop off their heads; the uneven stairs made slithering quietly through the halls at night an impossibility. Whether it's true or not I have to say that I'm sick of bashing my head in every doorway and tumbling down every stairwell in this country. I'm afraid I'll get brain damage and end up in traction if I stay here too much longer.

One day we took a little tour on the outskirts of town. As usual, some of the more interesting parts of these places are just outside their city limits. There were cenotaphs (royal memorial grounds), lake palaces, little villages, and very interesting people just waiting to meet us.

When in Pushkar last, we attended a performance by a dancer named Queen Harish. We've seen a lot of dance but Harish is a lot edgier, campier, funnier, more dramatic, and much more flirtatious than the rest of the hoofers. Hmmm, could it be because Queen Harish is actually a drag Queen Harish? In the marathon (6 hour) dance class Helen took from Harish the next day she learned that he has traveled all over the world and performed in many very famous venues to sold out audiences. Upon hearing we were going to Jaisalmer, he invited us to call upon him and extended an offer to show us around. While in town the three of us met for a really nice dinner where we got to chat a bit more. We continued our conversation at his house for lunch the next day where we had a delicious home cooked meal and met his wife and 6 month-old son. And of course, we couldn't get away without seeing him perform. The venue in Pushkar had been tourists, this time we were the only westerners in a massive garden full of Indian men and women. Yes, we stuck out like a sore thumb, especially when we found out our seats were the swing-set right next to the stage. From the first strike of the drum, the Indian men were up and on the stage dancing like they were possessed. These guy's weren't exactly young-un's either, they were all 50-80 year old businessmen and their wives. It was a madness like I've never seen. After about 10 minutes Helen and I were also swept into the crowd on stage and it was sheer pandemonium for two hours. Harish handled everyone, from the drunkards to the very aged zimaframe clutching grandmothers, with humor and lightheartedness. When people got out of line he gently nudged them back in. And the best part is he's amazingly talented too - every feat from traditional Rajasthani dance to Bollywood to balancing bowls of flaming oil on his head to standing on knives to prancing on cut glass was done with precision, grace and a very sincere smile. A real professional on the stage and a real human being off the stage. Look for him sashaying into a town near you.