Surviving the Desert Heat

Visiting Chand Baori Step Well in Abhaneri

Arriving in the small town of Sikandra, we left the Agra – Jaipur road and headed towards Abhaneri to visit Chand Baori Step Well. When we got here, the sun was burning very strongly, this being the second day we rode the motorcycle in the middle of the day, when it was very hot. I can say the temperature was around 43 degrees Celsius on the phone screen, but it felt even hotter than that.

Arriving at the Village Center and Taking a Break

Arriving in the center of the village, where the entrance to Chand Baori Step Well was located, we stopped at a shop to buy water. The shop selling groceries was in the center of the village, and in front of it was a tree that had survived over time and provided shade, there was also a tailor who had his shop right next to it. The gentleman selling in the shop welcomed us to a bench, inside, in the shade, gave us water, then we talked to him, as he spoke English. He said it was very hot and not okay to go out in such heat in the middle of the day.

Resting and Recovering from the Heat

My girlfriend was feeling a bit sick and wasn’t feeling well because of the heat we had experienced from Agra to here. I kept trying to tell her to go visit, but she said she felt sick. She lay down on that bench, and the shop owner turned on a fan he had there. We stayed and talked about everything. When we arrived at this place, it was somewhere between 2-3 in the afternoon. We stayed there in the shade and on this occasion, we also drank about 4 teas made by him, because he drank tea every half hour. A very good tea that you can’t find anywhere else but in India.

Interacting with the Locals and Getting Repairs Done

While we were there, as my girlfriend wasn’t feeling well and didn’t want to go visit, the neighboring tailor came and asked if we wanted to buy some clothes. He made them from a fabric that was very good for summer, as it allowed air in. One of the backpacks we had on the motorcycle was starting to weaken, so I said let’s repair it. I gave it to this tailor to take and repair, doing it so well that it hasn’t broken to this day. The shopkeeper from the shop where we were sitting in the shade said we didn’t look too good and invited us to his home to stay overnight. When my girlfriend recovered and woke up, she chose from the clothes the tailor brought a pair of flared pants. They were very good, as the sun was burning her legs and she was already feeling burning even though we had applied cream.

Visiting Chand Baori Step Well

We had another tea, and then we left to visit this Chand Baori Step Well. It is a fairly well-known tourist attraction, but it is far from Jaipur or Agra, about halfway there, approximately. When we reached the entrance, the guide who was there presented the place very nicely, but not for money, he was both a guide and a guard. It is a kind of construction that has a square shape and has stairs leading down to the ground, being like a very large well. In this way, you can reach the water, but you had to go down a few hundred steps. The construction of this architectural structure was built during the reign of King Chanda. This was a very important source of water for all the inhabitants of the area. Being in the state of Rajasthan, where there is also a desert, in the summer it was almost impossible to find water, and here was the only water source at that time in the 800s AD.

Chand Baori Step Well

This was also the place where all the people in the area gathered, being a kind of center for merchants at that time. Now it is a tourist attraction that gathers thousands of visitors annually. It is a very well-built architectural beauty, and you feel so peaceful being in that place. I can say that even today it has water, and somewhere in 2010, tourists were prohibited from descending the stairs for safety reasons and to keep the architectural structure in good condition. The number of tourists being very high, these stairs deteriorated over time.

With this occasion, I can also show the kindness of the people in India. That is why India also has good parts and wonderful people, and I am very grateful to the shopkeeper under the tree who kept us in the shade, both for us and the motorcycle.

After the visit, we went back to the shop, had another tea, and it was already almost 5 o’clock in the evening, so we continued further with the motorcycle towards Jaipur.

 The door where my girlfriend stayed at the gas station.

Continuing the Journey Despite Heatstroke

My girlfriend hadn’t fully recovered and still felt very sick, but she didn’t say anything, initially saying she felt better, and the heat started to decrease after 5 o’clock in the afternoon. Continuing on the Agra-Jaipur road, we stopped at a gas station to refuel, but my girlfriend didn’t feel well. She stepped aside and sat on a bench, and the gas station staff, seeing that she wasn’t doing well at all, invited her inside where they had 3 beds in a room for her to rest as she wasn’t doing well at all.

She lay down, I closed the door, and then after 2 minutes, she came out and said to throw water on her as she wasn’t doing well at all, so she was totally exhausted, almost fainting or even worse. I believe she had heatstroke, and being only the 2nd day in the terrible heat, her body simply gave in. I remember right now that she sat on a bench near a table, and I would go and carry water from the tap and throw it on her as she was feeling very sick. After I threw water on her, she started to feel better, and she was wet from head to toe. When she recovered, she said she was ready to move on.

Once again, we met wonderful people, and on this occasion, I can thank those who work at that gas station for welcoming us like home, trying to help us. At that moment, there were 3 people working there. The gas station is called NAYARA PETROL PUMP (SHREE RAM FILLING STATION). THE DESERT HEAT IS NO JOKE SO I TELL EVERYONE NOT TO PUSH YOUR LIMITS. My girlfriend is just a hero, but if you ask the locals, you will find out that hundreds of people diie annually due to the heat. The Rajasthan desert is dangerous when it comes to heat.

The Great Indian Desert, also known as the Rajasthan Desert or Thar Desert.

After leaving that gas station, the heat stopped, and the wind created while riding helped improve my girlfriend’s condition. She survived, and I am very proud of her, but this was the most dangerous day of our trip to India. Our bodies were not yet prepared for the desert heat, having only a few days in the Indian heat.

Leaving that gas station, we went straight to the OM Tower Hotel in the center of Jaipur. This is a hotel with Western standards and superior conditions. We took another walk in the evening, and the next day we went to visit Amber Palace, also known as AMBER FORT.

To be continued…

FAQs: Surviving the Desert Heat

Q: Where is Chand Baori Step Well located?
A: Chand Baori Step Well is located in Abhaneri, a small village near the town of Sikandra, on the Agra-Jaipur road.

Q: What was the weather like when you visited Chand Baori Step Well?
A: When we visited Chand Baori Step Well, the sun was burning very strongly, and it was the second day we rode the motorcycle in the middle of the day, when it was very hot. The temperature was around 43 degrees Celsius on the phone screen, but it felt even hotter than that.

Q: What did you do when you arrived at the village center?
A: When we arrived at the village center, where the entrance to Chand Baori Step Well was located, we stopped at a shop to buy water. The gentleman selling in the shop welcomed us to a bench, inside, in the shade, gave us water, and we talked to him, as he spoke English.

Q: How was your girlfriend feeling during the visit?
A: My girlfriend was feeling a bit sick and wasn’t feeling well because of the heat we had experienced from Agra to here. She lay down on a bench, and the shop owner turned on a fan he had there. We stayed and talked about everything, and we also drank about 4 teas made by him.

Q: What interactions did you have with the locals while resting?
A: While we were there, the neighboring tailor came and asked if we wanted to buy some clothes. One of the backpacks we had on the motorcycle was starting to weaken, so I gave it to this tailor to take and repair, doing it so well that it hasn’t broken to this day. The shopkeeper also invited us to his home to stay overnight.

Q: What is special about the architectural structure of Chand Baori Step Well?
A: Chand Baori Step Well is a kind of construction that has a square shape and has stairs leading down to the ground, being like a very large well. The construction of this architectural structure was built during the reign of King Chanda and was a very important source of water for all the inhabitants of the area.

Q: What happened to your girlfriend on the way to Jaipur?
A: Continuing on the Agra-Jaipur road, we stopped at a gas station to refuel, but my girlfriend didn’t feel well. She had heatstroke and was totally exhausted, almost fainting. The gas station staff invited her inside to rest, and I threw water on her to help her feel better.

Q: How dangerous is the heat in the Rajasthan desert?
A: The desert heat is no joke, and hundreds of people die annually due to the heat. The Rajasthan desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert or Thar Desert, is dangerous when it comes to heat.

Q: How did you feel about the kindness of the people you met during this experience?
A: We met wonderful people, and I am very grateful to the shopkeeper under the tree who kept us in the shade, both for us and the motorcycle. I can also thank those who work at the gas station for welcoming us like home and trying to help us. With this occasion, I can show the kindness of the people in India.