Drink Bhang Lassi

Very popular in India, lassi is a yogurt-based drink that is blended with spices and sometimes fruits, and... sometimes--in certain parts of India, like Jaisalmer--a special ingredient called bhang. Bhang is edible cannabis. So basically, bhang lassi is a weed smoothie. Sounds like heaven yet?

I have to say that even without intoxicants, Jaisalmer is a heavenly place to visit. Cheap food, super-cheap accommodation (I only paid 50 rupees for a dormitory bed, that was later upgraded to a double room at no extra cost)--

..and if that's not enough to convince you, just look at these photos I took from the rooftop restaurants in Jaisalmer Forts:

Jaisalmer is nicknamed "The Golden City", because all of the buildings in the area are built with golden sandstone. Being on the rooftop looking down at the monochromatic buildings reminded me of being in Oia Santorini, looking down at the white houses and blue domes.

Anyway, back to the weed smoothie. Drugs (including weed) is generally illegal in India, but the government sort of turn a blind eye to it. And this particular bhang lassi shop that I went to is actually authorized by the government. It is right at the gate of the fort. I believe you can find bhang lassi elsewhere in Jaisalmer that is probably cheaper, but then you never know what they might put in it, or if they put anything at all.

I was not allowed to take a picture of the menu, but from what I remember, they have an assortment of other drinks as well, including fruit juices, soda, coffee, tea and hot chocolate. You can practically order any drink you want, and have them put bhang in it. And you can choose whether to have it strong or medium. If drug-laced drinks aren't your thing, you could try the cookies or just smoke a joint. I ordered a sweet lassi with medium strength bhang, which cost me 150 rupees. For another 50 rupees, I could have had the stronger one, but decided against it after reading a blog that says bhang lassi is nothing like a joint or space brownies. Apparently the lassi is much stronger and can make you loopy for hours.

So, after slurping the last drops of my bhang lassi (which tasted just like normal lassi), I went back to my hostel, locked myself in my room, and waited for the effect to kick in. From my experience with space brownies, it would take at least 30 minutes before I would feel anything. Thirty minutes later, nothing happened. I waited another hour and still nothing. Unfortunately, nothing happened at all. I don't know if that meant I had just got scammed or if my body had somehow developed a resistance towards cannabis. I could have gone back to the shop the next day and tried the stronger one, but I didn't because I had already blown my budget.