Camel Trekking

I now find myself in Jaisalmer! Which is actually closer to Kabul than it is to Mumbai. Across the vast Thar Desert lies Pakistan. Such a wonderful part of the world to be in. Basically this city is one big fortress in the middle of the desert. My hotel is at the top of the fort, right beside some Jain temples. Very nice view.

But it wasn't the fort that brought us on the sandy train trip to Jaisalmer (there was a thin layer of sand over everything in the train) it was the camels and the prospect of trekking through the desert. We booked a tour with our hotel and were sent out. First we were driven by jeep about an hour outside of town, which meant we avoided some of the more tourist-packed areas of the desert. We soon met up with our guide Ramesh and our camels . Mine was a tempermental little guy. Didn't like to sit down to let me on or off and routinely made strange noises.

There are a few things you should know if you are ever going to ride a camel. First, they are a lot bigger than you think they will be. I was sort of imagining a horse-sized animal but with a hump. No no. They are much bigger. Easily 8 or 9 feet from toe to the top of their head. Second, if you are going to ride a camel- STRECH. I am in more pain now than I have ever been in. Those groin muscles are just not used to prolonged periods of clinging to a camel. Finally, remember that in Decemeber it is cold everywhere, including the desert. I set out wearing pants and a sweater and was very glad for it. Especially when the sun went down and I could easily see my breath.

The Thar desert is rather alive these days. There is a fair bit of a vegetation, punctuated at times by large sand dunes. Apparently there was a good solid rain last year and the desert is blooming. There are also a fair number of animals, including cows, goats, sheep and wild dogs. And since it is India and there are people everywhere, we would routinely walk by someone who appeared to have been walking for days or weeks without ever finding shelter. 1 billion people have to fit in this country somehow I guess.

We rode the camels for a couple of hours before finding our camp for the night beside one of the nicer dunes. Ramesh made some chai tea while Liz and I searched for firewood. This wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't for the huge number of tiny, dry, prickly things that clung to our clothing and poked our legs. They are like burrs from Canada, only much smaller and sharper. They would be the bigger irritant for most of our stay and in fact I am still finding some on me now.

So we spent the rest of the evening eating food made by Ramesh and his friend (who just showed up from somewhere, not sure how because he had no jeep or camel) and listening to them talk about India. At night we had an amazing view of the stars since we were far from any city and the pollution was slightly less than elsewhere in India. At night we nestled into our tent under 4 thick blankets (and were still cold). Neither of us slept too well on the hard ground and at one point we got a big scare when we hear a pack of wild dogs fighting just outside our tent. they were growling and biting and it sounded like they would come through the tent and get us. Kinda scary, but the guides soon got rid of them.

In the morning we awoke to more tea and breakfast before the long trek back on muscles that were already very sore. So that was the night in the desert. I do have some pictures, but I can't upload them since I am currently on a network that is sharing a single dial-up connection and uploading them would take me until Christmas. But I will post a huge number of pictures as soon as I can.

Shortly, I will get on the bus for the 14 hour ride to Udaipur, where I will spent the 24th. Then on the 25th I begin my long voyage to Rome, starting with a 17 hour overnight bus to Mumbai leaving at 3:30pm. So while you enjoy your Christmas dinner, think of me stuck on a bus in India. Here is how I will spent 6 nights: 1 in the desert, 2 on buses, 1 in a hotel, 1 in an airport/on the plane. It is not going to be fun, but at least it will be worth it when I finally made it to Rome for my birthday on the 28th.

In the meantime, Merry Christmas to all. I hope Santa is good to everyone. I will resume the posting after this long voyage provided I am still in one piece. Happy Holidays!