Camel Safari and Mehrangarh (Sam)

(Sam)  In Jaisalmer, camel safaris are very popular. There are plenty of people trying to book one for you because they get a substantial cut or commission. We went to Trotters, a recommended agency, who pride themselves on taking you off the beaten path. We went to enquire at their office and it looked good. The owner, who the drivers called Del boy (he was given the nickname from a British fan of “Only Fools and Horses”), was very nice and didn't pressure us so we went for it. We booked a two night, three day trip that came with everything we would need: food, water, blankets, camels, guides/camel drivers/cooks and lots of toilets with a view.

We woke at 5:30 the next morning and got in a jeep for an hours ride before meeting our guides and our camels for breakfast. One of our guides, Rammis, had to leave after lunch to compete in the camel race at The Desert Festival. We were left in the good hands of our other guide, Punja. That night when we arrived at the sand dunes where we were to sleep, it started to rain! A very rare occurrence in The Great Thar Desert. Years can go by without rain. We got back on our camels and rode for another 30 minutes to a small stone hut with cow dung mortar. It stopped raining so we spent the night outside under stars that we could barely see because of the bright full moon. When Rammis returned late that night on camel, we learned that he had made it to the final but that his blanket had fallen during the race and he had had to stop.

The Great Thar Desert is not a sea of dunes like the Sahara. It is mostly flat and sandy with thorn bushes and the occasional tree where eat lunch and rested for a few hours during the midday heat.

Our guides were great cooks! They taught me how to make chapatis. Their masala chai with fresh spices was delicious.

On our second day we went to some very big sand dunes which were very fun to play on. Later, we met a shepherd, (the only human we met that day). In the evening, while we were sitting around a camp fire singing camp songs, Rammis joined in by playing Bollywood music on his cell phone. He explained that both he and Punja had been in a Bollywood movie a few years back. Apparently it wasn't a great one, but they were dressed in their Rajasthani outfits and had their camels while special effect colour bombs were set off and they were sprayed with red paint.

The following morning we woke at 5:30 to the sound and feel of falling rain. We got up in a hurry and headed off to a nearby hut where we had breakfast. As we arrived at the hut, the rain stopped. We ate a delicious breakfast of wheat porridge and headed out on our camels. We rode a lot that morning and had lunch at an oasis. Later we were picked up by a jeep and taken back to Jaisalmer.

On our last day in Jaisalmer, I bought a pair of pointy-toed leather Rajasthani shoes called jootis. In case you are wondering the handmade embroidered pair cost me 250 Indian rupees, about 6.00$ Canadian dollars or 3-4 British pounds. Not a bad deal if you ask me.

Our train ride to Jodhpur was very enjoyable because the guys sitting near us were very friendly. One was from Jodhpur, another from the Punjab and another from Kerala. They were all reading what our guidebook said about where they lived. In the next carriage, there was a group of foreign women who were smoking. The man from the Punjab was shocked and horrified by this. He said that he had never seen women smoke before. He said it was ugly. My mom tired to explain to him that in Canada it was no more ugly for a woman to smoke than a man. He didn't get it, but Vineeth from Kerala understood, I think.

I am sitting in our hotel room and it is 4 pm. We just got back from a morning and an afternoon in Jodhpur and I can't wait to see more. We started the day by climbing up to Mehrangarh, the spectacular fort whose tall, steep walls loom over the city. It really is a sight to behold. The fort seems to grow straight out of the rock and it has yet to be conquered. The fort, and palaces inside, are all very well preserved and they are still run by the descendants of the old Maharaja. Like in Jaisalmer it is very professionally run and as much as I hate to say it, the audio guide was actually really good. The palace was really neat, and I loved all of the stained glass, gilded rooves, tiled walls and the amazing collections of armour, artwork, miniatures and weapons. It was interesting to hear about “purdah” system in which the royal women were not allowed to be seen by any men other than their husbands and the eunuchs who guarded the women's courtyard. The audio guide talked about a royal visit to London, and said that the London tabloids were going crazy trying to get a photo of her majesty. They managed to get one of her ankles while she stepped out of the car. The royals were so outraged that they bought every copy of the newspaper before the picture found its way to India. All of the windows of the palace have carved screens that make it impossible to see in, but easy to look out. We looked around the palace shop before heading to walk around on the ramparts. The ramparts were lined with huge cannons from around the world and the sheer drop to the ground is breath-taking. From up there, you can see why Jodhpur is called the blue city; it really is blue! All of the Brahmins (top of the ladder in the Hindu caste system) in the town painted their houses light blue and the effect is immediate from up there. Jaisalmer was the golden city, Jodhpur is the blue city and are hoping to head to Jaipur, the pink city, next.

Later that afternoon, while Mom and Mhari were shopping, my Dad and I got terribly lost in the insane tangle of lanes and I discovered how amazing the city is, the alleys are endless and only once were we bothered by someone wanting to sell us something, batteries to be exact. Luckily, we actually had been looking for batteries so we went in to have a look. He showed us a pair of 2AA for 340 rupees (two batteries for 340 rupees!, That's around 7 dollars!) He assured us that they were superior quality and would take 150 pictures each on our camera! (150? Doesn't seem like a lot) I peeled off his price tag and saw that it said “For use in Brazil only” because we were desperate for batteries for our camera, we bought them for 300 and we hope they will work.

Another thing I noticed today was that while we were walking down a large road, we noticed that they had built wide clean sidewalks! Although the people here were smart enough to realise that it could be put to much better use if the let their shops spill out /dump their garbage/ put tables from their restaurant/sleep/sit/put a stall on them.

Rajasthan is very colourful, especially the womens' saris and the mens' turbans. It is World Cup time for Cricket and India has gone cricket crazy, especially since they are co-hosting. The India team is very strong and has a good chance at the title. The Cricket India jersey I bought in Kaniyakumari has gotten a lot of good vibes and it helps to soften people up when haggling.