Posted by: Jenn
When we arrived in Jaisalmer, luckily we had arranged for a hotel to come pick us up, we were instantly bombarded by rickshaw drivers. It was hard enough trying to push our way through; I can't imagine trying to actually pick one and negotiate a price to be driven to town. The driver took us to Desert Hotel located inside the fort in Jaisalmer. Despite the lacking room, the view from the rooftop was pretty cool.
When we arrived in Jaisalmer, luckily we had arranged for a hotel to come pick us up, we were instantly bombarded by rickshaw drivers. It was hard enough trying to push our way through; I can't imagine trying to actually pick one and negotiate a price to be driven to town. The driver took us to Desert Hotel located inside the fort in Jaisalmer. Despite the lacking room, the view from the rooftop was pretty cool.
The only reason we went to Jaisalmer was to do a camel safari through the Thar Desert, and the only reason the Desert Hotel picked us up from the bus station was so that we would book our camel safari through them. When we got to the hotel we took a looooong nap and then went wandering around the fort and town taking in the desert scenery. We also wanted to price check other tour agencies camel treks before booking with the Desert Hotel, who's price seemed a little steep.
While out we ran into another group of travelers that recommended Roop Mahal, the agency they booked through, and said the safari was wonderful. They told us the cost and it was way lower than what our guy quoted us. So not really having anything else to go by, we made our way to the Roop Mahal Hotel to book our safari. Our little guy at the Desert Hotel was going to be very disappointed in our decision. Jonathan, being the people pleaser that he is, was nervous to go back and tell Mr. Desert that we booked with Mr. Roop Mahal. So what did he do? He snuck away while I was in the Internet cafe and told Mr. Desert that I went off and booked a tour through someone else because I ran into some friends who were going as well. Mr. Desert didn't like me very much after that, but I'm not so much of a people pleaser as Jonathan so it didn't really bother me. Thanks boyfriend :-)
The next morning we set off deeper into the desert to start our two day, one night safari. P.S. I have never really been around camels before. They are hilarious.
The next morning we set off deeper into the desert to start our two day, one night safari. P.S. I have never really been around camels before. They are hilarious.
Most people might not find anything about them humorous, but I am pretty easily entertained. I couldn't stop laughing at everything they did. Chewing, walking, running, drinking, sitting, standing...
Anyways, there were three other people in our group - one dude from Singapore, and a couple from England - and three guides. It was awesome because we each got our own camel and then the three guides rode on one.
Anyways, there were three other people in our group - one dude from Singapore, and a couple from England - and three guides. It was awesome because we each got our own camel and then the three guides rode on one.
We rode for about an hour before we stopped so the camels could get some water. Getting on and off the camels was a lot of fun because you had to hold on or you would not stay in the saddle.
After the camels would drink they would shake their head really hard, I guess like a dog shakes off after a bath. But this was the funniest thing to watch because their floppy lips would flap all around.
We rode the camels for another hour before arriving at a tiny village in the middle of nowhere.
This was a very interesting experience. The people in this village don't see that many tourists - only the ones doing this specific safari. So when we arrived it was as if we had been beamed down by a bright light from a UFO in the sky. The people stared at us in awe and cautiously watched us walk towards them, taking a step back anytime we stepped closer. Once we were closer, they made their way towards us slowly. One lady went straight for my braids, while another was mesmerized with Rachel's blond hair.
They were rambling something in Hindi so I asked our guide what they were saying. He said they couldn't believe how white our skin was and that it looked very pretty. At one point, one of the ladies called me into her house so I followed, interested to see how they lived. Once inside, out of sight from everyone else, she started poking at my chest and laughing. I had no idea what she was saying and I would give anything to know. She then started pulling at my sports bra - I guess because the material was different and she hadn't seen it before. But she sure was a curious one. After I'd had enough of her probing, I smiled and joined the others outside.
After another hour of riding, we stopped for lunch under a shade tree. The guides cooked up a mean Indian meal that we scarfed down. The goats took care of our scraps.
After another hour of riding, we stopped for lunch under a shade tree. The guides cooked up a mean Indian meal that we scarfed down. The goats took care of our scraps.
We rested after lunch for about an hour to wait for the heat of the day to pass. It was H.O.T. Once back on the camels our guides taught us how to make the camels run. I soon found out that you can only make your camel run if it wants to listen to you. Mine was stubborn, Jonathan's camel had a complex about always being in the front so if his camel got the opportunity to run he took it.
Once the sun started dropping we arrived to the sand dunes where we would spend the night under the stars.
The sunset was incredible. We had a romantic dinner at twilight and watched the stars come to life. We saw multiple shooting stars and picked out constellations while the night breeze cooled us down. I don't think we had seen that many stars in a while. The air was so clean from being so far away from the city and there were no lights to deter the visibility. As the sleepiness set in, our guides made our beds and we turned in for the night. Before our guide laid out our blankets he walked quite far from where the camels were laying. We asked why he was going so far away and he pointed to the camels and said "All night chewing". The camels constantly regurgitate their food and chew it loudly FOREVER and then swallow it again. You can only imagine, their breath is far from pleasant. They also seem to pass gass and burp a lot - although funny animals, they do not smell nice. None of us complained about where he was putting our beds.
Sleeping on the sand, under the stars was great. The temperature dropped quite significantly during the night so it made for probably the most comfortable sleep experience we'd had in a while. It's quite hot here and we have not had a room with AC, so sleeping is pretty miserable. This was far from miserable. It was very soothing and natural.
We were woken that morning with a cup of hot chai tea, which was spectacular, and eggs, toast and jam. We ate and then hopped back on our camels. We rode for about an hour before stopping at another watering hole for the camels to drink. This was a whole new experience. Not because of the camels, but because of the sheep. If you don't watch any other video in this post, at least watch this one please. I felt bad for the sheep but at the same time it was quite funny to watch. Although from Texas, I have not been around that much livestock so I found this amusing and intriguing.
We were woken that morning with a cup of hot chai tea, which was spectacular, and eggs, toast and jam. We ate and then hopped back on our camels. We rode for about an hour before stopping at another watering hole for the camels to drink. This was a whole new experience. Not because of the camels, but because of the sheep. If you don't watch any other video in this post, at least watch this one please. I felt bad for the sheep but at the same time it was quite funny to watch. Although from Texas, I have not been around that much livestock so I found this amusing and intriguing.
I have not made any mention of how our backsides were doing yet. We hurt. That's an understatement. Our backs, butts, abs - all sore. So we were all wondering how much longer we had. I wasn't ready to be done but my butt bone was. Geez it hurt. I'm not sure if we were pressed on time, but after the watering hold, the guides were making all the camels run. What was super fun the first day, was just super painful the second day. We ran some and walked some - enjoying every second of the walking because it felt so much better. We eventually arrived at our stopping point. It was bittersweet. I didn't want to tell my camel bye, but I was also so grateful to be sitting on the stand still ground and not a bouncing camel. Our guides cooked us one more spectacular meal before the jeep came to pick us up.
Although, five days later my butt is still a little bruised, the camel safari was wonderful. I loved being in semi-control of my own camel, even though he was stubborn as hell. I loved sleeping on the sand under the stars. And the all you can eat meals and chai tea were to die for.
We spent one more night in Jaisalmer after the safari so we could rest up before heading on to Jodhpur, nicknamed the Blue City - you'll see why!
The budget for March has been put up.
We spent one more night in Jaisalmer after the safari so we could rest up before heading on to Jodhpur, nicknamed the Blue City - you'll see why!
The budget for March has been put up.