Birthdays, Sandcastles and Camels

Ilona and I met about a month into my trip back in Vietnam. We were saying at the same guest house in Hanoi and we bonded over which company to use for our Halong Bay trip which we went on together. We then traveled together to the north of both fell in love with the Ha Giang province in Vietnam. Ilona was one of the first difficult goodbyes that I had to experience. I was beyond thrilled when she contacted me and told me that she would be coming to India!

I was planning to be in Rajasthan at the time and suggested that we meet there. Little did I know that I would be back in Agra attending a wedding! So… I headed back to Rajasthan on yet another night train! Ilona and I were both excited to visit Jaisalmer so we decided to meet there.

Ilona arrived a couple of hours prior to me and took care of everything. She found an amazing guest house which ended up only costing us 100 rupees! Which is equivalent to $1.50! She even had someone from the guest house meet me at the train station with a sign and everything. It has always been a secret wish of mine that someone would greet me with a sign! In all my travels this was the first time!

Jaisalmer is a city in the Thar desert and Lonely Planet describes the fort of Jaisalmer as “a breathtaking sight: a massive sandcastle rising from the sandy plains like a mirage from a bygone era.” Upon first sight, it was absolutely amazing and I was so excited when I found out that we were staying within the fort. I have started to get way too accustomed to the prices in India (considering Hawaii is one of the most expensive places in the states to live, I am in for a reality check!) But I was still shocked at how little we were paying for what we were getting!

Not only was it absolutely amazing to see Ilona (I really missed her!) it was even more special because it just so happened to be her birthday. We found a nice cafe and after much deliberation, decided on apple pie and ice cream. The owner brought out a candle for us and along with myself and another couple he joined me in singing “Happy Birthday” The other two people were an Indian couple who were visiting Jaisalmer on vacation. They were so sweet and ended up paying for our pie and coffee. I continue to be blown away daily by the kindness and love I am shown by total strangers. I have been thinking of ways that I can be helpful to travelers and foreigners when I get back to Hawaii and I have decided that I want to open up my apartment to couch surfers. (I will first need to rent a new one but that is the plan!)

One thing that I had been dead set on doing when I arrived to Jaisalmer was going on a camel safari in the Desert. Prior to this trip, I spent a lot of time watching YouTube videos on different safaris. While in the states, I even purchased a $50.00 dorky special sun protection shirt in anticipation of the safari. I also had special “travel pants” and I purchased a “super tourist” hat to protect my face from the sun. Once my outfit was complete, I was ready for my safari!

Once again, Ilona and I found ourselves in the position of trying to decide which company to use for our trip. However, we decided that we liked our guest house and it was easiest to just go with them. We opted for the one night safari. The driver of our jeep, along with two other seafarers picked us up at our guest house. We boarded the jeep and headed into the desert.

We drove for about 45 minutes into the desert and it was pretty freaking cool! Ilona and I were sitting in the way back facing the window and the driver drove at “Race Car” speed while blasting music. It was another one of those many moments that I have experienced on this trip when I thought “Oh My God! Look what I am doing!” I felt like I was in some movie. It was awesome witnessing the The Thar desert life as we drove by. I have never actually been in a desert so it was really cool!

We arrived to the area in which we would climb aboard the camels. We were each introduced to our camel and our camel handler. I feel bad but I can’t remember either of their names. After becoming acquainted with my camel and making sure my saddle was adjusted so that I did not fall off we headed to the drinking pool so that our camels were well hydrated for the ride.

As well as our camel handlers, we were also accompanied by our guide. All the handlers as well as our guide walked by foot the entire time. Throughout the safari, our guide would individually ask each of multiple times if we were happy and ok! It was sweet but got to be a bit much to have to answer so many times. I was in awe and amazement the entire ride and at times I must have looked a bit “dazed” however, I probably was! It was so amazing to ride through the desert while viewing the desert life and feeling the sun on my face. I was very happy for my dorky outfit because I felt very protected from the hot desert sun.

During some of my “camel research”, I had read that some of the safaris feel like a “camel train” because there are so many travelers on camels. This was not the case with our group as there were only four of us, so it was really nice. We rode on the camels for about three hours until we reached our camp.

When we reached the camp, there was another larger group that had already arrived. This group had opted for the full day ride while we had chosen the half day. We had read that it is so hot during the day that it is nicer to leave in the afternoon. Our decision was validated after talking to the other people and learning how hot their ride had been!

The camels started to rest in the shade and we all started to take lots of photos of each other!

The safari was organized so that we would reach the camp by sunset. It was quite amazing to run around and play on the sand dunes as the sun was setting. Ilona and I had fun having a photo shoot as well as running up and down the dunes.

I was also quite excited when our guide arrived to the dunes with hot chai for us. Sitting on the dunes, sipping chai and watching the sun set was quite a breathtaking experience. In fact it all was!

After our chai and photo shoot, we headed down to camp to hang out and help get ready for dinner. It was so fun to sit around the fire with he rest of the group and make chapati together. We all rolled our dough and sang songs together. We spent a lot of time singing “If you are happy and you know it pat your chapati!” and then we would all pat our chapati in unison! Whenever I go camping, it does not matter what I eat, it always tastes delicious. However, sitting in the Thar desert, looking at the stars while listening to a bunch of local people play traditional music made our already amazing dinner taste even better. It was one of the rare moments on the trip that I actually don’t have pictures of because I was just soaking in the moment.

After dinner we continued to sit around the bonfire, visit with each other and listen to the incredible music. One of the girls from the other group had brought her violin along and she played some incredible folk music that I just loved. After a little while of sitting at the fire, scorpions started to arrive. These scorpions were quite big and quite scary! I started to get a bit concerned because our guide informed us that we would be sleeping directly on the sand. I consider myself an “excellent camper” and bugs, cockroaches and even rats don’t freak me out much but I have not been exposed to many scorpions before and I was scared! Our guide kept informing me that we would be sleeping far away from the fire and that the scorpions are attracted to the light so not to worry. There was nothing that I could do other than to trust our guide.

Sleeping on the sand and under the stars was incredible. Our beds were really comfortable and were actually really thick blankets. As soon as laid down, I was instantly asleep. I am also happy to report that I was not bothered by any scorpions! I had planned to wake early for the sunrise but I was so comfortable that I kept sleeping. I ended up being woken up around 8:00 am by our guide who delivered us hot chai and informed us that breakfast was ready. Breakfast consisted of bananas, papayas, amaranth porridge, bread and jam. I could have definitely stayed in the desert and at our camp longer but after breakfast it was time to head back to the jeep.

We packed up our things, climbed on our camels and started our journey back to the jeep.