Jaipur - In Rajastan
N26 49 04.0 E76 31 37.0
After a long 5 hour nonstop trip by bus, we began our journey on a camel safari. I had little idea of what to expect other than camels and that I would be able to get out of the bus finally. We disembarked the bus, and there they were: our camels. You sit higher than horses. They also have an unique way of getting up and down so you need to lean forwards and backwards several times quickly in time with their body motions.
The camels were also 'in season' so they frothed at the mouth and made strange gurgeling sounds.
The top picture is the Marcos family on our steeds.
The next picture is a typical day, traveling through the desert. One thing to note is that where there is irrigation, the ground is green. Where there is no water, it is hard-back We would spend anywhere from 4 to 8 hours on a camel. We could also walk or ride the cart (visible in the second picture).
We did not know what to expect for tents. When we saw these tents we were very impressed and happy. These are 'ceremonial tents' in that they are used for the many Hindu religious festivals. Next picture is Nolan and Nathan in one of the tents (both reading Harry Potter). These tents were an oasis of luxury in the desert.
We were the attraction for the people here. They were not used to seeing tourists traveling through their farms and villages. When we pulled into camp, villagers from miles around would come to see us. Here, Nathan takes in the view of about 50 villagers who just want to see what we are about. Since we couldn't communicate via language, we sang songs to them and they returned with song as well. Amazing how music crosses boundaries.
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