Dula, the camelman, and his assistant were waiting for me in the village where we started the trek. Our first stop was Dula's own village, a one hour ride away from our starting point. He invited me for Chai. Although, I actually dislike both milk and tea, I thought that I will have to put up with this for the next few days.
Dula met and saw his wife for the first time in his life on his own wedding. It's common to arrange weddings in India. In cities apparantly it's not as strict any more and the groom can at least choose from a selection of photos. In any case, the groom's mother chooses the bride. They organize big parties with between 400 and 1,000 invitees. A wedding party costs around USD 20,000, which is the price of a family house in downtown Bikaner or of 2 houses in the suburbs. And all you get for this is a girl you've never met before and a great many pissed relatives!
After we left Dula's village, we rode straight into the desert. I was surprised by how much life there is in the sands. We saw Antilopes, desert foxes, wild cats, and birdlife.
While Dula and his friend prepared dinner, I climed a dune and waited for sunset. And honestly, can you imagine anything better (apart from shagging of couse, but considering the lack of opportunities) than sitting on top of a dune surrounded only by thousands of square metres of sand, watching the sunset - an orange fireball dipping into the desert -, and drinking a good bottle of beer?