Pip of Arabia
Trip Start
Sep 19, 2002
1
124
129
Trip End
Sep 22, 2003
Jaisalamer,
India
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
Further out into the desert, which was scrubby and very flat, we stopped at a very simple and boring Hindu temple. Along the way we passed the occasional nomad village with their big tents and portable cooking areas
Pip of Arabia!!!
. We also passed many herds of goats being shepherded about by young children seemingly miles from any buildings. Further on still we stopped at a Jain temple ("no leather or menstruating women please") which was so intricate and detailed with the carvings that it was mind boggling. Before long we picked up a few stray men and one of them sat on me in the front rather than asking me to move. I found out that this was our camel guide and we soon reached the said camels. Pip and I as the two adults got a camel to ourselves and the two youths rode with a guide behind them. We briefly spoke to the group coming off the safari that had stayed our over night and they were extremely glad to be going back as it had rained so much in the night and they had sat huddled under a small piece of plastic. After the initial fright of the camel standing up, we were off and I can tell you that it was agony from minute 1. Camels have a very odd gait that swings you backwards and forwards when they walk so my knickers were rubbing within seconds. Then we started trotting which was much more comfortable for the boys but was even worse for me. I was wearing several tight layers to try and minimise the bounce I had been warned about but it was no use. I had to hold my chest with my hands to stop myself getting black eyes but that meant I couldn't hold on. Walking or trotting, chaffing or jiggling, which was worse I cannot tell you. Anyway, the desert. We went through lots of scrubby savanna and apart from the camel flatulance it was eerily quiet. Every now and then we could hear the tinkling of the bells on the goats or the chatter between the guides and we could see nothing but scrubland all around us. Oddly some of the ground was very wet and the camels had to slurp their feet through the sandy wet soil which they didn't appear to like and grumbled and growled like Pip when it's time to get up in the morning. It was wonderful to be riding off towards the sunset and doing something completely different, even if it did hurt a bit. Of course, being India, there was a downside. I appeared to have picked out as the soft touch being the only female and the lead guide who reappeared after an hour began his patter on me. He told me how poor they all were and how there were not many tourists at the moment but he has to make sure everyone is happy because if you are happy you give tips. He went on to explain that people have given 1000 or even 2000r (13 or 26 pounds!!!) and that he is often given clothes, shoes, watches and jewellery. He believed English people gave the most which I disagreed with and told him how hard we have to work for each pound in our country but it didn't do any good. Each time I turned the conversation around to the camels of the scenery he would steer it back to costs and money. It's normal to give small tips or gifts to your camel guides but there was no-way we were giving anything now as I was made to feel so uncomfortable (by him not the saddle) and we had already paid a lot for the trip. I spotted some tracks but he couldn't explain what the animal was. Does it look like a mouse I asked, yes a big desert mouse he agreed. Later we saw a small gazelle leaping through the scrub and we all pointed to the 'big desert mouse' laughing. After 2 hours of chaffing and jiggling and "oh I'm so poor" we met the jeep among the dunes. We jumped off quickly and headed off into the sand rather surprised that our tour was over already. It was an hour from sunset so we had to wait around but then we looked at the sky - where the sun should be was thick white cloud, behind us the sky was black and it looked very dramatic against the yellow sand dunes. Unlike Sam sand dunes a little closer to Jaisalmer, these dunes were VERY quiet and unvisited by many tourists so it was a good area but we were disappointed in the quality of the tour and the lack of sunset. To cap it all the camel guides were still waiting for us at the bottom of the dunes when we were done exploring and the leader whispered to me about his money when we got in the jeep. I told him no sorry, and he walked away looking extremely annoyed, as was I. Why did he ask me for money and no-one else? We told the owner when we got back (2 hours early) and he was suitably embaressed but didn't offer any compensation.
27th - Headed out to the fort to have a good explore around. The huge walls rise out of the barren desertscape giving a vision that shoudl only exist in fairytales. We got lost many times threading through the narrow alleys adorned with bright blankets and table cloths and milling with goats and cows. We got stuck at one point because a big bull was laying across the path but we managed to gently squeeze past avoiding his horns. I had my shoes sown up (flapping again) by a small boy for 15r and we took pictures of the brightly dressed women with huge gold coins through their noses and strings of gold around their hair and a ball of gold hanging on their foreheads. We visited some of the many temples within the walls of the great fort that stands over the city. The city was strategically important through it's position in the camel train routes between India and central Asia but now is important as it is so close to Pakistan.
Partly due to the weather, there had been several power cuts each day here and big storms each night. Today the storm came early and was torrential with thunder and lightening and the works. We tried to venture out for dinner but the roads were too flooded. We tried the restaurant but it was still raining and it was open air so we had no choice but to eat in the room. About 3 minutes after it was delivered, the power went off and we ate our dinner in bed by candle and torchlight. Very romantic!
During the night 3 rooves inside the fort collapsed but luckily no-one was hurt. We also discovered that 2 bombs had exploded in Bombay and killed about 50 people, there had been a stampede at a pilgrimage site in the east and about 30 people were killed, and a bridge collapsed killing a few more people. These are daily occurrences here with the population and infrastructure as it is but we were very glad not to be near any of them. Obviously we keep an eye on the Bombay situation but we've given up reading the papers here as they so full of gloom.
On a much brighter note, we headed back to Jodhpur (the blue one) in the morning for a spot more sight seeing and some better weather.
