We are of course talking about Camels, dromedaries if they are two humped (I think? C?). Two days ago I set off on a wild camel safari for an overnight with an American couple (Chris and Christine) and a Brit (Molly). The four of us were well attended to by 6 Indian guide types - one for each of our camels, a cook and a translator.
The trip was arranged through The Camel Man (www.camelman.com), who is related somehow with Bikaner royalty. Bikaner is on the eastern side of Rajasthan, a main tourist thoroughfare on the east of India. It is somewhat off that thoroughfare and I chose it for that reason. It has proven to be a good find, a place where I could both see some things and relax. I joined the other three for the safari, but even before that I enjoyed their company a great deal.
So camels. We took a jeep about 15 minutes from town to a small village, where our camels awaited, each owned by the family of our camel guides - mine was a young male (camel and guide). Here he is:
We set off, comfy on our steeds, which are alarmingly high in the air (Chris nearly broke his ankle when his camel abruptly stood up with one of Chris's feet in a stirrup). But before long we were on the scrub, the living desert, enjoying the birds, antelope, and farting camels of the desert. We trekked for about 3 hours, lunched, then another 2 hours to the camp, and by the end I was grateful to be on my own two feet. I had at one point hoped to spend two weeks on camel, and I think I would have died of ass soreness.
The camp was two concrete buildings with tents around. We hung out near a German contingent, had tea, drank lots of water, and enjoyed dinner cooked onsite. Later musicians (an Indian accordion player and a tabor player along with a handclapper) played for us for about two hours. The singer's voice was harsh and full of desert sand - the moon went down early and the stars were stunning; it was a moment that transcended the relentless India I'd experienced so far.
The next day was somewhat normal, riding camels through the India desert normal, and while our conversations were somewhat 'thinned' by some illness and generally feeling kind of tired, it was overall a very enjoyable excursion. Back at Vijay's guesthouse, we played a game - THE game - of Pass the Pigs. Anyone going on a road trip is well advised to bring this with them. We all part ways and I expect/hope to meet up with everyone again, Molly in Jaiselmer, and the couple for a tiger safari in Ranthamborh a bit later. Each new friendly face and conversation brings me a bit closer to home here in India. Here are some photos of the trip:
The picture with the tongue like thing is the male camel saying - hey baby, check me out. It is by far the grossest sounding, grossest looking mating thing of any kind I've ever seen outside of Collegeville. I'd like to see Isabella Rosellini do that one. On the health front, the gut still has anger. I saw another doc this morning who continued me on the same antibiotic, antiparasitic path. After apologizing to him for asking a lot of questions and doubting what he was telling me, he told me that 50% of feeling better is believing that all will be well. Almost immediately I did feel better. I am keeping close tabs on everything and am starting to feel a little more comfortable around the food. While the India struggle continues and will, I have turned a major corner (as discussed below here). And when it gets dicey, I lay in bed and listen to Bon Iver or Neko Case and think of home. I am traveling with all of you, thanks for that, and thanks for reading!
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