rajasthan is full of history, but i know very little of it, admittingly. And while we only visited a small piece of it, we missed the numerous forts and temples synonomous with the region. The romanticism of the architecture and the stark contrast of vibrant colors and textiles set against the drabber colors of the desert hues, along with the strong traditions attract people from around the world. In the smaller villages in particular, the women wear colorful saris sparkling with sequins, the married women keeping their faces a mystery to the outside world covered beneath a sheer cloth. And her body is decorated in jewels - earrings, ankle bracelets, arm cuffs, nose jewels.
we just brushed the surface of this rich culture as we rolled into the city of bikaner, still relatively off the beaten path compared to the golden triangle anyway. our main objective here was to get as deep into the desert as our virgin camel-riding bodies could tolerate and inhale the cleanest air we could expose our lungs to.
we set off into the desert on the funny creatures that are a weird mix between a brontosaur, a giraffe, and a horse. the ride was bumpy (creating open wounds on our butts and sore backs), and the farts were stinky. not the most charming animals i have ever seen, there was a constant pulsating stream of urine and stool, and being mating time, one male camel in particular demonstrated his unattractive mating call (see video).
now that i have painted the most unpleasant picture of camels, don't let it deceive. this was a highlight for me. they were hilarious to observe, and are quite gentle animals. i grew very fond of Angeli, my camel on the second day and Jay's on the first. she was so sweet, a new momma with her 9 month old baby, Raju. they marched to their own beat...literally, constantly behind the pack. but she didn't care. she was just out for a stroll, and so was i. it did not matter much to me either, as long as i could still see the rest of the crew.
the food was gourmet. we ate really well since it was "cart camping" with all of our supplies carried in a camel cart, meals prepared by the fantastic crew. (apparently, some camels can pull up to an impressive 2 tons!) we trekked along with 3 aussie travelers and enjoyed an eve of cards, delicious food and drink, serenaded by traditional live music of harmonium (similar to accordian), drum, and beautiful voices. the first evening sunset was so quiet it was almost deafening. my ears continued to ring into the silence trying to adjust to this unusual darkness of sound. and the colors of the sunset reflecting off of the white sand were brilliant. i think all of the stars in india have migrated here, because i have not seen them many other places. it was quite a treat and exactly what i needed.
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