lawrence of a-gaybia
it's become increasingly apparent to me over the last few months that, contrary to the bleatings of numerous gesture, 'look at me, aren't i ethnic', travellers, sights and activities that are undeniably tourist cliches can still be highly rewarding. a camel safari around the thar desert above jaisalmer served to further consolidate this view.we were dropped off at the edge of the desert at about ten in the morning, ste and i looking rather dashing (well camp) in our bright pink rajasthani turbans. a few minutes later, our camels trotted into view. at first glance, they are truly impressive beasts, much larger in size than i had preconceived with long, graceful, necks. unfortunately once you get a bit closer their brobdingnagnian defects become clear. they're covered in little sand mites, their fur is more mangy than glossy, and they are caked in their own shit: despite constant attempts to swish it over innocent passers by with their tails, their entire back halfs are smothered in excrement, creating a fairly aggresive assault on the senses. i was given a particularly petulant fucker called lallu to deal with. the entire day was a replaying of the time honoured battle between man and beast: i'd tug at lallu's reins in an attempt to get him to go in the right direction, and he'd ignore me and try and drag my legs through whichever bit of sharp foliage was at hand. i'd like to think mine was the moral victory, although my legs are cut to shreds. somewhat bizarrely, our camels reflected our personalities perfectly: mine was obstinate and difficult, my sis's did the bare minimum to avoid getting shouted at, and ste's was just a dopey slacker, constantly plunging his head down to munch on some grass and generally expending the minimum amount of energy possible.
we trotted around the desert all day, and it really didn't disappoint. i like to think that as well as taking in the views, the sight of two fools struggling to stay on camels in hot pink pagris will be something that the bemused desert locals will have appreciated too: you have to give something back and all that (and what beter gift is there than uproarious laughter and pointing). the happy conclusion was on the sand dunes, waiting for the sun to set, a peaceful moment which i may have marred slightly by inventing the cracking new game of dunejumping. a simple pastime, you just run to the edge of a dune and jump off, so that when you land you're wedged waist deep in sand. it's actually a fairly stupid thing to indulge in, so it came as no surprise that lamby was game.
as the sun set over the horizon, an unprecedented number of stars bedecked the canopy of the night sky. with no moon and no pollution, bar camel flatulence, the stellar display was jaw dropping. as our camels ambled back to the jeep in the dark, the sky in every direction glistened with serene white lights. it was a stunning end to an amazing day.
rajasthan has much scope for tomfoolery, but it is also hopelesly romantic: mouthy brother in laws are not. as such, i'm off to delhi now, leaving my sis and ste to enjoy jaipur together.
posted by bicrom @ 5:41 am
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