Home away from home...

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So, I am now pleased to report that it has officially been 2 days...and I am festival and parade free. That's right folks, I have not seen a band or a king or an elephant parading around it well over 48 hours.

But, notice I did not say camel.

The truth is that I have also not left Jaiselmer, a town hundreds of kilometers west of Dehli where I took that lovely train ride that arrived on Thursday. It is now Sunday. This is officially my favorite stop on my trip...and if it were not that I am flying out of Mumbai on Wednesday night...I might have just taken up temporary residency.

To be quite frank, I am not sure why. Perhaps its the sandstone of the fort that is mildly reminiscent of Jerusalem. Perhaps it is the beautiful guest house that I happened upon after being cast out of my first place (due to an agregious error of my own for putting down the wrong move out date on the register). Either way, this town has captured my heart...from my favorite place to get tomato soup, check email, buy clothes, have my daily water...and so much more.

And just so we are clear, I did DO something here...other than walk the corridors. Well, at least one thing...and that one thing would be the camel safari on Friday. Reputed to be an "experience not to be missed in order to truly experience the desert", I quickly signed up my friend and I for this highly worthwhile experience. The only minor glitch is this...I DON'T LIKE CAMELS...and THEY DON'T LIKE ME. I found out this significant fact when I was 16 and a camel bit me. Ever since then...we have pretty much stayed away from each other. But, off I went...to experience the desert...with my 2 new Swedish friends, and Guillume...who had decided to reunite with me later in his trip.


Thus, there we were...piled into the back of a Jeep...trekking our way 50 kilometers into the desert to a village. When we got out we were trailed by most of the kids in the village arguing the logic of why I should give them my only remaining pen. Then...time for the camel. Now, I looked mine quarely in the eye and said we were going to get along. I thought we had as good as signed a pact. But such a pact would soon be broken as my lovely camel felt it needed to kick and buck at every mosquito and tick that landed within a hair's legnth of its hide. (In all fairness, I may have also been a somewhat squirmy passenger.) However, it may have been after the thrid bush he walked straight into that I demanded to be let down. I thought the walk would serve me much better than the camel ride...and if our camel leader could walk...it was good enough for me! So, after several requests that soon became demands...off I went...to enjoy a lovely walk through the desert.

Unfortunately, for some reason our guide seemed to take it rather personally that I did not want to ride the camel, and after several requests, I joined him back on the camel where he agreed to sit behind me. The rest of the ride was rather uneventful. (I'm convinced its because the camel would not bit ethe hand that fed him.)

After the camel ride to the dunes, we watched the sun set over the desert and enjoyed a meal cooked over the open fire in the desert.

And since then, I have basically enjoyed resting and hanging out with Guillume meandering the streets, reading books, chatting with shopkeepers, and generally becoming friends with the locals. Which is something I think I had been missing on this trip...the feeling of knowing the locals. And here I am, about an hour before I am to leave...and I know the locals. I know how many children they have (and have even been invited for a fun game of tag last night), who is married to whose sister, who died, how long their families have been in the area...all sorts of things. This is a town that has a long established history in family and I have enjoyed getting to know it. And sadly, it is now time to be off.

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Comments

[Mom]

Getting in with the Locals
Hi honey. There is something magical about getting "in" with the locals. Getting a feel for what people are like in their hometown is so refreshing. I am so happy you took "time" to kind of stop and smell the roses. Love, Mom

[ma]

miss you
hi darling grandpa and I are loving your blogs. sounds like your trip is fabulous. can't wait to talk to you on t he phone when are you leaving for Israel we love you and miss you ma and grandpa