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Published: April 19th 2006
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Gotta say the Camel safari thing was a bit crap!
I'm no camel novice, (been to breakfast on one at Ayres rock, and rode out from Aswan into the Sahara), and my feeling with camels is the same as the feeling I have with aircraft, take offs and landings are rough and the bit in between is just uncomfortably too high up.
The deal we had yesterday on paper sounded good. We'd ride out into the Thar, watch the sunset over the Sam sand dunes, and then camp out for the night in the Desert.
The reality was less romantic.
Turns out there are lots of companies who do this, so the Dunes are more reminiscent of a crowd empting from a football ground, and the desert camps turn out to be large screened off tacky encampments with tents that have their own bathrooms, right next to the road that runs to Pakistan, (80 kms away)!
None of us were impressed, (refused point blank to pay any extra for the dancers and musicians), but we made the most of it by getting very drunk into the early hours.
Nadine, Paula, Jamie and myself were the
real dirty stopouts, eventually even driving tour guide, (and party animal), Vipal to his bed first.
(The Cokey/Pokey debate still rumbles on, but we all gave the Indian camel guys a combined nation demonstration last night... CAN YOU BELIEVE OZZIES AND YANKS NEITHER BEND THEIR KNEES, STRETCH THEIR ARMS, OR SHOUT 'RA RA RA' EVEN?'
Jamie actually is a very funny bloke ONCE YOU'VE SUSSED OUT WHERE HE IS COMING FROM, (he's just incredibly dry and sardonic).
Typical Jamie joke... 'Why did the Koala fall out the tree?'..... (Pause for effect and then with totaly no expression or emotion, but just a slight flicker of amusement in the eyes).... 'Because it was dead!'
Believe me, you may not think that funny but at 1am in the morning, after 5 bottles of rum we all fell about laughing like drains at that!
I'm developing Ozzie inflections in my Accent! I don't normally pick up accents but the last time I was in Oz I developed that 'No Worries' thing I now say constantly and I'm now aware that this trip my voice is deffinitly doing something odd. They have this thing where they seem to end every sentence like their seeking confirmation. So instead of saying for example... 'I bought some good stuff in the Bazzar!' (As a statement of fact). They say... 'I bought some good stuff in the Bazzar?' (Like they're asking was what they bought any good or not)?
It's hard to explain in email form, but I'm aware I'm starting to talk that way too... AND I CAN'T SEEM TO SNAP OUT OF IT!!!!!!
Nadine did Micheal and Me a favour today. Yesterday the drive out in the jeeps was very uncomfortable in the back where we were, (Micheal is as tall as me and we both were squashed up like collapsable garden furniture). Today she stood in front of the drivers, wrinkled her nose, and using her baby voice said.... 'I tink you should let the big boys sit in the frunt cos your little jeeps only have teeny weeny space and they get all squashed and uncomfortable!'
Indian Men just fall in love with Nadine! She's half asian half English, (her dad is third generation Indian Zimbabwe), and in India she is an enigma. She's very attractive, has asian looks, dark black wild hair, tends to dress in flowing semi eastern partly western garp, has bundles of endless energy and talks with that damn south London Accent.
It just warps the Indian males minds and they don't know what to make of her... (but whatever it is they like it). So Nadine can twist any red blooded Indian male around her little finger, (she now has the nickname from the group of 'The Princess'), and as such did secure Micheal and me the front seat in both the jeeps for the ride home.
Note... When Micheal and Me are walking through crowded Bazzars with her however, (two 6ft 4 white westerners, with one young, confident and lively Indian looking girl), all the men look daggers at us!
I've spent most of today exploring the fort and bazars in Jaisalmer with Micheal! (Actually I'd kind of planned on having the day to myself, but he asked would I mind if he joined me... so what could I say)! As I've said he's from Adelaide, and easier to suss than Jamie, but I noted another side today. Strikes me he can get short tempered when being hassled by street hawkers, and he likes to haggle a tad too hard for a bargain.
I hate haggling as much as I hate the concept of tipping, (I get all British and reserved about it). So if I think something is a fair price I say I'll take it, which really screws up Micheal as it takes the wind out of his sails as he's trying to beat some street vendor out of his livelihood.
I mean today I paid 12 quid for a genuine camel skin satchel which is well made and just what I need for work instead of that grotty old camoflage bag. I also spent a fiver on some ethnic instrument thing I liked, and 24 quid for a load of elaborate Indian design textile stuff for walls, beds, tables, and cushions in my house. I think I got bargains. Micheal reckons I've been done and I should have argued them down. I think Micheal just made himself look like an exploitative westernised prick and me look really good personally.
He's a likeable enough person though, (suspect just needs a regular caffine injection), and now that I'm through my first week of the trip I think I can fairly say there aint no one in the group I can't get along with.
My Zambian Army Safari hat is very popular in Jaisalmer. Everyone admires it, and asks if they can try it on. This, (along with a couple of tatty teddy bears), is possibly one of my oldest posessions, (there are photos of me aged 2 in Zambia wearing it covering almost all of my head), and when it aint hanging over my bed at home it accompanies me around the world everywhere that may be Jungle, Desert, Equatorial or tropics related. It's fairly battered and bruised now, (but that just adds to it's character), and instantly looks rakeishly good on anyone who wears it.
It lost it's original army band when I was in Singapore, but gained a genuine crocodile skin band to replace it in Cairns. I almost lost it in Fiji, (and very nearly caused a diplomatic incident trying to get it back).
Here everyone local asks me about it and wants to wear it. The bloke in the Cyber caff here has just been modeling it to his friends, and the young lad who works with him stared at it in wonderment telling me that 'Not in all Rajastan is there another hat such as this... it is beautiful.' (I think maybe it's evolved mythic properties over time).
The driver of the other jeep on our way back today asked me if he could wear it for the journey. I told him... 'You lose it, I hurt you very much for very long time!' He laughed, and opted to not wear it after all.
Tomorrow we're back on the road and on route to Jodhpur.
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