Sand, Camels and Facials


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Asia » India » Rajasthan » Jaisalmer
September 20th 2006
Published: September 22nd 2006
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Well we waited around for an extra couple of days in Jaipur to make sure that this factory we bought some stuff from actually sent it and then finally moved on to Jaisalmer.

Sand In The Desert?



Our second journey on a sleeper class train was not quite as smooth however I think it may have been an isolated incident. Hopefully. We got on the train in Jaipur at about 1:30am for a 12hr ride and everything was fine and dandy till we got out into the desert. About 8hrs into the journey the sand and dirt became increasingly present and the bars on the windows do very little to keep it out. The train kicks up quite the dust storm. We found that there are windows that can be pulled down over the window but you'd be lucky to get it all the way down and not everyone chooses to close them. Needless to say, our train ticket out of here involves an AC sleeper which is sealed and unfortunately double the cost.

Camel Safari (Kinda)



Rooms in Jaisalmer are crazy cheap cause the only interesting thing apart from the only inhabited fort are the camel safari's and every hotel offers them. This is were they make the money. We are staying at the Golden City Hotel and they have a clean pool and nice very nice rooms. We paid $5 for the first night and booked a fantastic looking camel safari leaving the following day.

The camel safari is advertised as non-touristic as they say they go out further into the desert and need special permits and you will not see any other people. I'd say some of this is true but can't say it is better value than the tourist safari's. Regardless, we had a great time mainly due to the crazy Brit's that came along with us.

The trip was 3 days of horror on the ass and 2 nights of beautiful stars.

The first day you drive about 50km from the city and see a temple and small village on the way to the start of the safari. In the small village all the children followed us around asking for rupees, school pens, and sweets. All of the things that the stupid tourists give them on a regular basis. This may seem like a good idea at first but they come to expect it and it also encourages a lot of begging. Often they say "no rupees buy me food". One traveller told us they bought a bag of rice for a small child and opened it before giving it to them to ensure that it would not be sold back to the vendor and the child just dumped the rice on the ground.

After a large crowd of children amassed behind us one of the brit's suddenly turned around, threw his arms the air and ran after them growling. It was hillarious. They scattered so quickly and followed from a safe distance after that. I'm sure some of them will have nightmares of a huge pale gorilla coming after them.

The desert was really green as the monsoon had just left the desert. It is not all sand, more grass, thorns, rocks, small ponds left from the monsoon and a few areas with descent sized sand dunes that you travel to see.

The first night we arrived at their 'camp' where we drank beer and watched the music and Indian dance for entertainment. When it came time to go to bed our tents were absolutely covered inside and out with every bug imaginable. The flourescent light bulbs in the middle of the desert attract everything and the tents were white. Anyways we dragged our cots outside and after the lights went out the bugs went away and the dogs arrived. Not 20min later a herd of dogs stampeded through the middle of the cots barking and scaring the shit out of us.

The best was a dog about 20m from our group of cotts that would not stop barking at who knows what. Me being the antagonist used my headlamp to spot a lone rock under James (one of the brits) cot and then I shed a little light on the dog as he lobbed a warning shot across the bow. Just as I turned off the light to avoid attracting bugs the dog yelped and that was the last we heard of him. That provided great laughter as the likelihood of actually hitting it never really occured and since we didn't actually see contact we decided that it must have bounced first. This made us feel better as there was never intention to harm any animals in any way.

James and Paul have great arms but very fragile bums as they spent the later part of day two and most of day three walking. The second night we slept out on the sand dunes. Rather at the top of the highest dune as we figured this to be the least likely place the black cobra's, dung beatles and everything else would figure to venture. We didn't ever see any snakes and the stars were amazing, beer was cold and the food was great. Chapattis from scratch in the desert, who'd of thought it possible.

Overall a very possitive outing. The pool was great when we got back to the hotel and took advantage of some beers that never made it out to the desert as well.

Jarrod's Thoughts



As for the whole giving children and beggars things that is a sensitive issue. Some people feel they are doing good when really they aren't. Providing candy to children in a small village in the middle of knowhere seems silly unless you plan on also giving them a tooth brush and toothpaste then showing them how to use it. Remember tourists stop at these villages everyday and the kids have a
FlowersFlowersFlowers

Typical flowering bush in the desert
lot of practice getting what they want.

I do not believe people in this country are starving in the least. It is true they are some of the poorest people in the world but I have tried to give food away only to be rejected. I have also heard similar stories from others. In cities beggars are often working for someone that feeds them etc. There are ranks and some beggers get better spots than others. Any money you give to them goes to someone else and this just fuels the fire. Do not be fooled by what you see and always inquire about the things you don't!

Carol's Thoughts


After a sandy and dirty safari a girl really needs to clear her pores, so I opted for a facial (my first ever actually) at a price of $5 for 45 minutes. I really enjoyed the facial massage, creams and masks but even more so enjoyed talking to the Indian lady, Baiju, who cleansed me. Indian ladies are not often out and about in the streets and if they are most don't know english to talk to you, so when Baiju spoke quite good english I was eager for a good conversation to learn about her life and traditions in India.

She described her life as a "hard life" as she was married at 14 and left her family to move in with her husbands family. At 16 she had her first son and a few years later another son, but she said she really wanted a girl. Most people are considered blessed in India to have two boys. Her sons are now in thier early 20s and neither is married. Most young Indians don't mind arranged marriage as they usually have some say in their partner and as a part of thier culture boys and girls don't mix socially and dating is not the norm. So if you never have contact with the opposite sex trusting your parents judgement for a spouse isn't a bad option.

Baiju has tried to look for a wife for her eldest son but no success. She has proposed two girls, but one her son didn't like and the other gave no responce to thier offer. I asked about the atributes she is looking for in a wife - same caste (don't want lower caste, and if they are higher caste the expectations of the wife may be too high); doesn't read a lot of books (I think she links books to education and liberation); and is nice temperment is key. She said that with girls who read a lot there is often fights in the family - my guess being that if a girl is educated she's not too keen on domestic wife duties in India and issues arise from there.

It's an interesting time in India as the culture is shifting. Castes are formally banned by the government but are still a part of the culture and more and more girls are going to school and getting careers of their own. Marriage is much later in life and children are an expection within a year or two of marriage. I couldn't help but to wonder what Baiju thought of me: 25 years old, married for 3 years, university educated, worked outside of the home as the breadwinner, no kids and no plans for a few years at least.....


Additional photos below
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Sand DunesSand Dunes
Sand Dunes

Nothing seems to go on forever
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Jaisalmer

View of town from rooftop


22nd September 2006

Wow what gorgeous pictures!! It looks like you guys are really getting to experience the culture. Carol - $5 for a facial? Sign me up!!
27th September 2006

The pictures are so beautiful!! The facial was a steal of a deal! What an experience!!
28th September 2006

Yeah, really...$5 for a facial is a fantastic deal...as long as you don't get a rash or something! The natural landscapes you've visited have been so diverse; sounds beautiful (except for the bugs!). Keep on enjoying.

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