A few hours later, and we're starting to feel better. The Australian hotel-keeper has pity on us, and instead of putting us on camels right off the bat, we go exploring the desert by jeep. The views are amazing -- sandstone color palette, punctuated by Persian-style arches or a Jain temple.
We reach the sand dunes in time to watch an incredible sunset. Our guide, Kareem -- a gregarious 27-year old who's the nephew of the hotel owner -- sets up camp for the night: a lone Rajasthani tent and delicious dal, chana (garbanzo beans), vegetables, chapati, and rice. It's our first meal of the day and it's quite possibly one of the best Indian meals I've had. We sit by the bonfire and see the most incredible shooting star, and marvel at the international space station gliding up above.
The night is long, cold, and sick... but we're up at 8:30am for our morning camel ride. We've missed the sunrise, but the morning is beautiful -- clean, crisp air; and camels ready to go. There's Lucky, a five-year old girl; and Babalu, a ten-year old male. As we learn, a pair of camels cost Rs 1 lakhs each, or about $2500. Our guides are Ali and Saleem; Ali is uneducated but has learned English well through all the tourists he comes across. He proudly points at his North Face, which keeps him warm, and which a German tourist gave him after a camel ride.
The camels themselves seem almost other-wordly, with their one hump, long necks, multiple knees, and lower hump that allows them to rest on their stomach. Getting up and down is quite awkward -- with their front-half of body rising first, followed by their back-half -- almost robotic-like.
The trek itself is gorgeous -- seeing various types of terrain, and passing through a small gypsy-esque village, with small girls dancing as we pass. We trot a bit (we're told they can reach speeds of 35-50 km/hour, which is a bit hard to believe)
Quite a magical morning!
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