Before we even stepped a foot outside
of the train in Jaisalmer, we were approached by a tout. Since he
offered a free ride into town, we decided to inspect his hotel and
found it comfy enough at a cheap 200 rupees. We also decided to book
a camel safari with the hotel, as it seemed to offer reasonable
terms. But as it often turns out in India, all was not as it seemed.
After talking to some people, we found out the hotel and its safaris
repeatedly garnered truly disastrous reviews. Overconfidence in our
intuition, honed by months of travel, prevented us from sensing a
scam behind the manager's seemingly honest face. We promptly
returned to the hotel and demanded a refund. We were relieved when
the money was given back without an issue, most likely thanks to the
company of his visiting Polish girlfriend (another fact that distorted our
perspective). In the following hours, however, he kept accosting us
about the safari, using guilt trips and assurances of trust and
friendship to persuade us. We heard that it could quickly devolve
into rage from there, so we left the hotel for a more reputable one
the same evening. What an improvement for our peace of mind.
We spent the next day wandering around
Jaisalmer. The sand-colored buildings contribute greatly to its
romantic desert town image, disrupted sporadically by ongoing new
construction. It has a rare living fort, where life, with some
technological modifications, continues as it has ages ago. Its
sleepy pace enticed us to laze a few afternoons away.
A cow walks into a bar ...
We signed up for another camel safari
for a third of the price less than the previous one. Once again, it
proved that shopping around is key! Mind you, I've wanted to
experience this months before we started traveling. As sometimes
happens, reality did not conform to the expectations (or is it the
other way around?). Geared entirely towards the tourist, little
remains of the authentic charm. Advertised as a romantic night under
the stars, the actual conditions quickly dismissed that notion. The
camels (granted, with their cute, smiling snouts) randomly
interrupted the boredom of the swaying ride by belched groans and
other noxious noises (and smells). The saddle and the awkward
sitting position got uncomfortable after an hour (not to mention a
day) of riding. When we finally reached the sporadic sand dunes, we
contemplated the sunset in silence, only to see a man with a bulging
bag come out of nowhere, yelling “beer, cold beer!”. We burst
out laughing. Unbelievable. In the evening, we quickly ran out of
wood for the bonfire. After a shrilling musical performance by the
camel drivers (and some thumping on an empty water casket), we jumped
into our stack of blankets for the night. The sky was truly
striking, unaffected by the ministrations of the profit-driven people
underneath. I woke up once in a while to adjust a shifted blanket,
only to fall asleep again to the winking stars. Magnificent.
Vultures!
The night under the stars manifested
itself in a cold, however, so I spent the next 1.5 days in Jaisalmer recuperating.
Next stop – Agra and the wondrous Taj Mahal. Only four more days
in India, but I think we are ready for a change.
Adorable, no?
Very adorable , the camel, you guys too :-)
ReplyDeleteHow long was the camel ride? Did they just walk? Did they spit?
A cow walks into a bar...czekam na reszte kawalu.
ReplyDelete