It was still 40 degrees as we left with our driver at 4 PM from Jaisalmer for the hour-long journey south-west to the small outpost of Khuri.
It was here that I was to experience my first camel safari (although a roughly 2, 1/2 hours journey hardly compares to Silvia's 10 hours journey into the Sahara).
Nonetheless we both mounted our respective camels and held on as they first got to their knees and then to their feet.
Each camel was lead by a rope by a local whose commands the camel readily followed.
It seems in these parts camels are suburban dogs and most locals have one.
My pre-conceived perception of camels were that they were smelly, spitty and bad tempered animals.
Maybe our two were on their best behaviour but I found they were none of these.
The trek itself took us through sparsely vegetated open desert country into the dunes, spotting along the way peacocks, antilops, goats and other camels.
The ride itself is quite comfortable with a slight back and forth motion and I certainly was in no pain upon completion.
We settled amongst the dunes, sheltered somewhat from the increasingly hostile winds to watch a sunset that fizzled out to be disappointing.
The journey took us very close to the Pakistani border, so close in fact that Silvia wishes to claim it as another country we have been to, something unfortunately I couldn't agree to.
Anyway my apologies to all camels fans as my perception of them has done an about face although I still have to say that they're quite docile.
It was here that I was to experience my first camel safari (although a roughly 2, 1/2 hours journey hardly compares to Silvia's 10 hours journey into the Sahara).
Nonetheless we both mounted our respective camels and held on as they first got to their knees and then to their feet.
Each camel was lead by a rope by a local whose commands the camel readily followed.
It seems in these parts camels are suburban dogs and most locals have one.
My pre-conceived perception of camels were that they were smelly, spitty and bad tempered animals.
Maybe our two were on their best behaviour but I found they were none of these.
The trek itself took us through sparsely vegetated open desert country into the dunes, spotting along the way peacocks, antilops, goats and other camels.
The ride itself is quite comfortable with a slight back and forth motion and I certainly was in no pain upon completion.
We settled amongst the dunes, sheltered somewhat from the increasingly hostile winds to watch a sunset that fizzled out to be disappointing.
The journey took us very close to the Pakistani border, so close in fact that Silvia wishes to claim it as another country we have been to, something unfortunately I couldn't agree to.
Anyway my apologies to all camels fans as my perception of them has done an about face although I still have to say that they're quite docile.
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