Dune dogs and dung beetles.

Ok, so, I’ve skipped a day or two but I just HAD to write about this while the smells are still in my mind and the sand is still on my feet.

Last night I slept under the stars in the middle of the desert, and this morning the incredibly enthusiastic young sherpas actually taught me to free ride a camel. Yes you read it right, A CAMEL.

A camel is an even-toed ungulate, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as “humps” on its back. The three surviving species of camel are the dromedary, or one-humped camel.

Mine was called Raju.

The old school of thought would have you believe that you’d be a fool to take on nature without arming yourself with every conceivable measure of safety and comfort under the sun. But that isn’t what being in nature is all about. Rather, it’s about feeling free, unbounded, shedding the distractions and barriers of our civilization—not bringing them with us.

Yesterday we left our hostel for the Thar Desert, we departed by jeep then continued our jaunt by camel. Each loaded with multi-coloured throws and cushions, and a string of three each being led by young dark skinned Indian boys.

I am left beaming by the overall experience.

In the UK, I love the outdoors. I love bare feet, the smell of smoke and being veiled in a swathe of nature. And veiled our camp out was, hidden by smooth red cascading sand dunes. Their only imperfections the foot prints of dune dogs and rolling dung beetles.

I sat on my haunches watching the deftly skilled boys make a fire and preparing our evening meal. We drank tin cups of beer and smoked beedi cigarettes.

We ate freshly made pakora, daal and steamed vegetables with chipatis and rice. In my opinion everything tastes better cooked on an open fire.

Another cloud bursting deluge of light smattered the sky above us with bolts of lightning and growling thunder. We sat atop a dune and watched in awe, accompanied by two loving dune dogs.

Our hosts rolled out old thick patchwork and tye dye camping bundles side by side on the sand floor and we all cotched together, three English, two Spanish ladies and Zen from China. All united under in this swathe of ochre sand, with full bellies and happy hearts.

When morning came the sky was just magnetic, the sky above looked like strokes of water color, with patches of red and blue, and at some points they joined to form a shade of violet and purple. I grabbed my sleeping bag whilst everyone slept and scaled the highest dune, just… sitting and breathing deeply. Taking in every moment.

After chai warmed on the fire, fresh papaya and bananas.

I meandered out with one of the boys to locate the camels, at night then untye and unsaddle them and they roam in the sparse scrub until morning.

As everyone else mounted these tumultuous beasts, one of the lads patted a saddle of a separate one untied from from the chain for me, as I had expressed the night before that I would love to ride properly.

After a few quick instructions (I have ridden a horse many times) I was off, rolling up and down the dunes all the back to our awaiting jeep.

I couldn’t stop smiling all the way back to Shahi. I would most definetly recommend a desert experience while you are in Jaisalmer. It wasn’t for everyone but for me, it was the highlight of my trip so far.