Monday, September 17, 2007

Desert Paradise

From My Recent Journey In India
Jaisalmer, January, 2007

WE ride from about 10am until around 6pm. I am in a panic inside for the first few hours of the Safari. I honestly don't know if I can endure the ride. I have always considered myself a very strong person but my legs are working way too hard with every step the camel takes, just to maintain my balance. We stop for a nice lunch under some shade trees and when we get back on the camels, suddenly it's all different. My brain seems to adjust to the journey and now at the end of the day it's no problem at all. I know I can ride indefinitely. It's all so easy to do now. Sigh
Nourah, our camel driver, brings us here to this sand dune for our first night in the desert. The whole trip is worth it just to be here. This dune is like something from a movie. We were warned that much of our trek will be in scrub, but this is wonderful.I take Aw to the top of a dune just as the sun is setting. The Sun sets very fast in this part of the world. Where we are here is very close to the Pakistan border. I thought that a Camel Safari would be all about the wonderful sights we would see; and it is, in a way. But the best part is just the peace and quiet as we ride along in this mystical land. Nourah is quiet by nature and the three of us have no trouble just looking around and enjoying the Peace and quiet. I love waking up in the cool morning and smelling the smoke from the fire as Nourah makes our morning chai and a simple breakfast. At night, we lay blankets out in the sand and sleep under the stars. I sleep on my back and I wake up every few hours and look up at a new configuration of stars over head. Canada has wonderful night skies but I have never seen anything like this. There are no lights to detract from this heavenly view. It's magnificent out here.

No comments: