If you have ever ridden a camel you would know the pain associated with an extended trot. You might also know the bow-legged effect it has as soon as you start walk, err, waddling to the nearest bench, chair, or bed. But really, how cool is it to be on a camel safari!? Having been one of the things on the top of our TO-DO list, we looked into and booked an overnight safari in the Rajasthani desert. My legs have yet to forgive me.

Despite the warnings of other travelers, we initially looked into a two-night trip. One night would encompass the pure tourist attraction of staying in a fully-furnished tent or in a traditional mud hut while the last night would plop us in the middle of a secluded Rajasthani desert for an evening under the stars. The research, however, proved the two-night trip to be far more expensive than what we originally planned. So, to avoid the extra expense, we settled on one night of seclusion under the stars.

After a quick breakfast of curd and tea, we were whisked away, Indian fashion (like sardines), in a small jeep-like car. While the locals might have stuffed 10 or 12 people in this space, we only managed 8. That was still more than enough for the 6-person capacity vehicle we actually had. At least this allowed for a very ‘intimate’ (arms in face, feet on feet) atmosphere to get to know our fellow travelers….

Before going to meet and greet our camels, there were a couple of tourist sites to stop at along the way. The first site was a sort of cemetery for the Maharajahs of old. There was an entry fee of 50 rupees per person as well as a camera charge that caused everybody but G and I to stay in a safe fee-free zone. But we figured that’s what we were here for, so we paid and went to check it out.

[ngfilename filename='p1110106.jpg' float=left] G and I walked around the site, and while I fiddled with the GPS, G took some awesome pictures. The architecture and carvings around the epitaphs were absolutely stunning. It amazes me still how something so exquisite could be done with a chisel and hammer, and, in some instances, a chisel alone!

Unfortunately, the epitaphs were all in Hindi, so it left us wondering what they said.

The next couple of stops were a couple of Jain temples, a ghost town, and a painted village. Now, I must say that once you see one Jain temple in the middle of the desert, you’ve seen them all. However, the one G and I looked forward to most housed a famous BEARDED black cobra. This fabled cobra is said to be a reincarnated priest who continues to look after the temple.

We have heard that the cobra does indeed have a beard, and we have also heard that he actually has an oh-my-god-it’s-not-still-the-80s hairdo. [ngfilename filename='p1110135.jpg' float=right] Imagination going wild after hearing the stories, six of us huddled around a small hole in the side of a beautifully carved Jain temple, all trying to catch a glimpse.

For the first couple of minutes we all stood looking at the hole. After that, and for the next 10 minutes, we individually walked the complex, went back to the hole, walked the complex, and then checked one last time. We were all a little disappointed, but we hopped back in the jeep and were on the road to the ghost town, knowing that at least a bearded cobra exists. Rest assured, I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for any type of hair-sprouting reptile for the remainder of our trip!

The ghost town was situated out in the middle of nowhere, and sat as a huge pile of rubble where houses once stood. It was a village long since deserted, but whose story is that of campfire legends:

It is said that long ago, there was a politician with an insatiable lust. He took a young girl every night for carnal pleasure, and, when the night was over, had the girl executed. As it had happened elsewhere many times before, the politician visited this village and found a particular female to fulfill his carnal desires. Fortunately for the girl, the family caught wind of the politician’s plans. They conspired with all the villagers to pick up and leave town before the politician returned to steal their daughter. Having to desert town on such little notice, the villagers left most of their belongs behind. However, before vacating the town, the villagers placed a curse on it. Anybody who removed an item would be dealt a sad ending.

[ngfilename filename='p1110166.jpg' float=left width='300'] As with all ghost stories, I took it with a grain of salt (but quietly hoped we’d find an interesting treasure). We were deposited at the surrounding wall of the now crumbled town, and walked among the rubble. Cactus, sandstone, goats, and sheep were all that could be seen, but a certain eeriness remained as we walked the village roads. It was like an echo from the past that bounced off the sandstone walls.

After searching a couple of would-be rooms and imagining the grandeur that once was, I started to head back. I was caught off guard by how far I had walked and was amazed at how far the town stretched. I could only begin to imagine how it must have looked when people filled the streets with fruit carts or craft shops. I climbed back into the jeep, and we were on our way to the last stop: the painted village.

The jeep stopped in the middle of a small “village” that contained about six mud huts. On the right, three of the mud huts were painted with floral designs, and surrounded by a three-foot tall, similarly painted, wall. On the left were some plain mud huts of equal design, but lacking the colorful exterior. At this point I think we were all a bit more excited about the camel part of our safari so we only spent a couple of minutes looking at the village from a distance before piling back into our vehicle.

After about 20 minutes of driving we stopped, and met our seven groaning camels.

Before you grab a hump and hop on, take a pre-camel desert tour through the cenotaphs, Lodhruva – home of the bearded cobra, and the abandoned village in the pre-camel safari tour photos.