Saturday, 8 November 2014, Jaisalmer
Pati and BeeBee met with their driver and guide just before 4:30 and started for Sam, where they were to join a camel safari and view the setting sun from sand dunes. Their route to Sam appeared to run north-northwest for about 30 km. The guide said that they would be about 80 km (48 miles) from the border with Pakistan.
When they arrived in Sam, the guide took them to the camel driver and his assistant (little boy) who would lead their camels. The camels were already kneeling in the sand. Pati and BeeBee learned how to get on a camel. Throw your right leg over the camel. If the leg won't go over, have someone grab the ankle and pull it to the other side of the camel. Have that same person push on your - ahem - derrier from the left side until you are squarely seated behind the pommel. Grab the pommel firmly and lean back, because the camel is going to stand up on its hind legs and you don't want to do a header over the pommel. The driver will also be helping you stay in the saddle. Then continue hanging on tightly as the front end of the camel comes up. Then your role is to hang onto the pommel tightly and try not to fall off as the camel rocks along.
With the two camel drivers leading their camels, Pati and BeeBee joined the end of a long line of camels with riders. They rode for about 15 minutes through scrub, coming to the sand dunes as the sun finally broke free of the haze that had hidden it until then. They dismounted at the foot
of a very tall dune and scrambled to the top, where they settled down on the sand to wait for sunset. Pati got some pictures of the sun about to set, and then the sun disappeared behind the haze again. After a few minutes, they climbed back down the dune and mounted their camels again, a little more efficiently this time. The drivers led their camels to the road where their (automobile) driver and guide waited for them.
After about 30 minutes of driving in the quickly falling darkness, they were back at the hotel. Pati tipped the guide for his 1 1/2 days of service. BeeBee gave the guide his voucher, so that he could get paid, and wrote a brief review of his work for him. She gave him a good but generic review. He was pleasant, he had followed the itinerary, and his attempts to steer them into unwanted buying opportunities were the result of pressure from his associates, with whom he must remain on good terms. Pati and BeeBee understand this, but do not feel obligated to fall into these traps. Contrary to popular belief, they are not walking ATM machines.
It was agreed with the driver that he and they would have a free day tomorrow. He will pick them up Monday morning at 10 am and they will continue to Manvar to spend the night in a tent. BeeBee does not know where the driver will spend that night.
Pati and BeeBee then went to the hotel's rooftop restaurant to have a delicious dinner. (They would like to try some other restaurants near their hotel, that get good reviews on Trip Advisor, but they are reluctant to walk around outside after dark. The odds of stepping in something unpleasant increase greatly after dark. Maybe tomorrow in the daylight ...)
A welcome delivey to their room: clean laundry! Then internetting and to bed.
Pati and BeeBee met with their driver and guide just before 4:30 and started for Sam, where they were to join a camel safari and view the setting sun from sand dunes. Their route to Sam appeared to run north-northwest for about 30 km. The guide said that they would be about 80 km (48 miles) from the border with Pakistan.
When they arrived in Sam, the guide took them to the camel driver and his assistant (little boy) who would lead their camels. The camels were already kneeling in the sand. Pati and BeeBee learned how to get on a camel. Throw your right leg over the camel. If the leg won't go over, have someone grab the ankle and pull it to the other side of the camel. Have that same person push on your - ahem - derrier from the left side until you are squarely seated behind the pommel. Grab the pommel firmly and lean back, because the camel is going to stand up on its hind legs and you don't want to do a header over the pommel. The driver will also be helping you stay in the saddle. Then continue hanging on tightly as the front end of the camel comes up. Then your role is to hang onto the pommel tightly and try not to fall off as the camel rocks along.
With the two camel drivers leading their camels, Pati and BeeBee joined the end of a long line of camels with riders. They rode for about 15 minutes through scrub, coming to the sand dunes as the sun finally broke free of the haze that had hidden it until then. They dismounted at the foot
of a very tall dune and scrambled to the top, where they settled down on the sand to wait for sunset. Pati got some pictures of the sun about to set, and then the sun disappeared behind the haze again. After a few minutes, they climbed back down the dune and mounted their camels again, a little more efficiently this time. The drivers led their camels to the road where their (automobile) driver and guide waited for them.
After about 30 minutes of driving in the quickly falling darkness, they were back at the hotel. Pati tipped the guide for his 1 1/2 days of service. BeeBee gave the guide his voucher, so that he could get paid, and wrote a brief review of his work for him. She gave him a good but generic review. He was pleasant, he had followed the itinerary, and his attempts to steer them into unwanted buying opportunities were the result of pressure from his associates, with whom he must remain on good terms. Pati and BeeBee understand this, but do not feel obligated to fall into these traps. Contrary to popular belief, they are not walking ATM machines.
It was agreed with the driver that he and they would have a free day tomorrow. He will pick them up Monday morning at 10 am and they will continue to Manvar to spend the night in a tent. BeeBee does not know where the driver will spend that night.
Pati and BeeBee then went to the hotel's rooftop restaurant to have a delicious dinner. (They would like to try some other restaurants near their hotel, that get good reviews on Trip Advisor, but they are reluctant to walk around outside after dark. The odds of stepping in something unpleasant increase greatly after dark. Maybe tomorrow in the daylight ...)
A welcome delivey to their room: clean laundry! Then internetting and to bed.
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