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Nicole's
Travelogues and Budget Travel Tips..
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SAM SAND DUNES, INDIA
I went on the 2-day/1-night camel trek booked in Jaisalmer. Of course it was the total tourist thing to do but I didn't want to pass up a chance to ride a camel! About 20 minutes after we left Jaisalmer, the clouds turned brown and a sand storm came in. It came in REALLY fast!!! We barely got our windows closed before the fine sand swept through everything. It still managed to get in the jeep and we all had to cover our faces.
From Jaislamer, we drove for about an hour and got to the camels about 3pm. Luckily a storm was coming in so it wasn't THAT hot (only about 90F). They told us to pick our camels, so I picked one with a cute black mohawk running down
Camels don't have the smoothest gate, so it wasn't like riding a horse. Their gate is all over the place - the minute you got the rhythm down, it would change and you would need to find that rhythm. The one thing that I was warned about prior to the ride, I didn't experience. Camels are supposed to be really stinky - spitting and farting every minute. But I really didn't notice the smell and don't remember any spitting or farting either. To tell you the truth, the camel smell was a nice change from the cow dung smell, human dung smell, and monkey smell that I had become accustomed to. We finally arrived at our camp, nestled between beautiful, wind swept sand dunes, and got off our camels. My legs hurt so much I almost fell when I dismounted. Hahahha it was really funny. At the campsite, they pointed out the sand dune for the men's bathroom and the sand dune for the women's. It had rained a few hours ago, which was lucky for us because it was windy but the damp sand stayed put. The camel drivers then tied the camel's front legs together so that they would stay in camp. It first seemed mean, the camels hobbling around camp. But they explained that if they didn't, the camels would be 200 miles away by morning. Just before sunset, we were given snacks - bowls of prawn cracker things, peanuts, potato chips and small pakoras. We were given water and had an allottment of 2 Kingfisher beers each.
After sunset we enjoyed a meal of rice, dhal and chipatis. We built a campfire and some local folks came to sing and dance. It was cool until the tourists started getting up
We woke around 6am to watch the sunrise over the dunes and then have breakfast - toast/jam, fruit, chai and porridge. I had sand everywhere and smelled like a camel but was quite content! We left about 7:30am to try to beat the sun but after 20 minutes riding we were already drenched with sweat. It was HOT but the ride back was much better! I picked the same camel again and it wasn't as scary this time. I got used to the way he walked and didnt have to grip as much as I thought. I even rode hands free for much of the ride this time. The camels were so cute and not half as disgusting as everyone says. Mine didn't spit on me at all! It was so relaxing being away from the Rajasthan crowds and enjoying to scenery. The Sam Sand Dunes are supposed to be extremely touristy but we didn't see any other tourists the whole time.
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Very few tourists come to Jaisalmer and do not do one, they are extremely popular and camel safaris are big business in town. The competition si cut throat and standards, as always, vary. Most guesthouses organize camel treks - but none own their own camels, so they are just the go-between. A realistic price for a camel trek is about 450 Rs per person per day. This usually includes all meals, water, and sleeping blankets. You should wear long pants, hat, sunscreen, sports bra for women, and warm clothes to sleep in. Bring toilet paper, a torch, and sunglasses.
The Great Thar Desert is not filled with those vast sand dunes you see in movies. It is mostly barren scrub, a few villages, ruins, and herds of goats and sheep.
Reins are fastened to the camel's nose peg, so they are easily steered.
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his neck. I did not notice, at all, the size of his head or legs. All of the camels were sitting down, so we could swing our legs over and sit in the makeshift saddle. Once we were on, the camel driver told the camels to get up. We were told to lean waaaaay back, as the camel is getting up. So I leaned waaaay back and he got up. Turns out that my dumb ass picked the tallest camel in the bunch! It was sooooo scary - (I am totally afraid of heights)! Camels are HUGE! They are so much bigger & taller than they look in pictures. 
So we start and I am gripping the saddle thing (really a mound of blankets with 2 rope 'stirrups' meant for a 5'5" person, and a handle thing) REALLY hard and gripping the camel with my thighs. My thighs get tired, so I put my feet in the stirrups. But then my knees cramp after a while, cause the stirrups are way too short, so I take them out and grip with my legs again. Yea it pretty much went like that for the next 3 hours. After about 15 minutes we were like "Ok so how much further do we have to go?" We were all laughing at each other once we got on because it was uncomfortable as hell! 
doing freaky Berkeley white people dancing. Hahahhah no offense to people who enjoy freaky Berkeley white people dancing! After the entertainment, we made our beds on metal frames under the stars. There were lightning storms all around us. Some of the other tourists got nervous because we were laying on metal beds and the lightning storms seemed to be getting closer - but they passed south of us so it was all good. It was soooo beautiful being in the desert and watching the storms pass! When we were about to sleep, the sky cleared and we got to see a shooting star show. It couldn't have been any better - listening to my ipod and watching shooting stars in the Indian desert. This was definitely a highlight in all of my travels!
