Camel Safari, Day 2

The night had been quite cold, so we were really looking forward to the sun rising and warming us up again. We took our breakfast into our tent so we could sit under the blankets while we ate. The meal consisted of toast, crackers, and jam. At 8:30, we were back on our camels—definitely feeling a bit sore from yesterday's long ride. We switched things up a bit since the camel Salim had ridden the day before wasn’t too keen on leading the way. Yesterday, it had suddenly laid down because it just didn’t want to walk anymore! :) Our guide was in good spirits, so we started off with a trot. We passed the famous Sam Sand Dunes, which felt like a massive sandbox. We needed several little breaks because it was really tough to sit on a camel again. We were glad we hadn’t booked a trip longer than two days. A few hours later, it was time for lunch. Before we could eat, we rode through a small village where the camels needed to stop for a drink first. There was a game of cricket happening, and Honny got involved. With sheep, horses, and cows wandering freely around the field, the game continued. When it was time for our lunch break, we asked Salim if we could stop somewhere without so many snake holes. He laughed but found a spot that was relatively free of all those pesky holes in the ground. He figured the snakes hadn’t come out yet since it was still cool by Indian standards. Later in the day, though, we suddenly encountered a huge venomous snake right in the middle of the path. Salim jumped off his camel to try and kill it, but it was quick to disappear. He told us it got scared of the camels, but if we had been walking instead of riding, we definitely would have been bitten—and the hospital was far away from where we were. Once again, we were served some hearty, spicy food. We were a bit anxious about whether our stomachs could handle the way he cooked. Hygiene isn’t really a thing here. At one point, Salim apparently thought the chapati dough was too dry, so he spat in it... Whenever we saw an opportunity, we offered him some of our hand sanitizer so he could clean his hands a bit more. We made sure it seemed casual so he wouldn’t feel offended. After hours on camelback, we had developed quite a sunburn, so we had to keep putting on more and more clothes to cover up since sunscreen just wasn’t cutting it. We had a really great trip, but we were happy to see the road again. At 4 PM, a jeep picked us up to take us back to the city. We had covered 50 km in two days. Salim and the camels still had two hours left before they got home. We were looking forward to getting back to the hotel for a shower and washing off all the dust. Unfortunately, it turned out that our lovely hotel had made a blunder, whether on purpose or by accident... Now that the hotel had made 4000 rs off us from the camel safari, they didn’t really need us anymore. The fact was, they didn’t have any more rooms available, but he would find us one somewhere else. The places he showed us weren’t very good, and we’re not that picky. We were pretty tired and frustrated with him, so eventually, we just walked away. The hotel manager said he would pay 200-300 rs for a room somewhere else if we found one. We took our luggage and walked up to the fort, where there are many guesthouses. Here, we found a room—not anything special—for 420 rs per night at Hotel Suraj. We didn’t want to go back with the bill to our first hotel, even though they had said they would cover our inconvenience. In return, they wouldn’t get 200 rs for our first night with them. It all balances out. Unfortunately, our new hotel only had hot water available at 8 PM, so we waited to take a shower. Still dusty and tired, we headed to the Italian restaurant for the pizza we had been dreaming about in the desert :) As we sat eating, we talked about how we hadn’t met any other Danes here. But, as it often happens when you mention something, a group from Herning suddenly tapped us on the shoulder. We exchanged travel stories :) By 9 PM, we were back at our little hotel, where we could finally take a hot shower.