March 28: March 28: Depart Jaisalmer for Camel Safari/ Desert Camping

It was enjoyable to spend an extended period of time in Jaisalmer....hopping from town to town can wear on one's disposition. We were able to get our laundry done at the hotel and with additional free time, we were able to explore the shops, use the Internet or rest by the pool. We departed the hotel about 3 PM as the temperature was approaching 96+ degrees Fahrenheit......in Rajasthan, the temperatures begin to increase geometrically from late March into April...we are told that the temps will stabilize around 48 - 50 degrees Celsius from April through July.....that's between 126 - 132 degrees Fahrenheit.

Each of us had their own expectations on what we might encounter during our desert camping and camel ride.....individual tents located in the middle of nowhere with a sand floor covered by carpets....scorpions.....a large tent divided by carpet drapes as one saw in the film "Lawrence of Arabia"....or individual tent apartments with a concrete floor and individual restroom facilities. Well you can see from the pictures, it was the latter .....nice comfortable accommodations with individual toilet/shower...well ventilated and cool at night.

Base Camp

Tent 115 - My Tent

There They Stand in a Row

En-Suite Facilities

After dropping off our gear, we mounted our camel and headed into the desert. Again, one's imagination draws images of what to expect......solitude, quite, a beautiful sun-set. In reality, we had 3 different tourist groups spread along the dunes with near-by villagers providing beer, soda and dances as we awaited the setting sun. Oooh...one can dream. It was enjoyable bouncing along on your camel....the interesting part was mounting the camel.......after one settles on the camel's saddle, the rider leans all the way back as the camel rises from its knees to standing position and the reverse process is followed when getting off of the camel. We all were a little bow-legged after the ride.