Camel Safari Part 3

So what MS1 wrote is pretty accurate, but still you haven't seen it through my eyes yet.

After lunch we left our little heaven haven and started towards our camp for the night.  I was beginning to get hopeful.  I saw that there was only one tent and three blankets, and I thought that must be their tent.  Life was going to be okay.

About an hour of riding our guide disappears into a farm house and I say to Twila, oh oh they are not going to let us pass, we are going to have to go around, and it is getting dark.  Do you think that we will ride in the dark?

Twila though is trying to keep her camel from running into the bushes so she doesn't answer.  About five minutes later the guide comes and tells us to get off the camels.  I am thinking oh - okay we are going to have to walk pass the farm because they don't want camel safaris going through their farms.

But when we got off they offered us tea, and a look around.  No no no, I do not want to stay at a farm house.  I do not want to at all.  I want to get on my camel and go to my luxury tent sleep in a nice cozy bed with a bathroom two steps away.  This farm has no bathroom, no big down quilts, nothing.  But I put on a happy face and go with them.

They take is to this immaculate house.  My house has never been as clean as this house was.  It was a shock and surprise to me, but when I saw the bedroom I started praying that this was not the place we were staying.  It was this little adobe building that you couldn't even stand up in, and small, really really small.  Coffineske small.  And on top of it there was only one bed.  One very small bed.  For a very small person.  Not for two people over five feet tall.  This just would not do.  Twila was giggling with delight.  This is were we are staying, oh this is just so cool.

Under my breath I am telling her I am not staying here, no way no how.  But she keeps saying oh you will love it.  It is perfect.

I can't argue with her there that would be rude, but also there is nothing she can do, so there is no arguing with her at all, so I keep my trap shut and pray.

So we all sit down in this immaculately clean house and they start drinking tea.  Twila is talking in Hindi, and no one speaks English so I am just sitting back relaxing until...Willard...

Huge - mean - nasty - ugly  - rat.  It comes running out of the drain pipe and over there eating utensils.  I sit frozen for a minute, then wait for people to start screaming.  No one seems to see this rat.  I don't want to be rude and say you know you have a huge rat in the middle of your living room, so I sit there quietly hoping that someone will finally see that damn rat and do something about it.

I realize that people actually are seeing the rat, but they are ignoring it.  Oh maybe they are embarrassed.  If anything I am always polite, so I keep my mouth shut until it looks right at me and then comes charging.

I guess I challenged it or something, because it started chasing me around the living room.  No longer am I trying to be polite, I am running for my life.  I have this huge rat baring it's teeth at me going skitter skitter skitter, and everyone is sitting there staring at me like I am the crazy one.

Finally the guide gets up and shoos the rat away, only to have it back five seconds later charging me again..  At that point I am out the door wondering how bad a rat bite would hurt, and if I will need to have a rabies shot.  My doctor didn't say anything about rats, only monkeys.

Finally he chases the rat away for good, but it ran and hid in the bedroom that Twila so wanted to sleep in, so I have made my decision, I am going to be assertive and say that we are not going to stay at this farm house!!! I will sleep under the stars before I will sleep there.

My wish was granted, and we did not stay at that farm house.  After tea he said it was time to go to our campsite and off I went with much relief.

End of Part 3
MS2

Safari - Part 3

As most of you know, MS2 and I have returned to the U.S., and by doing so, have removed all suspense regarding our survival of the Thar Desert Safari. Nonetheless, I feel a certain compulsion to finish the story and so I will.

You might recall that soon after the rat incident, we climbed back on our camels and headed north. (I know this because I had my trusty compass with me in case MS2 and I were abandoned in the desert and had to find our own way back to Jaisalmer.)

MS2 was so relieved to be leaving the rat behind that she temporarily forgot to worry about accommodations at our camp site. We sang as we ambled toward the setting sun.   I, myself, was still half expecting to come upon a city of white luxury tents before sundown. But just as the sun dropped below the horizon, Durga ordered our camels to their knees.

MS2 and I looked around, but the landscape had not changed.  We were in the middle of nowhere with nary a luxury tent nor a porta potty to be seen.  As Durga unloaded a tent, a sheet and a couple (ok three) blankets from the camels, I could see the steam rising from MS2's head. Never a talkative companion, she was now stone silent, and most telling of all, she was no longer trying to steal my chocolate toffees.  Uh Oh.

Durga worked diligently to set up our tent and our beds.  When he finished and ushered us through the flap, I saw that he had placed one thin sheet on the ground. On top of the sheet were two thin pillows and three thin (really really thin) blankets.  Finally MS2 spoke, "Why do I think this is going to be the longest night of my life?" she queried.

I'll not provide the blow by blow, but suffice it to say that we froze our butts off. To add insult to injury, we woke up with bruises on our hips from the hard ground.  And I won't even go into the "invasion of the stickers" which made our peeing adventures...um...challenging.

Worst of all, MS2 was so pissed at me she wouldn't even cuddle to keep warm!

But eventually the sun came up and the beauty of the desert made us forget the night. I mean, it made *me* forget the night. And before you could count ek do tin, we were back on the streets of Jaisalmer.

MS1