After months of dreaming about it, our day in the Thar Desert had finally arrived. It is on the border of Pakistan and India, so the military closely monitors which areas are safe for tourists. But you know us, we went to the parts that were off-limits.
But first, we were taken to an abandoned Brahmin village that was emptied in one night because a king (of a lower caste) wanted to take a Brahmin (the highest caste) for his wife. To avoid this, the entire village packed up and left in one night. They have not returned ever since.
A few kilometers away, our camels, Khalu and Papu, were waiting; munching on a defenseless shrub.
Our guide took us past dried up lakes and villages. Our camels loped along and we bounced on their backs.
We were introduced to desert life from 6 feet high.
We stopped for lunch and our guide, Alep, made chapati (wheat flatbread cooked in fire) and potato curry. Little did we know that we would have chapati for THREE STRAIGHT DAYS!
Before sunset, he took us to a big sand dune and there was no one around. He told us to run around while he gathered firewood for dinner and a campfire.
When I was younger, my dad would tell me stories about the desert, how it is hot in the morning and freezing at night. He also sent us a tape of a cartoon Little Prince that starts with the pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (his Japanese anime version) stuck in the desert, shouting at his plane. I didn't understand why he had a funny accent then, I realized later he was French!
Here we are, desert safari dream, check!
