Oot (Camel) Trekking

Getting on top of a camel is an experience - you climb on when the camel is 'sitting' on the ground, then he lifts his front legs, then his hind legs, and after this awkward transition you are unsteadily 15 feet in the air jostling back and forth as it walks. The two hour morning trek was more comfortable than I had expected, but it still left a few bruises on my inner thigh. It was a nice journey through the desert, scattered with mud huts, goats, desert deers, and a few people - we were far from any roads or motorized vehicles, it was like stepping back in time to a place with ox carts, thatched roofs, and wells. We stopped to give the camels a rest at someones home, a complex of four mud huts with thatched roofs, it was great to have a personal view of this lifestyle. We had a glass of chai, while Moin and the camel drivers chatted with the owner of the home and we sat and smiled. Back on top of the camels, we returned to town to avoid the mid day sun.

At 4:30 we loaded a tent, a kitchen, two beds, tables, table cloths, and seven people (us and 5 people to help) into two camel carts and rode about 10 km from the town deep into the desert. Paul and I took a walk around the dunes and returned to see a luxury campsite set up! The sun started to set, the food was ready, and as we sat down to eat, our musical entertainment began - an amazing trio playing traditional music. We felt like kinds and queens. Feeling the to be humble and gracious we left our table and sat on the sand around the fire as the rest of our group ate and drank homemade wine (not very tasty). After seeing a few shooting stars, we fell asleep to the sounds of tribal drums in the distance. It was one of the best evenings we've had thus far.