Raju Ram and the Desert Aeroplanes

We are taken by rickshaw out of Jaisalmer (both given the chance to drive down the long, straight roads!) At a small desert village we stop to meet the camels, and our guides: Raju Ram and a wise looking old man whose name we think sounds like Ghandi. Raju is a youthful man who has worked with the camels all his life- they are his Aeroplanes of the Desert and the desert is his great love. When the camels stand up or sit down, they do it in 3 stages, giving three opportunities to fall off! We see gazelle type creatures and eagles soaring overhead. By the time we stop for lunch we are bandy in the legs, but we are assured that for a man it is altogether a different ball game!

Shahrukh, who has accompanied us into the desert, leaving behind his usual occupation as manager of the accounts at the Artist Hotel, brandishes his chess board and as the pakoras and chapatis cook, he defeats us relentlessly. Raju Ram tells us about the monsoon last year which was so heavy it destroyed many houses including his own. Lots of people died, as they do when there is no rain.

We reach our camp as the sun is setting. The dunes stretch away in the distance, and we play in the warm sand. We aim for a high peak to see the sun set, struggling as if we are climbing up a downwards escalator, knee deep in sand. Running down again is lots of fun, like scree running.

Night falls very quickly on the plains of Rajasthan and wild dogs are abroad. It is cold in the night but the last time we saw stars like this was in the Algonquin National Park. We sit around a camp fire telling jokes until, shivering, we try to get some sleep.

Back in Jaisalmer we celebrate Helmut's birthday- he is the Austrian funder of the guest house. There is lots of drinking, dancing and traditional Rajasthani music as well as some Bob Dylan sung by Helmut.

Finally, a desert flower for Mum x