We visited the National Research Center on Camels, just outside town, where they breed, raise, and milk camels. I’d never seen so many camels in one place: camels at the feeding trough, camels in stables, camels sitting down or standing up or eating or getting milked, adult camels and baby camels.
We were told one of the babies we were looking at was only a few hours old. He was already pretty big for a newborn! It’s not quite full breeding season yet, so we were lucky to see some of the really little guys.
Before we left, we stopped at the “camel milk parlour” for a snack. I had a camel milk kulfi and Danny got a coffee with camel milk. My frozen pop was just okay – I honestly was hoping it would taste more camel-y. I should have tried just plain camel milk, to get the true taste of camel!
The following day, we went on a camel trek with another couple from our hotel. We were headed back to Delhi that night, so we could only do a partial-day safari, while Gaby and Alex were going to do an overnight trip. We headed out together, though, in the bright-hot desert sun.
Getting up on a camel was a new and interesting experience. Unlike a horse, the camel sits down so that you can climb up onto his back, which makes it easier. But then the camel has to get to his feet. He raises his back legs first before his front, so at one point, you get titled quite dramatically and you have to hold onto the strap for dear life. The saddle is well-padded on both sides, to make it more comfortable for camel and rider. Unfortunately, camels don’t like to be touched, so we couldn’t pet our fuzzy vehicles. We each rode on our own camel, with a fifth camel pulling a cart with all the equipment that would be needed on the trip: cooking supplies for our lunch, then overnight gear for Gaby and Alex.
We rode through a sandy desert that was surprisingly green. Danny did some bird-watching from atop his camel, and we also saw a couple of blackbuck antelope sprinting through the sand at a distance. After about an hour, we stopped at a village, where the camels got to rest and the humans had water and chai. The local children were very excited about the tourists coming through their village, and they all waved and shouted “ta-ta!” in the hopes that we would wave back.
After more walking through the desert, we came to a stop by a little grove of trees, which provided some much needed shade for a rest and lunch. The camels were especially happy to have their saddles removed, and they all rolled around in the sand.
Lunch was cooked over a propane stove, so it was a little bit like camping (though, this time, I wasn't doing the cooking!). There was dal, okra, eggplant, rice, chappatis, and a salad of cucumber and tomato. We ate, chatted, and gathered our strength for the next part of our respective journeys. I really liked Alex and Gaby and was glad to have their company on the trek. They were from Mexico and seemed to be of similar minds to me and Danny. They had been traveling since March through various parts of Asia and had plenty to say about their experiences. It was really nice to have people to compare notes with, especially around things like how foreign tourists get treated in India.
Once lunch was over, it was time to go our separate ways. Danny and I rode our camels back to the village, where we were picked up and driven the rest of the way back to our hotel. It was a really fun time, and I wish we’d been able to do a longer safari. Although maybe that wouldn’t have been so good for Danny’s saddle sores!
No comments:
Post a Comment