Khuri
Khuri is nothing more than a small dusty desertvillage 45 km away from Jaisalmer. It has become popular because it offers camelsafaris which are a lot more cheaper than those launched from Jaisalmer. Another bonus is the fact that Khuri is already in the Thar desert, which saves a couple of hours in the camelsaddle and more importantly saves your ass.
Foto's
On the crowded bus to Khuri, Mei condemned to sit in the women section
A cameldriver which had just finished packing my camel. Behind the camel you can see the guesthouse we stayed at. During the afternoon the heat was very oppresive, the traditional huts - although primitive - offered a significantly cooler experience.
Mainly young girls walk the - sometimes many - miles to fetch water. It's quite a though job getting the water up.
Our Japanese travelmates Miho (she) and Kosuke (he) hiding under the bush as instructed by our stuttering cameldriver. Between 11:00 and 16:00 the heat was too oppressive to do anything more than lie still in the shadow.
This way we did get to see a little bit more of the plants, animals and insects the Thar desert houses.
Mick feeding his own camel his favourite bush, he loved the stuff!
]Mei's camel showed impressive nimbleness with both his feet... It would occassionally kick itself to presumably scare off flies or solve an itch. Though this self-kicking also occured with Mei on top of the camel in the middle of a quick trot.
Mei busy helping saddling down her camel. Once the camels were freed up from their saddles the cameldrivers would tie a rope between the front and hind leg, thus preventing the camels from trotting or running away too far during the night. Though this is also a big cause of camels and drivers getting smashed on highways or local roads. The camels do not have the power to quickly evade the oncoming vehicle... Then again, they might be too stupid any way.
Dromedaries (or camels) are quite impressive in size (and smell)!
Two brothers who have forever been driving camels and apparently still loving it :)
Sundown... in the meanwhile we prepared our burr riddled bed for our first roofless sleep in the desert!
Mick and Mei ready for some dozing. (Apologies for the unkempt looks, but do realise this is the desert.)
Amongst the cameldrivers was a cook, being curious and a little apprehensive towards our dinner, I observed him make the most of the minimal equipment and ingredients. We got presented with a very tasty dinner! Some dahl, chapati's, some curried vegetables and offcourse a sizzling hot chai.
"Dal is what chicken soup is in the west - comforting food. Dals or lentils, peas and beans are cooked practically daily in almost every Indian home, vegetarian or not. Each region has its own favorites and cooking methods. Some are cooked with garlic and ginger, in addition to the staple spices of turmeric, cumin and coriander. Dals can range from spicy-sweet to scorching hot, soup like or like creamed thick soup or dry like a pilaf." from www.indianfoodsco.com
Next morning...May appreciating the sunrise.
We both loved this simple rhythm, listening to the sun, wake up with it and got to sleep with it.
"The desert is the environment of revelation, genetically and physiologically alien, sensorily austere, esthetically abstract, historically inimical.... Its forms are bold and suggestive. The mind is beset by light and space, the kinesthetic novelty of aridity, high temperature, and wind. The desert sky is encircling , majestic, terrible. In other habitats, the rim of sky above the horizontal is broken or obscured; here, together with the overhead portion, it is infinitely vaster than that of rolling countryside and forest lands.... In an unobstructed sky the clouds seem more massive, sometimes grandly reflecting the earth's curvature on their concave undersides. The angularity of desert landforms imparts a monumental architecture to the clouds as well as to the land...
To the desert go prophets and hermits; through deserts go pilgrims and exiles. Here the leaders of the great religions have sought the therapeutic and spiritual values of retreat, not to escape but to find reality."
by Paul Shepard, Man in the Landscape
To the desert go prophets and hermits; through deserts go pilgrims and exiles. Here the leaders of the great religions have sought the therapeutic and spiritual values of retreat, not to escape but to find reality."
by Paul Shepard, Man in the Landscape
Up close and personal... the abundance of hair around the eyes and mouth protects a camel from sandstorms and the like.
Our cook in the midst of preparing chapati's for breakfast.
Sandbathing
Our cook preparing for departure, he had just showed us how to wash pans, dishes and cutlery with as litle as sand and ash (from the firewood of the breakfast). They came out shinyclean!
Mick with selfwound turban, it took me a while, but by carefully mimicking the cameldrivers I came to a satistfactory outcome.
Drinking place for all the Thar animal inhabitants.
Typical Mughal miniature painting depicting a camelsafari.
Wanna know more?
Khuri according to WIKIThar Desert according to WIKI
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