A DAY IN DESERT CAMP - AMAZING EXPERIENCE

 

It was peak winter of end December and cold wind blowing from north to south. But scorching rays of the mid-noon sun took the utmost care to tan the body with all its might. I was creating my footprint through the desert village of Damodara to have an idea of the tough lives of the people of the desert of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan.

We were on a trip to desert camp at Khuri desert around 40 km away from the town of Jaisalmer. We had arranged to experience a stay in the desert in a camp with all logistics along with local cuisine and dance festival.

Desert Village - Damodara

The small hutments scattered over acres of dry land with no sign of vegetation gave a thought in my mind that how lucky we are. Staying in the city, with electricity, fan, air-conditioner, tap water, television, refrigerator, cooking gas and everything we need. Are we in the same India, where people like me were staying without minimum basic necessities and not even an adequate quantity of drinking water?

On the way, we had the opportunity to visit a desert village called Damodara where around 25 families resided on a permanent basis. Since our driver hailed from the same village, he took us to his ancestral home where his near relatives were staying.

A small hutment having two rooms with a courtyard was the major part of the house. The roof of the hutment was thatched with straw and the walls were coated with mud. There was neither a kitchen nor any washroom in the house. The cooking took place on one side of the courtyard in an open space shaded with a plastic sheet.

The major occupation of the population was maintaining a herd of goats and sheep barring a few who had cows in their possession. Agriculture was out of the question as the entire area was totally dry with rugged terrain.  

There was no source of water in the entire village and the ladies of the household had to walk for 3 km to collect water from the tap installed by the government. That was the hard reality of their lives.

Our driver carried a few tanks of water from Jaisalmer which was transferred to pitchers planted in the floor to keep the water cool and in buckets duly covered with lids. The extended family was delighted to have received the most precious gift from their relative coming from the nearby town.

Despite so much the difficulty, the family extended their hospitality with a cup of tea, and we proceeded to our destination at Khuri Desert Camp.

Our vehicle moved through the blacktopped road keeping white sands on both sides with no sign of life. Undulated land and sand dunes could be seen at times with the sporadic presence of thorny barbs that hosted moisture to some extent.

Camels could be seen grazing at distance but it remained unsolved whether they were wild or domesticated as no human being could be traced nearby.

Khuri Desert Camp

We reached Khuri Desert Camp at around noon and dumped our luggage in the cottage allocated for us. We booked two adjacent cottages in the camp covering a large area of land. The centre was decorated with colourful flags and chairs were placed on all sides for the entertainment show in the evening.

The cottages were traditional type with clay and dung walls thatched roof as visible from outside. But modern amenities like western type water closure, washbasin, round the clock water service from overhead tanks and electricity with the solar connection was available keeping in consideration the requirement of urban tourists.

The lunch was ready and we did not waste our time as our itinerary included a visit to the actual desert by our vehicle followed by a camel ride to the spot where sunset could be enjoyed.

The food included hand roti made from bajra, lentil, curry prepared out of less perishable vegetables, curd, and local sweets. A simple, but wholesome lunch, tasty with local touch made our empty stomachs satisfied.

Visit the Sand Dune

Few more vehicles assembled outside the camp and the entire convoy started moving towards the sand dunes. The distant undulating terrain gradually approached near us and from a close view, we could notice at least forty camels with their masters waiting for us to proceed to the sunset point.

The vehicles were restricted to the camel riding point for two reasons. The vehicles were not enough to move through the steep elevation of the sand dunes. Again, the residents of the desert needed some alternate income-generating source in form of carrying the tourists to the sunset point.

The real beauty of Thar Desert opened before our eyes as we reached the sand dune point. We were showed how mirage formed deceiving the tourists in search of water and how the mirage and actual oasis could be distinguished.

Experience of Camel Ride

We boarded the camel in the second part of our journey. Generally, one camel carried one passenger barring a few cases where children up to a certain age were being placed with either of their parents as they would not be able to manage to ride alone.

Unlike a horse, riding a camel needed a special lesson where one had to bent forward with the forelegs of the camel becoming straight and then backward when the hind legs were stretched straight. Any violation of the rules would make the passenger fall from the back of the animal.  

Some of the camels were being guided by children and they were able to instruct their camels in professional manner.

However, a funny incident took place when a father was riding with his teenage daughter and as the camel took a steep leap on the elevated slope, the father could not retain himself on the back of the camel. Being the rear passenger, he slipped from the back of the camel on the ground falling around seven feet below. Luckily the soft sand did not allow the person to be injured, but he felt himself in an embarrassing position having seen the smiling faces of the other tourists.

View of Sunset from Khuri Sand Dune

The desert seemed to be vast and never-ending. The reduction of the heat of the scorching sun made us more comfortable and the entire environment became colourful with the lights of the setting sun.

As we reached the sunset point, the fireball had dimmed itself to red colour and bidding goodbye for the day. It gradually dipped in the horizon, with signals of changing colour of the sky. The dramatic evening sky hued evening shades with red, blue, yellow, orange, indigo, and purple. It was really an amazing view that mesmerized the tourists waiting for the precious moment.

The gorgeous beauty of the setting sun in the golden sands was stored by almost all the tourists either in their camera or their mobile phones. But the beauty of the departure of the red ball must have been retained in the human ram of the spectators on a permanent basis which would not get deleted till death.

After the sunset, With the help of remaining visibility, we returned to the desert camp through the same mode of transport.

Dance Programme in Desert Camp

The solar lights in the desert camp started glittering after sunset creating a romantic atmosphere in the courtyard encircled by huts. Folk music of Rajasthan started in the soundbox attracting the tourists to occupy the seats placed on three sides.

“Padharo Mare Desh” (Come to my country) was the welcome song sung by a group of male and female singers. The group also consisted of players of the local instruments.

Soon the entire environment changed and it seemed that we were enjoying ourselves like monarchs of Rajasthan of yesteryears.

The music and dance continued for around two hours depicting a part of their culture. Few tourists took part in the dance and involving themselves in merriment. It was really a delightful scene to be a part of their dancing troop.

Dinner and Night Stay

The cultural show was followed by dinner in pure Rajasthani style. I was eagerly waiting to have the authentic taste of Dal-Bati-Churma and Ghevar which were the signature dishes of Rajasthan.

It was really delicious and mouth-watering cuisine which we had that night in the open air of the desert. The tourists were in a total festive mood grabbing every moment in their hearts.

Since we were on move for the entire day, we could not keep our eyes open for long and took shelter below the blankets calling it a day.

Suddenly in the middle of the night, I found my friend, who was occupying another bed, had put on the light and staring at the ceiling. When I asked him the reason, he looked scared and replied that he apprehended that there was a possibility of a snake entering the room through the thatched roof and would fall on the bed. He further added that he had heard that desert snakes were very poisonous.

I could not help laughing, despite being in a sleepy mood, assuring him that repellent was being spread around the cottage on daily basis and he could be least assured about the safety net created by the camping authority.

Return Journey

The morning rays of the sun woke us up and we had to get ready early for the breakfast and then we moved towards our next destination to Mt Abu where a journey for the whole day was involved.

How to Reach Desert Camp

There are packages to Khuri Desert Camp and Sam Desert Camp from Jaisalmer which are being availed by the majority of the tourists. The package constitutes of stay, food, cultural programme, and travel to desert including sunset visit to sand dunes. However, if the tourists avail their own vehicle, the cost of travel is deducted based on negotiation.

My Experience

Every state of India has unique features with respect to culture and heritage. There is a huge difference between the urban region and the rural region of the state.

We had the opportunity to visit rural Rajasthan, where people despite tough lives, could keep themselves in a jovial mood, sing, and dance, extend their hospitality with an open heart and enjoy.

The glimpse of pristine desert life really moved us. Nature had been niggardly to them, but the people had adopted themselves to nature in such a fashion that it seemed almighty had blessed them to be in cornucopia.

Photo courtesy: Google