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the dromedary is quite possibly one of the strangest and rudest cudd-chewing creatures. yet they raise their heads and haunches in such a dignified way. and i find them completely adorable with their fuzzy ears, flopping lips, and long cartoon-like eye lashes. they sound like an overnight indian sleeper ttrain: constantly hacking, groaning, and blowing snot rockets from their noses. if the season is right (which it happens to be), the older male camels make gross tongue gestures & deep guttural gurgling song too woo the ladies. abel was lucky enough to ride one of these randy old males. i can't imagine how any sane female could find that attractive! we bumped along our camel's backs into the thar desert for a night, towering above mud hut villages and sand dunes on our hairy, spitting beasts. the camel drivers were seated behind us singing songs to their camels, telling stories, making "clicking sounds," and filling our ears with hindi tunes from their cell phones. they pointed out interesting things along the way like "antelope. village." the chime-like bells of sheep rang through the desert, followed by curt voices of the sheep herders telling their animals to "challo". some cool breezes arrived around 6pm as the sun was setting and our camel drivers were preparing our dhal and vegetables over a small fire. all night we were mesmerized by the desert sky. we layed beneath the milky way and watched for shooting stars. feeling really happy. we canceled a train ticket out of jaisalmer so we could linger longer in the village of khuri and soak up more of it's peace. we slept in a mud hut, drank goat's milk chai, and watched badal's children playing marbles in the dirt and goat droppings. we agreed that badal is the kindest indian we have met here. (we will send pics when we return to delhi). after a much-needed self pservation period at ann's, our wonder for india has flared up again, perhaps stronger then ever. we stepped off the train last week straight into the arabian story book city of jaisalmer. camel's danced along on the sand and turbans swam by like brilliantly colored fish. rajastani folk music filled the air. the incredibly arid air sucked out every last drop of moisture from my skin. the royal city is now ruled by giant cows and open sewers. the former arabian spice, opium, silk trade route has been replaced by a primarily tourist driven economy. glittering shops are crammed into narrow alleyways. "come, make your eye happy" one shop keeper calls from his doorway. another sign pinned to a pretty silk skirt reads "make your girlfriend more beautiful." aw, how sweet. we watched an incredibly fun puppet show in the cultural center when we arrived. the puppets we hand painted and the stories were narrated by a drum and a young boy singing while playing some wooden spoons. the stories depicted scenes from desert life: a woman dancing, camels riding, a mustached man wrestling with his horse, a boy playing with his ball. we laughed and ate roasted peanuts! now we are staying in the old blue city of jodpur, outside the impressive fort walls. today the maze of twisting streets will fill with hindu celebrations for shiva's birthday. we have made friends with a dutch and an irish guy and we are all looking forward to the big party! ali baba!
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