Camel Safari and a Wild Night in the Thar Desert
Jaisalmer and the Deepak Hotel
of the gold colour of the sandstone from which it is built. As we get off the train at Jaisalmer station we can see the fort sitting high on a sandstone outcrop overlooking the newer part of the city. We all pile into a jeep with our luggage on top and and the driver drops us off at the main gate of the fort complex. Cars are not allowed because many of the lane ways and gateways are too narrow for them to get through. We walk the stone slab streets lined with shops and street vendors up the hill through three fort gates and narrow winding lane ways to the Deepak Hotel.
They booked two rooms for us to shower before we head out on our overnight camel safari in the Thar Desert.
The hotel is charming…utterly charming and full of character with its labyrinth like layout, many stairwells, exotic decor and rooftop restaurant.
I am the first to shower so I ask John to order something vegetarian for me. John heads to the shower as I go to the rooftop restaurant. An order of banana pancakes arrives for me. I consider it an odd choice for John to make but guess that technically it can be considered vegetarian so I eat it.
I’m still hungry and order spinach paneer. John shows up and they bring him another vegetarian dish. He says he ordered the banana pancakes and the new dish was for me so they make him some more pancakes and I eat part of the vegetarian order. After that I am totally stuffed.
Camel Safari
We head out in the jeep for the camel safari. After about 45 minutes of driving, 
the last part on a dirt track, we get to our camels. Check out this link from Morocco where I explain how to get on a camel. Here is also the camel video.
The day is hot and after about fifty minutes on my camel my thighs are killing me so I get off and ride in the camel cart with Garima.
At the safari camp we choose our beds which are cots on the sand. We are sleeping under the stars tonight. The staff make a really good dinner but I’m unable to eat because I feel really full.
We watch the sunset from atop a sand dune. Then sit 
around a fire, listen to music and chat. The temperature really drops once the sun is down.
The feeling in my stomach is uncomfortable so John and I go behind a sand dune and I start violently throwing up. I feel like I’m never going to stop.
Weakened, I head to bed. Despite feeling yucky, I cannot help but notice how bright the stars are. The big dipper is right above me.
I’m confused when I wake up a few hours later with a rumbling tummy, 
I mistake Garima for John and say I need help. She comes with me into the sand dunes and I start throwing up again.
Throughout the night I also hear Marlene and Jim getting sick. The three of us are having a very unpleasant night.
In the morning we feel weak and only manage a few bites of breakfast. John, Paul and Jasmine do the morning camel ride but we choose to take the jeep back to the road where we meet up with the rest of the group.
Back in Jaisalmer
After getting back to the Deepak Hotel, we were are all given our rooms. I totally love our room with its large, ornate bed; so exotic. Once again there are always
pigeons peaking into the windows.
I go straight to bed as do Marlene and Jim, the rest of the group go out for lunch. I join in the 4:30pm orientation walk. Marlene and Jim are still down for the count.
Our local guide warns us to stay clear from the horns of the many sacred cows that roam the streets. Last year a tourist from Vancouver put her hand on a cow’s head and tried to take a selfie. The cow got angry and gored her in the stomach. 
Fortunately she only needed a few stitches. It could have been so much worse.
Another danger are the large cow patties all over the place. They are actually gooey.
The guide shows us the beautiful Jain temple and the fort palace. The fort is the only living fort in India and one of the few living forts in the world as 2,000 people still reside within its walls. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We pass some young children teasing a holy cow. They have tied their shoes and toys to long strings and are dangling them in front of the cow. Check out the 15 second video.
We cannot miss a chance to shop so we go to the
K.B. Co-Operative Art store that sells textile crafts and many one of a kind pieces. Such absolutely gorgeous work. The crafts come from small rural villages that have no ability to sell to tourists and 70% of the profits go back to them.