After visiting so many cities and experiencing the severe levels of pollution and noise, I needed to relax a bit, so I went to a village called Khuri, 40 km south of Jaisalmer. Early in the morning, I got a rickshaw to the bus station. He wanted to drop me somewhere else, where he said the bus would pass by, but I strongly disagreed, so he had to take me to the station. Over there, like in the city, there were these people coming to me to introduce me to their guesthouses and camel safaris. I said I’m going to Badal’s house, and they said it’s expensive and blah blah. Obviously, I ignored them and in Khuri, Badal himself was waiting for me at the station.

I had read a lot about the hospitality of Badal Singh, the owner of Badal House, in different forums and blogs over the internet. So I was almost sure about the quality of his work. He does not have people fetching tourists for him, and this says a lot about his reputation. He is a man of character and has a certain peacefulness in his voice. He enjoys having guests and transmits that feeling to you, so you feel right at home with him. This is priceless!

We walked through the village and to my disappointment, there were loads of guesthouses and even an ugly unfinished hotel that has just ruined the spirit of the village. We arrived at his house, which was clean and in very good shape. The place is very tranquil and worlds different from the hustle and bustle of the big cities. No auto-rickshaws, no pollution, no noise, nothing. Over there, I met an Irish couple, Liam and Sophie, who were doing a 6-month travel in India. We talked for a while until lunch was ready. The food was very good.

After lunch, I asked Badal about the camel safari, and he said that the Irish couple was doing a one-night stay in the desert that day, and I happily joined them. Badal charges 550 INR for the safari and 300 INR for the night stay, including all meals. This is a very fair price, I think. There are other guesthouses here that charge 100 rupees less or so, but I’m not sure about their quality. I prefer to go for places that I can trust, putting aside the personality of Badal, which is definitely worth the whole experience.

We started the safari at 4 in the afternoon. Right before then, an American guy, Gene, joined us. Badal packed us food and water, and the camelmen were supposed to cook for us over there! We had a camel each and there were 3 camelmen, riding behind us on the camels. They treated the animals very well, which was important to us. Initially, we saw a lot of other tourists doing safari, which was concerning, but we soon lost them and found ourselves alone. The Thar Desert, where Khuri is located, was almost all green due to the late and big monsoon this year.

The camel ride is quite an experience by itself. To start with, it is not as convenient as it looks. The normal walk is a harmonic oscillation of up and down, and kind of back and forth. The sitting is also not that comfortable, and after 10 minutes or so, you feel your muscles stretched. But when it starts trotting, it’s another story! The first few seconds, the oscillation diminishes and you think it’s finished, but then the oscillation starts all over and this time much harder! Badal said that it takes three days to get used to riding the camel. But it was fun anyway! (Watch a video of the ride here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nkYgvaNzM4).

So we arrived in a village in an hour or so and took a look around. Some kids started running to us, and some asked for rupees. We walked around and tried to take some photos, but people were not that keen to have us around. I saw this attitude in Khuri too. I understand why. The tourists bring a lot of changes with them, and people in the village don’t like it. They think that their village will be spoiled like Khuri, I imagine. But anyhow, to my disappointment, it was difficult to photograph them.

We headed on again to the dunes where we watched the sunset while the camelmen started to cook. The sun set, and the moon rose on the other side. We had a full moon that night, so the sky was not that great. It was so bright with the full moon that you could see a kilometer away. The camelmen made us a delicious dinner, notwithstanding the limitations that they had. We chatted for a while, watched the sky, and went to sleep. It gets quite cold in the desert at night, but we were prepared. I had a pleasant sleep, so tranquil and comfortable!

We woke up for sunrise and had breakfast again prepared by the camelmen. We came back before it got hot. We saw some wildlife on the way, namely gazelles and eagles. All in all, it was a nice experience and a highly recommended activity in Rajasthan. It’s just important to do it with the right people.

In the afternoon, I went out to the small lake made of rainwater, where people get their everyday water from. They normally use this water for purposes other than drinking. Over there, you see the typical image of Rajasthan: Women in colorful clothes come to collect water in pots and carry them on top of their heads. At the sight of a foreigner man, they all cover their faces and turn their heads to not have their photos taken. And if you ask them, some say no, and some ask for rupees. I didn’t try to take photos and just watched them to get familiar with the situation.

In India, and especially in the rural areas, it is difficult to take photos of women, and even more difficult if you are a man. At the lake, I met Harry, an Australian senior man who stays at Badal’s and is also interested in photography. He is a frequent visitor here and has traveled a lot all over India through many years. Everyone in Khuri knows him, as he is a person that makes friends with everyone. He was shooting the women, though they were protesting and didn’t like to be photographed. I told him I don’t like to shoot people when they don’t like it. But Harry said, “Look, they are just pretending. You take your photo, don’t pay attention to their no’s and frowns and hand gestures.” Some even tried to pick up a stone to hit Harry, but he just laughed and pretended that he was afraid, and they all laughed. I saw it then. It was a game! They were laughing and giggling and saying no and making some serious face at the same time! (Watch a video of the women here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BsuyHESkOI)

Next morning, I went to the lake alone and waited for women to come for taking water. I had my camera in hand, I got close to them, and they all angrily said no photo, and some said rupee, and covered their faces. Obviously I was not going to give them any rupees. I don’t believe in paying for photographs and I hate to do it. So I started to laugh and make jokes with them, and they were trying to be serious and asked for rupees again! Then I told them, “You give me rupees, I take your photos,” and I stretched my hand for money! They started laughing and arguing with me that how I dare to! It was so funny! I kept on asking them for photo AND rupee, and I took their photos in spite of their frowning and shouting at me. I played the game and photographed them! They even pretended that they would throw a stone at me, and like Harry, I played with them.

Many women came in groups and took water and went back, and then returned again one or two more times. It’s quite a tedious task. Some come from miles away to take water and carry it on top of their heads back home. Seeing my persistence for the photo, one of them asked me to fill her pot with water instead of money. It was muddy beside the lake and I didn’t want to go into that mud and then be laughed at, so I excused myself laughing and asked her for rupees in return! She started laughing and frowning at the same time and shouting at me in the local language! It was just once or twice that they allowed me to photograph them, and when they saw the result, they even asked for more! Everyone in India loves to be photographed, especially women. But women are frowned at and talked about if they show this tendency in public. So they shun the photographers, but somehow they like to be photographed! But obviously, this does not apply to everyone, and practice of what I did is not recommended for all and not for every situation!

The next day, I left Khuri for Jaisalmer to take the train to Delhi. Khuri was a pleasant stay away from the unbearable pollution and noise of the big cities. The people were nice, though rather harsh at first look, and it was a pleasure to photograph them. Staying with Badal was more like staying with a family rather than a guesthouse. You would feel like a real guest in his house. He prepares great food, clean lodging, and he sits and talks with you like a good host.

Side Notes:

  • Diwali is coming, and apparently, it will be the busiest time of the whole year. I don’t know where to go to escape from the crowd!

  • I saw this girl of 8 years old collecting cow dung early in the morning in a basket on top of her head. I then knew that her father had died some time ago of kidney stones. The camera that I have in my hand could pay for the treatment, plus feed this family for a year or two. It’s so depressing!

  • I heard the story of a Korean guy who went to a shop to buy a matchbox for 2 rupees. He gave his CREDIT CARD to the shopkeeper (!!!), and the shopkeeper charged him a stupendous amount of 200 USD instead! The guy didn’t understand and said thanks and left! There is no limit to the scam in India if there is no limit to your being gullible!

  • If you want to do camel safari, go directly to the villages, and BY NO MEANS listen to the people in the street or even your hotel. The hotel in Jodhpur wanted to charge me 3000 rupees for ONE NIGHT stay in the desert. I paid 1150 rupees in Khuri for one night stay in the desert and two nights stay in the village, including all meals! Oh, and 45 rupees for the transfer from Jaisalmer to Khuri and back by bus!

  • I’m back in Jaisalmer and already miss the tranquility and sincerity of village life!

Update - See some of the photos of this part of my trip here: Khuri - 5

Khuri - 2

Khuri - 3

Khuri - 4

Khuri - 6

Khuri - 7

Khuri - 9

Khuri - 10