Adventures in International Education

I had a marvelous two days in the desert riding a camel and sleeping outside. It was a civilized adventure, supervised by two real camel drivers who set up a complete camp kitchen, including propane burners, two meals, and sleeping pallets in a stone structure on a hill in the desert. At the same time, it was peaceful and put me in touch with the “real” India and myself.

My host, Hiteshwar at Vijay’s Guest House, arranged the trip in concert with his father, Vijay. The camel drivers come from two villages near the start of the trek. Hiteshwar explained that the starting place is located near one man’s village and ends near the other’s village, so both have the same distance to travel. As a result, I get to see more of the desert because of the different beginning and ending points.

Our party consisted of Aissor, an older man who owns Angeli, and Mahendi, who owns Saru, the camel who pulled the cart. We set out around 4:30 pm with a mild wind blowing and a dust storm on the horizon.

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The trip into the desert took about two hours, with a stop for me to climb the dunes. Mahendi started out driving the cart while Aissor walked and led my camel. The group separated about halfway to our stopping place. Mahendi took over leading my camel while Aissor drove the cart. He explained that the green parts of the desert were peanut farms, which had been planted about a month ago and then watered. These areas of green stood out from the brown, sandy landscape. There is enough water in tanks and from the monsoon to keep the desert green for parts of the year. Animal bones, tracks, and discarded flip flops lay beside the track too, warnings of other experiences in the desert.

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When we arrived at a small complex of stone buildings set on top of a hill, Aissor had already unloaded the cart, set up a sleeping pallet for me on a raised concrete platform, and begun peeling vegetables for dinner. Mahendi assumed cooking duties, lit the propane burners, and began preparing a most delicious dinner, which included fresh chaptis cooked on a blackened pan and toasted on the fire, rice, a cabbage dish, and a potato with vegetables dish. The tea was strong and black and probably kept me up later than usual as I looked at the sky, a rising moon, and the warning beacons on top of the power lines extending into the distance.

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The men spoke between themselves in Hindi, which I don’t understand, but they knew enough English to answer my questions and ask if I was okay on top of the camel. We developed a quiet but amiably positive relationship. Mahendi told me he had learned to cook from his parents. Truly, he did a spectacular job, squatting on his heels and tending to the burners while Aissor cut up vegetables. Mahendi told me they’d once had a group of 50 at this spot, with dancing and food and music.

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I ate breakfast at the table in the desert around 7:00 a.m. Mahendi had made a flatbread called pahendi, which contained some vegetables from last night and was served with jams and flavorful (“spicey”) curry. I had a most delicious mango and some bananas, with a container of orange juice and the ubiquitous tea before they packed up the cart, saddled Angeli, and we headed out into the desert.

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Even for 7:30 a.m., it was hot. Both men covered themselves with their scarves and I eventually did the same. We took a different route, and Saru balked a couple of times when he had to pull the cart through rutted sand and up a hill. Mahendi led him through the difficult parts and at one point Aissor helped push the cart up a small rise. Aissor called my attention to a small and scrawny desert fox running through the brush and a small herd of antelope feeding on the trees.

Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, but apparently near the village, Aissor warned me that Angeli was about to lay down so I could get off.

Throughout the trip, I found getting on and off the hardest. I boarded Angeli when she was at rest, squared on her folded legs. She then cantilevered herself up in two stages, front legs first then back legs. It felt like a roller coaster to me, as I was first thrust forward over her neck and then pushed backward into the saddle. The ride was surprisingly smooth, except when her gait changed to go down a hill. Then, I leaned back into the saddle and pushed on the stirrups.

It will take many more trips for me to become a camel driver—Mahendi said he started at age 14– but this trip challenged me to do something different and extend my comfort zone. It was one of the best experiences of my life.