taking care of the camels and eking a living out of taking tourists on rides . They loved spending their days in the company of these calm yet wild animals , training and even racing them . And , of course , they had a few tricks of desert life up their sleeves , including washing the dishes not with valuable water , but with sand instead . When it was time to sleep the thick blankets that had formed a comfortable saddle on the camel ’ s backs rolled out into cosy beds under the stars .
Being used to the noises of the desert night from our camping stints , we slept wonderfully well and awoke refreshed for the long ride back . It was already a little easier on the second day and I was beginning to see the appeal of this simple nomadic life far away from the stresses of our modern world .
Our hosts had a permanent home at the edge of the Thar Desert where their children were waiting for us with water bottles as we returned . From there a dusty old four-byfour returned us to the busy city of Jaisalmer where our bikes were waiting for us and we had a few things to organise before leaving Rajasthan , including mailing some completed diaries and presents home .
We presented our carefully sealed and addressed parcels at the post office as usual , expecting that we would pay the postage and off they would go . To our surprise we were told that they couldn ’ t be sent like that and needed to be wrapped safely in cloth . One of the postmen waved to follow him into a small hut behind the post office . He tore some offwhite sheets to size , produced a large needle and thread and began sewing our packages in . The seams were then sealed with wax melted over a paraffin lamp homemade from an old whiskey bottle . The result looked just like I remembered from pictures in my children ’ s book of Sweden at a time of horse-drawn sledges .
The lengthy process had made time for a wonderful conversation about our postman ’ s family and life in Jaisalmer and we left with an invitation to stay in their home , if we ever returned to the golden city . But for now , it was time to leave India ’ s desert state and ride towards the jungles in the south . MS
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