Day 10 - Scary Jeep rides, camels and goats towards Manvar camp

A metal worker who sold us goat bells. Note how his wife's face remains covered.

Driving over sheer precipices!

Camels pulling us in carts

Standing on top of a sand dune

Boy goat herd chopping leafy branches for his goats below

Driving deeper into the Thar Desert, I noticed that many of the women we saw had covered faces. We were near the Pakistan border so the Muslim influence was strong. 

En route to Manvar Camp we stopped off at this blacksmith's home to watch him working with sheets of metal which his strong young grandson hit hard with a mallet to flatten and shape the hot metal. He sold goat bells for 100 rupees each (just over £1) and now I wish I'd bought more than one. Their sound is so evocative of the goat herds that used to pass our house when, as a child, I lived in the Middle East.

Next the jeep rides over the sand dunes to take us to the camels.

The open back jeeps took 8 people. Their drivers were competitive, macho types and I guess they scored points for making their passengers scream the loudest!

They drove innocently along until suddenly we would find ourselves on top of a sand dune with a sheer drop on one side. I inwardly pleaded with the driver not to attempt to drive down it. No use. It was terrifying and we screamed, clinging to one another for dear life. I feared the jeep would turn over but after many of these sheer drops I grew to trust our driver. 

Eventually we were dropped off near a group of camels and their owners. The more brave among us rode on top of the camels towards the tents where we were to spend the night, and the rest (me included) were pulled in camel carts (see above.)

Camels, 'ships of the desert' can apparently survive without water for as long as 14 days, storing what they need in their hump. They have a reputation for being bad tempered and for spitting. But these camels were docile and, although the head of the camel behind us loomed just inches above my head, it never spat or even dribbled. That camel ride was one of the nicest experiences of the holiday and the camels took us to our beautiful tents. (pictures soon) Definitely glamping not camping!