India: How I Imagined "Incredible India" III.

Camels got their share of food and happily chewed. We ascended to the top of a sand dune to see beautiful sunset of a giant red disc. Shinning sun, heat raising temperature up to 35 degrees Celsius forced us to wear sunglasses and a Bedouin scarf around head. Bit worse it was in the night for we faced night low temperatures under cotton-wool blankets. However, the night sky rewarded us with unbelievably beautiful view of stars, a view you would never see in a city. We were thinking what all these goats we met along the road accompanied by their shepherds feed on. It seems, small bushes are very nutritious and tourists don’t know about them yet.

Our Rajastani camel guide showed us his book, his memoirs where were writings in all sort of world languages thanking him and wishing him well. His name was Hari and he didn’t read nor write so I read him few wishes from his book and write one wish from us. He had already several similar memoirs at home, he started his guide career when he was nine. Today, as a 25 year old man he saved his money to buy a camel within next 15 years and establish a family. He untied his seven meters long turban which was skillfully folded on his head and was made of beautiful orange textile. Only ten meters long sari surpassed it.

Finally, the sea! No, it is just the Indian Ocean in which we swam together with dolphins. To our surprise, water was relatively warm in January. We were on a beautiful sandy beach under coconut palms. It looked like somewhere in the Caribbean. We weren’t able to resist fresh coconuts which were sweet and of green color and refreshing in this extremely hot weather. We were accommodated in beautiful wooden bridges and we had fresh fish from the ocean for lunch. Together there were cows taking rest; they love human company for they were raised so. We had local girls to paint us with henna and we also bought some beads from them. The evening is coming and fishermen collect their nests and started counting what they caught.

Well, the time of our departure had come. We remembered what we experienced during three weeks in India. Of course, we corrected our memories. So much new experiences and realization that we live in the part of the world where there is abundance of drinking water, electricity, heat and food. We were not ready to experience so much misery and dirt. The more we saw it the more we admired the people of this country, their smiles and desire to live in such harsh conditions. Thank you for a new perception of life.

Text/foto: Štěpánka Rysová