India beckons you.

Want my advice? Take a one day, one night camel safari about 10 kilometers west of Pushkar in Rajasthan, India. The safari includes the basics...meals, mattresses, camel and guide. I mean, riding in unfamiliar territory upon an exotic animal is not to be missed, right?

I’ll let my camel answer that.

“NNUUURRRRRRRR”

I think that was a no.

My camel was named "Mr. Johnson." It was funny because whenever Mr. Johnson acted up our guide would scream "JOHNSONNNNNNN!!" as if he was a disobedient factory employee being summoned into an angry boss’s office.

Mr Johnson knelt down as I swung a leg over his back. Once I was situated he began to stir, rising one leg at a time and bearing a shaky resemblance to an old man getting up from a really comfortable couch. Riding high (literally 10 feet or so), you can't help but feel powerful and proud. We turned towards the desert and passed cars, rickshaws and boys with sticks driving herds of goats. The hot desert became still as the city chaos slowly faded out and away.

I learned some camel knowledge courtesy of our Indian guides.
- Camels live 25 years on an average
- Camels eat plants, specifically green thorn bush leaves. They adore mint leaves and will undoubtedly seek out and grab a big mouthful of them, casually ignoring your cries to continue
- A camels foot is wide and padded, like snowshoes for the sand. They also have extra padding on their knees and stomach to protect against hot surfaces
- Mr. Johnson drinks beer
- An average camel costs about 800 dollars
- Camels eat, then throw up their food only to eat it again when hungry
- Camels store up to a week’s worth of water in their hump, and can walk 600 kilometers without tiring. This did not apply to the older Mr. Johnson though, who at times seemed narcoleptic

Another few hours ride took us to the campsite where we would settle for the night. Two tandora players, faces lit by the flames of our fire, plucked mystic Hindi songs that seemed to pierce and disappear into the darkening sky. We pulled out a bottle of whisky to pass around, while hand gestures, similes, and laughter transcended the language barriers. Soon we were singing and dancing while our camels just sat there, watched, and calmly chewed on stuff. The desert cooled as we fell asleep under a blanket of Indian stars.

My discovery was how a few camels, some good food, and a spirit for adventure could provide warmth among the emptiness of a cool Rajasthani desert night. That's magical.