The Pushkar Camel Fair, called Mela here, was in town and a small carnival sat at the edge of the sprawling grounds. There were three Ferris wheels and several other spinning rides, but what caught my eye was a large circular construction that looked like a giant neon-lit salad spinner. It proved to be exactly what I’d hoped it would be: a daredevil ride where men on motorcycles ride in circles up the steep walls, defying gravity. [Read more...]

The camels have arrived. I hadn’t wandered out to the outskirts of town in a few days and was stunned to find thousands of people and camels camped out along the dusty hills. More are arriving every minute from small villages up to 200 kilometers away, with families camping in basic pup tents while they await the start of the festivities. Camel races, mustache contests, music and dancing will be followed by making offerings and bathing in the sacred lake the day of the full moon.

Here’s the deal: Katie at Tripbase had the very clever idea to post her best 3 travel secrets, then ‘tag’ 5 others to post theirs. Jodi at LegalNomads was kind enough to tag me, so I’m gonna take my best stab at it. I’m arriving late to the party (as usual), so I suspect most of the good ones are already taken. “Pack less”, “bring more money,” and “avoid Nigerian investment opportunities” have probably been covered extensively. But fear not, I will blindly stumble forth –  forsaking fear, doubt, and common sense. As usual.

Tip #1 – Camping May Be an Option. Now, this really depends on the length of your trip and the destinations you have in mind, but a bare-bones camping setup can really enhance your journey and take some stress off your pocketbook. For my upcoming RTW trip, I’m bringing a light 1-man tent, an ultralight sleeping bag, and a slim Therm-a-Rest sleeping pad. By lurking around eBay and such, I paid a total of $350 for the setup and it all weighs less than 7 pounds. I will certainly be lugging all of this unused through many countries, but at other times I think it will come in quite handy.

During an earlier trip through Italy, I camped 1 kilometer from the heart of Sienna for $12 a night and then spent a week at the water’s edge on the coast of Sicily, drinking red wine and skinny-dipping at night while Mt. Etna glowed and rumbled in the distance. I spent 2 weeks camping 1k from Centraal Station in Amsterdam for less than the price of a hostel. All of these campsites had showers, laundry, and snack bars. On my next trip, I hope to spend a week camping on the Lido near Venice for about $15 a night and taking the vaperetto into the city in the morning. Other camping possibilities for this trip: Greece, trekking in Nepal, National Parks in any country, the Andes in South America, Central America, and the occasional “oh shit, I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere” moment.

Tip #2 – The Ultimate Travel Accessory, the Bandana. This is a simple one. Bring several of these bad boys — they can really save your butt at times. I’ve used them a coffee filter, as a doo-rag to protect my bald head from the sun (or hold in heat when it’s chilly), as a mask in dust storms, and as a tourniquet when my arm was bitten off by a shark. True story — google it (please don’t).

Run out of toilet paper? You’ll be glad you brought extras.

Tip #3 – Camels Are Evil. Ok, you weren’t expecting this one — I understand. In many parts of the world, it is considered de rigeur to go on a camel trek into the desert or pose for a photo atop one of these disgusting beasts. Do not fall for this. Camels are foul, hateful, nasty creatures. If embarking on a trek, you will sit in a ‘saddle’ that is essentially a couple of 2×4′s covered with a napkin for padding. Within 30 minutes you will not be able to feel your legs. This is actually a blessing, as the crazy riding angle and the constant see-saw, back-and-forth motion will be slowly grinding away at the skin and muscle of your inner thighs. You are not going to walk right for a week.

When you’ve had enough of this, your guide will pull hard on the reins (attached to the camel’s nostrils) to stop your mount, thoroughly pissing him off. An unhappy camel is not something to be trifled with. We’ve all heard the stories of camels spitting – this is not exactly accurate. Like cows, camels have multiple stomachs (approximately 34 of them – I’m not exactly sure on the number) and when they spit, they basically puke the partially-digested contents of their uppermost stomachs at you. The smell is truly indescribable — imagine that you stuffed lawn clippings, goat cheese, and Satan’s spleen into a Tupperware container and stored it in the direct sun for 3 months. That would be almost as bad. A camel can ‘spit’ that concoction about 50 feet in any direction with pinpoint accuracy.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

As for who to send this to next… I really have no clue. The list of previously-contacted people is a mile long and I’ve been blogging for a couple of weeks. So let’s just say, if you’re interested in carrying the torch, send me an email or contact me on twitter.