We set off for the desert. Wait a minute, I thought we already were in the desert. Well yes we were, but this is the 'real desert' with lots of sand and camels and sand and more camels and sand and border security guards because it is so close to Pakistan. We ended up being about 100Km from Pakistan if I remember correctly. It's about 40km from Jaisalmer. Along the way I start to see patches of sand dunes and a lot less vegetation. Then all of a sudden off in the distance I see two ladies riding on camels with one attendant along walking with them. I think how nice, how open, how people free. Surprising for India. We drove on a ways, and then we reached the point for riding off into the sand dunes on the camels to see the sunset. Now I had had an image of being 'out there' sort of lonely with the sun setting. Think again Bryan!!
There were busloads of people getting on camels, and hundreds of them riding off into the dunes. 
This wasn't some private moment in the large expanse of the desert, it was almost a traffic jam out there in the dunes.
We got on our camels and started off with the three young boys who were the camel attendants. This is where it was important to have reservations as there were so many people trying for camels. We just got on ours and took off. Momentarily we were joined by a young man trying to sell us soft drinks at exhorbitant prices. He called himself Ali Baba--I think he was one of the 40 thieves myself. The funny part is that since we weren't buying right then, he wandered off for a moment and a man at least 10 years his senior showed up and tried to sell us the same thing. Guess what his name was. You got it--Ali Baba. As soon as he told us this the boy showed up and ran him off, it was amusing.I had said I was concerned about riding the camels. Well they were docile, gentle creatures and much more comfortable to ride. While we didn't gallop off into the sunset, I did see young men coming back trying to get a 2nd customer. They were at a full run.
The camels were much smoother to ride, and if you just sort of relaxed, it was almost like being rocked on a boat. No wonder they are called the ships of the desert. By the way, did you know they are very intelligent and can find their way across from Pakistan to India without a rider and get to just where they are supposed to go. They are used by smugglers this way, sent off with contraband across the desert. We got out into the desert and got off our camels.
Ali Baba was right there handing out drinks, and then demanding twice the price he asked for at the beginning of the ride, citing desert prices. I told him I would pay what he asked at the start, even though that was roughly 6 times the store price for the drinks. But there wasn't any store handy. Cindy as always made instant friends and they had to take pictures. 
We sat and enjoyed the sunset. Beautiful experience even if we did have to share it with 500 of our closest newly found friends. Then we rode back to the car. Cindy and I shared a camel this time as one of ours had gone for a ride with someone else and not returned by the time we were ready to leave. Even this was comfortable, though I didn't enjoy it as something I had eaten earlier in the day had caught up with me and my bowels were distinctly unhappy. 
We proceeded back to our desert camp. Supposedly this was camping under the stars. It was more like hotel rooms with canvas roofs. We had marble floors, running water, toilets and electricity in our tents. The next morning, feeling better I got up in time to catch the sunrise over the camp, and then enjoy a cup of tea with a lovely family from Kerala. We met them several times over the next few days in Jodhpur, and Udaipur. They were going riding in the morning and these camels were waiting for them. 
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