Yup you heard right, I said camping! For those of you who know me well, you'll know that my idea of slumming it is no room service! Least I'm honest enough to admit it! Besides, we did enough camping (read drowning in tents on Easter weekends on the south coast of NSW) in my childhood for me to know that camping is sooooooooo not for me! Mum & Dad did splash out on a luxury model tent that actually had hanging robes and separate bedrooms! But still, it was camping and it was uncomfortable and even if I do have one teensy childhood memory of finding easter eggs on top of my tent bedroom ceiling, must have blocked out the rest of the memories ... I know for sure camping is not my thang!
Despite my personal dislike of camping, as a parent I do know that my girls should try everything at least once in their life to build on their happy childhood memories (of which we have created so many so far)! And not under a well constructed blanket tent in their bedroom of course! I also know that Emmaline will pretend not to enjoy this (lil princess that she is) and she probably wouldn't if there weren’t going to be so many other kids there! Dean will love it, as he's been hanging for a camping trip for ages and he won't have to put up with me whinging - cause I'll be hanging with friends while he masters the art of making a fire with 2 twigs with all the other cavemen, Xanthe I’m not so sure about – but it will be fun for all of us! Also the first time we've ever holidayed with anyone else .. oh .. oops ... except with Dean's family early last year in a villa in Tuscany!
So this next adventure suits me perfectly ... I get to tick camping off our family “to do list”, our girls will have friends to play with all weekend, IT'S ONLY FOR ONE NIGHT (how bad can it be ?) and ... there will be at least 3 mum's I know (Tatiana, Morag & Miriam) who will be there for moral support (read fellow champagne drinkers!).
So we’re off on the Shatbari train at sparrowfart (that’s Aussie for 05:45) to Dera Amer Camp on the foothills of the Aravali Range, situated behind the hills of Amer Fort, near Jaipur, Rajasthan. According to the brochure, it’s “surrounded by the wilderness of a reserved forest with no urban civilisation the vicinity, just a few hamlets housing the local villagers who farm their fields bordering a pretty lake!”
Oh gosh, I nearly forgot! All this talk about camping I forgot to mention our Saturday night elephant polo match and Sunday morning elephant safari (I know I know safari ... AGAIN!!!!). Now that will be cool, especially doing it with friends! Watch this space for pics.
I best get packing, while Ganesh our cook, whips up some muffins, American style pretzels and biscuits for our weekend away!
Ok, I'm signing off with this thought ... if Beatie (the organiser) breaks out her guitar and starts singing Kumbaya around the campfire ... I'll be on the first camel cart back to Delhi!
Wish me luck!
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