To justify the title of this piece, here is the little story.
I hate most of the typical tourists. The kinds who travel around a place with a checklist of things to see which in turn is usually derived from others who have already been there before or from the wisdom of the travel agents. Today, I got to see loads of them; in hordes I would say. But there was one gentleman who left an indelible mark on me.
He was with his family and did the usual. He got off the car and ran straight to the one end of this place to answer the nature’s call. Then he asked his driver to click pictures of his family infront of the car (though the face of the wife was completely draped under her Sari). Then, he turned around and took a picture with Lions Point board as the backdrop.
Then, he asked his wife to pose with him, which was followed by just the kids posing which was followed by the son and daughter with him and then the son and daughter with his wife. This was followed by a session of individual's photo-session in two to three angles. This entire exercise was carried out – not to mention – with the car and then the board as the backdrop.
The charade moved on: the permutation was carried out at the edge of the cliff, next to a BMW, holding a branch of a tree in one hand, sitting on the rock, next to the stream, etc. etc.
Watching this Circus from a distance, I had finished my Maggi, two cups of tea and two cigarettes. The drama continued.
The climax in the story was when this family discovered the lonely Camel and his master trying to take people for a ride. It costs forty bucks for a five minute ride. To me it seemed that this was the high point of the entire trip for them.
The family moved closer towards the disinterested Camel and his master. The man started his round of negotiations with the master and also instructed his driver to initiate the usual round of photography – in all combinations that is – around the camel. After what seemed like an endless discussion they arrived at a point of equilibrium with the master bearing a disgruntled look and the man looking back at his family as if he was Dhoni and had just won India the World Cup.
The ‘usual’ happened before he climbed on the camel's back. By now I hope my dear readers would understand what I am referring to when I refer to it as being 'usual' for this family.
He then climbed on the camel’s back and before usual could happen once again, the camel decided to stand. Suddenly his expression changed. It seemed like he did not want to be captured on the camera any more. However, his driver religiously followed his advice – which he must have issued moments back – and continued to click.
Click, click, click; as the camel made its first move. He was definitely not enjoying it anymore. His family followed behind him and the driver struggled to move ahead and along the beast.
As for me, I was wondering what a camel was doing in a rocky terrain 3500 meters above sea level in almost freezing cold temperatures whereas it is supposed to be on the smooth, hot desert sand.
The story continues.
Click, click, click; the camel was now moving in our direction. I was with another Bong friend of mine @Pallav Gupta smoking a cigarette and watching what more was in store for us from this Great Indian Family.
As he closed in further, I could see him holding on to his seat as if it was his life being snatched away from him. I wish I could have used a word better than constipated for the expression on his face. It was priceless.
Click, click, click; the camel came to a halt right infront of us. The man shouted at the master as the camel bent its long head to pick up something from the ground, “What’s the matter with this thing?” The master looked back lazily and saw that the camel had picked up a stalk of corn on the road. He replied that it was just a corn stalk that the camel is picking up and asked him not to bother. The man on the camel’s back gave an expression as if the camel had deliberately decided to unlock a landmine.
I told myself that what else would a hungry and bored camel with a stupid load on his back, pick up from this road apart from corn stalks disposed by animals like his load. After all the negotiation this load had done, the camel master would certainly not be making too much of money.
Click, click, click; the man shouted once again from the top, “Make sure there are no problems.” He half smiled at the camera. This smile soon vanished as the camel decided to take a bigger step over a rock. By now, his family was lagging behind, but the driver seemed to keep pace and click pictures lest he would lose his job.
The camel took a quick turn around our tea stall and went back from where it had started. The journey was as long as walking from my desk in the office to the loo and back. I wondered who the bigger fraud was.
The man now got off the camel’s back and took out the handkerchief from his pocket. He was panting while the camel was as cool as any animal burnt in desert heat could feel on the chilled and scenic hill top of Lonavala.
He haggled over the price and the distance once again and finally paid the master. Both looked disappointed. The camel was expressionless as usual.
The driver was in the scene of action once again. Click, click, click; the expression on the man’s face changed completely. He was the new Batman avatar infront of his family. They now started walking back to their car as he relayed his tales of adventure on the camel’s back. The kids looked like their role-model had just re-affirmed their faith once again. The wife's face was still hidden in the Sari to make out her expressions.
The camel looked even more bored and lowered its head to take a nap, till another donkey climbs its back.
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