DESERT DIARIES: LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN

You go for a camel safari in the desert and as you swing on the hump of the animal you think “wow! This is adventurous”. Or say, you try one of those rugged jeep safaris famous in Dubai and are happy to call it a “wild trip”. Let us also include a weeklong camping in the desert on this list, when you are battling the weather but always have the mental faculties to appreciate the solitude and the stunning sunsets. Isn’t this the maximum adventure you hope to derive in the dunes?

Now picture this. The month of March when the sun is pretty harsh in the desert compared to the rest of the country. You have a Camelbak pack to carry some cold water. The terrain is semi-arid and the region sparsely populated. The adventure is a marathon, a hundred miles long and there is no media (or very little) to glamourise it like the ones we have in cities. This is the scene of the Thar Desert Run, held annually at Fort Pokhran in the Jodhpur district of Rajasthan that invites marathoners from all over the world to take up this challenge.

For company during the run, one can expect to sight one or two chinkaras, villagers, vast stretches of golden sand and an occasional mirage playing games with your mind. Medical help will also be at hand though jeeps are offered only in serious conditions. With just as many facilities that make you survive the odds, this marathon is one heck of an adventurous trip! You might wonder why someone would want to challenge the mighty desert and suffer when they could rather spend a romantic evening under the night sky with gentle breeze brushing their face. Well, perhaps it’s for the feeling that awaits one on the completion of the race and because the marathon lets you enjoy adventure as it is meant to be; to challenge your limits to the fullest.

While the most difficult one is an ultra marathon of 100 miles to be held on 26^th March 2013, the 30 and 50 mile races to be held on 27^th March 2013 are reasonably doable.

Also, it is just the marathon that is a wee bit strenuous because from accommodation to post marathon celebration, it is all about rewarding yourself and enjoying the best of the desert. Jodhpur has some brilliant luxury hotels that will certainly make up for the hard work done at the marathon.

Planning trip to the event is a lot easy than the marathon. Just book your flight tickets to Jodhpur and hire a hotel room or go for an all inclusive holiday package.

Go ahead; add another exciting travel experience to your life.