Six days, Five nights, Three camels and Two guides... The Thar Desert treated us well at some times and poorly at others. We opted for the "non-touristic" safari, which was great: we only saw one other group the entire time. Even so, the first several villages get the most passers-by, and so we were bombarded with: "hello- one rupee" and kids asking for everything from pens to chocolate (in the desert...a melty mess that would be) to the shirts on our backs. 
Literally. With 5 villages like this in the first day, we weren't sure the trip was going to be all that "Non- Touristic." But as the trip progressed, we started seeing more desert, and fewer villages and nicer people.
A few days later, we found ourselves in a desert hail storm with more lightning than we've ever seen. For over two hours, four people huddled underneath a 2 meter tarp with holes in it. Wet and cold. The rain did subside though, and dinner (chai, desert style chapati, rice and dhal) was awesome.
Things changed for the better the next day, and we celebrated Holi (one of the largest Hindu holidays) in a small, welcoming village. The 14th was relaxed. There was a bonfire and desert moonshine. The 15th was a big party- whiskey, chillums, and... color! Everyone was covered in colorful powders that the children threw, demanding "rupees or color." The whole village looked like Joseph's Technicolor Dreamcoat. 
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