Pushkar Camel Fair: Happy camels or just human entertainment?

The Pushkar Camel Fair had been on my 'to-do' list since I was the editor at Yahoo!7 Travel, when we'd create galleries and blogs about the world's craziest festivals. I'm not sure what attracted me the most at the time. Was it the cinematic elements of dressed up camels in the Rajasthani desert? Or was it the stories of gypsies gathering to trade their animals and enjoy the accompanying festivities? Probably both.

Pushkar Camel Fair. Credit: Angie Davis

In the six years gone since those gallery-building days, I have turned vegan, and have a completely new outlook on dressing up animals for entertainment. Regardless, as fate would have it I found myself on a bus to Pushkar at the tail-end of the 'Mela', Remy and the kids, and my camera, in tow.

The Mela

Held each November at the time of the Kartik Purnima full moon, Pushkar Camel Fair is quite the spectacle, attracting thousands of camels and their owners from all over the Indian desert region of Rajasthan, and visited by almost half a million people in just two weeks. Photographers and travel writers have long-documented this cinematic event, but I was intrigued to visit first-hand to witness both the carnival atmosphere and the camel vibes.

The fair is, admittedly, impressive. Seductive even. We arrive at dusk, and the light is a photographer's dream. As I rush around in the sand taking shots of the camels and their owners, I'm drawn to the community atmosphere oozing from the makeshift campsites of the traders. We are joined by a local Rajasthani musician whom we met in the market, who doubles as our guide and informant. He walks us through the hundreds of camels and humans and I'm in awe at the magnitude of this event.

A camel taxi. Credit: Angie Davis

On one side of the fairgrounds are food and trinket stalls; camel decorations hang from shop tents like tinsel from a Christmas tree. Flamboyantly decorated camels stand attached to ruby red wagons, aka camel taxis, waiting for the tourists (mostly domestic) to hop in for a ride around the desert. Camels have a unique personality that I can't quite grasp; solemn, perhaps, proud, perhaps, but I'm quite sure I didn't spot a happy camel among the throngs. I see one camel tied at the knees, screeching as its owners try to force it to the ground. Another is being dressed decorations through the nose, similarly resisting with all its vocal might. One more walks heavily through the sand transporting a 'healthy' family of Indians in the red taxi cab, the camel master whipping the animal's rear to keep her inline. The kids are perplexed; such a wonder to be surrounded by these mystical animals, but why do they look so sad? Empathy builds.

What we know about camels

"The earliest known camel, called Protylopus, lived in North America 40 to 50 million years ago (during the Eocene).[15] It was about the size of a rabbit and lived in the open woodlands of what is now South Dakota.[59][60] By 35 million years ago, the Poebrotherium was the size of a goat and had many more traits similar to camels and llamas.[61][62] The hoofed Stenomylus, which walked on the tips of its toes, also existed around this time, and the long-necked Aepycamelus evolved in the Miocene.[63]

The direct ancestor of all modern camels, Procamelus, existed in the upper Miocene and lower Pliocene.[64] Around 3–5 million years ago, the North American Camelidae spread to South America as part of the Great American Interchange via the newly formed Isthmus of Panama, where they gave rise to guanacos and related animals, and to Asia via the Bering land bridge.[15][59][60]

A camel walks with its owner. Almost all camels left in the world are now domesticated. Credit: Angie Davis

The last camel native to North America was Camelops hesternus, which vanished along with horses, short-faced bears, mammoths and mastodons, ground sloths, sabertooth cats, and many other megafauna, coinciding with the migration of humans from Asia.[68][69]

Like the horse, before their extinction in their native land, camels spread across the Bering land bridge, moving the opposite direction from the Asian immigration to America, to survive in the Old World and eventually be domesticated and spread globally by humans. Most camels surviving today are domesticated.[40][70] Along with many other megafauna in North America, the original wild camels were wiped out during the spread of Native Americans from Asia into North America, 12,000 to 10,000 years ago.[68][69] Although feral populations exist in Australia, India and Kazakhstan, the only wild camels left are the wild Bactrian camels of the Gobi Desert.[9]" - Source: Wikipedia.

When should we transform tradition?

Years ago I joined my good friend and professional surfer Dave Rastovich to the south of Japan, filming for The Cove, a film that exposes the horrific annual dolphin drives and slaughters in Taiji, Wakayama. The night before our intended peaceful paddle-out ceremony to pay tribute to the dolphins who had lost their lives over the years in this eerie yet stunning bay, my ex-husband, Dave, Hannah Fraser and I found ourselves on a night-mission trip from Osaka to Taiji to meet with local fishermen and surfers to discuss the issue and potential solutions.

It has been clear to the dolphin hunters for many years now that the West does not support its capturing of dolphins for aquarium trade and the subsequent slaughter for meat that has now been well documented globally by the likes of Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd. And whilst Dave presented many alternatives for economic empowerment, including dolphin and whale watching, which would generate much more revenue for the fisherman and require far less physical output, the local consensus was made very clear: killing dolphins was their tradition and they weren't planning on stopping.

The irony of the Taiji saga is this: Japanese people don't eat dolphin. At least, not knowingly. Some eat whale as a delicacy, but those who consume dolphin are mostly unknown to the fact, with the meat sold under the term 'Whale Bacon', or being used for dog food and fertilizers. When The Cove was shown to Japanese citizens, many were shocked that the huntings were happening in Taiji at all and couldn't stomach the footage.

But despite the global attention that the film generated, the killings still continue, even under the watchful eye of the world. Tradition, for now, prevails.

Camels and their traders camp in the sands at the Mela. Credit: Angie Davis

So what fate lies in store for the camels of Rajasthan, with almost half a million festival-goers treading through the sands each year to get up close and personal with these intriguing creatures and their pom-pom adornments? Let's hope more love is offered their way and as with the slow demise of elephant riding in Thailand humans raise their awareness to appreciate these creatures without exploiting them .

What do you think? Should we transform tradition in respect for the animals? Have your say in the comments below.

Kangaroos get up close and personal in 360 video!

I have been editing our 360 vlogs from the Far North Queensland trip like a madwoman. It has been an exciting learning curve to be physically filming and editing in 360, and I am loving this medium for storytelling and teleportation.

On our recent visit to the north of Australia, we encountered some over-friendly kangaroos, with Ryder even having one jump straight over his head!

Check it all out in 360 video - move the cursor around to view the full sphere of footage, or if you are on mobile you can move your device around to take it all in. Don't forget to switch on HD, we shot these videos in 4K.

Enjoy!

Going naked in nature for health

Waterfalls are best enjoyed in the nude. I wouldn't say I have always been 100 per cent comfortable with my body, but the decade I lived in Japan certainly released my inhibitions around the female form; bathing nude with women of all shapes and sizes, pubic hair and not, will soon teach you we are all remarkably different and beautiful in our own skin. 

The female body is indeed magnificent. Having observed the changes to my own body over the past eight years since carrying and birthing two children, I am somewhat mind blown at what the female form is capable of. I am certainly not one to obsess over my body, and have chosen out of pure convenience to sway away from wearing makeup almost all of my adult life.

(*Whilst writing this post I popped into the campground toilet block and stumbled upon a young girl no older than 10 years old leaned over the bathroom sinks applying make up. It's 2pm on a Monday during school holidays.)

I have 'life lines' across my forehead and bum; scars of lessons learned, child bearing, and imperfect perfection. My boobs have gone from a decent handful to exploding during child rearing to post-breastfeeding mini cups with 'life-full' nipples.

I have experienced being the only waxed woman in a public bathing house full of pubic hair; I find it so interesting how the Japanese shave their face, arms, backs, and legs, yet find it weird to remove pubic hair, just as intriguing for my Asian friends as to why us westerners enjoy a smooth genital region but let our arm hair grow wild!

The longer I live in a tent, the more I am keen to be naked in nature. Perhaps it's the early swims in the cold lake, or it's those moments spent soaking up the sun on a picnic blanket on the grass outside my tent (both I partake in with bikinis, for the sake of the old caravan travelers with front-row seats to my campsite), but the closer I am to nature the more it has begun to feel unnatural to be layered in clothing.

So when the Leo Monkey and I ventured to local 'secret' waterfalls last week, it was a no brainer that we would get our kits off and immerse our naked selves in nature for a few hours.

With the cascades alive with gushing waters from the weeks of recent rain, and the swimming hole racing with current, the energy transaction of cold, moving water to skin was intense and invigorating. Swimming around the pools naked was an empowering and recharging experience, but I think Remy's cliff jump (and lucky last-minute hand-save of the genitals) was the highlight of the morning.

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Aside from feeling free and empowered, being naked is really good for our health. Here are five reasons you should get your kit off more often:

1. Boosts your immune system

Being naked, especially when you are exposing your free body to the sun's rays, increases your body's intake of vitamin D, which is directly related to your immune system. With sufficient levels of vitamin D you are at your optimum for beating off viruses, such as the common house cold and flu.  If you have a nice patch of grass out back, a warm balcony, or know of a local slice of nature that you can enjoy in solitude, then take the opportunity to enjoy some 'clothes-free' time each week.

2. Prevents bacteria growth

As with the rest of your body, your genitals need some time to air out. Vaginas in particular can be prone to bacteria or yeast over growth that can lead to infections. Sleeping naked is a great way to let your vagina breathe instead of having it constantly cloaked in clothing - especially if you are not wearing organic cotton underwear during the days. Sleep naked to help maintain your healthy level of vagina flora.

3. Promotes self-love

Being comfortable with your own skin promotes self-love, something that is profoundly lacking in our modern societies. Getting naked, especially in the outdoors, is a great way to become more comfortable with your body. Take the time to feel yourself, making mental (or vocal) affirmations about the love you have for your body.

4. Encourages self healing

Spending time in the nude is an intimate way to get to know our body and any potential issues or health problems that can arise as symptoms in the skin. What is the correlation to skin problems and physical or mental health? The secret lies in our cells. Biodecoding® is a new way of decoding any type of symptoms (physical, emotional or mental) and resolving their underlying bio-emotional and ancestral cause at the cellular level through a signature methodology. It is a complementary approach to any conventional and alternative treatments, which has the potential to unlock and speed up healing for permanent results.

5. Promotes better sex

High vibes attract high vibes. Feeling confident with your naked self is sexy. Spending time during the daylight hours, especially in nature, with your partner is a great natural way to enhance sexuality and can serve as excellent foreplay. Sex in nature is the ultimate; it is highly erotic and awakens the senses. Just be sure to watch out for unsuspecting insects, snakes, and other unwanted guests when you are getting your groove on in the outdoors.

Nepal Trek for Domestic Violence Awareness

Registration is now open to join our First We Walk Nepal Himalaya Expedition to trek the Gosainkunda Lake region, November 2017, for Domestic Violence Awareness.

From November 15-27, you can join me, my ninja turtle kids, and like-minded trekkers from around the world on an incredible expedition in the Nepali Himalayas. Our trekkers will all be fundraising throughout the year leading up to the trek, with 100% of public donations going to Her Farm Nepal, a non-profit women's agricultural refuge in Nepal growing hope for the Himalayas.

Objectives

• Raise funds to finance a new Greenhouse for Her Farm Nepal, and a women's micro-finance fund;
• Host a 3-day 'thrive' retreat at Her Farm (limited spaces available) following the trek, to share skills and stories as a global community (yoga, meditation, Wim Hof Method introduction, agricultural farming, storytelling for film making, holistic therapy);
• Raise global awareness for domestic and gender-based violence;
• Inspire unity consciousness.

The Trek

12-days from Kathmandu through the Gosainkunda region and return to Kathmandu.

The Gosainkunda area has been delineated as a religious site. Hindu Mythology attributes Gosainkunda as the abode of the Hindu deities Shiva and Gauri. The Hindu scriptures Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu Parana and the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata refer to the Samudra manthan, which is directly related to the origin of Gosainkunda. Its waters are considered holy and of particular significance during the Gangadashahara and the Janao Purnima festivals where thousands of pilgrims from Nepal and India visit the region. Gosainkunda is believed to have been created by Lord Shiva when he thrust his holy Trident into a mountain to extract water so he could cool his stinging throat after he had swallowed poison.

The main inhabitants of Gosainkunda region are Tamang and Sherpa (of Tibetan origin), whose religion, culture, language and dress are similar to the Tibetan people. Gosainkunda trekking offers an incredible opportunity to experience Nepal's unique combination of cultures, landscapes, stunning mountains and diverse wildlife and vegetation.

For full details and to download the trekkers information PDF, visit: http://www.theaniccaway.com/nepal-2017/

There will then be limited spaces are available for trekkers to join us at Her Farm following the trek, from November 27th to host a 3-day workshop with the women, sharing skills and stories. We will practice yoga, meditation, and breath work, hold a storytelling for filmmaking workshop, learn agricultural techniques from the women, and share stories and sacred space as a global community of women (and men!)

Register your involvement today ad join us to make a change and help end domestic and gender-based violence worldwide.

Re-learning to nature: why home schooling didn't work for us

Cactus Beach and a world away from text books

Hunter (left) and Ryder (right): Follow their adventures on Instagram @takanamitrouble

When a group of mums from my son's primary school gathered last year at a Parents + Teachers meeting with a goal of discussing introducing mindfulness programs at the school, we were shut down shamelessly. I was so disgusted with the manner in which the school dealt with this issue - from the top down - that I soon pulled Ryder out of school and we packed up, sold up all our possessions, and hit the road, then some airplanes, and embarked on an eight-month journey from Lennox Head to South Australia, Colombia, Japan and now back to Lennox Head.

I'll be honest and say that the school incident was not the driving force behind our packing up and leaving. I was in debt following my previous marriage, I was not happy where I was living, I was dreaming of making a transitional move to California via Colombia, and the school situation was just the icing on the cake.

So we took off, and our first stop was SA, and an amazing strike-mission trip over to one of my favourite places on Earth, Cactus Beach. The kids were in heaven. Snuggling up in their own little tent, free to run around the wild, rocky terrain on the hunt for Blue Tongue Lizards, scoping for starfish on low tide, building rock 'cairns' on the edge of the world, and of course, bonfires at night in the desert.

Wild things out West

Our campsite friend - kept trying to steal the kids' breakkie.

Ryder had an idea on this trip to make a You Tube series, teaching people about camping and animals, and we tried to film a few clips on the iPhone but admittedly he got a little silly and shy when the camera was turned on him so we might leave that for another year or two. I had also thought to make a little blog series for the boys of their adventures, but really that's just extra work for me, so we created their own Instagram account @takanamitrouble and for now that's enough.

Prior to the trip, we'd been staying with my parents in Adelaide, and mum and I had been trying to home school Ryder. Mum is an educator, with a Bachelor in Adult Education, and with both my sister and I going through the public primary education, private high schooling, and then University, it's safe to say education is a top priority in our family.

I have worked throughout both my kids births, as a freelance/contracting writer and editor, and then full time as an editor in a staffed office six months after Hunter was born. Both kids have been in child care facilities in both Japan and Australia since their six-month-old birthdays, part-time at first then full time when I was working radically long hours. I hated having them fully institutionalized at such early ages and it's not the ideal start to education that I had wanted for either of them, but the centres they attended had a strong emphasis on play, creating, and the outdoors, so essentially they were in good hands and were learning things I couldn't teach them as a busy working mum.

Ryder was meticulous about building the 'cairn'; this took him two days and every piece was very carefully thought-out. He has always claimed he'd like to be a Lego-builder when he grows up, and he took his Lego skills to the rocks 100%.

The first year of Ryder's primary schooling seemed fine, but to be honest I was heavy into my divorce and was a very disconnected mum from the school. The teacher told me Ryder was a pleasure to teach and he seemed to be learning fine so that was good enough for me. The turning point came last year when he and his friends were experiencing regular bullying from kids 4-5 years their senior, and the school seemed to be doing nothing about it. Insert us mums educating ourselves about the growing trend, and success, of mindfulness programs in other schools in NSW, Australia and the world. The program would have ticked so many boxes for me and Ryder: correcting the bullying issue, instilling empathy, and helping Ryder work with the breath - as we were doing at home ourselves - a necessary tool for his healing after being witness to violence in the home for the first chunk of years of his precious life.

Ryder scoping the pools at low tide.

So yeah, mindfulness got shut down, we go to SA, mum has some success in home schooling when she introduces project work around animals and nature with Ryder while I'm away on a TV shoot in Tasmania, only I come home to take over the reigns with book work and Ryder doesn't want to have a bar of it. We argue, fight, and I'm still working full time from home so frankly I don't have time for this shit.

Cactus, on the other hand, is phenomenal and I see before my eyes my kids learning. They learn about the tides, native animals, how to make a fire, how to put out a fire, how to put up a tent, why drinking water is precious in the desert, how to make a 'cairn', why there are not many trees out West, why there are salt lakes, and how to entertain themselves with zero technology and no toys. The colouring books come out but mostly they play with sticks and rocks.

Tent life at Catcus

It was awesome watching them learn, and just giving them the freedom to touch, feel, and sit with nature - the real deal, not pretty pictures in a text book or a video on a screen. I definitely look back over the past eight months and think this was one of the best trips of the entire out-of-school journey, and in fact one of the best experiences of our lives.

Hot days and cold nights.

I took photos on the Iphone with the intention of having Ryder create some nature projects to follow up from the trip. It was a good idea. We were pumped. But then the Vegan Festival came to town and the kids filled up with more new knowledge of a different kind (this was the first time we had all met vegan dogs!) and then we jetted off to Colombia and the projects never got done. That's not to say we can't go back to that creative idea some day. The knowledge remains, and maybe it's just enough to have the experience, take a few photos for the memories, and contemplate on all that was learned at his age. I mean, when the alternative is a meltdown at the books and screaming matches between the two of us...well I'm sorry but I'll take some rad real-life experiences any day.

So, the long story short is that the boys are going back to the school, yep the one that doesn't believe in mindfulness. After eight months and three countries I was about to go insane without the boys in school trying to work from different homes, campsites and hotels, and they simply missed their mates and were ready to come back 'home', and go to school.

I have mixed feelings about this decision. The school is beautiful, their friends are awesome, and we are beach-side and loaded with nature. But there are two other awesome schools north and inland that I would have preferred to enroll them; great schools with a focus on sustainability, mindfulness, empathy, meditation, and of course education. What it came down to in the end is what makes them happy. For now, it's structure and friendship, and keeping their feet still for a while. But our journey of re-learning to nature is shining through in every aspect of their lives and the next phase for me on my journey as a single mother is to maintain this process outside of the classroom. This means beach hangs at every chance, outside play, weekend strike missions inlandfor bush walks and hunting waterfalls (check out last weekend's first installment of the 100 Waterfalls Challenge), involving the kids in their food choices and veganism, letting them to play on the yoga mat and observing my own daily rituals, having open and honest communication about everything, and giving and receiving so much love.

Life is a journey, and knowledge can't all be learned from text books. Re-learning to nature: the Colombia installment, is another story for another evening.

Those sunsets...

Until then, or whatever I feel pulled to write about before then, I send you all loads of love.

Angie xx

Bush walking adventures and the waterfall challenge

100 waterfalls challenge: 2/100

Upper falls - after an hour playing in the lower falls we decided to trek another half hour inland...worth the effort when we found these stunning cascades and had the pools to ourselves.

Happy Easter!

Well, the Easter bunny sure appreciates a vegan family, delivering two recycled jars filled with dark chocolate vegan blueberries, strawberries, vegan Easter eggs, and dried apricots. We were up before the sun, typical of most days, yet instead of taking off on my morning run I hit the yoga mat first thing then went about my rituals of juicing and preparing the kids a healthy vegan breakkie.

We had no plans for Easter except for being outdoors, and with the beaches typically crowded over this holiday break we decided to go off on an inland adventure, about 3hours-ish south and into the bush in search of waterfalls we were yet to discover.

Ryder was complaining of a stomach ache the first two hours of the drive, resulting in me pulling over every 15 minutes so he could try to vomit. I think a few too many dark choc eggs were consumed first thing, a good lesson for my little guy about having rich foods in moderation.

We reached a dirt road and continued into deep rainforest for around 15 minutes before finding where we thought would be the start of the walking track. These falls are not sign posted - the best kind - but being Easter, there were a few cars parked on the side of the road suddenly so we knew we had hit the entrance.

We loaded up on water, a homemade vegan picnic lunch of fresh wraps, fruit and veggies, and set off on foot into the rainforest. This area is quite rocky and the kids loved crawling over rocks and fallen trees as we traversed the dusty, narrow track. It reminded us (on a much easier scale!) of our recent adventures in the Tayrona National Park in Colombia, where we spent two days exploring some epic terrain on foot in the park.

Lower falls and the water temperature was icy.

We reached the lower falls and spent a good hour playing in the frigid waters; I had suspected the water would be murky after all the recent rain but we scored crystal clear water and full pools. The sun was out and the rocks warm for some sun bathing between plays.

Frrrresh!

We left some of our belongings on the rocks and decided to go exploring a little deeper into the rainforest; our experiences exploring waterfalls in Colombia had taught us that the further you go, the more you can find. Such is life. The path was sketchy, slippery, and barely a trail but we made our way over boulders and scaled a small cave and after about 30 minutes we found what we were after: majestic falls without the crowds.

Going deeper...

I could swim right up under the falls and felt the pounding water massage my skull while the boys played in the shallows. The water was so much colder than expected and I think we will be back in winter to use these pools as training grounds for the Wim Hof Method.

Raindrops keep falling on my head :)

As we played in the pools I took a moment to look back over the past 8 years of motherhood, from living through raging domestic violence to being a lost, emotional single mother, to falling in love again only to find myself back again as a single mother but this time around a whole new woman and, in my heart, a whole new mother.

I realized that I had been living with some kind of contempt from being made a mother so young, in my eyes missing out on all the solo travels I had expected myself to undertake in my 20s. In many ways since my divorce I have been trying to recreate those 'lost years', and whilst I've had some wild adventures on film shoots and travel writing trips, there has always been a piece of me that has not been able to completely feel free since becoming a mum.

Eating the sun for afternoon tea.

Day by day, this feeling has been transforming, and whilst I'm not going to sugar-coat single motherhood, I have realized that my blueprint for happiness has needed shifting. Instead of focusing on what I missed out on in my 20s, I've moved my attention to the epic adventures I can have as a mother of two rad ninja boys as a fit, healthy vegan woman in my 30s. Today was testament to this mindset shift and the three of us had a truly amazing day out in the bush exploring.

Rock hopper.

As if reading my mind, at the conclusion of the day the boys decided to kick off the 100 waterfall challenge for 2017. So whilst today's falls are so worthy of a return, it looks like our next waterfall adventure will be to new terrain. And we explored both the lower and upper falls of our secret location today, so that's 2/100 for the year (the five falls I visited on my solo drive from Adelaide to Lennox last week don't count apparently; the challenge is the three of us have to adventure as a family to new falls each time).

If there are any single mums out there struggling with the challenges of the day to day of motherhood, I encourage you to get out and explore your local area. Today's mission was a six-hour round trip in the car (less than $10 in petrol in our Toyota Hybrid Prius), with the kids sleeping the entire way home while I listened to Tony Robbins podcasts. Put the laundry aside, whip together a picnic lunch, throw in towels, hats and water, and don't overthink what you need to get out into nature and explore with your kids.

Upper falls.

Happy Easter.

Much love,

Angie. xx