“Have you ever seen the desert stars?”

The question rang out over the busy marketplace, over the other voices selling watermelon, spices and beautiful leather satchels. I turned to Abi and she was already looking back at me, smiling.

We’d arrived in Jaisalmer that morning, the sun already burning hot as we walked through the great Golden City. It was our second week in India and, after dealing with the initial sunburn and heatstroke, we were ready for any adventure that came our way.

Early the next morning we bundled into a jeep with four other tourists, all clutching large bottles of water. We drove out into the desert with the windows wide open. Loud music played out from the speakers and we danced in our seats, as the city in the rear-view mirror faded away.

We arrived at a small village, where the camels were waiting for us.

“This lovely lady is shy,” said Chandra, as he helped me climb up onto the back of the huge, kneeling camel. “She just needs some gentle encouragement.” As soon as he stepped away, the camel stood up to her full height – no encouragement needed at all.

The camels knew where we were going, falling into line to walk the invisible path only they could see. There was no sign of human life around us, no buildings in the distance. Each tree we passed had fewer leaves than the last, and soon only bushes remained. The only sounds were the soft bump of camel steps on the soft sand –a steady, shared rhythm.

Our shadows grew longer as the sun lowered over the dunes. Just before the sun set completely, the camels stopped in a shallow valley – we had arrived. The perfect star-gazing spot.

We cooked dinner and told stories by the campfire, then unrolled our beds on the sand, lay back, exhausted, and looked up at the sky. Above us the whole milky way was visible – bright and alive. The camels sat a few metres away, chewing on spiky leaves, watching over us.

We woke with the rising sun. All around us were tiny paw marks from little desert animals.

“Look at this,” said Abi, pointing at a long thin track in the sand.

“From the snakes,” said Chandra.

Though the sky was bright and blue the stars still felt close, as the camels took us back to the city.