It had been a long day of performing and we simply wanted a break. Unfortunately, it wasn’t at the carnival.

Chris and I sat atop a camel as the man in front of us was wildly thrown to the ground. It was the perfect way to start your first camel ride in the sketchiest carnival you will ever go to in your life. I had almost died multiple times on this trip, and this carnival felt like it could be another possible life taker.

Fortunately, none of us were tossed, although it felt like a constant possibility. If you’ve never ridden a camel, it certainly is a bizarre experience. They have this unbelievably awkward sway that pulls you along in a slightly discomforting fashion.

After the camel came the other attractions. We started with the Columbus Ship ride, however, unlike in America, the people of India sure do know how to make a relatively chill ride as intense as possible. This thing swung twice as fast and the top of the ride was at its vertical apex if not slightly past. I mean, there was nothing to hold you in, other than gravity and a bar, which, despite being a little shaky, you held onto for dear life. The best part? The lighting on this thing was fluorescent light tubes held together with string and scotch tape and would sway around and begin sliding off as we would ascend and descend. Once again, we walked away unscathed.

Then came the Ferris Wheel of Death. We all stood and watched as this thing did like 10 times speed, the carts swinging back and forth. Chris and I proceeded to enter a cart, and seconds later were launched rapidly into the air. “Fuck!” we both yelled, as we began to swing around in circles. We felt we were going to die, and so decided to throw on some chill tunes in the form of ‘Landlocked Blues’ by Bright Eyes. As we were listening, and watching the quite amazing view, our cart suddenly rocked intensely. There was a man hanging from the bottom of it, waving up to us. He and a few others proceeded to climb all over the structure as it was moving. I’m pretty sure we both learned that we’re not as confident at climbing as we had previously believed. These guys were nuts. Far beyond the climbing skill I have seen within the parkour community and these guys weren’t athletes. It was all just fun for them. We finally hit the top where it came to a stop for a good long while, and not because they wanted to give us a nice view. Something had clearly fucked up down below, which was totally understandable as this ride was definitely cranked up to max. Eventually, we made it down. Again, alive.

Thank you sketchy carnival for allowing us to keep our lives and appreciate your sketchiness.

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