Camel at rest. These are truly strange creatures. Today is March 19, 2010 and it has been two months since I took these photos but I have been on camels a few times since then. Last week, at Mt. Sinai the second time was the most recent. Look at how the front legs fold and the back legs are even stranger. The day God made camels he also decided how to have road maps fold up. And look at this guys head. I mean, there is no extra flesh - the skull is just below the surface and it is as lumpy as a walnut. The eye sockets bulge out and then . . .where to put the ears?? Oh - just stick them on near the back of the head. I watch the handlers around them and when a camel's head swings toward them they always seem wary - no comfort to me as a tourist!! But, I have never witnessed a camel spitting or biting or whatever you may have heard. Mostly they seem like giant eyeore's resigned to their beast-of-burden lot in life lumbering along. I worry for the humane treatment of the ones that I interact with. Of course, I want no part of mistreating animals but I have no way to tell what's what. The last time I rode a camel the owner kissed his nose and told me he was very happy.
I hope so.
When you are on a camel you cannot believe how high up they are! And the back legs go up first while the front legs are still down -so - the human gets thrown forward for a precarious moment! Their necks are so long - very dinosaur like - and they are attached too low it seems - as though they come out of what should be the camel chest.
They are kinda cute. See the distance between the saddle horns? This is a roomy pyramid saddle. VERY unlike the ones used on the Sinai trek. Those are measured to fit as snugly as humanly possible. I can only imagine that during a two-hour trek up the mountain during a midnight trek some tourists are lulled to sleep and then kerPLUNK! off they go onto their cabeza onto the trail!! So - they get locked in between the saddle horns. Very uncomfortable . . .and going DOWNhill I learned is very painful - even for a girl and for a boy . . .whew! I cannot imagine.
My camel guide said that when Obama came to Egypt they closed down everything as far as the eye could see and the Obama's had a photo shoot next to the camels. No camel riding for Barack!
For some reason Russell and Rasha got to drive their camels by themselves but I still had a guide - maybe my camel was not so hungry to go home and would have taken off!
Camels at night. Notice the back hand on the saddle horn. This is a FUTILE maneuver to prevent pain on the rocky road! The guides do not like it when people use flashes and they yell in Arabic when people do. This is what I notice the FIRST time we go up Sinai - me and Russell on little Christmas 1/7/ 09 the day after his 20th birthday. The second time I go up I figure out why. For some reason MANY people choose to shine flashlights towards my camel and my guide shouts to them nervously. Too late - like a moth to a flame my camel quickly ambles over to the light! Of course, in order to keep an eye on the beast the person holding the light keeps shining it on the camel and the whole camel approach is reinforced complete with the guide yelling even more feverishly. At first I am compelled to yell in useless English something about shutting off the light and in poor Arabic mafeesh nur!! to no avail. Soon I give up and just sit there - an unwitting -passenger thinking ohhhh , this is the part where my giant camel squashes some poor tourist . . . oh well . .. .
Russell with camel in the background - Tabba Sinai - a couple miles from Israeli border.
I have another camel at the beach photo that I cannot find right now. Can't get enough of camels at the beach!!
All for now from camelland!
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