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I keep imagining what it would be like to have a camel of my own in the U.S. Sadly, I don't think camels are really well-suited to the damp and cold of New York. Wyoming has the requisite dryness, but not the stable heat. I don't think my dad would be very keen on inviting a camel to hang out with his horses.
The other day I met a co-worker of my husband's who actually owns camels. My children were charmed by a nearby camel exhibit with Bubba J proclaiming that "The camel is cute!" when the co-worker whips out his cell phone and shows us picture after picture of his camels. Very cool. He invited us to visit and see his camels. Inshallah. Whether or not that happens, and whether or not I'll actually be able to ride one of his camels, I don't know. But either way, if we get to at least interact with some camels a little more closely, I'll be good with that, for the time being.
You will, I promise, see a picture of me on a camel by the pyramids in Egypt. Until then, I'll keep enjoying my camel sightings.
What do you think about camels? (Yes, I know, not a very intellectual topic, but I'm kind of worn out mentally. And anyhow, it's fun to think about silly things!)
Camels have reputations of being moody and are notorious for spitting. My own personal experience with them is riding on one at the Bronx Zoo when I was six. The experience lacked the ambiance of a desert trek. I have seen the movie Lawrence of Arabia many times and love the scenes with the lead character trying to learn how to ride. I've read that the European actors padded their camel saddles with foam rubber for comfort. Many of the local extras liked this idea and adopted it. There are stories that the US Cavalry tried using camels for desert travel in Arizona and New Mexico. Our horse soldiers had difficulty managing the animals and supposedly they were abandoned to fend for themselves in the American deserts.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why, really I don't, but the moodiness charms me. I just like the idea of this rather ugly creature with personality trekking through the desert. And you do have to be kind of perverse to put up with the desert conditions.
ReplyDeleteThere was a show on tv not long ago : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1771224 - expedition impossible.
ReplyDeleteIt was set in Morocco - basically, teams of 3 race through the desert. There were a few legs where they had to wrangle and ride camels. They were cracking me up - although, I'm not sure I'd do much better - they were scary.
The show was OK - but I really recommend anyone watch it - the first half of the season was slow.. but once it got near the end, it was great. The last couple of episodes brought tears - there was one team in particular that exemplifies everything good in friendship and teamwork.
That's my camel tidbit for the day :)