By Popular Demand....Camel Update

Undeniably, camels are strange animals. Desert dwellers, no water, moving their legs side-by-side...it's all a bit strange. As we made our way to "the Bedouin night" outing I was wondering how this would all go....I haven't ridden a horse in years, and I was guessing the motion would be different.
When we arrived into the "desert" starting point all I could see was a fleet of about 40 camels for our group. The crew that was to help get us up and running was a group of young children probably no more than 12 yrs old. The desert was kind of like gravel as opposed to silty sand. Wendy later commented that the area was the biggest camel litter box she could imagine -- complete with the excrement smells.

Let your mind set the scene....I am put in a group of three (Claudio, Amanda & me), and we follow our 10 yr old guide with confidence. I am paired up with a striking white coloured camel (let's call her Sally), who is calm by all accounts. I am told to get on, and in no time flat I'm shrieking like a school-girl as Sally the camel starts standing up. I almost went ass over tea-kettle out of the saddle.
Ok, so I'm up, we're moving in a little pack of three led by our intrepid guide. I feel that my life is in the hands of Sally and this young man, and I momentarily wonder if my travel insurance covers death by camel or any type of injury that may arise from camel riding...Hmmm. I check the time, we've been going strong for about 4 minutes and the top of my thighs are killing me. I remember that this is an adventure, and I'll probably never get to do it again....there's comfort in those thoughts....6 minutes -- I think I'll make it.
Forty-five minutes later we pull into the Bedouin tent area. I have spent much of the time metally preparing for disembarkation....Sally kneeled forward, I screamed in my inside voice, and voila, we were done. Success!

Gosh, that was only a couple of days ago -- now I'm in a completely different world.
Stay tuned for more.
B