We swapped our minibus for a collection of four wheel drives and headed into the desert. There was no fanfare, there wasn’t even a sign. At some no doubt predetermined point we simply turned off the road and suddenly desert was all around us.
For the next two hours we bounced over rocks and our location gradually changed from remote to the sort of area that makes remote look lively and accessible by comparison. At first there were quite a few bushes and the desert appeared quite green. Then these petered out and we were left with stone, sand and sky. As our journey progressed stone gave way more and more to sand and just when I was wondering whether we’d be able to continue much further we came to a halt at our “camp”.
I use inverted commas advisedly as camp to me means tents, crappy self provided food and huddling around a wretched badly lit fire. In actual fact there were smart little cabins, electric lights and a handsome outdoor dining area.
“This is the life” I thought and entered my little cabin. As second later I was outside again drenched in sweat. The temperature inside made the afternoon desert air seem cool and refreshing by comparison.
“You can pull your mattress outside to sleep if you like,” said our guide. Immediately the camp descended into chaos as fourteen people systematically disemboweled their sleeping quarters. Once the frenzy was over the smart little cabins were hollow shells trembling at the outrage visited upon them.
With the camp rearranged to our convenience it was time to meet the camels. Camels are frequently called the whales of the desert due to the fact that they have an affinity for water and die if you harpoon them. These camels were thoroughly un harpooned and unlike real whales I could actually see them. They sat on a convenient patch of sand and viewed us with the sort of suspicion that indicated they knew our presence meant their sitting time was almost over.
Getting on a sitting camel is easy. Staying on it while it gets up is less so. Every leg seems to operate independently and the camel hurls itself in multiple directions at once as it struggles to get all four feet underneath its torso. Finally ascension is achieved and we gained an understanding of why camels like to be sitting down, standing and walking seems like something they haven’t quite mastered.
Nevertheless standing our camels were and with varying degrees of reluctance they set off across the dunes with their human cargo. Camel riding is definitely an experience, at the end of it all the women agreed it was fun while all the men surreptitiously rubbed tender parts of their anatomy and were somewhat more ambivalent.
What cannot be denied is that camels are superbly equipped for crossing soft desert sand. We discovered this when we dismounted and attempted to climb a dune for the obligatory desert sunset shot. Some of us only made it up on our hands and knees. Finally though we made it up while the camels snickered under their breath at our awkwardness.
Once up though we could gaze across an endless panorama of dunes which stretched until cut off by some bleak, arid looking mountains in the distance. For someone who doesn’t have to live there the desert is a beautiful and enchanting experience.
That night I had the best sleep in several nights despite the occasional beetle bunking down with me. It grew quite cool and I snuggled into my blanket while inside my cabin it was still hot enough to fry eggs on the floor.
The next day we returned to the edge of the desert past a region where we were told we could have seen gazelles if a corrupt politician hadn’t eaten them all.
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