18 October 2011

My Camel Caveat


There’s one thing I didn’t mention about camels in my previous posts. And that is: I don’t like to ride ‎them! ‎

I got to ride my first camel on an island near the East African mainland. I don’t believe this island had ‎camels until recent history. The long trek up and down gravelly terrain with a camel whose hooves are made for ‎sand was unpleasant. Swaying with a camel that couldn’t easily find its footing through the rocky ‎areas was more than terrifying.

My first camel was a young male that audibly complained without stop all ‎day long. It was the only camel of the tour group of six of us that did this. When we took a mid-day lunch break, it ‎complained even more. I gave the camel to another member of the party and said I’d happily walk. ‎

I next was forced into riding a camel around the Pyramids at Giza. And it was forced. I don’t like the ‎swaying movement but I really wanted to see the Pyramids, not be taken around them like every ‎other tourist. The pyramid security insisted that we arrived too late to walk around even though we ‎saw other walkers and I could have walked faster than the camel who was made to stop by its ‎handlers every ten feet for another picture. We hadn’t requested this photographic service and didn't take any photos. I never got to go inside ‎the pyramids.

So no camel rides for me but I still like camels.

Camel Face Cool

04 October 2011

On Lemon

I know a family once attached to American embassies in the Middle East region. They have a great ‎story about what their kids thought about being posted to Yemen just a few decades ago. ‎

Their young son who had trouble pronouncing some letters (like the letter 'y') was overhead speaking excitedly with one ‎of his neighborhood friends while outside in the backyard.‎

Son in a sing-song voice: “I’m going away, ha-ha-ha ha-ha, ha-ha-ha ha-ha.”‎

Neighbor Boy: “Where ya goin’?” ‎

Son: “I’m going to Lemon.”‎

Neighbor: “What’s that?”‎

Son: “I dunno but it’s very far away.”‎

No kidding!‎