Camel Ride
Trip Start
Oct 09, 2007
1
9
Trip End
Oct 20, 2007
Al Quseir, Egypt
Friday, October 19, 2007
To enjoy our last day to the fullest we added a camel ride to our normal routine of snorkeling and then laying in the sun.
We had a great time. The hotel staff came and got us for our reservation. The 2 camels were lying on their sides like 2 dead dogs. The trainer gave them a command and they rolled onto their knees. Alex and I got on the camels and they stood up. We walked through the desert for half an hour and stopped for a few photo opportunities.
Our guide in Luxor told us that camels can smell water up to 80 meters deep. When a well is running dry in a Bedouin community (desert nomads) they will not give their camels water for 2 weeks, then set them loose in the desert. The camels will walk until they smell water. At the water they will gather and stoop their feet. The Bedouin people will dig at this spot and build a well. Usually, a well will last for about 2 years before it dries out and they have to move again.
We found the most interesting thing on the camels were their feet. Instead of being hard hooves like a horse, they were very soft. Each time the camel steps the foot would expand. This helps keep them from sinking in the desert sand.
