In Bikaner we went on this overnight desert trip. To reach the camp we had to ride on a camel for a couple of hours. I was given a quite charming, big camel, and a guide who was supposed to walk next to me.
10 minutes into the desert my guide just disappeares. I was a bit scared at first. But seriously, how hard could it be to ride a camel? It's basically just a big horse.
So wrong could I be. When I pull right, the camel stops. When I pull left, the camel lays down on the ground. And when I try to make him stop, he starts to walk the opposite way. After a while of trying, I give up and let the camel (who also goes by the name Omar) walk wherever he wants to. Luckily for me, he chose to follow the rest of the group.
10 minutes into the desert my guide just disappeares. I was a bit scared at first. But seriously, how hard could it be to ride a camel? It's basically just a big horse.
So wrong could I be. When I pull right, the camel stops. When I pull left, the camel lays down on the ground. And when I try to make him stop, he starts to walk the opposite way. After a while of trying, I give up and let the camel (who also goes by the name Omar) walk wherever he wants to. Luckily for me, he chose to follow the rest of the group.
20 minutes went, and I started to believe that this actually was turning out fine. I was wrong again. It's clear that Omar has a thing for bushes and trees. The kind of bushes and trees with thorns on. Every time he saw one, he ran straight through it. And yes, I know it's not so many bushes and trees in the middle of an desert, but it surely felt like every damn bush in India was placed next to our path.
At this point I was so tired of this not-so-charming-after-all Camel, and so busy picking thorns out of my legs that I didn't really care for what Omar was going to do next. He responds with doing nothing. My group walks further and further away from me, but to my big relief I can see my guide running to my savior. When my guide reached me he hands me a whip, says "Yes, you good". And then he was gone again.
At this point I was so tired of this not-so-charming-after-all Camel, and so busy picking thorns out of my legs that I didn't really care for what Omar was going to do next. He responds with doing nothing. My group walks further and further away from me, but to my big relief I can see my guide running to my savior. When my guide reached me he hands me a whip, says "Yes, you good". And then he was gone again.
After another hour we reach the campsite, and I could finally relax with a beer and listen to the others complain about how boring they found it to just sit on the camel while the guide did everything for them. That's when I realized how lucky I was to actually end up with stubborn Omar, careless guide and an awesome story to tell. So if you every make it to a camel-safari in Bikaner, be sure to ask for Omar!