What not to do on a camel

A while ago, before my blogger friend, Diane and her husband left on their wonderful trip  "23 Day Spectacular Rockies & Alaskan Cruise", Diane posted a silly photo of herself on her blog. You can see her silly photo post  here  

She challenged anyone reading her post to post a silly photo of themselves. I, like many others, loved the post and commented on it.

At the time I had no "silly" photos of me and said so. IIn fact, there are very few photos of me in my archives,  as I'm normally behind the camera. Except when Grant and I are about to get onto our motorcycle and leave on a tour. I set my small Sony point-and-shoot up on the garden table, activate the self-timer and sprint to where he is already posing casually in front of our bike (looking like James Dean, our sister-in-law once commented, although I don't think James Dean ever rode a motorcycle! You may challenge me on this, for those of us who know who James Dean is, LOL!).   I just manage to grab his left arm, drag it over my shoulder and paste a smile on my face as the shutter goes off. Then telling him to hold that pose, I dash back to the table, I put my steel rimmed readers -which have become red-hot lying in the sun -on my nose, and peer at the LCD screen. This is not visible in bright sunlight so I  dash indoors and check the photo. If I'm not happy - which I never am - (lol) we go through the whole process again until I am. (only another two photos)  Needless to say, when I eventually download the photos, I'm squinting at the camera or into the distance, a pained expression on my face with my chin tilted unnaturally in an effort to hide its twin. In fact, I think I should get these photos out of the archives. I'd probably be able to post them as "My silly photos" as well!

Back to today's silly photos. When I mounted the camel for my ride in the desert, (please read previous two posts if you'd like to see why I was in the desert, riding a camel!) I realised that wearing a skirt was not a good idea. I said as much to my camel driver who laughed and said al-ʻRbyh al-Khāş (Arabee coiss - meaning "your Arabic is good/OK". I was thrilled!)

He also said that I should hold on tightly to the pummel behind me and the one between my knees. Holding my camera in my right hand, I could only hold behind me, so I prayed that my morning exercises on the roof would stand in good stead; that my legs would "hold on" !  Grant, whose camel was standing quietly with him in the saddle, called across the sand that I should "hold on".

I was just wondering why everyone was telling me to hold on, when the driver clicked his tongue. This was obviously the sign for the camel to get up. Now: when a camel rises, it does so two parts. First it lifts its rear end and you, on its back, lurch forward. Then before your heart can stop banging around in your chest, the camel straightens its front legs. You fly backwards and as it settles on all four legs, there is a distinct feeling that you could topple off the side onto the sand miles below.

Once we got going, I loved every minute of the ride.

When I downloaded these photos (credits: the third Sudanese camel rider) and saw the expressions on the camels' faces, I could just imagine the following conversation:

Cameela (with fashionable red muzzle) : Uh-oh; another tourist who cannot leave her camera behind. Fiddling with it instead of concentrating on holding on. Wait till I get up, she'll know all about it !

Camryn (pronounced Camreen, please doll)  resting on the sand: Well, Cameela, she didn't fall, but that's only because Mohamed AND Mustapha held her! Oh no, (splutter!) did you ever? Can you believe she's wearing a skirt? I mean, where does she COME from.

Cameela: You cant' miss that accent: they're South Africans. If I was her, I'd have worn an abaya to cover those thighs and knobbly knees. (snort !)   

Note: an abaya is a floor length, longsleeved robe which  conceals everything from the neck to your feet. It is traditional Sudanese women's wear.

The Arabic word for camera is Kāmyrā (pronounced kameera)
The Arabic word for my skirt is Skrtyh (pronounced skirtee)

Thanks to all who commented on the two previous posts of our trip into the desert. I appreciate your visits. Bless you all.