You know how ugly camels are? They smell too! We went to visit the Kings Camel farm in Bahrain. 300 camels dotted the landscape. Most of them were hobbled and standing in the shade changed to the ground. The camel herder, who asked if we wanted to go see the baby camels, met us. I do have to say that they were cute in a camel sort of way. But they smelled (did I already say that); they were dirty; and anything but beautiful animals. These camels served only one purpose – to show the wealth of the King. Camels historically where a sign of personal wealth. The more you had the more wealth you possessed and this king had a lot of them.
We walked out of the gate and started walking down the fence and realized something very profound. Once you have seen a few camels you have seen them all. We decided that lunch was calling and we turned and left. It was fun watching Eva pet her first camel, seeing the baby camel nibble on his mom’s ear, and petting the soft muzzle of the 9-week-old camel. But it was also good to get back in the air-conditioned car.
Air-conditioning is such a necessary way of life in Bahrain. If it weren’t for this marvel of human ingenuity no sane person would chose to come and live in this country. Oil, however, has an allure (money) and so people have come to cash in on this resource. Fortunately the cost of energy here is cheap. My son said son says he pays about $10 a month in the summer. The temperature can rise to around 120 degrees. So we do enjoy the cool air of indoor living.
So, we will continue to remain refreshed in doors with the occasional excursion to a culturally relevant activity. Tomorrow – go-cart racing!
No comments:
Post a Comment