Chapter 17Saudi ArabiaI soon discovered the joy of camel riding is over-rated.
Not only are they uncomfortable to ride, the swaying movement induces
symptoms of nausea. They go at their own pace and you can rarely persuade
them to go faster, or break the pattern of walking one behind the other. I
was perched on a simple Bedouin saddle made of wood and rawhide with a
leather padded top. Hamad had advised me to take off my boots so I could
more easily control the camel with my feet. But Rafin was right – steering
was secondary to staying on.
Hamad had positioned himself at the front of the
caravan, and walked the first five kilometres to learn the temperament of
the lead camel. His own animal ambled along beside him with a rope from its
saddle tied to a ring on the lead camel’s no
