Camels are known as the ships of the desert. I love these bizarre creatures. Dromedary camels (the one's with the one hump) are indigenous to Arabia.To be able to get up close to one is truly wonderful; to ride one is even better! It is quite a scary experience going over the sands riding-for one, you are really high off the ground and two, you feel like the camel will sink into the sand dunes or just take off running!
On road trips from Oman to Dubai we would pass the time by looking out for camels. A far cry from when I was a child and the excitement was cows or sheep!
Camels are still very highly prized in Oman. Of course there are still monadic tribes who live in the deserts of Oman but in the city the camel has been replaced by cars as the mode of transport.
Camels continue to be used in other traditional ways. Camel milk is commonly used. For weddings many families will use a fattened camel to feed wedding parties (if you are wealthy). The other main use for camels is in racing-yes, there are camel races all over Arabia!
Buying camel milk has become a new option in local grocery stores! It has 40% less fat than cows milk and is said to contain nutrients that help with skin texture and wrinkles! I am told it tastes pretty bad but perhaps if it cures wrinkles..
Camel racing (and breeding) is big business in Arabia. Prize camels can be worth up to $75000!
I have never been to a camel race-not sure women can go-but it would be a great sight to see!
