Camels

OK, so I have a thing about camels - and thanks to my friend Bob Mayer for this great picture. I've ridden them in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates and just about did in India. On my first trip to Jordan our tour leader, Pierre, just about had a fit because he was making a great theatrical point in front of the Treasury when he had to stop because everyone was laughing at yours truly who had run off to ride a camel. When they sit down it is a pretty dramatic and clumsy movement and if you're not careful you'll come close to eviscerating yourself on the metal portion of the "saddle." At the same time, I've also eaten camel in the UAE and in Kenya. I suppose I should feel bad about it, but after reading T.E. Lawrence's Seven Pillars you see how often that would end up happening during lean times in the desert. Maybe I like camels because of they are generally stubborn, mean-spirited and cantankerous - although, personally, I'm completely unfamiliar with that personality type.