Ten Things About Camels in the Negev


  • On our way to the Red Sea, we decided to stop for a night in the desert at the Negev Camel Ranch near Dimona.
  • Dromedary camels are found throughout the region and are still a major part of Bedouin culture, including in Israel's Negev Desert.
  • The Israeli-owned, Bedouin-run ranch offers rides and Bedouin-style stays in huts, with dinner, breakfast and generous servings of sweet tea.
  • The camels are well-treated by regional standards, with plenty of fresh hay, modern equipment and a light walking schedule.
  • Lena also made friends with an adolescent she named Charlie, who followed her and enjoyed neck scratches.
  • Camels move slowly, but do play, especially juveniles, who frolic, wrestle (with their necks) and chase each other in circles.
  • We took a morning ride near the Nabatean ruins of Mamshit (real place), where our guide told us many, many camel facts.
  • All our riding camels were female, as the males are more aggressive, particularly during mating season.
  • Dromedaries have many amazing adaptation to desert life and the finest can walk 150km/day-and-night non-stop for 72 hours without drinking.
  • Most interestingly, a camel never forgets: our guide in Jordan recounted the story of a mistreated camel. Years after being sold, when it encountered its old master, it killed him. So be kind to your camel...
Location: Jerusalem

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Home

Image
We arrive at our apartment in East Jerusalem, a disputed area between Israelis and Palestinians. Our colleagues welcome us at our apartment. It is even better than in pictures.   Maleaha’s luggage plan was perfect. Still barren, but we have all the essentials, including kitchen gear.   We take a driving tour of nearby supermarkets for essentials. They seem to have everything but meat.   Our first meals: falafel for lunch and dinner. Lena has mac n' cheese from a box… ahlan, baby!   Garden full of trees: olives, figs, lemons, others to be identified later. And two tortoises we named Shelly and Diesel.   Watched the sunset from the neighbourhood park, which is a rare green space in this area.   Palestinian families also come to the park to relax in the evening and children come to invite Lena in Arabic.   The park includes a famous abstract statue ( “Emouna” by Alexander Liebermann ) known as the Elephant or Toilet Paper Rolls.   Slep...
Read more

Jordanian Getaway

Image
After several weeks in Jerusalem, we took the advice of seasoned residents and booked a getaway to Jordan. Our bus tour took us to the ancient Roman ruins of Jerash, a massive archaeological site. The town was destroyed by earthquakes in the 8 th and 9 th centuries and discovered only in the 1800s. Jerash is highly walkable and Lena enjoyed scaling the various ruins, especially the amphitheatre.   Next was a day in Petra, the Nabatean “Rose City” carved into sandstone valleys made famous by Indiana Jones . We walked over eight km past ancient tombs, caves, temples and a church, then hired mules for the trip back. We camped nearby Bedouin-style at a hotel with passing camels, starry skies, tea and – most importantly – puppies.   Our last stop was Wadi Rum, site of King Abdullah I and T.E. Lawrence 's 1916 Arabian revolt (and more films). We rode in pickup trucks around the Mars-like landscape, climbed a sand dune and Lena joined a camel caravan. Th...
Read more