Blazing Camels
Location: Mr Mohammads House, Mesr, Iran
Date: 30th April, 2008
I’ve never been a fan of riding something with legs and not wheels and something that you merely influence rather than control. Still, Kristy, being a horse trainer, loves riding camels. I always forget how big the blighters are.
So we got up early to make the most of the cooler temperatures and had an enjoyable, though uncomfortable (more padding in the saddle please), couple of hours riding in the desert and into the village of Mesr.
We were invited, yet again, into another locals house and were entertained by a baby camel, baby goats and some worried looking turkeys. After more tea, we retired back to “our house” and had an easy afternoon dozing in the heat.
As the evening cooled, and before the mozzies started biting, we had a walk around the farm. A great contrast the green fields of maize and alfalfa with the sand dunes behind.
One strange thing was the number of dead palm trees, which we’d noticed earlier. It seems this last winter (2007/2008) was the worst for 50 years, with snow in the desert and temperatures as low as -18C (0F). This cold killed most of them, but a few will recover (well, maybe they’re not quite dead, there’re just resting, or something) in the next 5 years.
Finally, we drove to Garmeh, where we would be spending the night in another local house.
South of Bouzakarne, Morocco
The scenery has now changed from lush greens to almost desert.
