That Time I “Rode” A Camel for 2.476 Seconds
Right after I arrived, my guide took me to the stables near the pyramids. Young boys approached me and convinced (read: suckered) me into buying a light piece of cotton to place over my head and neck (You'll be a lot cooler under the sun! It's so luxurious!). I felt a bit ridic, but I was rocking the freshest cotton on my dome, and ready to see the sights. I got on a camel, which was an awkward experience. Camel had to bend his legs to reach my level, and I had to be boosted onto his hump back dorsal torso thing. I felt very unsteady. My guide and the boys were laughing because my face was contorted into all types of "Oh LAWD, don't let me end up in the feces pile!" We hadn't even started moving yet! The majestic camel then extended his legs, moving his torso (and me on him) upwards towards the sky...
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OHMYGOD why didn't they tell me that dude was going to be hella tall and not close to the ground when he stood up? I felt like I was sitting at the top of a giraffe's head. That's how high it felt! We took two very shaky annoyed camel steps, and I said "UM, no...no thanks. I don't want to do this now." The locals were laughing; my guide was polite. "Audrey, what do you want instead?" I pointed to a large horse with covered wagon carriage contraption in tow. YASSSS. He would be my horse. And so he was. But first! I was slightly violated while dismounting Mr. Kool, but I was in one piece. We took pictures together so that he would feel important and loved:
Then my horse, my wagon, and my pyramids guide and photographer headed into the horizon with me. The roads were quite cobblestone/Egyptian-version-of-pothole-tastic. I was concerned that my horse might lose a foot or leg or fall into something, especially near the pyramids. So many large rocks to maneuver with two humans and a wagon behind you! My horse did well! We survived. I ensured that the stablekeeper gave him tons of extra carrots and kept him in the shade. This is us when we were touring:
I promise I did not whip him! I love horses!
The anxiety and Type A are strong on this one. I clutched the sides of that wagon for life, for liberty, for LIGHT, during our trek. Look at that picture: Do those wheels look stable enough to go over 8-inch diameter ROCKS to you?!? I learned that day, surely, and it was an amazing experience. See the back of The Sphinx? Cool, right? See all those well-fed ROCKS on the ground, too? Horse trampled and tripped over a few, but we made it!
Up close and personal!
Oh! Funny: Passerby at the pyramids who were riding horses and camels, looking very uncomfortable, kept calling out to me with, "Oh! We should have gotten that instead!" I felt like I was styling and profiling, all because my little anxious behind would have ruminated about how the camel was going to kill me or throw me into some mess. Here are the people who wanted to trade spots:
After this, I kissed the Sphinx, and posed for a few pics. It was a blast! There were a few peddlers in the area, but I reduced eye contact and put on my more assertive voice to say "No, shukran!" (No, thank you!). It worked…
Stay tuned for Egypt! - Part III (Hint: A wedding dress was worn!)
