PREP CAMP: TWO DAYS OF FUN AND CHAOS
After flying from Riyadh to Wadi ad-Dawasir (1.5h) and then on by bus, visiting the ancient historical site of Quaryat Al Faw along the way, we arrived in a big desert camp at Ubar (also spelled Ubbar), our starting point situated only a few kilometres from the Yemeni border. There’s an excellent asphalt road that goes from Sharora along the border all the way east to the small town of Al Kharkhir, with several military checkpoints along the way where we had to stop and get clearance to continue. This is a sensitive border area because of the proximity to Yemen, a country that has tragically descended into chaos and conflict over the last few years. Needless to say that westerners, not to mention mere “tourists”, are unheard of in this region so to have the proper paperwork in place was essential in order to travel freely in this area. Although we were far away from zones of active warfare, the border police and military remained on high alert and security was tight.
Water trucks heading east on the road to Al Kharkhir.
A security checkpoint somewhere along the Yemeni border.
When we finally arrived in our camp at night I was blown away by the warm welcome we received from our Saudi team mates, the organizers, and the local bedouins living in the area. It was a magical scene straight out of 1001 Nights: three large tents had been erected in the sand, each with the open side facing away from the wind and centered around a massive bonfire in the middle, with what must’ve been one hundred people standing in and around the tents, the sound of drums and music playing loudly in the background. There were so many people to greet and shake hands with, it was very emotional and almost a bit overwhelming at first, but we soon eased into the atmosphere as everyone was extremely friendly and excited to meet their new friends. Saudi coffee, tea, water, dates, nuts and sliced pizza (yes, pizza!) was served, followed by a massive dinner of rice with goat meat and fresh fruits – Saudi hospitality at its best.
Arrival at the camp. Chaotic but beautiful!
Local bedouins came to visit.
The next two days were among the most fascinating as well as challenging during the whole trip: we had to pick a camel and learn how to ride it, learn how to prepare our saddle, and learn how to look after our camel. Not an easy task, especially given that we only had a few hours each day to spend with the animals.
Freshly brewed black tea and ginger tea were always at hand.
But first we were split into groups: a total of seven groups with about 10 people each, including a group leader and an assistant who were both bedouins and thus experts at all things camel and desert. When I first found out what group I was in – Group 7 – I felt pretty uneasy at first to be honest. None of the people I had already made friends with were in my group and everyone seemed just so quiet and withdrawn… A huge mistake on my part! It was another reminder that first impressions may not always be right, and to never ever judge when you don’t know someone! My team mates turned out to be kindest, most genuine and caring people ever, and I am now utterly thankful that I had the honour to be part of such an awesome group.
Group shot for one of the newly formed teams.
Each team was initially assigned specific camels that we could try out. If you didn’t like your camel or somehow had a bad feeling about it, you could switch and try out another. While many people had to try at least two or three to find “the one”, some of us including myself stuck with the first one we were given for the rest of the trip. I named my camel “Alfred” – just a name that came to mind when I first saw him– and he was to be my trusted companion for the next four weeks. All camels were male and between about 8 and 12 years old. You can tell by looking at their teeth what the age of a camel is, similar to a horse. Females were excluded completely to minimize the chances of fights breaking out between the males.
Me and Alfred, my lovely camel. [Photo by Igor Mikhaylov]
Camel handlers, many of them ethnic Sudanese, stood by to help us pick a camel and prepare the saddle. Initially we were briefly shown how to saddle up, but I just as quickly forgot how to do it again. There is certainly an art to knowing how to pull the straps around the camel properly, loop them around, and tighten them up so that the saddle stays in place. My complete set-up had the saddle on top of a rug, followed by a foam pad, another rug with side pouches, my sleeping air mattress for extra padding, and a goat skin on top, all held together by five different straps!
It takes many days of practicing to get this right: the art of strapping on a saddle. On top of all this there’s another layer of padding (foam, a sleeping bag, or some sort of mattress) plus a sheep skin to sit on.
It’s also a skill to know how to get a camel to get up and sit down. A long drawn-out “Akhhhhh” sound while pulling the camel’s head down makes it sit down, which seems to require quite a lot of effort judging by the huffing and puffing sounds the animal make. A gentle tap on the front legs with the plastic stick we were given can help if the camel refuses to listen… To make them get up again, you either just sit on them and they automatically move up, or you pull on the reigns that are attached to the harness around the head.
The first day was just chaos – camels and people were running around everywhere, yelling and groaning, saddle parts were strewn around in the sand, and our guides and handlers were frantically trying to help each one of us and chasing down camels on the loose at the same time. The second day was still chaotic, but slightly better. Some of us had by now managed to stay on the camel without falling off (yes, it happened to almost all of us!) and even to maneuver the camel so it would move according to our wishes.
Camel vets regularly checked on the health of the animals.
A dedicated EMS unit with a doctor and a nurse followed us around.
Riding and steering a camel takes more than just pulling the reigns in the direction you want to go or tapping its head with the stick. It’s about having the right connection with the animal. Camels are extremely astute animals that can sense if their owner is happy or sad, aggressive or gentle, impulsive or calm. It was very important, we were told, to form a special bond with our chosen animal, to look after it not only in terms of food and water, but also on the emotional side. After all, this was a month-long journey and a about a third of this time was spent sitting on top of our camel!
Ready to ride: gloves for protection from the rough wood of the saddle frame, a GPS, and a long plastic stick to help steer the camel.
By the time we finished the second and final day of prep camp, most of us felt that we weren’t really ready yet to take on the mighty Empty Quarter. Some of us had already had bad experiences with falls and freaked-out camels, but we had no choice. It was “learning by doing” and there was no more time to practice, so we just had to get better at it on the road…