The shadows moved erratically in a near comical manner as did their source. Camels are funny creatures. They move in a motion much like an inch worm however they have legs. This same wavy motion is also shared by the rider. In a huge desert with more open space than imaginable camels seem to want to walk as close together as possible even rubbing up against each other as the pack moves. Perhaps they are just clingy.
Sitting up on one takes getting used to as you are sitting between the humps which flop side to side. You are higher up and have a greater few than the view from a horse. It’s a nice vantage point and you are on the desert transport of choice, but every once in a while you’ll find out that camel’s neck is snake like. They can turn their neck and head around to stare you down as you sit on the saddle. It’s intimidating to see a huge head on a dinosaur like neck just look at you.
Then there’s the breath, which is indescribable other than something like hot grass clippings. The eyes of camel are hwever beautiful. Big and dark with what’s likely the longest eyelashes I’ve ever seen on an animal. They seem very aware of their place in the desert and more so that they are needed. It’s hard to imagine that in such a desolate place they survive.
Here in the Gobi it can be lush in a few places, but it’s also very barren and unforgiving. The desert here is hot in the summer and -30 degrees in the winter. Through it all nature has found an likely place for an unlikely creature. I like this photo as it seems to capture motions and shapes of that day’s journey…
Linh Vien Thai is Amerasian, born in Dalat, South Vietnam, where he continued to lived during the war. He left for the U.S. and is now an American living in Tokyo. He enjoys adventure traveling and doing what’s right to make the world a better place.
