Stuffed camels, Singing camels, Cloned camels....

My biggest regret from my trip through Rajastan, India, is that I got sick in Jaipur - my illness stealing several days of my intinerary, including Jaisalmer - the city described as a golden mirage. In Jaisalmer, it was plan to take a camel safari into the desert and possibly even camp among the dunes. Sigh.

I missed my chance to ride camels, and I refuse to pay money simply to sit on the back of a nasty old camel tethered at the side of the road neat a tourist attraction in Turkey just so I can say that I can have my picture taken on a camel. Somehow it is NOT the camel experience I always wanted to have. And by always, I mean since high school. My first work in Arabic was actually camel (taught me by one of the women I was supposed to be teaching English literacy to in the UK). So how did I end up in stuck between Syria and Saudi in a place where instead of camels, I get dust storms? My only came is the one you see in the upper left corner - a silly stuffed version that was a gift from a friend in Dubai.

In Taiwan, I was gullible enough to email in to the Taipei Times to try and get tickets to see Shuma, the singing camel. There was a nearly full page article about this incredible camel troup that was to "perform" at Chiang Hai Shek Memorial Hall. How stupid did I feel when a colleague realized it was April 1st. I guess that we were tired enough from working without enough sleep for several weeks in a row to forget what day it was. Since Shuma (does she even exist?) performing in Erbil (or anywhere else for that matter) is an unlikelihood (there could be a Shuma- even if she is just a normal non-singing camel!), and I have neither the time nor the money to travel to Rajastan for a camel trek... perhaps the next camel plan should be to Dubai to see Injaz (the Arabic name of the world's first cloned camel) before, like Dolly, she has to be put down... I will put this on next year's travel wishlist along with Jordan (camel trek possibilities?), Syria and Iran...