‘Ships of the Desert’: Discovering the Wonders of Camels in India

‘Ships of the Desert’: Discovering the Wonders of Camels in India
A camel at the Bikaner Camel Festival in Rajasthan, India. Zzvet/Shutterstock
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The tension builds, as the afternoon sun fades—and the main event nears. The racers are readying their animals, preparing them for the mad dash ahead. Crunching through the dunes, I approach one, my reporter’s cap on and notepad in hand, to ask him about his hopes, strategy, and plans for the winnings, should he take the top prize, which amounts to about $75.

A few seconds into the conversation, I feel something clamping down on my left arm. Overreacting, I shake it off, in the process tripping on my own feet, tumbling to the ground, flat on my back. A cluster of concerned faces looms over me, the racer and his friends embarrassed and apologizing, but it turns out I’ve only hurt my pride, nothing more.

Tim Johnson
Tim Johnson
Author
Toronto-based writer Tim Johnson is always traveling in search of the next great story. Having visited 140 countries across all seven continents, he’s tracked lions on foot in Botswana, dug for dinosaur bones in Mongolia, and walked among a half-million penguins on South Georgia Island. He contributes to some of North America’s largest publications, including CNN Travel, Bloomberg, and The Globe and Mail.
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