I was asked the other week if I ride on a camel when I go to work (thanks for the interesting question John – who is a fellow Swede that has a cool photo blog).
The answer is Yes.
No, it’s not. I’m not a Bedouin! Wake up!
But I do occasionally drive passed them and when I lived in Doha, Qatar, it happened more often. The national guard used to exercise their camels around 730 in the morning along the road I took to work.
Driving in Doha was a totally different dimension compared to driving in Dubai. Every roundabout felt like a life or death challenge. When you tried to enter, the cars in the roundabout speeded up to ensure you would feel the threat. Because everyone thought they owned the road. It’s MY roundabout, NO it’s MINE. The best advice I got during the road safety training my company provided, to ensure the expats would live longer than two weeks after entering the country, I got the best advice that I still live by: assume everyone is an idiot.
Funnily enough that’s how my dad raised me when I hesitated if I could do something in school or in my career. “If that idiot can do it, so can you”.
Thanks dad. Always so humble.
During the day the traffic could also suddenly come to a halt. Not because of road work or accidents but because the camels needed to use the street. You don’t mess with camels. They are worth thousands. If you hit a camel with your car, you are in deep s#it. Penalties are not low.
I don’t usually don’t do a duck face in pictures but when I do, I do it with a camel. Really, it should be called camel face. Ducks ain’t got nuffin on the camels.
When visiting any of the Middle Eastern countries, don’t forget to go to a camel race. Very different and entertaining.
