If you actually look like your passport photo, you aren't well enough to travel!!!

Our next tour was Sharm El Sheik in Egypt. Ken's description was far better than anything I could write so I will leave the tales to one of the greatest storytellers I have ever met. Although, just for your information, I had a great time and loved it all...well. the bumpy 4x4 I could have done without!!! So here goes Ken and the Camel story......

Advertised as a European “water playground” for the rich and famous, was just an over-priced high-end beach resort catering mostly to Russians. THIS was the tour for the big “Camel and Jeep” (4 wheeler) tour. This tour-group departed the ship at 8AM and loaded us into 17 different Toyota four-runner SUV’s. (All 112 of us). The ride and desert scenery was great…. while we were on the blacktop highways. But, then things started going south!!! Our 60 mph (highway) ride continued even after we took a hard right into the desert. There was 6 of us (per SUV) all packed into the rear on very hard board seats. Bucket seats have not been introduced into this part of the world yet!!!!! This part of the desert is “hard packed” and (really) bumpy.. “head beating on the roof of the SUV bumpy…The sand being kicked up by the other SUV’s made visibility almost zero.. After 60 minutes of this, we arrived at the base camp where we where to initiate ( JR’s long awaited) “camel ride”. At the camel camp , where the local Arabs will help us “mount up” and ride (further) into the desert. My camel took an immediate dislike to me. (the feeling was mutual). Therefore, we watched each other carefully.. If you have ever ridden or have been in a camel saddle when the S.O.B. decides to stand up, you will understand the pure terror that overcome you (ME). One minute you are at ground level sitting is a saddle designed for a 4 year old, the next you are 10 feet in the air on the beast that has the boniest back you can ever imagine. I yelled over to JR, who was resting comfortably on a much fatter and more amiable camel, “that my body was not designed for this camel”.. she, in turned, answered…. that my camel was not designed to carry a “big Buddha” like me!!! After 30 minutes of my first and last camel ride, they finally called a halt to this torture (I almost fell off twice trying to find a more comfortable position and easing the shooting pains coming from by backside.)
Getting off a camel is far more dangerous than getting on. This nasty animal that I was on, who was even more pissed at me than I was at him. He was going to take huge bite out of my butt the minute I hit the ground.. so knowing this, I decided to do a “Tom Mix dismount” i.e. jumping off prior to the camel getting down on his knees (or what ever they call them). Side note… first, a camel saddle has NO stirrups… and a saddle horn on the front AND back of the saddle.
So. in showing my riding prowess, I tried my “flying dismount” I made a critical mistake and caught my foot on the rear saddle horn…. flying off the camel, in what some say, a spectacular dismount… Happily, I ended up on my feet and immediately gave the beast the finger and he tried to spit at me…… all’s well that ends well…but my butt is still sore….
Now, after all that I still had a ride back in the “butt buster SUV”…..And, we paid $165.00 a head for this stupidity………
Arriving back at the ship, I smelled worst than I looked…enough for today.

janet and Ken (the camel hater)