The Rest of the Weekend.....

The girls made it to Abu Dhabi (at least their picture did)

If you want to see the Camel races you better get up early. It was a 6:30am meeting time and three carloads of us were off to the races. We got there about 7:30am and the races had already begun. The area was a beehive of activity. There was a big corral area for the camels to be in before the start. A large race track that is about 60 feet (18.2 meters)wide and about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) long and a finish area where the camels are grabbed by the camel boys.

The corral area is busy with hundreds of camels and for lack of a better term "camel boys" who tend the camels and walk them everywhere. The camel boys walk them from there into a holding area right before their race where the "jockey" is placed on top of them. The jockeys used to be real boys, but now they are a weighted thing that is strapped onto them that has a remote controlled whip that the owners can control as they race around the track in their SUV's.

This is the final stage of the start area. The camels are lined up behind the mesh screen, in a minute or so it will be raised up and a bell sounds and they are off, riderless except for the colored silks and the little system that houses the motor and receiver to control the whip (which is small).

The camel boys wearing helmets and flak jackets. The camels are lined up behind the mesh screen while the boys are holding onto their leashes and keeping them in line. If you think it looks a little crazy because the boys are in front of where the camels are going to run, you're right. They are standing right where the camels will run so when that screen goes up the boys better be running off to the side or some of them line up where those corral barriers are and let the camels bolt by. Thus helmets and vests because sometimes they don't get out of the way fast enough. I did see one kid go down and get slightly trampled but he got right back up and seemed okay.

These races are televised throughout Abu Dhabi and they go on for about 3 hrs every morning 5 days a week. I told you the camels race, but at the same time the owners or trainers are lined up in SUV's ready to go at the same time. They are jockeying (pun intended) for position the whole way around the track so they can be close to their camel to encourage him/her electronically to run faster. That's an event in itself that I got involved in when I grabbed my Nissan X Trail small SUV and took a few NYUAD employees for the trip around the track. There are about 60 or so camels in each race so probably as many SUV's all going about 25 mph (40 kph) to keep up with the camels. This picture shows them lining up at the start.

So the camels take off, the SUV's take off and about 6 minutes later everyone ( and thing) is back. Some camels are foaming at the mouth, none seem winded, some have lost interest and simply trot down the track at their own pace well behind their camel buddies. The two trucks with vidoe cameramen mounted on the top loop around back to the start area and about 2 minutes later everyone is off again. The camels that just raced are gathered up by their camels boys and I'm assuming get some water or food and then go into a holding pen. I couldn't tell if any of the camels raced more than once because honestly they all kind of look the same to me, tall, 4 long legs, a hump or two, big heads. During one race one camel even escaped the track and came running back right down the middle of the road. Actually it was a pretty funny sight.

By 9:00am we were leaving the camel races as were most of the camels and their handlers. Some were heading out to get loaded up on trucks others were just heading off into the desert to whatever pen or farm (yes, it's camel farms not ranches) they lived on.

So if you come to visit and want to get to the camel races (who wouldn't) I can get you there.
Stay Cool, it's still hot and muggy here although I did get out around my neighborhood tonight and didn't sweat. I grabbed a chicken dinner and a fresh 1/2 loaf of whole wheat bread at the bakery.

QOB - "Never expect a thank you and never do things for a thank you, that is very liberating"

I don't know the author, but it's someone famous.