Camel Race Track

I met Ros on the visit to the oryx farm and when we left there she took me for a look at the camel race track nearby. This is somewhere I've been meaning to visit for ages and it was even better to go there with someone who knew the place, not to mention someone whose company I enjoyed.

It was a bit late in the day for much action, but as we got there we saw the last few groups of camels trotting around or leaving the track after their morning's training. We were greeted heartily by all and sundry, though language barriers kept conversation to a minimum. For many, the opportunity to shake a woman's hand is a chance to good to miss.

During races, camels are 'ridden' by robotic riders - essentially, remote-controlled boxes with a short whip whisking round in a circular motion that takes in the camel's rump on each rotation. So camel races have the added spectacle of a herd of land-cruisers zooming round the inside of the track with owners controlling their robots and urging on their camels. But the training looks a much more romantic affair. Groups of camels wearing stripy blankets were shepherded round at a trot (well, this might have just been for their cool-down lap), usually with just one or two riders. I hadn't even had time to reach for my camera when the first came by, a dashing Sudanese man dressed in a deep rich blue waving his crop in flamboyant circles over his head as he greeted us.

Opposite the camel race track is a sort of Camel City, where all the stables are. Here you can wander around and will feel very welcome. Buy a whippy robot or a cart-load of camel-feed. But we didn't go... I'll save that for another time. And then there's a day at the races, although that will be harder as it's typically impossible to find out when they are on.