Travel Stories: Camels And Khaled
Having already handed over the money for the camel ride, we weren’t unduly worried by the fact that Khaled was now negotiating a fee with the animals’ handler and obviously taking a cut for himself, what concerned us far more was that Khaled appeared in the midst of a deal with a boy aged about eleven.
“Come” said Khaled, “we are ready.”
As we mounted the camels, Khaled was clearly giving the boy directions back to our camp, which, given the expanse of empty desert between our current location at the Lawrence Spring and Eid’s camp several miles away, was another worry. But in the flick of a camel’s eyelash Khaled was gone, and we were starting the 90-minute camel ride “home”, accompanied only by an 11-year-old boy walking alongside….yes, walking, in sandals, in the blazing sun, over a distance that would take an hour and a half.
As the peaceful rhythm of the ride began to quell our initial fears, two new worries started to niggle away at the back of my mind. One was how we were going to get off this damned thing at the end of the journey, the other was why my camel kept turning its head to look at me with a surly expression that was deeply unnerving. It was almost sneering, for Gods sake.
Anyone who has done this will know that disembarkation from a camel is not straightforward. You are perched in between the hump and a kind of pole positioned behind you for stability: this means that, once the camel kneels to let you off, you can’t swing your leg round behind you, bicycle style, because the pole is in the way.
The solution is to lower your left leg until you make contact with the ground, at which point your legs are at a 90 degree angle, one straight down to the ground and the other straight out on to the camel’s back, then you slowly withdraw your horizontal leg while shuffling backwards on the other. It was at exactly this point that my belligerent camel decided to stand back up, throwing me into a backwards cartwheel which wrenched my right thigh but, worse, threw me on to the hard ground so that my left shoulder took my entire body weight as I hit the deck. Pain was immediate and intense and I wasn’t sure what damage was done. I became vaguely aware of Michaela and Khaled close by.
“Phil”, she was saying, “you need to move quickly”.
I probably groaned.
“You are laying right under the camel. If he steps on you you’re in real trouble, you need to crawl NOW”.
The Bedouins at the camp were very caring, but I knew the shoulder was badly damaged; no broken bones, but there was clearly damage.
It remained a problem. For several weeks I was unable to pull on a jacket or coat unaided; I couldn’t carry anything in my left hand; I couldn’t raise my left arm more than half way. There followed several expensive physiotherapy sessions and lots of exercise at home and although things improved a little, after six months I was resigned to the fact that my shoulder would be a source of pain for ever more.
Until that is, in Chiang Mai, ten months on from Camelgate, when walking through a ramshackle market we spotted a line of deckchairs and an offer of a cheap massage, a million miles from the “beach resort” or “massage centre” spots, just a few undoubted charlatans granting a quick session to anyone who was willing to pay.
I recoiled as this skinny guy with bony but strong hands prodded my left shoulder, and in a mixture of words, gestures and hand signals told him and his lady boss the story of Camels And Khaled. He pointed to the shoulder.
“Pain at back?”
I nodded. He started work at the front, not the back.
Unbelievably, from the moment his bony fingers probed into the shoulder joint, I sensed something good, and as he dug deeper and probed further, I knew he was right on the crucial point of injury.
I have no idea whether this man was a genius or just a darn lucky charlatan, but for very few Thai baht I received a complete cure the like of which I had long since stopped hoping for. Over a year later, I have still not had the tiniest twinge.
Whatever the truth, he was a genius as far as I’m concerned!
15 Comments
Gilda Baxter
Poor thing a camel ride that ended in a bad way, but fantastic results from a Thai massage. I have had a Thai massage in the past, I think they are great.
Andrew Petcher
I did a camel ride in Morocco. I don’t think that I will do it again.
Deb
Oh! That was not a nice way for the camel ride to end, but thankfully you found the magic healer sometime down the future.
I have never been to a desert or ridden a camel so this is completely new to me. It must have been uncomfortably hot to ride so long in the desert during daytime!
Phil & Michaela
The actual ride is a pleasant feeling. Falling off not so pleasant!
Marie
I’ve had one camel ride – Tunisia- and one is enough!!! Sounds as though you’ve been very lucky with that shoulder.
Phil & Michaela
I think I’d do it again despite that experience, the actual ride was quite pleasant
Lookoom
He should be recommended to the NHS to save money. I admire your sense of adventure even more as this accident did not stop you from exploring the world.
leightontravels
Nice piece, had me reminiscing once again about my own camel safari in Jaisalmer, India. Not that I had any kind of injury, your war story is an impressive one. And yeah, you’re lucky it wasn’t a whole lot worse. As for the cure, god bless the Asian massage!
grandmisadventures
Accidents always at least provide great stories after the fact…and that is definitely a great story! So glad you were okay!
Phil & Michaela
Thank you! Yes, we always end up laughing about these stories when we look back at them 😊
wetanddustyroads
Camelgate 😅 … sorry Phil, I just had to laugh at this story (and not at your expense), but the way you were telling this story, was just so amusing!
I’m really glad you’re ok (or actually more than just ok after that massage)!
Phil & Michaela
It’s ok, you’re meant to laugh at it..! You always have to see the funny side of these things….
WanderingCanadians
Whenever I’ve seen someone riding a camel in the movies it always looks awkward. Sorry to hear about your fall, glad you managed to crawl to safety. It’s incredible how massages can work out deep rooted pains and aches. That’s one thing I’ve missed a lot during the pandemic, not being able to go for a regular massage anymore.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you, it always makes us smile when we look back at our adventures. Cant wait for massages on travels again, some of our best have been in Turkey and Thailand 😊
Annie Berger
Phil,
So relieved to read that your camel misadventure finally ended a long time later with a successful and inexpensive massage in Thailand. What a great solution you found in lieu of expensive physiotherapy treatments. Back in 2013, Steven and I were on our first overseas trip together and, while in Mongolia as part of our Trans Siberian trip, took a camel ride as it sounded like a lark. It was until our drunken camel guide didn’t pay attention and took me far too close to a bush which ended up scarring my ankle for a good long while. That was my first travel mishap though luckily it wasn’t nearly as severe as yours.