I had never seen a camel so close. I saw it at the zoo, it's true, but never so close that I could touch it. Arriving in Al-Khazneh, or "The Treasury", one of Petra's most famous monuments, there are camels and Bedouins inviting tourists to take a ride everywhere. A ride of about one hour can cost you something close to US$ 70, which means, in my case, it is necessary to write a lot of content to give yourself such an eccentric gift. Traveling on a budget, definitely, the camel ride would stay for another time...
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The fact that I didn’t make the ride, however, didn't stop me from being enchanted with those animals. They are huge and extremely friendly. I confess that I still don’t know if I was more delighted to see the Treasure (which is also a real scene of the Indiana Jones jumping into your eyes) or the camels with their colorful saddles. At one point, I saw a small cute caramel camel, which seemed extremely docile. On its side, there was a Bedouin who seems to own the animal. When I approached him, I asked if I could cuddle such a beautiful animal. The Bedouin nodded. "Does he have a name?" I asked. "Yes, Abu. He's only 5 years old and he's almost a puppy. " Just like a cub, Abu is huge, and his head and neck are more than half my height.
When I put my hands on its neck and start cuddling, Abu brings me his head to do the same. I melt in front of the camel. Without realizing it, I begin to speak with Abu in Portuguese, my mother language, as if I was talking with a real baby. Suddenly, I realize that it was a group of Bedouins laughing right behind me and saying something to the other Bedouin who had told me about Abu.
One of the Bedouins who was in the group approaches and introduces himself. His name is Solomon and he wants to know who I am and what I am doing in Petra. I say that I am a Brazilian tourist visiting. I get a little embarrassed to explain to him that I had never seen a camel before. I also say that I loved these animals since I had read a book about a woman crossing the Australian outback desert with three camels.
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I tell Solomon that I didn’t imagine that they had so much personality and were so difficult to be tamed. Solomon answers me "Oh! That’s true!!" And laugh. Solomon owns the camels and tamer them. He was born in Petra and lives today on the tours he takes with tourists. "Have you ever ridden a camel?" He asks me. "Never!" I reply. "So, you need to take a ride, girl!". "Sorry, Solomon, but it's too expensive for me. I can’t.". He just looks at me and says, "Let's go!"
I quickly respond, afraid to get caught up in a trap. "Look, Solomon, I know it's your job and I do not like to exploit people's work, I really don’t have money, and ..." Solomon then interrupts me "Mam, Bedouins don’t make friends for money!" Immediately Solomon gives a command to Abu. The camel descends on its two front legs and then places the two hindquarters on the ground. My chin immediately drops. Seeing that I'm astonished, Solomon takes my bag off my shoulder and fits into the saddle, helping me up. "Hold on now!" And in another command, Abu raises from the ground carrying my sixty-three pounds of purest perplexity.
At the front Solomon goes with his black camel and behind me, three other Bedouins follow us. I am escorted as a princess around Petra! I don’t want to abuse and after half an hour I ask to go down. Solomon brings me back to the hall of Al-Khazneh and gives the same commands for Abu to put me on the safe ground. I have no words to thank that man and cannot hide my emotion for his generosity. I ask you to hug him and take a picture. Solomon stands in front of his black camel. Bedouins do not make friends for money. Even because certain things in this life are priceless!
(PS: After posting pictures of Bedouins on Instagram, a lady come to me and said there are a group of Bedouins who actually are scammers on Petra and every woman should be aware. I can’t say anything about it because that wasn’t my experience. However, being a woman and traveling solo I must emphasize the message: girls! take care!)
(Petra, Jordan, 2017)
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Uou! Thank you so much! @travelfeed and @for91days! very very very happy!!!
Hey here @lizanomadsoul swinging by.
Wow, you are making great travel posts. It would be nice to see one of those linked to our map one day so we can feature them and upvote your post :)
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thank you so much @lizanomadsoul! I'll do it!!
Great! You are welcome.
Congratulations @helgalubevi!
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Incredible images and wonderful information @helgalubevi I'm so glad I discovered your post in @travelfeed. (U & R )
thank you @trudeehunter! I hope to see you more times! I'll keep an eye on your paintings and writing!!
You are very welcome Helga. Thank you! 🌼 🌷 🌼
What a wonderful story! I'm a little jealous, I must admit!
hahahahhahaha don't be! I'll give you an upvote even with your jealousy!
I just sent you a little bit of "Camel Power" . I'm sure it will make you a bit stronger and get you moving a bit faster.
Me encantan tus historias! Gracias por compartir :)
Gracias por tu apoio Beltran!!!!
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What an excellent post. Especially for a minnow! Not only is it great little story, but it is also well-presented and very well-written. With wonderful photos, too.
I'm impressed by some of your phrasings in particular; such as caramel camel and pounds of purest perplexity. Caramel camel alone is the work of a true wordsmith.
++++
One item of advice today. It will help you format your post, to make it more attractive and maybe even a little more easy-to-read.
Before you start inputting your text or photos into the "Write your story" box, you should click where it says "Editor" , above the top-right corner of the box. Then, first input all your TEXT ONLY. With the Editor function, you will be able to format with BOLD, ITALICS, various HEADING SIZES, and more.
After you have input and formatted all your text, then you can click where it says "Markdown", and then you can put in your photos, images, or links (anything in HTML).
Hope this helps.
thank you sooo much for your support and friendship! I will be always grateful!
Full Steem Ahead!
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Thank you, thank you guys!!!!