“Be careful, they spit!” At least that’s the common caution given about
camels. However, the camels that Fletcher Maynard students got to meet
on their trip to Dakar, Senegal were on their best behavior – and there
was not a drop of saliva to be seen!
On our third day in
Senegal, the group traveled about 25 miles outside of Senegal to visit
the famed Pink Lake (Lac Rose). The lake normally has a pinkish color
due to the algae that live in its waters. We spent our afternoon
wandering around the lake and had our lunch right on its shores. We met
our dromedary friends close to the shores of the Pink Lake. Our brave
FMA explorers each took a 10 minute ride across sand dunes suspended
seven feet above the ground on the back of these amazing animals.
Imagine getting a piggy-back ride from Shaquille O’Neal; that’s about
how high you would be on the back of a camel.
Being up that high
was not the most challenging part of the experience – as any student
that took the ride can attest to. Getting on the camel and getting it to
stand up was the most challenging aspect of the trip. A rider first had
to climb into the tight saddle (as seen in the photo) as the camel sat
on folded legs, and then you had to hold on for your life as the camel
rocked forward and then back to stand up. What an experience!
I would like to congratulate the young FMA explorers on their camel rides and hope to hear about their future adventures.