Leader of 13-member convoy praises team spirit and camaraderie of group of Emiratis and expatriates

DUBAI, 25th January 2017:  The participants in the third edition of the ‘Camel Trek’ organized and supervised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC) are in high spirits as they experience the challenges of life in the desert of the UAE midway through their journey and prepare to head back to Dubai.
A total of 13 men and women are taking part in this week-long expedition which began on Saturday 21st January and will culminate on Friday 27th January when they return to Heritage Village at Global Village in Dubai at approximately 3.30pm.

They were selected for the ‘Camel Trek’ after expressing interest in following the footsteps of people who lived in the desert and have undergone an intensive training program by the organizers HHC. 

Caravan
The 13-member caravan comprises camel riding enthusiasts from Oman, United States, Egypt, France, United Kingdom and the UAE.
For most of them it is a fascinating once-in-a-lifetime experience of travelling back through time. Of leading a nomadic lifestyle in the changing landscape of the desert and experiencing the unique Arabian hospitality. 

After four days on the trail, there are many sore legs and tired bodies as they cover a distance of nearly 50 kilometers each day. But they are not complaining. 
Above all, they have developed a bonding with camels and enjoying how the Arabian people actually lived in ancient times, that most of them are eager to return to the ‘Camel Trek’ next year as well.

Challenges
Leader of the convoy Khalifa bin Sabeen praised the team spirit, discipline and sense of camaraderie displayed by the group of Emiratis and expatriates.
“At the beginning there were certain challenges. People were not used to the camels no matter how you train them, until they get control of the camel to know them because in training you don’t do for continuous long hours. But they did everything asked of them, even when they were assigned different tasks at the camp,” said Khalifa, hailing from a family which owns camels.

Speaking about the conditions they experienced during the trek so far, he said: “The second day was a bit windy and cloudy but it was fine. Every day they wake up early, have a good breakfast and stop for a break of an hour to have some fruits because they cant’ have heavy food while riding.”

Khalifa was happy to be leader of this disciplined and obedient group of riders who feel relaxed and comfortable even after covering distances of 40 of 50 kilometers in a day.

“It’s very important in a convoy to go in one line and not ride out of step. They adhered to this discipline of following the leader. They also now know how to take care of their own camel, saddle it and feed it. They know everything about the camels,” said Khalifa bin Sabaeen.

Emirati rider
A young Emirati participant Ali Hassan Al Ahli who was not keen on heritage activities, is now urging the young generation to keep alive the culture of the country after joining the ‘Camel Trek’ on the insistence of his mother. 

“I was born in the world of modern technology and Internet. I did not think of culture or any attachment because of my association with multinational community in Dubai. The only heritage event I liked was saluki (hunting with greyhound),” said Ali who decided to try camel riding just to please his mother.

“I went for training from that time. At first it was a bit tough.  Then I decided I wanted to try and join the Camel Trek. I really love this and want to have my own camel,” said Ali who is already missing the desert life as the caravan approaches the finish line. 

“I love the atmosphere of camping in the desert. I think young Emiratis should also try to ride camels,” he said.

French ladies
Among the group were two women from France, Charlotte Sarrazin and Anne-Laure Laine, who thrived in the adventure of a lifetime.
Anne wants to go the full distance after completing only two days of the trek last year.

“I did part of the trip last year. It was really an amazing experience to embrace the culture and tradition of the UAE. That’s why I decided to do it and I got the opportunity to do it this year,” said Anne who has immersed herself to the Arabian lifestyle.

“We are learning about how people lived back at the time when there wasn’t civilization like now. How to eat with my hands. Guys are teaching me some Arabic. It is fun as we are sitting around the fire most of the time to have dinner,” said Anne, a restaurant manager, who is happy to shut herself away from the outside world in the middle of the desert.

“Last year when I came back after few days I had a headache because we have music, my phone in job. Now, I’m so happy to put my phone off. It feels so good. You feel you are back with yourself and relaxing. I want to do it every year. I love my camel and want to take it home,” she said.

Anne’s friend Charlotte, employed as a food and beverage manager in Dubai for the past four years, was attracted to the ‘Camel Trek’ out of curiosity.
“Locals in the UAE always talk about falcons, horses and camels all the time. At some point I wanted to know more about it. I was curious and interested at the same time to know about the local culture. So I joined the Camel Trek last year,” she said.

Her second expedition has not been without incident.

'Last year I was new. This year I have a different camel, much more challenging to handle which is good for me since I’m learning. On the first day, I didn’t know him because I didn’t have time to train with him because we need to know each other. I didn’t know him very well and he started to jump and I fell. I was very stiff afterwards but I’m fine because I’m a sporting person,” said Charlotte, who has played handball. 

The only difficulty she faces is waking up early.

“Today is the fifth day. We start to feel difficulties to wake up early because our muscles is not used to riding for six or seven hours. You start to feel tired. This is where it is challenging because your mood is going to be affected and the camel starts to get tired as well,” said Charlotte who hopes to bring her own camel to the trek next year.

Another lady on the ‘Camel Trek’ is Egyptian Lobna El Halawani, a personal fitness trainer in the UAE for the past three years.
She is no stranger to endurance riding albeit on horses and is on a learning curve riding camels.

“I feel easy with camels since I’m riding horses but it is a different experience. I have learned lot of things on how to ride a camel and manage them. I’m grateful to the local trainers for teaching me everything they know about camel riding,” said Lobna who was elated after being given the reins to guide the camel independently. 

“Before they attached me to another camel for safety. Yesterday, finally they allowed me to manage it myself. It was a really good experience and feeling. Every day I’m learning something new like standing on a camel and riding,” she said excitedly.

Artist
An American artist from California Mike Metzger is exhilarated by what he is experiencing after getting a last-minute entry to join the ‘Camel Trek’.
“A friend went on this expedition last year. He told me about it and I just inquired from the Hamdan Center to see if they had any room for an extra participant. I did not hear anything for a while and at the last minute I got a call and it was my lucky day because they had an extra spot. I came over from Abu Dhabi and just joined at the last minute,” said Mike whose experience with camels was limited but is talking of breeding them now.

“I could only make it for two days of training. It was tough on my knees and on my back, specially my inner quads. It was very painful but after a few days of kind of roughing it out, the pain finally went away and I started enjoying the whole experience,” he said.

“This is a once-in-a lifetime journey. It’s an expedition where you travel back in time and experience the real Arabian way of life just as it was for thousands and thousands of years. It’s really an honour to be here and I would do it again 100 per cent. I want to harvest my own camel, make my own camel cheese and live off the land. That would definitely be the next step in my adventures,” said Mike who makes handicrafts to earn his livelihood.

The official sponsors of Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center are: Al Tayer Motors, Land Rover, Dubai Airports, Dubai World Trade Centre, AW Rostamani (Arabian Automobiles), Global Village and Al Oula radio station.