SEALINE BEACH, QATAR — I’m sitting on top of a camel.
It’s worth repeating. I’m sitting … on top of … a camel.
It sounds absurd, and yet, somehow, strangely, against all common sense and better judgment, it’s true. This camel’s hair is tan; its toenails, white with dark spots; its mask, knitted, mostly blue, with yellow-and-red trim. There’s a harness to grasp for balance and a feed bag resting atop the hump. I’m told by the friendly tour guides at Ali Camel Safari that they call their brood of 45 camels, informally, The Ships of the Desert. I guess that means I’m sailing but on sand.
