The Swaying Gait - Part 1

Author’s Note: This is the first of a multi-part series. The posts will be somewhat long as I’m targeting those of you who are armchair travelers. So if you’re not up for a long read, hang tight until this series is over and then, I’ll definitely do something shorter. Thanks for your patience. – Amy

My first glimpse of the pyramids happens to be at sunset. They rise in the distance, periwinkle-colored, against a salmon backdrop. Behind them, the sun is a picture perfect, yellow orb. I can see two of the pyramids through the dirty taxi windows. One of them doesn’t come to a complete apex. It is as though someone has taken a hammer and knocked a bit off of the top. My friends, S.F. and A.L., and I are headed towards the Giza Plateau, where the pyramids are - to ride camels!

We arrive at KFC, the spot where we are supposed to meet our guide as the last bit of light is leaving the sky. S.F. has used this guide before. Our guide, M., shows up. He isn’t what I expected at all. I imagined a man in an abeya and a pair of sandals. Instead, our guide shows up in a collared, button down shirt, jeans, and a pair of flip-flops.

M. brings a camel out of the stables and signals for it to kneel. It does and S.F. mounts it. The camel stands to its full height. It’s at this moment that I begin to have second thoughts. S.F. points out how high up she is and then asks M, “Has anyone ever fallen off?”
M. replies, “Yes, many people.”

Despite my second thoughts, I find myself mounting a camel. A.L. ends up on a horse and M. is left to walk as there are no more animals available at the company’s stables. I feel terrified as my camel lurches (at a 45 degree angle) back and then forward into a standing position. There is no seatbelt. There is not even a rope to hold onto. There is a wooden horn on the front and one on back of the saddle. That’s it. My feet hang limply over the camel’s sides. Our group heads through town towards the desert. My camel has a swaying gait that includes the occasional irregularity. The little missed steps, speed bumps, and potholes are just enough to keep me hanging on for dear life. People stare at us going down the street. One guy shouts, “How are you enjoying the camels?” I suddenly have a greater appreciation for Jesus.