Is a Camel a Horse?

It seems to be universally accepted that riding an elephant is morally or ethically wrong, yet I suspect no one really has a problem with horse riding. It instinctively feels right to recoil from leashing and subduing an elephant for touristic pleasure, but as I have thought about it more, the problem only becomes thronier.

If it is wrong to domesticate an elephant, why are we ok with horses. Elephants have been used in war like cavalry. I assume a similar brutal process of human domination over an animal occurs in both cases. If elephants are treated well, and this is a big if, I struggle to see how they differ from a horse.

There is perhaps something in the fact elephants are much larger beasts and feel ‘wilder’ somehow. Anyway, a camel feels closer to a horse than an elephant, and on that rock solid ethical foundation, I went on a camal safari outside of Jaisalmer.

This ‘safari’ consisted of piling into a jeep to drive through a strange semi desert landscape populated by villages¹ . As we moved through the villages the ground gradually became sandier until we came across a clearing of camels. They were very tame and well trained, which was just as well as once you are riding one you are surprisingly high off the ground. We were led through the dunes and I would describe the level of comfort as ‘variable’. I rode a different camel back in the morning which was significantly more comfortable. I guess one must pick their camel carefully.

Once we arrived at the desert camp we were treated to an array of puffed rice snacks, ahead of the classic combination of chapati, rice and curry. After the meal all there was to do was huddle around the campfire as the cold of the desert night set in. The group I was with consisted of several Italians, a French couple, and luckily for me, two siblings from New Zealand. The Italians did not stay the night, so as we kept warm around the fire, I traded anecdotes with the Kiwis until it was time for bed. ‘Bed’ was a blanket on the dunes and several heavy blankets on top. I was surprisingly warm and slept excellently under the peaceful stars.

The morning was foggy, and so after a breakfast of sweetened bulgar wheat and chai, we rode the camels back to the jeep and drove home. As weather was not the best we didn't get a sunrise or see a crazy number of stars, but it was still a cool experience: How often do you get to ride a camel?

It was good to pick up a couple of antipodean friends with which to explore the small city and fort. By now I have got the hang of these Rajasthani towns; the cities have some narrow streets, bazaars, and a fort on a hill overlooking it all. In this case the fort is lived in, with the bazaars inside the walls. Other than some cool old houses (known as havelis) there is not too much to see and I got myself down to the train station in good time for my preposterously circuitous journey to Goa. Rajasthan has been a trip, but I'm bored of being cold so I am dipping out for a minute to get some sun.

The next one will be from the beach xx

1. It is at this juncture that one is reminded that the literacy rate in Rajasthan is roughly 66% and only just over half of women are literate.