Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
to eight years old. Anything under and it'll be too weak and inexperienced. Older and it
won't be up to the journey. You need a strong camel - so ask to see it stand up and get back
down. If it trembles at the knees, don't go near it. You want one that's up to carrying two,
even three, hundred kilos. You'll probably need two just for the food and water . . .'
Asher had had other advice: the Sudanese, he promised, were an honest people and, for
the most part, wouldn't intentionally rip a buyer off. 'They'll probably presume you've
bought camels before. I mean, who in their right mind goes into a camel market in Sudan
who knows nothing about camels?' He winked at me, gleefully. 'Look, there's a man I
know, name of Bala. He joined me on several jaunts across the Sahara. Give him a call
when you get there. Mention my name . . .'
'
Salaam Alaikum
,' I said respectfully as Bala approached.
'You are Asher's friend?' he asked, without any apparent emotion.
'Yes.'
'Come for
chai
.'
Bala, the overseer for a market where many different traders brought their camels, led
us to one of the huts and clicked his fingers at an Ethiopian serving girl. Everything about
Bala had an air of authority: he swaggered as he walked, his pockets bulged with cash and
he kept having to shake the gold watch around his wrist back into position. Carefully, he
laid three phones out on the carpet in front of me. I guessed it was his way of showing how
important he was.
'You've come at a bad time for camels,' he said, slurping sugary tea. I had to wait a
moment for Moez to translate: Bala's English was even worse than my Arabic. 'Saturday
is market day and we sell all the best camels before lunch.'
'Well, there seem to be a lot of camels out there,' I said. 'You must have one for sale?'
'They've all been sold already. It's mostly females left. And you can't ride a female.
They're for breeding only. What you need is a strong male, aged four . . .'
'. . . to eight,' I interrupted. 'I know. I need one with strong legs, one with experience of
the desert. And what I do not want is a
Sharaat
. . .'
Bala simply stared, trying to work out where I had got this information.
'Where are you travelling?'
'North,' I replied. 'I'm following the Nile to the border with Egypt. It's going to take
sixty days.'
His ears pricked up as he nodded. 'A wonderful journey! I used to follow that road as a
boy, long before we had trucks. They've ruined the old ways . . .' He paused. 'Come then!
We shall find you your camel. But, for that journey, you will need three camels, not one . .
.'
'Three?' I said, slightly stunned at the prospect of becoming owner to three of the be-
hemoths standing outside.
