My Camel

One of the biggest challenges of life in Delhi is transportation. The city is very spread out so a bicycle isn't practical, and there's so much traffic that cabs, although cheap, are frustrating (plus you have to bargain down to the cent for every single fair).

So after weighing my options and deeming a motorcycle to be too dangerous, I decided it was time to get a camel. The price of 10,000 rupees includes a harness, a seat and a week's worth of instruction from the camel's previous owner (the guy holding the rope in the picture), who says that's all the time it will take for me to have perfect command of my steed.

My camel is about 8 and a half feet tall and weighs over 1,000 pounds. She's 18 years old and was born in the northwestern part of rural India -- a country girl. I'm still trying to think of a name for her.

It's about a 20 minute ride into work... will have my first ride tomorrow morning. We'll see how it goes!