It was great to have so much time with the camels and to travel to such extremes with them. Getting close to them was like developing a friendship. You have to earn the closeness. They're all individuals with different personalities. Some complained a lot if they were separated from the group, and others didn't mind being alone at all. If they were in a bad mood, they moaned and wouldn't cooperate. Then the next day, they were the best camels you could imagine. They became partners, like other expedition members. Over such a long period of time, I came to value them not only as transportation but especially for their character.

We had already lost one camel when another one began to get quite weak, so the Tuareg guides used a traditional method to push the animal on. They drained blood by cutting its forelegs and its neck. Then they literally rubbed salt into the wounds. The camel nearly went crazy from the pain. It vomited and its eyes rolled back. I didn't know what to think. This seemed very cruel to me. I was torn between trusting that the Tuareg were doing the right thing and trying to intervene. I managed to restrain myself and was completely surprised the next day. The camel was on its feet again and strong enough to keep up with the caravan. It ended up making it through the entire expedition. I trusted the Tuareg even more after that experience, but it was hard to see the camel suffer.

Whenever we passed a date palm tree, we all tried to break off a branch to eat the fruit as we rode. But camels love dates, so we practically had to fight them off. We had to hold the branches above our heads because the camels kept turning their heads back to try to get a bite. They made a lot of noise and were impossible to maneuver. Often we gave in and ended up sharing our branches with the camels. It was fun seeing how eager they were. When dates were around, they were out of control.