For the camels from the deserts of Rajasthan, a vacation in Chennai may be like an escape to a hill station, for us!
Newspapers have been reporting the camel rides on the beaches of Chennai. But when the children in a neighbourhood colony in Adyar saw them on the road in front of their homes, they were tempted to go on a ride.
“Twenty rupees for a round trip from one street to the other and back,” said the man who accompanied the camels. After a bargain, it became ten rupees.
Children were excited and got on to the camels. Two is a company for camels too!
The two ships of the desert carried two kids each on their backs and sailed on the streets of Karpagam Garden in Adyar.
One of the camels stopped for a snack on its way. Looking at the green leaves of a tree just outside a compound of a house, it took a break for a bite. The children were taken by surprise and looked for parents around. But they continued their ride amidst howls and laughs!
“The ride was bumpy and scary,” one of the riders said with sigh of relief once she alighted from the camel. Getting down from the camel’s back required smart techniques. Tall wooden stool was brought to help the children.
Just not the children, but the passers by and the evening walkers on this quiet colony also watched the camels and the kids riding on them, curiously.
One of the many ways of beating the Chennai heat – adventure on camel’s back!