Day 51-Camels

3 NEW PALACE CAMELS (6 1/2" by 6 1/2 ") have arrived! And the Prince is mighty pleased for this means that the palace wealth will be regarded as having tripled. You see, a Maharajah's prosperity is also judged by the size of his stable. A mighty collection of elephants and camels will add to his stature and lend much weight to his majestic allure.This is especially important at a time when the rumours are abound on why there is no palace in sight. There are much suspicions (and rightly so!) that the Maharajah's coffer is unable to afford the Rp 10 lakhs (1 lakh =1 million) required to rebuild the palace to its deserving splendour.

But what better way to dispel all that "crazy talk" and show off your wealth than to have your decorated camels line up in a procession of welcome each time you purport to visit the site of the "most splendorous palace ever, coming soon". Even if it means travelling in surreptitious and mysterious shroud to hide the true purpose of why the Prince acquire "the ships of the desert", as these camels are also known.

And so, the mystery will slowly unfold, as you follow Jai, who has been quickly summoned to make a final inspection and ensure that the appropriate decorations befitting of the Maharajah's Palace has been carefully placed on the camels. He is also to load enough provisions to prepare them for "The Journey".

At this juncture, you may wish to know that the camels found in India are the single-humped camels, also known as the dromedary camels. Long-curved neck, deep-narrow chest and a single hump characterize our Indian camel. The hump is used by the camels as reservoir of fatty tissues. In times of scarcity, the tissues are metabolized and the camel receives energy. The size of the hump is not the same in all the camels and they differ, depending upon its nutritional state. When a camel starves, the hump can get reduced to almost a non-existent size.

It is with very careful selection that the Prince is able to acquire 3 camels with almost identically sized humps. This is for more "gasp value" as one can't help sucking in one's breath when you sight the perfect symmetry of the camel convoy treading in the harsh but breathtakingly beautiful desert landscape of Rajasthan. (Please emit the appropriate gasp at scene below, much obliged)

You may also wish to note that the Indian dromedary camels have a heavy growth of hair on throat, shoulder, and hump, which is longer than the rest of the body. On an average, the camels in India live for a period of 40 to 50 years. They are widely used by the people of Rajasthan as a means of transportation. Indian camels also provide humans with milk, meat, wool, leather and fuel (from their dried dung).

And while you watch the night and day and then night again, travelling of these camels, you try hard not to yawn..

Here's some more "interesting" faqs about India's dromedary camels to help keep you awake

Behaviour

Dromedary camels can be usually seen in groups, consisting of anywhere between two to twenty members. In every group, there is one male member who dominates the rest of the members, which comprise of females, sub-adults and young ones. While moving in a group, one can see the dominant male directing the group from the rear, while the female members lead at the front.

Mating Behaviour

Indian camels attain maturity at the age of 4 to 5 years. They give birth to one offspring at a time and the gestation period is around fifteen months. The young ones are raised by their mother for a period of two years after their birth, after which they attain adulthood.

Camels have the ability to endure wide changes in their body temperature as well as water content. Their body temperature may vary as widely as being 41 deg C (106 deg F) in the daytime and being 34 deg C (93 deg F) at night. Only when they cross this limit do they begin to sweat, thus helping them save up to five liters of water in one day. Indian camels can cope up with as much as twenty-five percent weight loss, caused by sweating. The thick coat of a camel reflects sunlight and serves as insulation from the heat of the sand.

After travelling with our 3 friends for 3 days, here's your reward, for surviving this arduous journey thus far. An invitation to share in the splendid spread from Kiva's Kitchen. Enjoy!

TO BE CONTINUED...