The Camel Crew
With three camels amongst the crew now making its merry way to Beijing, it's undoubtedly about time that I introduced them to you. As with the previous article on camels, all three are Bacterian camels in full winter coat. After a rest over the harsher months of Winter, in Karchung, Xinjiang province all are ready to make a move. So here's a brief insight into each one's personality as I hope you follow the ride over the next year across China.
Much has changed since the time I bought all three, and each has their preferred place in the caravan, though loads are often rotated to give each one a rest. Like Boran, all three camels mirror their former treatment and masters alike.
So undeniably named after the wimp alter-ego of battle cat in Heman (sad I know), Cringer is the smallest camel of the treo and loses out as a result. Where food is scarce, he's often bullied by the other two hungry camels and may need separate treatment to keep his weight up over the long days ahead.
Like the other two camels, Cringer came from the Kyrgyz speaking people by Karakul lake near Taxkorgan, amongst the high altitude pastures of the Pamir Mountains. His daily work was usually no more than crying Chinese tourists back and forth along the high alpine shores of the 3500m lake and I've purposefully held off giving him a heavy load.
Cringer's usual position is at the back of the caravan where his role in the group is as a spare camel, carrying no more than the bulk food items required for the animals. He is a dedicated wimp and frequently cries out whenever one of our team walks near him - hence the name. Given a bad history near Karakul, Cringer spits often and is always the least enthusiastic member of the troupe. He needs constant attention, extra slow movements and help. His role as food carrier at the back of the caravan train, is to keep the camels in front from munching on our meagre supplies as we travel.
Our local complainer, recently had a problem with an infected nose-peg that required treatement several weeks into the journey. Fortunately, we had the support of Australian Vets, Ranvet and their miraculous 'White Healer' to help heal the sore.
Did you know...
In times of need, local Chinese camel drivers have been known to use old car tyre rubber to patch the punctured pads of their charges. The Gobi desert was named for its stony landscape and continued wear on a camel's feet can oftern rupture its pads.
On day one of owning Hobo, he decided to take a wander in the hills and his name has stuck ever since. He's generally calm, obedient, with a glimmer of intelligence I'm presently trying to suss out. When we unpack or load in the day, Hobo can offer some resistance (though usually when tired), yet shows the most affection when stroked. His quick pace tends to lead the caravan along, though recent problems with his weight have regulated him back.
The leader of treo is also the largest and most domineering. He has a passive personality and usually offers the least resistance at the start and end of a day on the road. His gait is slow and tends to offset the fast pace of the other two. Like Hobo, Brutas is more content with getting on with the job of tranporting than making a song and dance like Cringer, and we've still yet to see more of this mammoth's underlying personality.
