Camel races!

Like a kid on the way to Disneyland, I was soooooo excited as we drove 30 minutes north to attend a real, live camel race!  This was the ultimate cultural event.  It began with music and singing (lipsync) by traditionally-dressed Oman women.  The scent (and smoke) of frankincense wafted up through the stands from huge incense burners. Between the races, there were parades of men and women riding on camels, as well as traditional Omani music, dancing, and drumming shows.  Omanis are known for their friendliness and hospitality-- there was no admission charge to attend the races, and all spectators were offered bottled water, snacks, and traditional Omani halwa for free.   

 Preparing for the opening singing/lipsync show

Camels racing with owners/trainers driving alongside in SUVs

 

Camel jockeys (young and lightweight Oman boys) have recently been replaced by robots.

 

VIP seating

 

Our friends sat in the two rows in front of us (thanks S & S for letting me borrow some of your pics for this post!).  Notice the freshly-painted stands... we came home with blue paint all over our shoes and pants.

 

Notice the fancy outfits the ladies next to us were wearing.  It turns out they were dressed for one of the many between-race shows:

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David and Ethan scooping up some Omani halwa, a traditional Oman sweet made with starch, eggs, sugar, water, ghee, saffron, cardamom, nuts and rose water.   

Trivia!

Did you know... 

* David's favorite animal is the camel? 

* David was bitten by a camel while serving his mission in Virginia, and can proudly show you the scar? 

* David wrote a paper titled, "Camels, Ships of the Desert" while studying the middle east at BYU? 

* I gave David a stuffed camel ("Camilla") for his birthday shortly after we were married?

* David's favorite movie is Lawrence of Arabia?