It's Off to the Races

Yesterday was a beautiful day and we planned to go to the nearby camel races.  Races are held each Friday morning from 6:30 am to 9:30 am.  This early start lets the riders and owners get to pray on time.  Getting up early on your day off is not something I really wanted to do, but the races have been on my "to do" list since we arrived in Al Ain. The camels range in age from 2 years old up to 5 years old.  The younger the camel the farther they will run.  This is a huge part of the culture here and it is as competitive as horse racing in the states.  Winners advance to the next level.  The better known races are held in Dubai and the winning purse is substancial.  The owner also gets a Land Rover.  The winner camel is treated like royalty and can be sold at a later date for as much as 1,000,000 UAE. At the local track the riders are used to seeing the tourists arrive in their rental cars with their zoom lens and millions of questions.  Yesterday after we arrived we learned, much to our disappointment that the race had been cancelled.  However, the riders were gracious enough to allow us some photos.  Some of the kids in the group even got to sit on one of the camels.  Since it was still early a few of us went to the local breakfast place to grab a bite and talk.  Nice day even though the main event didn't take place.  The racing season lasts until March, so I'm sure we will make another Friday trip in the near future.