Camel Crossing

Pausing at the intersection of the rocky, arid expanses of Israel’s Negev Desert and this triangular traffic signal, you might expect to see Arabic Bedouin nomads riding beside you, clad in traditional woolen tunics and red and white headdresses. But today, only imagination could yield this sight: the Bedouin people of Israel abandoned their nomadic lifestyle over a century ago, and now camels in this UNESCO world heritage site are ridden almost exclusively by tourists seeking the romance of a bygone era.

However, these rides are ill-advised for tourists who struggle with motion-sickness. Camels walk by moving both legs on one side and then both legs on the other, rocking side-to-side—one of several reasons why these trusty creatures have been nick- named “ships of the desert.”