Dubai Camel Trek Training days 2,3,4,5,6

October 18, 2018

Living is Dubai is a great adventure.  This month I enjoyed training for the camel trek sponsored by The Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (http://hhc.gov.ae/en/events/).  I heard over 400 people applied and 15 to 20 will be picked to do the trek, I am not positive about this information, it is what I heard.
I attended the training for three weeks, two days a week, about 2 hours each day.
After three weeks I will no longer attend the training. I feel so grateful to have this opportunity.  But, I have other plans for this month. More adventures to explore.

The drive from where I live is about 1 hour, into the desert, to the camel farms. Great highways until the camel farms.

The directions; follow the flags..

There are always a few sandstorms around.  It is so much fun to drive in the sand, turn on the 4x4.   Arabic for Sand is Ramal (ra'meel)

Jameel (masc), Jamal (singular), Jimal (more than one) is camel in Arabic. 

The Camels are fed well

Camel Feed looking perfect

The cinch is very simple, along with the blankets (Arabic Ba-Ti-neea)  and ropes; all together it is called the camel saddle.   Saddle in Arabic is Shadhad  

The cinch and pad is very decorative, we learned knots used to secure the cinch around the camel

The blankets make a comfortable place to sit

Learning how to ask the Camel to go down was a challenge, success made me Happy

Most of the camels are gentle giants 

Hospitality is always a part of the Arab Culture.  Each day we are greeted with coffee (Khah-wa), tea (Shaai), water (maai) and a few little snacks.  The Majilis is a place to rest, eat and socialize

Thanks Shirley for this great pic

The Majilis is always welcoming

A great place to be in school, Madrasa

Isn't He just Beautiful...

There are beauty contests for camels in the UAE, and many Arab and Gulf countries where judges rate the size of the camels’  lips, cheeks, heads and knees.

I personally think their best feature is their eye lashes.  Arabic eye, aein  ramoush  Such fun words to learn.  eye lashes, Ramush Alain

To Sam who helped me with my Arabic words, Thank you, Shokran jazeelan

To those to took the time to teach us about camels;  

شكرا جزيلا   shokran jazeelan  Thank you very much

To my fellow friends who will go on the Trek
Mabrook (Mabuk) (congratulations, you are blessed)

Dubai Camel Trek Learning Day One

Dubai is an amazing place to live...

Today I was delighted to be part of a group of expats that wanted to explore more of Dubai.

We gathered together to learn more about camels and prepare for a camel trek in January. 

Almost 100 people applied, only 15 will be picked to go on the trek.  Hmm I wonder if I will be picked....

On our first day we learned to put our gear on the camel.  Our group came together as we watched, learned and finally geared up our camel.

I learned that knots were important.  Our teachers were patient and seemed happy to teach us.

Just like the saddle on our horse,  everything needs to be centred properly, tighten, and smooth on the camel.

My camels name was Laal, meaning Red in Hindi

Camel in Arabic is Jamaal, which mean beautiful.  And he is...

 

The gear is rolled up and ready 

2018 Kerala Coir from Coconut fiber

  Kerala is actually named after the coconut tree with "Kera" meaning Coconut tree and "Alam" meaning land so means "Land of Coconut Trees”

International Coir Museum, Alleppey, Kerala, India

When I was researching our time in Kerala, I came across an article on coconut Coir,  I continued to ask our driver to find a place to show us how coir is made and he found this Museum, which is also a school.
Students come from throughout India to learn this trade.  The courses are various lengths.

Coir is the outer husk or fiber from coconut.  Coir is a Mamyalam work Kayer or kayaru.  
To be twisted.

The first factory was set up in Alleppey in 1859.  But history shows it was used long before.

My first pics are from the Museum side.  The last pics are from the school side.

The process takes time

Old spinning wheels

Our guide was amazing, explaining all the machines

The looms changed lots over the years

This loom was developed especially for women

Another development to make the job easier for women

Shedding, Beating, winding

We did not know about the furniture

Flooring

Mats, Mats and more mats

Cocolawn, might be worth checking into

100% moth proof, rat and fungi resistant

More furniture

Provides excellent insulation against temperature and sound.

This is the beginning of our tour of the school.  The students were delightful

Also used in erosion control on river banks and hillsides

Brown coir is used in brushes, doormats, mattresses and sacking. A small amount is also made into twine. 

Some of the Teachers

Brown coir is used in brushes, doormats, mattresses and sacking. A small amount is also made into twine. Pads of curled brown coir fibre, made by needle-felting (a machine technique that mats the fibres together) are shaped and cut to fill mattresses and for use in erosion control on river banks and hillsides. A major proportion of brown coir pads are sprayed with rubber latex which bonds the fibres together (rubberized coir) to be used as upholstery padding for the automobile industry in Europe. The material is also used for insulation and packaging. The major use of white coir is in rope manufacture. Mats of woven coir fibre are made from the finer grades of bristle and white fibre using hand or mechanical looms. Coir is recommended as substitute for milled peat moss because it is free of bacteria and fungal spores.

Total world coir fibre production is 250,000 tonnes. The coir fibre industry is particularly important in some areas of the developing world. India, mainly the coastal region of Kerala State, produces 60% of the total world supply of white coir fibre. Sri Lanka produces 36% of the total world brown fibre output. Over 50% of the coir fibre produced annually throughout the world is consumed in the countries of origin, mainly India.

If you are visiting Kerala, this is worth the visit.  All the students wanted to show us what they were learning.