Barbara tells us about her trip in the early 90's to a country that we might be hesitant about visiting in 2013.
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In the early 1990's I traveled with a faculty exchange group from a Pennsylvania college. We visited libraries in Karachi, Pakistan.
After conducting a workshop, colleagues and I had an opportunity to travel throughout the country with our host librarians. We were able to visit Rawalpindi, located near the country's capital city of Islamabad, reminders of our childhood reading of Kipling.
Beyond the splendor of ancient ruins and famous mosques, we had a brief time along the Arabian seacoast. Someone suggested we ride the "Ships of the Desert," "by the sea, by the sea." My memory of what would be my only camel ride is both beautiful and also amusing.
Recently I found photos of this once-in-a- lifetime event. The camels were trained tobend and kneel, to allow the rider to step onto a special seat that was strapped atop this gentle, quiet animal of transport. Unlike the biblical Wise Men, I felt shaky and unsettled. I could imagine the Magi traveling on their camels while I sat rigid, unsure of my balance upon this lofty perch.
I tried not to think of tipping, then falling into oblivion on a basket seat. I could see the outline of the shore stretching for miles, like a lazy seaside landscape. It was a lovely experience, warm, sunny, seemingly calm, without worry.
This memory is far from what we view today when network news videos depict bloody conflicts, casualities, car bombings in parts of present day Pakistan.
On November 22, 2012, a Taliban suicide bomber killed 23 people in Rawalpindi
Barbara Reese
(Barbara has several other memoirs in a compilation she's in the midst of writing. Thanks for sharing this one, Barb.)
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