A road snaking away among the gigantic mountains. The sun had mellowed down its harsh rays. The chill of the wind soothed my skin as I opened the window of our speeding cab to get a better look at the distant sand dunes. We were approaching the Hunder sand dunes. Months of planning , waiting and dreaming about the gorgeous Hunder sand dunes and the double humped camels crossing the cold desert was finally unfolding in front of our eyes. Yes !! I was this excited to see the camels. I had planned of clicking photos with these beautiful beasts. I wasn't really waiting to ride a camel because I don't like making an animal carry my load just for my pleasure.
The valley was crowded with excited with tourists with long queues at the ticket counter. A beautiful stream was flowing across the meadow and occasionally the owners led their beautiful beasts to drink from the stream. We rushed across to finally see the camels - The Bactrian Camels !! The two humped camels. People were busy taking their rides , or posing for photographs with the majestic beasts. We approached a medium sized camel - Not an adult , Not a Baby but a Teenage camel you may say. I stood beside it and it gave me a look. I ignored the look taking it to be its look of curiosity. It was my friend's turn to stand beside it while we clicked the photograph. The Camel looked once again. I assured my friend that it was just a look of curiosity but I was wrong!! Before we could understand anything it started chasing us with leaps and bounds. Utterly shocked and confused we ran for our life!!
After the chase and the run we maintained a certain distance from the camels. This particular camel also was about to kick a small child nearby who had absolutely no idea about the danger. The owner of the camel was quick to move the child to safety. We also noticed another camel aggressively biting into the sleeves of a woman's dress who was riding a camel in front of her.
The Hunder sand dunes were absolutely stunning. The view of the endless hills of the white sand , the setting sun on the mountain ranges and the majestic Bactrian Camels were straight out of a dream.
We laughed a lot at our miserable situation after the incident that day.
But the chase and the run and the sudden aggression have made me wondering - Are we treating the animals right? The sun in Ladakh during the daytime at this time of the year is harsh and burning. The weather is dry. It would be so hot in the sand dunes during the day time. The camels are made to carry tourists across the dunes several times during the day. It must be excruciating!!! The aggression might be an outcome of this stress.
What is your Opinion?
Ready to travel for free? Earn credits and redeem them on Tripoto’s weekend getaways, hotel stays and vacation packages!
Watch travel stories come to life with Tripoto on Youtube!
' fill='%23359391'%3e %3cpath d='M46.1538462%2c43.5714286 L41.5%2c50 L36.8461538%2c43.5714286 L36.8670256%2c43.5714286 C36.3173077%2c42.7142857 36%2c41.6851429 36%2c40.5714286 C36%2c37.4854286 38.4535641%2c35 41.5%2c35 C44.5464359%2c35 47%2c37.4854286 47%2c40.5714286 C47%2c41.6851429 46.6826923%2c42.7142857 46.1329744%2c43.5714286 L46.1538462%2c43.5714286 Z M41.4294872%2c39 C40.6150641%2c39 39.9487179%2c39.675 39.9487179%2c40.5 C39.9487179%2c41.325 40.6150641%2c42 41.4294872%2c42 C42.2439103%2c42 42.9102564%2c41.325 42.9102564%2c40.5 C42.9102564%2c39.675 42.2439103%2c39 41.4294872%2c39 L41.4294872%2c39 Z' id='Location-white'%3e%3c/path%3e %3c/g%3e %3c/svg%3e)
