05-06-17 Fritz the Orphan Donkey

Monday 5th June 2017

Our first full day in Dubai after a glorious fortnight in Phuket is hot and very sunny. Even Kingsley agrees to wear his sunglasses out for our long walk to visit the camels and orphan donkey at Zabe’el Vet. After 12 hours of sleep Kingsley gets us up at 6am, we farewell Erroll who’s off to Kabul for the day, and it takes me 5 hours to get back into the Dubai mode of living. I figure the best way to do so is to get out into the heat and visit some friendly neighbourhood desert-dwellers.

We come prepared to feed the creatures: a red apple I’d carted home from our flight yesterday. Zabe’el camels are curious and their fleshy lips nibble at slices of apple from Kingsley’s fingers. He pats them, gives their snouts gentle scratches and encourages their approach with “kalö agöri!” (good boy!)

However soon enough Kingsley recalls that a wee donkey also lives at these stalls and he’s off to pay Fritz a visit. For the next hour we feed Fritz juicy green grass that is just out of his reach. The two boys become firm mates and I promise Kingsley that we’ll return tomorrow with treats for the friendly camels and his little mate Fritz…