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Sounds of a CaravanCelebrating three decades of Pulse of the Planet, here's a program from our archives.Every activity has its own unique set of sounds, and a caravan through the desert is no exception. During a long journey across the desert, when camel herders reach a well, they'll draw water in teams, chanting as they pull on the well rope. I'm Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet.Lou Werner is a documentary filmmaker who travelled with the camel herders taking animals from central Sudan to markets in Egypt. There are no paved roads, no way to deliver the camels except by trekking along an ancient trade route through the desert.Werner: Camels are used not to transport goods like you might see in romantic orientalist caravan paintings. They are herded like cattle. They are slaughtered and eaten like cattle, and they are a store of wealth.When the camels are being driven to market, they might make 60 miles in a day. They might be walking 15 hours, and they will go without water for eight to ten days, depending on the availability of water at local wells. And they also eat very little in that time.The journey across the desert takes forty days. By the time they reach the halfway mark, the herders may have watered the camels only once or twice.This archival program is part of our thirtieth anniversary celebration. If you want hear more, check out our podcast. Im Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet