| When Google Maps launched in 2005, it changed the way people get from Point A to Point B. But Google wasn't content with merely revolutionizing everyday travel — the company wanted to recreate a 360-degree view of our world, and so launched Street View two years later. The idea was simple: Send out a fleet of vehicles equipped with cameras to document every inch of Earth. In fact, your abode is probably on Street View right now. But how to document places where vehicles can't tread, whether in the sun-soaked deserts of the Arabian peninsula or the snowy peaks of Nepal? Well, you improvise. In 2014, Google hired an Arabian camel (as well as a handler) to explore the Liwa Oasis in the United Arab Emirates. The camel helped limit any disruption of the natural environment (compared to, say, a Jeep), and the camera, called a Trekker, rested on the animal's hump. The oasis has some of the world's tallest sand dunes, as well as a lush grove of date palms. For centuries, locals have enjoyed fruit from the palms, and used their trunks to weave tents and baskets. However, the oasis is far from the only unusual place Google has sent cameras. For more than a decade, the company's Trekker program gave cameras to both local organizations and daring adventurers to capture amazing places for the Street View program. And yes, that includes Everest. | 
