For my 30th birthday, my (then) roommate Sparky took me on a desert safari, It was one of the most fun things I'd done to that point in my life. (If you want to read about that experience and hear my 30 year old very-young-blog-voice, click HERE). Well, 10 years later, I was back in Dubai (despite my vow to never return) for a week long business meeting. After days of 12 hours of meetings, our leadership treated us to an evening in the desert--on a safari!
Here's me and Maple before the dune bashing began...
We piled into a long caravan of Land Rovers and started sliding our way over all the sand dunes.
These pictures do no justice to that crazy ride.
But when you're at a 45 degree tilt on a sand dune, it's a little hair raising.
I took some motion sickness pills before the ride, since I still remember, 10 years later, how ill that ride can make one feel. I also knew to sit in the middle, instead of in the back and/or by a window. The poor girl next to me screamed and squealed and closed her eyes for most of the ride as we slid down dunes. It's crazy---but it's so fun!
Once we got to the camp, there were a few camels available for rides. Unlike my first time (or any other time I've ridden a camel), when it was for a good amount of time, this was basically equivalent to a pony ride picture op. Get up on the camel, walk around, take your picture, get off. But even for the short amount of time, it was fun.
Maple and I tried to get Abdullah to take a good photo of us on the camel. He either cut off my head, or the camel's head, or included the other camel and it's rider in the photo. I lamented over how this would be the best photo of me and Maple IF my camel's head wasn't cut off and the girl on the other camel had leaned the other way out of the shot...oh well.
Again, what the guy had against including the camel's head in the photo is beyond me.
The camel shadow photo is one that I learned after our camel trek in October that I'm supposed to take...and I still forgot again on this ride to take one! Maple shot one for me.
After our ride, some colleagues who'd never ridden a camel before decided they wanted to try. One lady, bless her heart, couldn't get up on the camel. It's hard, I'll admit, but I have long legs. But she does not have long legs, and it was super hard for her. So I knelt down beside the camel so she could stand on my knee as a boost up. Well, Mr. Camel was not happy with this situation! He suddenly decided to stand up, throwing her back to the ground, and sending me flying backwards. All I could picture in my head was that I was about to be trampled by an angry camel, so "stop, drop, and roll" flashed through my mind and I started rolling as far away from the camel as I could, as fast as I could. When I finally stopped, I laid flat on my back and just laughed and laughed until I apparently turned blue. Everyone was worried and thought I was hurt...but Maple knew I was just laughing hysterically.
So...if you try to give a camel a can of Coke, he will not be happy. Hyped up on sugar, sure, but not happy.
After our camel ride, Maple and I went up some of the sand dunes. Eventually, nearly all of our colleagues followed us. We all had fun relaxing and talking and enjoying the awesomeness of the desert.
10 years ago, I'd had a picture taken of me on the sand dune sitting just like this, but it was pre-digital days, and so it wasn't until the film was developed that I discovered the picture was blurry. I was so sad. So I thought it'd be fun to recreate the photo 10 years later, and not blurry this time!
I started laughing at how ridiculous this photo shoot was becoming.
And then I decided I want to roll down the sand dune.
Something about sand just makes you want to act like a kid. Run, roll, jump, pretend you can fly...as one of my colleagues did.
The sunset was pretty fun to watch too. It was so great to walk out over sand that had no footprints in it yet.
And watch the dune bashing continue in the distance.
Again, so many of us sat and talked until the sun was nearly gone.
Once the sun was down, we had dinner, and then the Arabs put on a show. We'd requested no belly dancing...and so we got quite the entertainment instead. First, a guy with a fancy skirt twirled and twirled.
His skirt lit up and separated and spun and parts of it came off that he wrapped up like a baby. No kidding.
Then the fire dancer came out. I mean, I do love a good fire dancer. I was so enthralled I could barely take photos.
Hopefully this video can give you the small taste of how much fun Arab entertainment can be.
On the way out at the end of the night, the camel smiled at me...a full teethy smile.
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