... and Rahul and Resha and William.
Since we were in the land of sand, sand, and sand, we thought it would be appropriate to go see some desert. We had heard about this Sundowner jeep safari offered by Arabian Adventures from a bunch of people, including Erica at Ahadi Lodge, who recommended it. When we decided to partake, however, it was Rahul's last day, so I was a bit skeptical as to whether we could get a same day reservation. The concierge at our hotel, however, had a pretty extensive activities desk, so I headed down there earlyish in the morning to see if we could possibly get on the evening trek. After patiently waiting for twenty minutes while some British lady took forever to make a reservation after asking a bajillion useless questions, the exasperated concierge greeted me with a "oh-good-your-not-a-crazy-person" smile, and happily informed me that yes, same day reservations were totally possible. So, he wrote me up a receipt, I paid for it, and then he said that the company would actually pick us up right at the hotel. Five minutes total. Money.
The car picked us up later and we headed inland. We quickly left the beach and the city behind, and we entered the vast interior of the Arabian Peninsula. The buildings got smaller and less impressive (mostly housing) until they finally disappeared. We ran into a sports complex in the middle of nowhere, which the driver explained to us was the infrastructure for Dubai Sports City, which was to host cricket, soccer, rubgy, horse racing, camel racing, and a few other things I forget. Looked about half-built and sort of creepy - like the amusement park scene at the end of Zombieland.
Anyways, we eventually got to and entered the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve. Apparently Arabian Adventures has a monopoly on doing events in the reserve, so if you want to go, you don't have many options. Which is fine since overall, they did a very good job.
The jeep in front of us is exactly like the type we were picked up in and arrived in. Our driver was originally from Yemen. We had shed our previous shyness about being American, and so freely offered this information in our conversations with him, and like so many others, he immediately gave us a heartfelt exultation about how glad he was that we were visiting his sort-of-land. He then went into a mini-tirade about how there were no work opportunities in Yemen, how Saudi Arabia sucked, and how Oman/UAE/Qatar was the best place to be in the region - and particularly Dubai.
We drove a short while through the reserve and ended up at this "parking lot." He then informed us that several hundred people would be joining us, and that we should get out of the car and walk around a bit while we waited for them. No wonder they take same day reservations. And so we did seize this opportunity to get our first feel for...
... sand. Arabian sand.
The land of a 1001 Arabian Nights...
... with desert as far as I eye can see. Pretty cool, and made us wonder why the heck anyone would choose to live out here as the Bedouins did, as opposed to near the coast. To each his own I guess.
I took the opportunity to take the first of many glamour shots in Dubai. I had heard of sandboarding, and although lacking a board, I decided to see if maybe I could get some movement going. Verdict: not so much.
The sand itself, however, was mesmerizing beautiful at times.
And just when we thought all we would get to see was sand, but what did we see in the distance?
A camel! Sweet! Good find Rahul!
Apparently they are biters, hence the sock on the muzzle.
We were allowed to pet them, however, so William took the opportunity.
As did I, although I have a weird smile on my face.
A better, frontal view with the camel.
And a "3-D" shot from the front. The ones at the National Zoo in DC are kind of stinky, so in comparison, this one smelled great. Although it may have something to do with the wind blowing any funk away from every direction of endless sand.
Eerie tree. You will also notice that there are many tracks next to the eerie tree. That is because the Sundowner is known for jeeps doing their best roller-coaster impression over the dunes. So, after more cars arrived, we were instructed to get back in the car, and away we went.
After we got in, we were gratified to find out that our driver was in fact the head of this entire armada. He had a walkie-talkie that would beep constantly, and he would yell orders, mostly in English, to the other drivers. Good to know we had the best, and that we would be the ones making the "fresh tracks."
And so we were off...
... into the wild yellow desert. Off we go... into the sand.
Was it the most wild ride ever? No. But we did get thrown around a decent amount, and unlike in Tanzania, they did make us wear seat belts.
You will notice two other people in the car with us. They were a very nice young couple visiting from Iran. Ooooooooh! Iran! Ahmadinejad! Was this the "being nice to Americans" component of our journey finally going to end? After all, we were in their part of the world. Iran was the neighbor just across the Persian Gulf. They were the Axis of Evil. They hated us. We hated them. You could feel the tension rise in the car...
... for about a second. After we all introduced ourselves, there was sort of an awkward silence before the couple started to unpromptedly share what seemed like their entire life story and philosophy. They were both in their late 20s and visiting Dubai for vacation. He was a mid-level executive in a British conglomerate (I remember which one it was, but why would I make it easier for the two mullah censors in existence to capture and re-educate this very nice couple?), and did quite a bit of business in Dubai and India.
And boy did they hate Ahmadinejad. I mean with a burning hot white passion reserved for the lowest depths of Hades. I think they did a full ten minute tirade (again, completely unprompted) about how him and the clerics sucked, that they were holding Iran back economically, how they didn't have any freedom, and that everyone from their friends to grandparents to grandkids couldn't wait for them to die (the old mullahs anyway) and be swept from power so Iran could re-join the world. They also went into great detail of how even though alcohol and anything Western was banned, they had an amazing black market that could get you anything delivered to your doorstep within the hour of making a phone call. $20 for a bottle of Black Label? No problem. Tupac CDs? Foo-sho. Makeup? Absolutely. We asked whether that wasn't a big risk, and they said that while there was some risk, it was a lot smaller than we thought because the mullahs were afraid that the people would actually rise up and challenge them if they cracked down too hard, especially since 60% of the population was under 18 and had no memories of the 1979 Revolution... and could really care less. Maybe in... ten years?
The driver then informed us that such a black market also existed in Dubai, and that if we wanted anything, he could get it delivered to our room in 30 minutes. Given that we really didn't have a problem getting anything, however, and the fact that we didn't want to suffer rendition in a Dubai jail, we politely passed.
Anyways, after the very illuminating car ride, we arrived at our first destination.
Yes, it was more sand, but higher and more scenic sand.
Us taking pictures of each other.
William being Cornholio again.
Artistic steps of William.
Shadows of us.
Resha also doing the Cornholio... with nothing as far as the eye can see...
... which explains why I would look like this if I was hypothetically stuck out here for... hours?
Anyways, the sun was also huge and strangely beautiful as it started to set over the endless sand...
... which is why I then started to get more "creative juices" flowing. First, the Obama O...
... but then I remembered the Karate Kid doing maneuvers into the sun (possibly while balancing on a pole), and got some inspiration... HASSAN PUNCH!
SIDEKICK!
CRANE KICK!
And of course, what glamour shot sequence would be complete...
... without a leap into the sun. Came out pretty good, no?
After our fun, and admonishment from our guide to "keep it down," we settled on the sand to watch the sun set over the dunes. He explained the red glow comes from the red sand blowing off the Al Hajjar Mountains to the east in the UAE and entering Oman.
The circles were pretty awesome...
... as the sun slowly disappeared...
... leaving a triangular upward ray-glow in its wake.
All gone.
We then got back into the car and drove a short distance to our final stop. At our destination, we met back up with our old camel friend (notice the same muzzle), but this time, we were allowed to ride them!
Rahul and William went first. Thankfully no biting or bucking.
Resha and I then went next...
... I just have weird expressions today.
Huzzah! I've ridden a camel before at zoos and parks, but it definitely had a different feel in the land of the camel.
I wish I had gotten a better shot of this, but this is Rahul with a hunting falcon on his hand. Don't worry... he has a glove on.
At which point, we entered the camped kingdom.
It had a gift store and tacky things like that above, but we ate it up nonetheless. It was very cool.
We took our seats and then got up to get our buffet meal. Was the food the best Middle Eastern food we had ever had? No. But it was tasty enough, with the usuals you would expect - kabob, cous cous, dates, lamb, etc. For drinks, we were offered two alcoholic beverages per person. They had wine, which I partook in at first, but it tasted bad, so I opted for the beer second. Exotic Amstel Light.
All the tables were centered around this big carpeted area.
Enjoying our dinner...
... and our beverages. We were definitely satiated, and the heat definitely made the alcohol go to our heads faster.
Suddenly, the lights went low, and guess who appeared. A classic belly dancer!
She was good. Not the best I had ever seen, and as William would say, she didn't make him feel funny things...
... but he took a picture with her nonetheless.
There was also a henna station run by two Indian ladies. In showing of how small the world is, Resha got into a conversation with the lady about various things. The topic moved to where they were each from, and once they realized the other was originally from India, they quickly narrowed it down to the fact that Resha's parents and this lady were from the same small town in India! Small world, and amazing that one would be visiting from halfway around the world to be served by the other.
In any case, she gave Resha a very cool design.
Now henna, is mostly for women, but I was informed they had some manly ones, so being the bastion of testosterone that I am, and oh so comfortable in my sexuality, I opted for not just one, but two.
First the scorpion...
... and then the snake (and me doing a horrible snake impression)
A better view. It actually looked pretty cool.
Only LOOKS like chocolate.
I was told to keep it on for a few hours before washing, which I did at the hotel after a very difficult ride, since I was trying not too touch anything. The scorpion came out okay...
... while the snake really didn't.
Anyways, this day was probably the highlight of our Dubai trip, and I highly recommend it for some good wholesome family fun. I'm actually going to be in Hawaii for the next few days, however, so it will be a few weeks until the next post.
In the meantime... Merry New Year!
Since we were in the land of sand, sand, and sand, we thought it would be appropriate to go see some desert. We had heard about this Sundowner jeep safari offered by Arabian Adventures from a bunch of people, including Erica at Ahadi Lodge, who recommended it. When we decided to partake, however, it was Rahul's last day, so I was a bit skeptical as to whether we could get a same day reservation. The concierge at our hotel, however, had a pretty extensive activities desk, so I headed down there earlyish in the morning to see if we could possibly get on the evening trek. After patiently waiting for twenty minutes while some British lady took forever to make a reservation after asking a bajillion useless questions, the exasperated concierge greeted me with a "oh-good-your-not-a-crazy-person" smile, and happily informed me that yes, same day reservations were totally possible. So, he wrote me up a receipt, I paid for it, and then he said that the company would actually pick us up right at the hotel. Five minutes total. Money.
The car picked us up later and we headed inland. We quickly left the beach and the city behind, and we entered the vast interior of the Arabian Peninsula. The buildings got smaller and less impressive (mostly housing) until they finally disappeared. We ran into a sports complex in the middle of nowhere, which the driver explained to us was the infrastructure for Dubai Sports City, which was to host cricket, soccer, rubgy, horse racing, camel racing, and a few other things I forget. Looked about half-built and sort of creepy - like the amusement park scene at the end of Zombieland.
Anyways, we eventually got to and entered the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve. Apparently Arabian Adventures has a monopoly on doing events in the reserve, so if you want to go, you don't have many options. Which is fine since overall, they did a very good job.
The jeep in front of us is exactly like the type we were picked up in and arrived in. Our driver was originally from Yemen. We had shed our previous shyness about being American, and so freely offered this information in our conversations with him, and like so many others, he immediately gave us a heartfelt exultation about how glad he was that we were visiting his sort-of-land. He then went into a mini-tirade about how there were no work opportunities in Yemen, how Saudi Arabia sucked, and how Oman/UAE/Qatar was the best place to be in the region - and particularly Dubai.
We drove a short while through the reserve and ended up at this "parking lot." He then informed us that several hundred people would be joining us, and that we should get out of the car and walk around a bit while we waited for them. No wonder they take same day reservations. And so we did seize this opportunity to get our first feel for...
... sand. Arabian sand.
The land of a 1001 Arabian Nights...
... with desert as far as I eye can see. Pretty cool, and made us wonder why the heck anyone would choose to live out here as the Bedouins did, as opposed to near the coast. To each his own I guess.
I took the opportunity to take the first of many glamour shots in Dubai. I had heard of sandboarding, and although lacking a board, I decided to see if maybe I could get some movement going. Verdict: not so much.
The sand itself, however, was mesmerizing beautiful at times.
And just when we thought all we would get to see was sand, but what did we see in the distance?
A camel! Sweet! Good find Rahul!
Apparently they are biters, hence the sock on the muzzle.
We were allowed to pet them, however, so William took the opportunity.
As did I, although I have a weird smile on my face.
A better, frontal view with the camel.
And a "3-D" shot from the front. The ones at the National Zoo in DC are kind of stinky, so in comparison, this one smelled great. Although it may have something to do with the wind blowing any funk away from every direction of endless sand.
Eerie tree. You will also notice that there are many tracks next to the eerie tree. That is because the Sundowner is known for jeeps doing their best roller-coaster impression over the dunes. So, after more cars arrived, we were instructed to get back in the car, and away we went.
After we got in, we were gratified to find out that our driver was in fact the head of this entire armada. He had a walkie-talkie that would beep constantly, and he would yell orders, mostly in English, to the other drivers. Good to know we had the best, and that we would be the ones making the "fresh tracks."
And so we were off...
... into the wild yellow desert. Off we go... into the sand.
Was it the most wild ride ever? No. But we did get thrown around a decent amount, and unlike in Tanzania, they did make us wear seat belts.
You will notice two other people in the car with us. They were a very nice young couple visiting from Iran. Ooooooooh! Iran! Ahmadinejad! Was this the "being nice to Americans" component of our journey finally going to end? After all, we were in their part of the world. Iran was the neighbor just across the Persian Gulf. They were the Axis of Evil. They hated us. We hated them. You could feel the tension rise in the car...
... for about a second. After we all introduced ourselves, there was sort of an awkward silence before the couple started to unpromptedly share what seemed like their entire life story and philosophy. They were both in their late 20s and visiting Dubai for vacation. He was a mid-level executive in a British conglomerate (I remember which one it was, but why would I make it easier for the two mullah censors in existence to capture and re-educate this very nice couple?), and did quite a bit of business in Dubai and India.
And boy did they hate Ahmadinejad. I mean with a burning hot white passion reserved for the lowest depths of Hades. I think they did a full ten minute tirade (again, completely unprompted) about how him and the clerics sucked, that they were holding Iran back economically, how they didn't have any freedom, and that everyone from their friends to grandparents to grandkids couldn't wait for them to die (the old mullahs anyway) and be swept from power so Iran could re-join the world. They also went into great detail of how even though alcohol and anything Western was banned, they had an amazing black market that could get you anything delivered to your doorstep within the hour of making a phone call. $20 for a bottle of Black Label? No problem. Tupac CDs? Foo-sho. Makeup? Absolutely. We asked whether that wasn't a big risk, and they said that while there was some risk, it was a lot smaller than we thought because the mullahs were afraid that the people would actually rise up and challenge them if they cracked down too hard, especially since 60% of the population was under 18 and had no memories of the 1979 Revolution... and could really care less. Maybe in... ten years?
The driver then informed us that such a black market also existed in Dubai, and that if we wanted anything, he could get it delivered to our room in 30 minutes. Given that we really didn't have a problem getting anything, however, and the fact that we didn't want to suffer rendition in a Dubai jail, we politely passed.
Anyways, after the very illuminating car ride, we arrived at our first destination.
Yes, it was more sand, but higher and more scenic sand.
Us taking pictures of each other.
William being Cornholio again.
Artistic steps of William.
Shadows of us.
Resha also doing the Cornholio... with nothing as far as the eye can see...
... which explains why I would look like this if I was hypothetically stuck out here for... hours?
Anyways, the sun was also huge and strangely beautiful as it started to set over the endless sand...
... which is why I then started to get more "creative juices" flowing. First, the Obama O...
... but then I remembered the Karate Kid doing maneuvers into the sun (possibly while balancing on a pole), and got some inspiration... HASSAN PUNCH!
SIDEKICK!
CRANE KICK!
And of course, what glamour shot sequence would be complete...
... without a leap into the sun. Came out pretty good, no?
After our fun, and admonishment from our guide to "keep it down," we settled on the sand to watch the sun set over the dunes. He explained the red glow comes from the red sand blowing off the Al Hajjar Mountains to the east in the UAE and entering Oman.
The circles were pretty awesome...
... as the sun slowly disappeared...
... leaving a triangular upward ray-glow in its wake.
All gone.
We then got back into the car and drove a short distance to our final stop. At our destination, we met back up with our old camel friend (notice the same muzzle), but this time, we were allowed to ride them!
Rahul and William went first. Thankfully no biting or bucking.
Resha and I then went next...
... I just have weird expressions today.
Huzzah! I've ridden a camel before at zoos and parks, but it definitely had a different feel in the land of the camel.
I wish I had gotten a better shot of this, but this is Rahul with a hunting falcon on his hand. Don't worry... he has a glove on.
At which point, we entered the camped kingdom.
It had a gift store and tacky things like that above, but we ate it up nonetheless. It was very cool.
We took our seats and then got up to get our buffet meal. Was the food the best Middle Eastern food we had ever had? No. But it was tasty enough, with the usuals you would expect - kabob, cous cous, dates, lamb, etc. For drinks, we were offered two alcoholic beverages per person. They had wine, which I partook in at first, but it tasted bad, so I opted for the beer second. Exotic Amstel Light.
All the tables were centered around this big carpeted area.
Enjoying our dinner...
... and our beverages. We were definitely satiated, and the heat definitely made the alcohol go to our heads faster.
Suddenly, the lights went low, and guess who appeared. A classic belly dancer!
She was good. Not the best I had ever seen, and as William would say, she didn't make him feel funny things...
... but he took a picture with her nonetheless.
There was also a henna station run by two Indian ladies. In showing of how small the world is, Resha got into a conversation with the lady about various things. The topic moved to where they were each from, and once they realized the other was originally from India, they quickly narrowed it down to the fact that Resha's parents and this lady were from the same small town in India! Small world, and amazing that one would be visiting from halfway around the world to be served by the other.
In any case, she gave Resha a very cool design.
Now henna, is mostly for women, but I was informed they had some manly ones, so being the bastion of testosterone that I am, and oh so comfortable in my sexuality, I opted for not just one, but two.
First the scorpion...
... and then the snake (and me doing a horrible snake impression)
A better view. It actually looked pretty cool.
Only LOOKS like chocolate.
I was told to keep it on for a few hours before washing, which I did at the hotel after a very difficult ride, since I was trying not too touch anything. The scorpion came out okay...
... while the snake really didn't.
Anyways, this day was probably the highlight of our Dubai trip, and I highly recommend it for some good wholesome family fun. I'm actually going to be in Hawaii for the next few days, however, so it will be a few weeks until the next post.
In the meantime... Merry New Year!
