Bonus Blog: The Desert Safari

Around 2:00 today, I was picked up in a Land Cruiser and driven to a Desert Safari by Mr. Faisal.  In cabs in the UAE, women don't sit in the front seat.  As I opened the door, he seemed shocked that I sat in the back.  He spoke very broken English and I speak broken Arabic....what a pair.  Mr.Faisal was very curious about me.  He loves to hear English.  Asked me all about my job and how I like it here.  As we made it out of town on the way to the remote area between Al Ain and Abu Dhabi, I noticed a bumping in the tires. Mr. Faisal said his tires were set up for dune bashing, which means there is less air than normal.  Told me everything would be fine...Inshallah (If it be Allah's Will....Lord willing and the creek don't rise in Southern) :)

He drove rather slowly for locals :).  When we turned off the main road and turned onto a sandy road, he began to drive like a local....fast.  This used to be a road and there are pot holes everywhere.  He whizzed in and out like a master and arrived safely at the "camp"  Mr. Faisal was the owner of the camp, not just a driver.  I tipped him when arriving...he must have gotten a big smile out of that!

When pulling up, there are huge thatch fences. I was greeted by a man holding a falcon.  Then he let me hold him....

Holding a falcon...Asked if he spoke English....
Looks like he's saying.."Really?"

Falconary is very big here.  They are trained from babies and there are shows at all the zoos.  Many of my children at school have falcons at home. More about falcons later.

Next, I was offered dates and Arabic coffee or hot tea...a sign of hospitality here.  It would be rude to not take the tea, so I did. They asked where I was from...guess it must have been my Southern accent.  Asked if tea was the same in America.  They thought iced tea was funny.

Next, I was given a tour of the camp and a schedule of activities. There will be 100 of us today and I am the first to arrive.  So, I headed straight to the camels.  Really been wanting to ride one and no  waiting.  When I walked out of the back of the camp, heard groaning, growling, and generally unhappy sounds....camels.

Don't know if I could sit like that?

Camels tend to spit and bit, so for safety reason, mouths are covered with a netting.  There is a saddle with handles and a blanket to make the ride more comfortable.  The closer I came to the camel the more groaning happened....yikes.  Man said, "She just happy to see you!" I was thinking something different :)

The humps on the back are very big and the leg swing needed to get on was quite high...I have short legs.  They laughed and laughed at watching me try to get on.  Finally....success.  Camel has to get up from this stance to standing straight up with you on it....scary.

Scared me.  I let out a little girl scream.  They laughed.

And we're off!

I thanked her for the ride.  

Next, it was on to the horses.  Never really ridden a horse except at the fair when I was little and he nibbled on my pants while riding...not my favorite.  Open to trying again.  This horse was really tall and was thinking about how far it was go get up on the horse.  I asked the man for a ladder...he laughed.  So, I did it.  The mounting was not graceful, but success.

There are no reigns for me, so you have to put hands under the saddle and hold on.
Glad "Bessie" was in a good mood! :) 

Next, back inside to see the monkey.  My mother has always been fascinated with monkey and wanted one.  Always had an attachment to them because of her. This monkey has lived here since he was a baby. Very used to being around humans. Reaches out to hold your hand and smiles for the camera.

Then, went down to see the sheep, birds, and goats.  

Now, it's beginning to get warm.  Headed back up to camp to get a cool bottle of water.

There are nice shaded areas to sit and relax while cooling off.  

As I enjoyed my water, the buses arrived with the others.  The quiet vanished as everyone was marveling at the beauty of the camp and there were lots of families with young children.  As they settled in, I went down to be the first for dune bashing.  Dune bashing is riding in an SUV over and down sand dunes at a very high speed.  I think it's like riding a roller coaster in the sand.  Here is my ride:

Off we go.  I decided to sit in front with Mr. Faisal.
A French family is in the other seats.
What was I thinking?  

From the moment we left the camp to go dune bashing, Mr. Faisal had a HUGE smile on his face.  It was obvious that he loves to dune bash.  This normally quiet person turned into a cowboy....He would've said YEE HAW if he could.  He drove through the dune with ease and grace.  Then, we came to the top of a huge dune.  We were almost at the top and he pushed on his brakes.  Slid down the other side of the dune.  Have to admit I squealed like a little girl on the way down.  Then he went from one dune to the next up the side, down, around, and over the top.  He laughed every time someone in the car squealed.  Definitely want to go dune bashing again.  I LOVED IT!

While the others rode camels and Quad Bikes (4 Wheelers), I decided to check out the boudoin tent.  This is a traditional tent and has seating inside to get out of the heat.  It's really getting warm now.

The sun is beginning to set and almost time for the falcon show.  There is a male and female falcon at the camp.  The male is much larger than the female.  His eyes are covered because in real life he would not be out until dusk or after and they protect his eyes at all cost.  He was very sensitive to sounds, but was very good about letting people pet him.

During this show, the trainer took the falcon to the edge of the dunes near the camp in the 4 wheel drive golf cart and released her. ( For you Danielle and Shelby...remember the pink golf cart in PC)

The other trainer stood at the bottom of the dune twirling something on a string that looked like bird wings.  He called to her and kept twirling and twirling.  She dove and circled, dove and circled, and finally came in for the kill.  

Standing on top of the "wings"the bird trainer was twirling. 

Falcons are birds of prey and swoop down to catch the unsuspecting mouse, snake, or other bird.  Once the falcon catches her prey, she begins to peck it just like she would do if this were a real bird. Trainer gives her a nice treat of some sort of meat.  He picks her up and she doesn't even attempt to fly away.

Now the sun is setting and time for dinner.  Grilled chicken, lamb, fish, rice, bread, beans, and a salad are served with Arabic music in the background.  Palm trees are lit with colored lights.  Relaxing and beautiful. Arabic desserts were served along with a huge fruit basket.  I chose a banana and shared with the monkey.  He was most appreciative :)

After dinner, we were invited to have tea at the edge of camp by a roaring fire.

Kettles were placed directly onto the embers.
 Water boiled very fast.  

The wind really started to pick up once night came.  Went back to top of hill and found my tent.

Went inside put on sweater and hung out by the fire for a while.  @ 7:30, everyone who rode on the bus started packing up their things.  Tour guide told me that I was the only one staying for the night, but that the caretakers would be 3 tents down watching TV all night, so I would be safe....No worries.  First of all, I thought...cable way out here? and then tried to decide if I wanted to go home.  This would be a true camping trip...One woman in a tent alone in the middle of the desert.  There have been horror movies written about this.  Decided that I would put my big girl panties on and stay...It was an experience thing for me and I wasn't scared.  So, when everyone left, the staff began to clean up like a well oiled machine and in 20 minutes they were gone for the night.  Only Christine and the 3 caretakers watching TV. I walked by their tent to take one last look at the desert for the night and they asked if I wanted to watch the game on the 42 inch TV. I respectfully declined but noticed the small satellite behind the tent. The desert was so quiet and the sky was full of stars...so relaxing.  Sat until wind started blowing stronger and went back to tent for the night.

Comforters are hard to find here.
Duvets are very popular and was very warm.  

Wind was extra cool tonight, but was surprising warm inside the tent.  I put on my pjs, a hoodie, and socks and was completely comfortable.  By 9:00, I was fast asleep.  Woke up around 12:45 to go to restroom.  Had to go just next door to the facilities.  They left the light on for me.  I made a quick trip in and out.  It was getting cooler.  When coming back into the tent, had trouble getting the flap closed so no wind would come in.  Wind was blowing stronger now.  Finally settled back in and slept the rest of the night.  @7:00, I awoke to the sounds of birds chirping and caught the sunrise.

What a beautiful morning!  Three caretakers cooked a breakfast of toast, eggs, cereal, fruit, and juice for me.  Mr. Faisal ate breakfast with us and took me back to Al Ain.  This trip was lovely and enlightening.  Many new experiences and looking forward to many more.  Until we meet again!