Sun, Sand and Safari

Visiting Dubai and if you have missed out the ride through the Desert? Then you are really missing out on something. Desert Safari/ Dune Bashing has become an increasingly popular activity for tourists. Deserts with their mystic charm are always a delight to see. Rarely does one realize in Dubai city, that we are amidst a nation covered with desert. But as we move to the outskirts the first sights of the vast barren land can be exciting. These Deserts are one of environmentally volatile areas and are conserved from over-exploitation due to mass developments. Driving through the desert is possible for those only with a special license and only specific areas are used to conduct such safaris. There are plenty of tourist agencies offering these Safari’s at a reasonable cost. The complete tour is planned and well conducted by most. One can opt for Evening, morning or even an overnight safari of the desert.
With me opting for the Evening safari the pick time given was 3pm. So after a short nap I was ready for a fun evening at the desert. Our driver was a friendly Pakistani who I guess hardly stopped talking. But it was nice to hear him talk about the desert, the difficulties involved in driving through a rough terrain and his experiences with various other tourists. Desert safaris are conducted using SUVs and the one I traveled was a Toyota Land cruiser, which is known for its superior performance in the world’s most grueling terrains and climates. Soon our driver got a call saying that only one more person will be joining us in our car instead of four. And we almost had the whole car exclusively for us for the safari.
After almost an hour from our hotel, in the outskirts of the city our car finally entered the desert terrain and had a short stopover so that the remaining cars would join. As other cars started coming, I realized there were around 30 similar cars carrying over a hundred tourists mainly from Korea, Europe and US. As the tourists were busy taking pictures the drivers were quickly removing the air pressure from their tyres to enable them to smoothly navigate through the fine sands. Our Car Driver cum guide showed us a place till where we will drive through in our safari. When I turned to look, it was really far and top of a dune. All of us got back and fastened our seat belts for the real thing. It started rather smoothly and I thought it was not all that scary, only to realize that we were on top a dune and about to plunge down. The screams and shriek’s were loud. The driver seemed so accustomed to all this and he gave warnings for a much deeper plunge! The ease with which he maneuvered over the rough terrains is truly appreciable and shows his experience. All the cars where one behind the other following a definite route. They do so to avoid any of the cars from getting lost in the dunes. And that’s when I realized for a layman its almost impossible to keep track of the path taken through the desert. It’s just so easy to get lost. I was thankful that I was not going to get lost.
After numerous descends and ascends we reached our destination, top of a dune to look at the warm evening sun and feel the heavy breeze sprinkling fine sand. I enjoyed being there, the vast expanse, the sand seemed to shimmer under the bright sunlight it was a real treat to watch. After taking some amazing photographs we were moving towards a camp arranged for us.
On reaching the camp I was almost running to have a camel ride. Ever since I came to UAE these rugged creatures fascinated me. And when I got near the camel I found the camel’s mouth nicely covered and fastened tightly. The camels have a voracious temper and are known to bite. I was thankful that the camel’s mouth was closed and managed to sit on it. It was a bumpy ride but enjoyed thoroughly.
The other activities in the camp included henna painting. Though not new for Indians, I did see many of the Europeans enjoying their pain free temporary tattoos as they referred it. I quickly changed for a photograph in the traditional ‘Abaya’ an over garment worn by a majority of muslim women. I felt the ‘niqab’ a veil that covers the face was a little complicated to wear. After I got completely dressed up, there was no way one can identify me!
The rest of the evening was a relaxing time which some drinks, dinner and ofcourse Belly Dance. It is truly one of the main attractions of the evening. The dancer a stunning young lady with the perfect figure went about with moves so graceful and yet sophisticated. She even invites the guests and teaches us some moves. I presumed I was doing well only until she did the same step. She was truly perfect and it shows the amount of hard work involved in mastering this art.
After some hip shaking, it was time for dinner that involved rice, roti and barbequed chicken pretty much our kind of food. At around 9 pm we set out to the journey back to our hotel. It was an enjoyable evening and truly a compulsory activity for any tourist visiting Dubai.