Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Dubai III: Arabian Adventures




A must-do in Dubai is to go dune bashing, although when you're doing it it actually feels the other way around—it's you who's taking a bashing. Fortunately the adventure involves more than just dune bashing and a great time was had by all who went, because Nicolás was not feeling well and had to stay home with Dianny. Our hosts, even though they've done this several times, were kind enough to come with us and show us a good Arabian adventure.

A huge 4x4 SUV picks you up near your house or hotel and takes you into the desert, which is not too far from anywhere. First they show you how the Bedouins trained falcons and used them to catch food. After that everyone gets in their SUVs and the caravan starts. My guess is there were 30-40 SUVs. They make a rest stop halfway, which was not a moment too soon for me, and another stop to watch the sunset. We also had to stop to rescue an SUV that got stuck in the sand. Miraculously, Daniela got sick only once, towards the end of the ride, but even so she said she enjoyed the ride.











We arrived at dusk at their campsite, "with Bedouin-style seating," where we enjoyed a great feast. They also had activities for the kids such as camel riding and henna tattooing, and even an "authentic" belly dancer, who, rumor has it, was Russian, or maybe Ukrainian, but definitely not Arab.