Over the last four years we've gotten hourglasses worth of red and golden sand in our shoes, hair, sleeping bags, ears... in the deserts of the Middle East.
I saw in 2006 camping with friends in the dunes of the Empty Quarter (Rub' Al Khali) and have had my stomach in my mouth dune bashing up, down and around Big Red in the Dubai Desert. We've luxed it up in five-star style at Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, and we saw in 2008 cosied round a campfire near Fossil Rock. Finally, this year, we got out to the edge of Oman's Wahiba Sands (Ramlat al-Wahiba) for two days of 'camping'.
I hesitate to call it camping as there were no tent poles, sleeping bags and water bottle showers required, and no huddling around a gas burner with an enamel coffee cup. Al Areesh Desert Camp comes complete with double beds and bathrooms, all in the comfort of your own Barasti hut ('Barasti' being palm fronds).
Surrounded by nothing but terracotta sand and blue skies, the boys were ready to kick up a bit of dust and all went off dune bashing (Gav determined to get the Jeep to redeem itself by not getting itself horribly stuck for once) while I went to see what else the dunes had to offer before sunset.
Nowhere does life and death become more apparent than when you're out in the desert.
"What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well"
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery -
I had to include these photos of Bree's to show the rush Gav clearly got out there (above) and what these crazy folk get up to while 'bashing' dunes (below).
The final cue for the temperature to drop a few degrees and everyone to gather for a Bedouin dinner under the stars.
Brian and Bree had to experience just how uncomfortable a camel ride really is before we headed back to the city.
No comments:
Post a Comment