Dubai Day 6: Desert Night.

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Had a long night again with the baby and ended up sleeping through most of the morning. Spent the rest of the afternoon trying to book a few events for the rest of the week but only got around to booking a Dubai city tour and the desert motorcycling on the weekend.

We had the desert safari that night and our pickup was at 1530. Originally we were to take Elsy with us but later on decided to leave her at the house. That was our best decision of the night. The second best was taking jackets along with us. It got pretty cold pretty quick once the sun began to set, and the winds picked up as we left the compound and we ended up driving into the desert in the middle of a sand storm.

First up was a quick pit stop at some store in the middle of nowhere. The vendors were hawking scarves for way more than they were worth, but we both realized that with the winds picking up we needed something to protect our faces from the flying sand. Next was a quick photo shoot when we entered the dunes. I noticed that there were dozens of 4x4s in the same area as us, and the drivers were all releasing air from their tires. I assumed that it was to allow for better traction in the sand, but I did not realize what "dune bashing" meant until we hit the slopes.

Me with Maggie in the desert.
It was basically a very long roller coaster, and I, with my weak stomach, had a tough time with it. We had to do an emergency stop in the middle of it all so that I could get my bearings, but I managed to pull through without tossing my lunch (which was relatively small and completely digested by then so I was only dry-heaving). I was also thankful for the roll cage in the car - some of those slopes looked quite steep, but our driver was pretty experienced so I did not feel like we were in any danger.

We stopped for more photos with the setting sun as our driver pumped air back in the tires. The winds were so strong by then that I had to squint even with my glasses to prevent any sand from irritating my eyes.

Maggie and I on a camel.
Next up was the encampment where they had camel rides (which we did), sand boarding (which I did), and ATVs for rent (which we did not pay for). The camel ride was basically a photo op, while the sand boarding was a farce as the boards did not go at all. It was like boarding without wax on hard packed snow. You do not move.

The food was tasty enough - there was shawarma with freshly made falafels for snack. Then a full BBQ dinner afterward (with lots of different types of salad). We got a picture with me wearing a thawb and Maggie in an abaya. The entertainment for the night was an Egyptian tanoura and a belly dancer.

The two of us in traditional garb.
All in all, a pretty good night. Elsy would not have enjoyed it however.

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