Dubai: Day #5 Off-Road

Winter morning sunbath

Morning came at The Springs. We had an appointment for a desert safari late in the afternoon, so what better way was there to spend time?

A morning stroll. Yeap.

There was a big lake in the center of the neighborhood, served as a backyard view for all the surrounding townhouses.  We strolled along and let Mat holding one of the cameras.

It took about one and half hour for us to get a full circle back to my sister's house.  We wondered what took us that long.

We observed everything.  Including watching how the gardeners mowed the lawn, chasing the birds and peeking at people's backyard gardens.

Good for walking, jogging, taking pics.

The lake

Look, it's a bird.

More.

An almost perfect line up

Don't let other residences step on your dog's poo.

Birds gathering before Mat crashed it.

Situation after the crash.

Be kind.  Don't kill the ducks.

This is a tree, in case anyone's wondering.

A cutie

So there's a green life outside the sand.

 

At around 3.30 p.m., Arabian Night tour picked us up.  Apparently, we were not alone. There were three other people - an Indian family. The elder couple lived in South Africa, invited to experience a dune-bashing by their son who was currently working in Dubai.  A nice and polite family.

The car was a Toyota Land Cruiser, equipped with a roll-cage.  All four of us (yes, Owen was with us) sat at the back seat. 

Our car stopped at a mini-market to convoy with other cars. They allowed the participants to buy some snacks, drinks and restroom breaks.

Then off we went into the desert.

The convoy.

The trails.

Another stop. The drivers took this time to deflate the tires for a better grip on the sand, while we took it as an opportunity to be narcissists regardless it was chilly outside.

Thanks to our new friend - the son of the Indian family, he offered to take some of our pictures. He said, "Otherwise, someone'll always be missing in the pictures."

The Desert Sunset

From him we also heard how the roll-cage worked if the sand managed to topple our car. It would guard us from being crushed down by the car roof. That was, as long as we're secured on our seat by our seat belts.

He was trying to comfort his parents by that explanation. But on the other hand, almost immediately I regretted bringing Owen along. The seat belts were only available for two. Owen was sitting on my lap. And Mat was sitting between Andri and I, without any seat belt.

Uh-oh.

When they gave signs to everyone to get in the cars, we buckled up fast. Andri held Mat at his left, and I fastened my lower belt around Owen and prayed for the best.

The dune-bashing was nothing short of thrilling.  I wished I could see how the four wheels rolling on the sand.  It was like riding a roller-coaster that threw us 45 degrees left and ride, up and down, and felt like we're really on the verge of tipping over. I looked to my right, seeing how Mat's doing.  He's a bit scared and a bit excited. Then I heard funny sounds coming out from Owen, something like "huk", "hek", "mmm", and not long after that, he went quiet.

I looked down, found him sucking his thumb .. and asleep.  Wow.  Talking about extreme baby bouncer.

We made one more stop in the middle of the desert to catch the sunset. I stayed in the car with Owen (still sleeping). Mat went out with his dad to clear his head.

Then we continued riding to the camp.

At first sight, we saw camels. Yaaaay. Finally. Camels! We'd been looking for you since the day we arrived in Dubai. Honestly, we did expect officials or even locals riding camels in the city, but we saw them they riding Lamborghini. *disappointed*

Camel riding and sand boarding were included in the tour package.  I offered it to Mat, he didn't want it.  Besides, it was already too dark and cold. So we decided to go in the camp to claim our free dinner. 

Instead of sitting outside underneath the desert evening sky - which would be nice for adults, but inconvenient for a baby - we sat in a warmer tent, with big cushions and carpet all around.

Relaxing in a tent ..

.. after that very bumpy ride.

Just like the royal family ..

.. of Little Owen of Arabia.

Once I lay Owen down on the cushions, he threw up. Babies did get motion sickness after all. But he was alright. All cheers and smiles.

Mat and Andri browsed the barbeque dinner selection outside.  They served vegetarian and non-vegetarian, pasta, kebab, pretty decent menu with free flow of coffee, tea and soft drinks.  (And shisha!!).  Alcohol beverages were available with extra costs.

My favorite meal of the evening: dates with hot sweetened tea.  A taste of heaven!  I even had a thought to take some of the dates away for home snacks.  But somehow it didn't happen.

While we ate, we watched the Tanoura dance. It was an Egyptian folk dance, a whirling dance performed by a single male dancer. He dressed in multicolored heavyweight costume (with LED), twisting and turning to create the illusion of a human kaleidoscope. It was a captivating dance. (I first caught it a while back showing in a 5-star hotel in Jakarta for breakfasting event). And boy, the dancer had a REALLY, REALLY good center!!

After dinner, Owen was back to sleep in the tent. We took turns to walk around the camp. There were a photo booth offering photographs in Arabic dress, a tattoo booth, souvenir booths and the bar.

I got a free henna tattoo. Couldn't resist.

The Camp

The Sheikh

The Belly Dancer

The Tattoo

The last performance of the night was Belly Dance. Hmm. Not interested. But I could see why it was popular among the male audience there.

When the dance was over, it's time to go home. We took the road.  Kids were sleeping in the car. On the way back, we saw some people set up tents and camped right there in the dark of the desert. (When my sister heard this, she offered us to do the same.  Camping in the desert.  I gleefully rejected the idea.  For me, BATHROOM was i-m-p-o-r-t-a-n-t.  No one could expect me to pee on the sand, and being the object of the camels' attention. Hyuck!)

We reached The Springs at around 9 p.m.

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