Save a Horse, Ride a Camel

OK, only country music fans will get the title of this post.

Anyway, one of my goals of going to Dubai was to not only see a camel, but also to ride a camel. Also, I wanted to get S on a camel, but I didn't know how far I would get with that one. Well, mission accomplished.

Please no criticism on the photo. We aren't exactly looking our best, but by this point, it had been a long day. We started the day off by going for about a 2 hour walk in 100+ degree heat without any water (remember can't drink in public). We did stop off in a couple of different hotels to rest in the air conditioned lobbys.

Then in the afternoon, we were picked up in the 4 wheel drive vehicles that you see in the background of the photo. After about an hour drive, we were well out into the desert of the Middle East. We were able to stretch our legs while the tires on the vehicles were deflated.

Then we were off on our desert safari. Now, it's really hard to describe riding through the sand dunes of the desert. I'll try by best...but honestly, unless you have experienced it...words just won't describe it to the full extent of what we experienced. There were 7 of us in the car...S and I plus two other couples we didn't know and the driver.

Now, as we begin our adventure, I turn to the lady sitting next to me...Australian, about my age...because I have to know...does she get car sick? I was only about half joking, but by the end of the trip, I would find out it really is a good question to ask of the other people in the car with you (luckily, no one in our car got sick).

Anyway, I was riding in the middle of the seat between S and the Aussie lady. I'm not sure I had the best seat in the house...nothing to grab onto. Everyone else had what we refer to in our house as "oh sh*t" handles. Well, let's say the Aussie said that word quite a few times. I don't think it ever came out of my mouth, but I thought it plenty.

The ride through the desert sand dunes probably lasted close to an hour. The first ten minutes were pretty cool...after that, my thoughts centered on when will this be over with??? We did make a couple of stops along the way. Anyway, growing up riding with my father's driving in snow and ice while plowing snow really prepared me quite well for this...also living the last year with the traffic and driving of China and India also helped out. If not, I think I could have honestly been sick very easily.

OK, taking photos during this ride was not the easiest task in the world. However, I do like how this photo turned out. Note the angle of our car versus the angle of the car in front of us. This ride could also be compared to a really long roller coaster ride...you never quite knew what the next turn would be like.

Anyway, during the ride, we stopped briefly at a camel farm and got to see some baby camels. Very cute! I was disappointed when S told me that we can't get a pet camel. At the end of the ride, we arrived at the campsite of the tour company just in time to see the sun set over the desert. Not as impressive as I thought it would be...sunsets over water are much better.

Right after arrival at the campsite is when we had the camel ride, and thus one of the reasons why we aren't looking our best...my stomach was still doing flip flops from the car ride.

Now, with the camel, I definitely wanted to ride it. The rides were very short...probably on the camel less than 2 minutes. I got on the camel, and S took my photo. He wasn't going to get on, but the camel guy told him to get on. Well, it was at this point that I figured out why the camels wear muzzles...S kicked the camel in the side as he got on it! Great, just what I need, a pissed off camel! Well, the camel took it well. Now, when getting on a camel, you do this when the camel is sitting on the ground. So, on command from the camel guy, the camel gets up. Now, I didn't realize until this trip just how looonnnnggggg of legs camels have...plus they aren't the most graceful animals. Good thing I was hanging on to the camel saddle, because when it stood up I went forward at about a 90 degree angle. Flashes of me going toppling head over heels off of the camel into the camel's path (besides long legs, camels have HUGE feet) went through my head. Anyway, having the camel sit back down wasn't much better than having it stand up. In the end though, S and I survived our first camel ride. I think we both agreed that we wouldn't want to ride a camel for any long period of time...however walking through the sand wasn't too easy, so I guess if I were stranded in the desert, riding a camel would probably be better than walking!

So, would I ride a camel again? Absolutely. Next up...riding an elephant. That's been my goal since moving to Asia...just haven't had the opportunity yet.

After the camel ride, we had time to rest before the BBQ dinner began. If it hadn't been Ramadan, our entertainment would have been belly dancers. No belly dancers...so S had to entertain me. His idea of entertainment...pondering whether or not there are scorpions in the desert...and then looking under the table we were sitting at to see if he could find a scorpion!

Anyway, the desert safari (even with the wild sand dune ride) and the camel ride were definitely the highlights of my trip to Dubai (not eating in the bathroom like my husband said his favorite part of the trip was).