Weekend of Sand and Sun

It was another adventurous weekend here in the Emirates....a weekend full of sand and sun.  On Thursday a bunch of us from school went on a desert safari.  They picked us up in a land cruiser, we drive out to the middle of the desert, deflated the tires, and rode the sand dunes.  It was awesome, kinda like driving on the snow but a little smoother.  Click to check out the videos: Desert Safari Videos.  We made a few stops here and there in the desert to look around and take some pictures, then hopped back inside the car for some more sandy caravan racing.  We eventually got to the camp in the middle of the desert....literally you look around and all you see is sand and shrubs.  It was perfect weather, warm but not too hot.  There were small brown thatched huts all around, some men bbq-ing, camel rides, and a large dune for sandboarding.  I tried a couple rounds down the sand hill.  It's pretty simple - you wax up a regular snowboard, strap into the bindings, and give yourself a push.  The first time I fell at the bottom and got a few pockets full of sand...it doesn't quite steer like snow.  But the second time, I made it all the way down the slope.  Next was the camel ride.  The key to riding a camel is holding on tight for both takeoff and landing.  They stand up with their front legs first, then their back legs...it's like riding a seesaw.  Dinner at the camp was amazing - bbq meat, rice, hummus, vegetables, spicy lentil stew, Arabic coffee to name a few items.  We sat around on pillows on the ground and enjoyed our meal, and afterward an Arabic bellydancer came out to the stage and the fun continued with some festive songs and dancing.

That night was followed up by a good day kayaking in the ocean.  It was my first time kayaking, and I'd definitely do it again.  We went real far out into the ocean, bobbing on the waves and watching parasailers up in the sky.  It was some of the bluest ocean water I've ever seen.   One of the best parts was rowing back into shore, catching the waves like a surfer and skidding up onto the sand.  After drying off, we went to get some pastries from a nearby bakery....as they say in Arabic, it was "lazeez" (delicious).