a desert adventure (part 1)

so we arrived from india to dubai.

we met up with my barkada Leah, who works as a business development manager for a credit systems in Dubai. the moment we decided to go to India,i knew i had to stop by a few days in Dubai as its also Leah's birthday. the last time we saw one another was 2 years ago.


we arrived from Kerala to Dubai tired from a very early morning flight, and immediately settled in the hotel. (we stayed in a lovely hotel-one which has the charms and personalised touch of a boutique hotel, but the ambience of a 7 star, an exceptional 2 plus than its actual 5, an actual recommendation from Leah).


we showered,and had lunch in the hotel's restaurant which was closed behind curtains due to the observance of the Holy Ramadan. (Adrian and i were worried we might be hungry when we get to DUbai for the Ramadan season, but we never ate so much in all our holidays, as we ate in hotel buffets 3x a day as they were the only licensed establishments to sell food during fasting time).

she was as excited as we were. we felt like giddy little schoolgirls seeing our family from a long stay in boarding school.

{reunited at last}

we shared stories and laughed at the temperature difference. is true what they say, Dubai was like baking oven. the moment you come out of the hotel, whoof! the heat just engulfs you.

she treated us to a desert safari/dune-bashing adventure which offered buffet food in the end back in the bedouin camp.

we were picked up by an expensive looking 4x4 truck,at the hotel, 4 passengers were myself, adrian, leah and cheryl (a friend we travelled to india with) and 2 other people (a young irish girl who works for Emirates airlines and her visiting cousin).

{Adrian was mesmerised by the beauty of it all. And a photo moment with one of my closest}

when we got there, we were in awe of the beauty of the sand. the feel of sand on your feet is quite therapeutic. sadly for me, i wasn't able to stand the heat on my feet. my body's temperature regulator has gone haywire, so if its hot, id feel its burning, if its cold, id be freezing.

{i introduced two of my closest friends Leah and Cheryl and they hit it off wonderfully. its nice when people close to me are friends too. as i love to talk about my friends (all the time) and its nice they know who im talking about.

the lovely irish girl and her cousin who was enticed to don an arabic costume}

{Leah was telling us that she has had many afternoons in the desert with her friends who are into dune-bashing. these people would get on their 4x4's crank the gear up and try to climb up and down really high dunes of sand in a flash. she loves adventures like that. she is also training for the Dubai marathon.}

{there were other tour companies too doing similar tours, but Leah booked us at the best (more pricey) one, as she said they have the best bedouin camp and the best food. pricey apart from the food because they only allow a few people in the car, you are not quashed like some of the cars were}

{it was nearing sunset,and the stillness of the place was magical in the sense that the (arab) men we were with had to be mindful of their prayers as it was ramadan season when we were there. the sunset is beautiful in the desert, it was beautiful it called you to some meditation}

{there was a booboo that happened (which by the way they say, normally happens during bashing). one of our tires needed some air. and no it wasnt the side where i was sitting, fyi! lol. the men and their machines}

{as pristine and clean as they look, they were'nt too precious to sit their white dresses down on sand. they get on with it}

{L: Mr. Yusef the driver of our 4x4, was laughing at something absurd. he and Leah seem to be long time acquaintances from Leah's dune-bashing days.R: a tourist from another car was curious about the tire. he must feel underdressed with all the flowy whites around his t-shirt and shorts}

{Leah and i constantly joke about how we are trying to pair up our lovely Kharla (my cousin and our mutual barkada) to any suitable bachelor we find. we thought this one's a looker. she told me "quick! get a picture of him. i must say he looks better in real life. and he is just the perfect height for our darling K. but were guessing..he must have at least 3 wives, oh no!}

{i was amazed at how their men looked so masculine in a dress. you'd never think. at this stage, the men who were milling around after they sorted out the car's problem were just joking about with the tourists and with themselves. the men probably thought, "wait til this lot ride the camel,lets see about that"..}

i was just breathing in the moment. to be in that place, in that moment and for such a meaningful reason.

i was thankful. for so many things. by this time, it was just sinking in that i travelled to two beautiful countries in a span of two weeks. i was thankful that i get to celebrate Leah.

and that the celebration was just starting.

**

{next: the bedouin camp experience.}