Exploring the Desert

Jan 8, 2010


Breaking up the monotony of life in the city, several of us from the college headed for a desert safari tour this afternoon. We met in front of our apartment blocks and attempted to separate into groups of 6... which for some reason, took forever. We finally piled into land rovers and set off, far from the skyscrapers. We drove down the highway, singing along to the radio for about 30 minutes before heading off-road and parking in the middle of nowhere. Our massive group of cabin crew members to be ran around taking photos while the drivers let some air out of the tires in preparation for a crazy ride.
After we'd all returned to our vehicles we held on for our dear lives (while shouting out flight attendant commands such as "Brace! Brace!") as our driver sped over sand dunes... up, down, 360° spins... so fun! A few members of our group didn't enjoy it quite as much as I did, specifically those still recovering from hangovers from the night before. We continued for about 20 minutes, and I thought of Ryan and Kevin the entire time... they both would absolutely love driving like maniacs over massive sand dunes.
The vehicles stopped once again as some of us opted to give sandboarding a try. My classmates had high expectations of me, the Canadian. I grew up a short distance from the Rocky Mountains, yet I've never once tried snowboarding. I decided to give it a try on sand instead, and quickly discovered that I'm not a natural. In fact, I only lasted a few seconds before losing the board and running the rest of the way down the hill. Oh well, at least I tried!
Once everyone that was brave enough had had a turn, we rushed back to the comfort of our air conditioned vehicles, and drove over the dunes a bit more.
Eventually we reached the base, which was like a theme park in the desert. There were camel rides, quads, dune buggies, a bar full of overpriced alcoholic beverages, and traditional Arab attire available for everyone to try on. After a couple hours of fun in the sand, I headed to the top of a sand dune to watch the sun set over the desert. What an amazing thing to see. It's like you see on TV... a giant yellow ball slowly falling into the horizon. Photos don't do it justice, you need to actually witness how breathtaking it is in person. Afterwards, it was the best part of the day... DINNER! We were served an amazing buffet of delicious Arabic food, and amazing barbequed skewers. I ate until I couldn't eat anymore, and then sat down and watched a belly dancer took to the stage. For a desert safari tour in the United Arab Emirates, I was slightly disappointed that the belly dancer was a blonde, Russian-looking woman, not an Arab. She just didn't give us the same traditional cultural experience.
After a long, sunny day in the beautiful desert, it was back to Dubai. I'd definitely recommend a desert tour if you ever have the chance to visit the U.A.E... such a cool experience, and a welcome change from the chaos of the city.

3 comments:

JessiLeigh said...

I am so glad you are having such a good time! This day sounds like it was amazing! So glad you are following your dreams. You yourself are amazing Krysta!

Anonymous said...

Hi Krysta, i'm a CC(Cabin crew) with EK(Emirates) like you..i have fallen on ur flickr photos by chance..and here i am now on ur blog...I hope u had a warm Christmas and a Wonderful New Year even though u were away from your family and beloved one...I had the same situation when i joined 3 yrs back just few days before Xmas and i only knew few people here...I read ur having problems to access flickr..u can download a software called hotspot shield that works here in Dubai...Ur Bf is coming, hope he arrived safely and together discovering the City...Love ur photos...I'm not sure u finished ur training and exams yet, i wish u all the best as well...i'm on A380 and believe that u arrived to DXB on it...i have a vague impression that i spoke to you in the airport before u got on the a/c(aircraft)...it might be another new joiner..I also dono where you stay in Dxb(Dubai)..u might be my neighbor...looking forward to see more of ur pix...i bet u will do more then one a week, specially while enjoying flying all over...and maybe fly with you soon...If you need anything here, just email me.
381459@emirates.com

Anonymous said...

Hi Krysta! (it's Jodi from Australia) I've been reading your blog since about the time you arrived in Dubai, just wanted to say I love reading your blog and hearing about all of your adventures. Keep having an awesome time and following your dreams, I look forward travelling the world with you (through your pictures and blog)
Cheers

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