I was getting ready for the desert safari and I was thinking if the driver is gonna come. He called me three times and I could barely understand what he was talking about. One of my friends, who lives in Dubai, warned me about this type of situation – Taxi drivers very often don’t know downtown Dubai. Strange right. After being 15 minutes late my driver arrived. And of course his accent was really…lets say heavy. He was actually a very nice Bangladeshi guy, new in Dubai.

  
We had to pass trough busy city traffic and take the road which leads to Abu Dhabi. While you are in Dubai, you don’t have that feeling of being surrounded by miles of sand. Everything is so bright and flashy, modern and futuristic, hectic and fast. But the moment you see the town behind you, the desert starts showing off.

Some pop music was playing on the radio and somehow was very disturbing. The Sun on the horizon, sand all around us, some palm trees here and there and pop music!? I suggested if we can turn some Arabic music on. The Driver did not mind, as well as the rest of the crew ( some girls we picked up on our way to the desert). I could feel the difference from the first second.  

 After one hour drive, we finally arrived to the first camp. So many people were there, waiting for their chance to ride a camel or buy some souvenir. I was interested only in the desert. Actually me being out there , in peace and quiet. I realised I was for too long on the island and now I suddenly founded  Dubai too strong for me in every way. That is why the upcoming desert adventure was special for me. While I was walking around the camp, one of the local guys approached me and even without asking me, he put the famous head scarf – keffiyeh around my head. I thought – Ok it is an adventure after all. Leave it. Finally, our driver gave us a signal that we are going for a ride.

Screaming in the car along with a hysterical laugh. That is the best explanation. For me it was quite funny and bumpy ride, but I can’t say the same for the girls behind. Sand dunes were so amazing. I was trying not to look in front of me because the driver was choosing the worst part of the desert. At one point I thought the car was gonna turn upside down. After 20 minutes we had to stop because one of the girls was not feeling OK. I removed my shoes and jumped into the sand. It was so quiet. No cars around. No people. Only the land made of sand and heat. Sun was going down slowly and the reflection on the sand was magnificent. Like pure gold in front of me. Endless sand dunes, extreme heat and the touch of gold…The second you take it into your arms it disappears.

  
While the girls were jumping and making famous “I am holding the Sun” photo I went further up. And then the desert showed me the beauty. The beauty that we rarely see. Beauty of peace. Like the time stopped while we were there. The only thing that was changed was the position of the Sun and the shape of my shadow. I was going back while the desert breeze, the hot one, was pushing me from behind.

  
When the Sun goes down there are no spectacular colors. Only the daylight moving into darkness of the night. And something in between, that last couple of minutes when everything is gray. During that short colorless moment we arrived to the second campsite. Camels around the camp and welcoming Arabian sweets at the entrance were a nice start of the evening session. We had a traditional low table with pillows around. The stage was prepared for the belly dancers and Arab performers. The smell of shisha was all over the camp. I took a black tea with a bit of milk and some snacks while I was preparing for the show. I must say I was not blown with the belly dance performance, but on the other hand traditional Egyptian dance took my breath away. Worth to see.

    
After dinner was served, one more round with dancers on the stage was presented. I could see that all the people around me had such a nice time. Me as well , with tasty kebab, sand under my feet and feeling of pure , childish happiness…After all, wolf conquered the desert before so…

Till the next adventure,
Cheers

D.

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