globalmidtown

sunrise over the desert

this past weekend i went on a camping trip out into the desert .  there were about 15 english teachers – from all over abu dhabi who went. i am so intrigued with the expats in the teaching groups  …  all westerners, with the majority being from europe & australia; just a few americans & canadians.  it makes for an amazing variety of experiences and great conversation.

suhiel, the owner of our villas, arranged this trip for us. suheil is a local emerati, and somewhat of an important man in our little desert town. as my friend says, “he has lots of wasta”! it has been interesting to get to know suhiel – he appears to genuinely want these western invaders of his town to be happy and comfortable and to enjoy his country. he helps us to understand much of the culture and people of the very traditional western region; all the while he looks to be carefully observing us and learning “our ways”. this is the second such adventure he has organized for us.

he had a camp set up on his camel farm that is about 30 minutes outside of town. we parked our cars on the road & he drove us in to camp – 4WD required here. we went REALLY far out into the desert … i doubt that i could have gotten back to the road if i needed to. as far as i looked in any direction i could see only SAND. i even climbed a TALL sand-dune trying to see a house or a road or something … only sand. suhiel had a fire pit for us & brought in lamb & chicken to charcoal and rice and salad. it was amazing. we had shisha and wine.  we stayed up late into the night – playing in the sand, watching the stars, smoking shisha, laughing, and having great conversations … then, the fire started to die down & it was too cold to stay up –  all that you hear about the desert being cold at night is true – it’s COLD!

our camp

beauty

there is something so special about sleeping out of doors for me.away from city lights only adds to the experience. the night was clear and the stars amazing … i am fascinated with seeing a different perspective of the night sky (as opposed to what i see in the western hemisphere). it makes me want to learn more about astronomy, as my knowledge is limited – to put it mildly.

i woke up before the sun to the sounds of camels, turkeys, and roosters … i watched the sun rise from the top of a sand dune.  the desert is truly beautiful, so full of warmth with the many hues of oranges, grays, and tans…. some areas, in just the right light, look almost purple. the sand is extremely fine, which makes it velvety soft and pleasant to the touch. i love walking with no shoes and running my hands through it.

bones

           

scorpion tracks

it was amazing at how many signs of life  there were … decaying skeletons, animal tracks in the sand – desert mouse, cat, scorpion, camel … so interesting to see. scorpion tracks are everywhere – a bit disconcerting!

everyone got up we had coffee & tea prepared by suhiel on the campfire …

it was very interesting to watch – it is considered unclean to use your left hand for anything (other than personal business). as suhiel prepared the coffee and tea, he held his left hand out. it was as if he were letting us know “don’t worry, i will not put my dirty hand on your beverages”

after breakfast,  we packed up & road over the dunes to one of his camel “pens” (i.e.  a huge fenced in area in the middle of the desert).  there were about 15 camels in this pen. suhiel made this ticking noise – really soft – with his mouth and all the camels came over to us. i climbed inside the fence & made friends with the camels. amazing. the way they carry themselves and look at you reminds me of giraffes. they are gentle, soft-eyed creatures – even if a little stinky!

a new love affair has begun …