Dubai Mall and Desert Safari
Trip Start
Feb 07, 2009
1
4
41
Trip End
Mar 19, 2009
Dubai,
United Arab Emirates
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
We split up so the girls and Adrian could have a browse in the shops without us tagging along. We walked through the Gold Souk and again I marvelled at just the array and size of the jewellery. I really found it hard to believe that anyone would wear some of the jewellery - it's just way too gaudy and large for my liking. Mike soon got bored looking at jewellery and ladies fashion and left me to look on my own
World's tallest building
. I took a few pics of the aquarium again the met up with the kids who were tired already from shopping. We sat in the enormous food court and ate when I found Mike. We had arranged for the same driver to pick us up again and return to the hotel.Back again we changed (still no water), used the Internet and rested before being heading downstairs to be about 2:30 to be picked up for our desert tour. Mike and Adrian played squash, the girls rested and I walked to Spinneys for tea bags and washing powder. They came in a Landcruiser and we all piled in - Mike in front, Alanna and Ange in the centre and Adrian and I right in the back. We drove out of Dubai towards an area called Al Ain about a 45min drive (along the way we saw deer next to the road. We stopped at an area where you can do quad bike rides and camel rides. We decided we would do quad biking in Egypt instead. So we just bought a cold drink, wandered around and watched all the people who were on the quad bikes. Adrian and Ange bought a sand bottle with their names on it.
We then piled back into the Landcruiser, and after a short stop to let out air from the tyres, we were on the dunes. Our driver went quite gently at first, but pretty soon he was racing up, down and sideways across the dunes.We stopped a few times to get out and take pics (& also to let the car engines cool I think)
Another Gold Souk
. All was going well until we got bogged as we were going sideways across a dune. So we were stuck at an angle of 45, my side down and Alanna's up. And we had to sit like that for several minutes until one of the other drivers manouvered backwards and they connected a snatch strap and pulled us out. No one seemed too worried, no one except Alanna that is! She started to panic and wanted to get out,and was so scared she started to cry poor baby. But she was OK again as soon as we started to go. There was a crazy Asian man who was taking pics while standing below us, if we had rolled over, he would have been squashed. A few more dunes, another stop and then we drove on the road for a while before arriving at the desert camp. This was a fantastic setup, tables and cushions everywhere for us to sit on. We had a henna tattoo (even Mike and Adrian), held a falcon, smoked sheesha (I thought it was disgusting). They cooked up a pretty good BBQ dinner with heaps of salad and we sat on their cushions and enjoyed it and then fruit afterwards. There was a belly dancer who was pretty good and got several people up on stage dancing with her. She finished with a conga line which Adrian and Ange joined in. Pretty much as soon as that finished, it was time to get in the 4WD for the trip back home. A quick shower, then into bed after another tiring day.
