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Published: February 12th 2006
The crew
L to R: Jacob, Bailey, me, Brock (back), Dana, Jeremy, Chris (back), Don, Sliver, SimonI’m sure you were all anxiously waiting for my next blog to hear all about the desert safari, right? Well, I’m happy to report that not only did I survive a night in the desert, but also a crazy SUV drive that would rival the Mindbender!
The tour started off at 2 p.m. and consisted of a 3 hour ride through the sand dunes about 45 minutes outside of Doha. I was very confused when the SUVs stopped to let air out of their tires. It was at that point I discovered that the SUVs would be our rollercoaster cars! It was nuts. I was in the car with four of the boys (Sliver, Chris, Simon, and Don) and Joanna, who goes by Asia, which is pronounced Asha (I don’t get it either). Anyway, the boys were loving having the “screamer” in the car. They thought it was hilarious as we were watching our lives flash before our eyes that I was screaming at the top of my lungs. I tried to keep my screams in, but then I held my breath and Don grew very concerned at my ever-reddening face. In spite of all of the screams, I had
an amazing time.
We got to camp around dinner time and had a great meal of rice, nan bread, and BBQ chicken. I also discovered that chicken kofta contains lamb, which almost made me cry. Not only does that mean I was eating poor baby sheep, but also that I have to give up eating the delicious kofta. So sad. Anyway, the camp was quite interesting. It was “Bedouin Style”, which is the Middle Eastern rugs, pillows, tapestries, etc. There were two large tents and one small tent. We took the small one as there was another group of 19 Brits (here to build the new airport that’s supposed to be the biggest in the world…again, until Dubai builds a bigger one). The tent floors were covered in sand; however, so were all of us after a day of dune bashing and sand sliding (for the boys anyway). We spent the rest of the evening hanging out in a little carpeted area (see below) with tiki torches surrounding us. They had a bonfire for us, but we preferred doing the night Bedouin style with the carpets. Plus, the staff kept coming over and refilling this container with embers from
The girls
Bailey, Dana and Me the bonfire to keep us warm. You might not believe it, but it gets ridiculously cold at night. I was in a hoodie and still freezing. Yes, I know, doesn’t sound cold, but when you would sweat buckets in a hoodie during the day, it is odd.
We left bright and early the next morning, so we didn’t get a chance to go swimming or try sandboarding, so we’re all eager to do this trip again. We did see the Saudi mountains, but, luckily, stayed far away from the border. Speaking of safety, I just want to put my family at ease and let them know that the only upheaval I’ve seen here over the Danish cartoon was the removal of Danish goods from the shelves. I actually feel very safe here. There is a large police (not to mention military) presence and theft is unheard of. It’s still those crazy drivers I have to watch out for!
Again, I’ve been enjoying all of the e-mails. Please keep them coming. I hope everyone is doing well!
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ondrej (ondrej.indus3.net)
non-member comment
inland sea
Hi there, i´ve been there already twice. The only thing to say is that it is so amazing country that i already know that i have to come back once. Finally, have 2 tell that the pics R GR8. The question is, if man can take bad pics in such a gre8 place.