Dune Buggy in the Dessert!

Greetings all!! Things have been getting very busy!

First of all the animals are still doing great! Beta fish and especially hermit crabs don't have a very long life expectancy- particularly hermit crabs in captivity.But Cosmo the beta and Gotcha' the crab are thriving! Cosmoiseasy to care for- change his water once a month and give him a tiny piece of dried shrimp in the evening. Gotcha' is more high maintenance. We go to the beach every weekend and get fresh wet sand and seawater and algae if we can find any. We clean out his aquarium and replace it with the fresh sand and water. We use wet sandbecause I believe there are plankton andstuff in it he may need. Let me tell you carrying wet sand and water from the beach is heavy! Thank goodness it is a short distance! Must be working because they seem pretty happy. I wish we could get a puppy but there are no pets allowed where we live and it really wouldn't be fair to leave them in the apartment all day while we work. I miss having a furry pet but will be happy knowing I am a good fish mommy and Jimmy is a great crab daddy!

Speaking of where we live- we almost had to move. We love our apartment and are very good temants. Our lease came up for renewal. There is a law in Dubai (not sure if it is for all UAE) that states rent cannot be raised on the first renewal. The owner wanted to raise the rent or not renew. Jimmy played hardball. He did the research and learned the rent is in line with the area and an increase would be far above the market level. We accepted the owners terms and gave our notice to vacate. I began an Internet search for another apartment and found in our current building with the same view for about the same we are paying now. Two days later the owner called back and said he would renew at the current rate!! We are thrilled not to have to move! My Jimmy is so great- not afraid to make the hard decisions and understands the meaning of "calculated risk"!

We had some pretty major sand storms this past week. A lot of sand was piled up along the roadway dividers and the wind was very strong. Visibility was limited and everything was covered in sand. The apartment even had a light coating of sand with all the doors and windows closed! I believe we are done with that for a while- at least I hope so!

I still go treasure hunting every weekend with my metal detector and am proud to report my record still stands. Every time I have gone out I have found coins! No other treasure yet but I am going to the same area of beach across the street for 5 months and am still finding coins! I consider that a success. In total I have AED 164 and many fil and half fil and other foreign coins. The real treasure is the little Russian girl I befriended and the many other people I speak to every weekend. I had a wonderful conversation with a young man from New York who is considering moving here. The people, foreign and Emirates, are what make Dubai so special.

My family is coming in less than 2 weeks and I can hardly wait! One of the activities I have planned is dune buggy riding in the desert. There is no way Jimmy is going to let the girls do this until he checks it out to be certain it is safe so I organized a trip with some of our coworkers. There are several companies that offer this and I was fortunate to find a great one- One World. The representative, Kingston, was great. He answered his phone every time I called (several times!) and answered all of my questions. We had a group of 9 people - 3 couples in 2 seater dune buggys and 3 people on 4 wheelers. The driver picked us up where we live at the scheduled time (2:30 pm) and we drove for a little less than hour to the desert. As I said earlier we had some sand storms so the road going to the bedouin campsite was not passable. We stopped off the highway on a side road and were met by some drivers in dunebuggys. We piled in and drove across the desert to the bedioun camp. I under estimated how much sand would be flying around-I had grit in my mouth and on my face! We were suited up with helmets and goggles and given basic instructions on the operation of the vehicles. Jimmy drove us in a dune buggy. A guide lead our caravan of 3 dune buggys and 3  4 four wheelers through the desert. He went pretty fast sometimes so you really had to gun it to keep up. The exciting part was going up and DOWN the dunes. We would get to the crest of a dune and couldn't see the bottom. You just had to keep going! The trick is to keep your vehicle straight- don't turn the wheels or you will roll over. Don't hit the brakes or you may get seriously stuck or worse flip over if you are going too fast. It was also pretty bumpy. I loved it; Jimmy was a great driver and the whole group had a great time. One girl, Lori, and her brother, Ryan, were each on 4 wheelers and they were clearly the rock stars of the group. They zoomed all over, up and down dunes like professionals! Oh to be young again! There was one really steep dune that Lori wisely chose not go down. She went around the edge and met us at the bottom. It's OK to push yourself but it is wise to know your limits. I realized at that point there is no way I could have driven down that dune (and probably several others!). After an hour of tearing up the desert you end up back at the bedioun camp. Then there was about an hour wait while other groups arrived. In total I estimate there was 450 people. We caught our breath, drank alot of water and thankfully Rosa brought a package of wet wipes. We all availed ourselves of her generosity and wiped off the sweat and sand. Booths opened up offering all kinds of activities. They had henna painting ( I took a couple of pictures but unfortunatley they were blurry), arabic dress and accessories, sand art in a bottle, carpets for sale and other things. The camp is set up with a large round stage in the center with tables arranged from it like spokes on a wheel. In the bedioun tradition you sat on large pillows on the ground at the table. The food,  and other activities made up the outer perimeter creating a lovely atmosphere. It was very large but felt like a small community. The food was pretty good. You were allowed to serve yourself in line so you get what appealed to you and not foods you may not care for. I bought a silk carpet; it is machine made not hand made but it was quite nice and not too expensive. I was surprised they offered alcoholic beverages for sale! They had several beers and vodka and other liqours. Sure did help wash the sand down!

In the van with the group.The adventure begins!

The driver who picked us up to get to the camp.

Jimmy and Greg. I sat next to the driver but since they were two seater buggy's Jimmy and Greg had stand in small bed behind us and hold on to the roll bar. You can tell by there smiles they didn't mind a bit! I took this pick over my head and behind me while we were zooming through the desert- not too bad!

Ryan and Lori in the back of a buggy on the way to the camp. Their mom is in front with the driver.

Quick lesson and passing out helmets and goggles. You can were your own sunglasses but the goggles offered more protection from the sand flying around- I chose the goggles. It gets pretty hot in that gear so don't bother with cosmetics or fixing your hair much!

Ready! Jimmy is so cool with his sunglasses!

These are "melons" that literally grow out the sand with very little vegetation as you can see. Our guide said they are poisonous if you eat them raw. Very unexpected to see this kind of vegetation in the desert!

I couldn't take a lot of pics while we were moving because it was so bumpy but this gives you an idea of how spaced out we were. Close enough to follow and not get lost but not too close. The 4 wheelers go first behind the guide then the buggys.

You drive for an hour then arrive back at the camp. Camel rides are available right outside the perimeter of the camp. A couple of people in our group did this but I am waiting to share the experience with my girls.

Another pic of the camel riders.

It's hard to see but that is Ryan sand surfing. This is set up right outside the perimeter of the camp but you can watch people do it from inside the camp. He made to the bottom without falling but said it was not a steep or long dune and not worth the major effort to get back to the top to do it again. Still a pretty cool experience though!

The falcon is the national bird of UAE. For 10 dirham you can hold the falcon in four positions and take pics with your own camera.

You knowI had to do it! That falcon is a lot heavier than he looks!

Water fountain inside the camp. Anyone who knows me knows I love water features!

Tables and seating around the stage. Sitting on the ground for so long is a little rough but the cushions are very thick and help a lot! I used two cushions and it wasn't so bad. We have a couple low sitting beach chairs with backs we are bringing for my mom and Jimmy when we take them. Gotta' take care of momma!

Another view of the stage and seating area. You can see the camp is quite large.

Lori went to the traditional Arabic dress tent and for a small amount she purchased the headdress and they taught her how to tie it. Pretty, pretty girl and just as nice!

Ryan got in on the action, too!

Desert garden! The sun is starting to set and things are really start to get started!

The first dancer was a man who performed a spinning dance similar to a whirling dervish. He spun in place very fast while using items like very shallow round baskets to enhance his performance.

This is a section of the skirt from his costume he removed and spun all around never missing a beat!

All of the sudde his costume lights up!

The skirt split into two more sections. He is still spinning while the upper part of his body is inside the top lit up portion. Freaking cool!!! Next a fire dancer performed and it was great. Sorry no pics but our guide advised us to get in the food line before it got too long. We saw the whole thing but I forgot my camera on the table. I'll post pics when we go back with the girls. 

Last but not least was the belly dancer! She was fantastic as well. All the performers go all around the edge of the stage so there isn't a bad seat in the house. You get to see each performance very up close and personal. A belly dancer is as close as you are going to get to a stripper in UAE and the table next to us was all young single guys so you can imagine the hooting and hollering in our area. I believe she lingered a little by us because of all the attention she was getting!

Belly dancing babe!

Last one!

As you can see we had a blast. When the event was over our guide rounded us up and drove us back home. When my mom and the girls come Jimmy will 4 wheel drive with the girls and mom & I will wait at the camp. Mom gets around great but she has a bad back and I fear that between the dune riding and sitting so low to the ground it will result in some discomfort for her. I want this to be a great experience for everyone and I already did the dunes so mom and can hang out at the camp and wait for the others. Besides- I'm pretty sure I won't have the nerve to go down some of those dunes so this is my excuse to chicken out with dignity!

I'll check back again soon. Love to all my friends and loved ones. Jacob and Jeremy- I love you and miss you boys so much! Pam, Jay & Amy, Greg- you are always in my heart and my prayers. Keep the funny emails coming- I love them! Denny, John & my ILS folks- I sure miss working with such a great group.

Can't wait to share my life in Dubai with my girls and my mom!!!!! 

Peace, love and happiness to all-

M&J