Exploring the Desert

Our first stop on our safari was off-roading, we stopped at a small area with a market and ATVs. We took turns riding with our dad on an ATV in the desert and he let us drive, it was awesome! Then we got to hold a falcon who was very pretty, falcons are UAE’s national animal and are very important and royalty have tons of falcons. Falcons are so important in UAE because they are a symbol of strength, courage, nobility, and heritage in their culture (specifically saker falcons).

Next the tour guide drove off the rode into the sand and then we stopped and he got out to deflate the tires a little bit which helps to drive through the desert. After he did that our tour guide started to drive really fast up and down steep sand hills, it was terrifying! We literally almost went straight down some of them and on one hill the tour guide drove along the side one side of the car was so close to touching the ground the whole side got covered in sand. I was so scared that we were going to flip while Rylee was calmly stating that it was not that bad😂.

Finally when we came to a stop after that terrifying experience, our tour guide stopped at the top of a steep sand hill. We got out and our guide artistically wrapped a scarf around each of our heads and then he told us where to get the best photo’s. Then we got a board, that we were instructed to use it for Sandboarding! At first I was a little nervous so at first I used the board like a sled, it was just like sledding but on sand. It was very hard to climb back up from the bottom and exhausting because unlike snow sand slides down when you try to step on it. The second time my mom convinced me to try standing up kind of like snow boarding it was very fun. Each time I stood a little bit higher while I was going down. I hugely surprised myself I did not think that that would be something I would be good at, it was my favorite part of the tour.

The last stop of the day was at a campsite and we were led by our tour guide to our seats, all of the seats surrounded a large stage. Then we got to go to the side of the camp where there was a giant buffet with all sorts of foods ranging from rice to brownies. Meat kababs were being cooked over flames right in front of us and someone was kneading dough and cooking it to make nan bread. While we ate there were multiple shows,

• Dancing and drumming
• Belly dancing
• Fire show
• Tanoura (a traditional dance)

We also got henna which is a traditional art that is done on women’s hands and feet. The artist that did it was talented and she did it very fast. My mom, Rylee and I each got henna on one of our hands. Lastly we went on a short camel ride I was really nervous to get on the camel after my mom fell but it turned out all right.

Overall it was a very fun tour.