Day 93: Dubai - Desert Sands And Farting Camels

Today, we stopped in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (also known as the UAE). We wanted to experience the "desert life," so we chose a Dune Safari in a 4x4 SUV, followed by a camel ride.

Purely by chance, we (Allison) got some fantastic skyline shots on the way back. You can see the Burk Khalifa building on the left.

Dubai started as a small fishing village almost 300 years ago - built on the edges of a huge mangrove swamp - in contrast to many of the other cities on the Arabian Peninsula, which were part of a massive land-sea trading route more than 2,000 years ago. So it's a newcomer on the scene. However, it got off to a fast start - rapidly establishing itself as a trading post and safe harbour for trade in and out of what was then known as Persia (Iran). If you look at the map, you'll see that Iran is a pretty big country (way larger than I ever thought.) 

The etymology (naming) of Dubai is also shrouded in mystery and controversy. The leading theory is that it descends from the Arabic daba dubai meaning they came with a lot of money. I keep thinking of the Flintstones and "Aba Dabba Doo" - but that's just me. Alternate versions of the name trace back to either baby locust or slow creep (of the river). Originally under the control and protection of the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi, Dubai seceded in 1833 and established itself as a separate entity. They later entered into an exclusivity agreement with the British (much like Oman), which provided naval protection and security for the Emirate. A massive fire in 1899 unfortunately burnt half the city but provided an excellent opportunity to rebuild and rebrand as a free port. Trade then boomed as large steamers from Bombay, and Mumbai stopped in the port.

In the last 50 years, the focus has been on tourism and decadent luxury. It is #2 globally for 5-star hotels and boasts the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, at 2717 feet. It’s huge and ominates what is already an impressive skyline. Surprisingly, less than 1% of GDP now comes from oil - it's all tourism and business.

We ventured a few dozen miles inland, way outside the city limits, until we reached the edges of the desert headed towards Al Ain and Oman. Our driver pulled over to the side of the road and let out a lot of air from the tires. This provides much better traction on the dunes as it increases surface area and, therefore, grips. We then drove into the desert at a pretty high speed, slipping and sliding through the dunes. Allison was in the front seat and hanging on for dear life. Apparently, telling her that we had roll bars in case anything went wrong was not the smartest thing to say.

We stopped between some dunes for a photo opportunity. In that selfie, there is nothing but sand behind us for at least another 60-70 miles. You rapidly realize that there are only so many ways you can take a picture of sand. Engineer brain kicked in, and I picked up a bunch of sand to examine it. It was far redder than I expected and also very fine - easy to catch up in the wind. Also, you could walk barefoot across the sand (I tried at 4pm), and it wasn't that hot - enough to warm your feet but not burn them, probably because of the high silica content.

As we left the desert, we chanced upon some camels, including a mama camel with her baby. Mama got within six inches of me and gave me a good sniff. I sniffed back - imagine a dry version of wet dog smell, that's the best I can do. Then we went for a formal camel ride. I quickly learned that a camel ride is much jerkier than a horse and that mounting and dismounting a camel (even though they kneel down on command) is the most dangerous part of the ride. One party member was thrown off on the dismount and hurt his back and shoulder. My second lesson was that a camel fart is quite smelly (they have 3 stomachs) but amazingly loud. Who knew?

Lastly, we drove back into the city at sunset and caught some great shots from the car.

Allison did a really nice job on these, so credit to her. The Burj Khalifa silhouettes the skyline, although I love the shot with the "Ghostbusters" cloud pattern emanating from the top of another building.

So we got to hang out in the desert and hope to compare the Arabian Desert with the Sahara when we are in Western Africa. Suspect that there will be a big difference.

Upcoming we have Abu Dhabi and then back to Dubai for tea at the Palace.