Emirates Graduation and Celebration

Our class decided to go on this safari as a last hurrah together before finally getting separated and flying to all parts of the globe. I was really excited to ride a camel and experience the Arabian night dream.

We took this shuttle, going out of Dubai and into the edge of the desert, where we switched into four-wheel drives that could take on the harshest dunes.

We had the craziest driver ever! I was shrieking all the way- around and through the dunes. It was so funny to see myself letting lose of all the fears and troubles I had as we dove into sand drops- getting almost buried in the middle of nowhere.

It felt like a very long roller coaster ride as we finally stopped on a very high slope where we could see a panoramic view of the Arabian Desert and the majestic sunset melting into a mellow gold beyond the horizon.

It was fantastic. I felt that the world was mine for the taking- just me and the sand bugs.

Then we settled into this sort of camp where tall branches were used as forts. Just outside were camels waiting for our butts on their humps! Yeah!

They had cute faces – like puppies. But I heard they bite,so they had this muzzle on, and I just felt so sad for them.

When do I get to ride ‘em?! haha

When I made the attempt to hop on camel’s back, it gave a long grunt which triggered doubt whether I should still go on or not. But even before I could get a grasp of what was going on, the camel immediately stood up and walked in reverse! I was freaking out! I never knew it was so high up sitting on these animals! There were no seatbelts! It was extremely uncomfortable knowing I could fall off anytime, what with the rough terrain and the unpredictable behaviour of these creatures,I was hanging on for dear life!

It was a short merry-go-round but it felt like an hour to me. I stood there for awhile beside the camels trying to catch my breath, when I realized, I was stepping on camel poop! All the while I thought it was plant produce! Gaaah!

Finally, we settled down on this huge carpeted area with low tables all around. We watched a belly dancer bare the essentials as we ate our dinner- Arabian style.

…truly an unforgettable Arabian night.