Two weeks ago today was one of the best days I've had. We were in Dubai visiting my son, who that day hired a 4x4 car for us to go off roading in the mountains.
I was so excited as we drove along, out of Dubai itself, through Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, and onwards, the mountains came into view, it was like another world after the hustle and bustle of the last few days.
We had our passports ready as we were planning to go through Oman. As we approached the border guards, there was a long queue and several cars were turning back. Not long before we realised a lot of people were being denied access to pass through. We waited patiently, but sadly we also were told or rather just gesticulated at to turn round, to go back.
At this point I was rather disappointed, however my son has a book of alternative routes and places to go. So instead of going through the mountains we decided to go into the desert.
It was a long drive, part way back the way we had come and then onto another route. As we drove along we saw camels in the distance, I was hoping to see some a lot closer up!
When we eventually got off the road I was completely amazed at the beauty of the desert, the sand dunes rising up, all rippled and seemingly untouched as the sand had hidden all traces of those that had been there before.
I couldn't wait to get out of the car and just run freely up the dunes, such a sense of vastness, a sense of freedom, we couldn't see another living creature and the silence - well that was something you never experience in the city even in the dead of night!
My partner found what we believe to be some old camel bones!
As there had been a few showers in the past week the sand dunes seemed quite firm, so my son decided to drive right up a dune - BIG mistake...
When we decided to move on we realised we were STUCK! The sand just clogged up around the back wheels and the more he revved up the engine the deeper the tyres dug in.
I was laughing so much, here we were in the desert with no one else in sight and not much clue what to do. That's where the camel bones came in useful.. I tried digging us out with one, but it wasn't much help!
Whilst we were all busy digging, still laughing, getting a teeny bit worried an Arab guy appeared just (it seemed) out of nowhere. He spoke no English, but recognised our predicament and bought out a rope which he tied from his car to ours.
Unfortunately the rope snapped as soon as it became taught! The Arab man drove off into the distance leaving us there, still stuck, with a rope dangling uselessly off the back.
A bit more digging, a bit more forceful, desperate effort, on my sons part and amazingly the car suddenly shot forward.
We were free, we could move on, we wouldn't die of thirst and hunger and cold in the desert after all!!
We drove down the dune in the direction the Arab guy had gone, we felt we should give him back his rope. As we approached where he had parked we saw there was quite a little group of men.
They were out with their falcons. Some birds were resting on little posts in the ground, some were eating (poor) little chicks and some were flying, swooping down for the meat that one of the guys was swinging around on a rope for him.
We stayed and watched for sometime, although none of these men seemed to speak any English they were very friendly and gave us water to drink.
We then decided to press on and continue our journey, I still wanted to see camels up close!
Didn't have to wait long, I leaped out of the car and took photos, they growled a bit and I was very brave..lol
We drove on, but then noticing the sun was starting to go down we realised we should turn for home, didn't want to be out there in the dark, can only imagine how pitch black dark it would in fact be!
As we drove back we saw other camels, racing camels, being led in groups.
As the sun went down that evening I felt I'd really had the best day ever!
All photo's best viewed large..
To see the whole photoset of this day go
HERE
