Desert Safari

Last night after work, I headed into the desert with my friend Ali for a little “desert safari” experience. Ali has made friends with the Emiratis who run this particular desert safari, having been out with other friends in the past. Due to this friendship, we were treated to some wonderful “behind the scenes” experiences.

After a bit of a scary drive out to the desert (dune bashing is not for me), we arrived to find that there was a new addition to the camel family at the safari site. A new baby, I believe about two weeks old, was there to greet us.

New baby.

After saying hello to the baby, I embarked on my first camel riding experience. The camel ride itself is quite tame, just a short two to four minute walk out behind the safari tents. But getting the camel to stand up is a whole different story. It is not something I can describe. Sometimes, a photo is enough.

We then went inside the safari tent to enjoy a nice dinner and get our henna done. They had some falcons in there, keeping an eye on things. Not being much of a bird person, I opted to steer clear of them for now. 

After our nice dinner, chatting and some star gazing, our host offered to take us out to pet the new baby camel. We were all barefoot, walking through the dark in sand mixed with camel dung, but it was so worth it. The baby just stood there and let me pet him/her (I’m not sure which). Its fur was so soft and fluffy, like a really fluffy cat. It was so cool. He then took us into a hut. It turned out to be the hut for the falcons.

 

I did finally get up close, petting the chest of the “prize” falcon, in the left corner. It was a great way to spend an evening after work. I’m looking forward to taking my parents out there when they come to visit

The prize falcon.