The Desert, Liwa

After our visit with the ladies from Qatar at the Camel Festival souq, we took a drive into the desert. This was the high point of the day for me. I find the vast, wide open land, and the shades of sand, which go from beige to burnt orange to deep tan in gradually higher waves against a cloudless blue sky, reassuring. Like the ocean and the mountains, the natural beauty of the desert has a calming effect on me. If left to my own devices, I could stare at this scenery for a very long time.

For miles, there was nothing but a very well-built road, the desert, and us.

I'm a bit weather-worn here, (sacrificing my vanity yet again for this blog!), but I included this photo because I wanted to show how huge the sand drifts were in comparison to a person.

I love the idea that by tomorrow, there will be a whole new pattern of sand waves out here, depending on which way the winds blow.

Like so many pictures on my blog, it helps to click on the photo to see it in a larger size in order to get an idea of the vastness of this space.

Abu Dhabi Desert

Typing with my (non-writing) left index finger is beginning to get on my nerves, so I thought I'd just post a couple of photos taken by M instead. Above and below are the desert, of course, out near Al Ain. It's so, so, beautiful.

These were taken around sunset on desert safari. The man pictured above had given many people rides on the camels by dinner time.

The Desert, Near Al Ain

Since life is so short, here's a picture to remember how fun it can be. M took this photo of some of our kids running up a very high sand dune in the desert near Al Ain. We were on a "desert safari" that lasted well into the night.

A "desert safari" is one of my favorite things to do with visitors: a skilled driver takes you (via four-wheel drive car) over high, rolling sand dunes into the desert. The sometimes hair-raising ride ends at a camp with traditional Bedouin tents and barasti huts that show how people used to live in what is now the UAE.

When you're at the camp, the sand dunes beckon you to climb to the top, though you'd better be in fairly good shape to make the climb. It's quite a bit harder than it looks!

The view from the top is spectacular. Against a dusty blue sky are miles of burnt-tan hills of sand that nature will rearrange in another beautiful design the next day.

There are sand skis you can ski down on; some people just like to roll all the way down. The rolling beat of Arabic music adds to the atmosphere. You're treated to Arabic coffee and a beautiful Arabic dinner. You can try on the traditional abaya and sheylah (the black outergarment and headscarf worn by Emirati ladies) or the white dishdasha (a floor-length, shirtlike garment worn by Emirati men). Sometimes there is a belly-dancer. Usually there are fireworks. At some point they usually turn out all the lights and the music so visitors can enjoy an Arabian night for a bit. The desert is magnificent and not to be missed.