Desert Safari

 Continues from Bhurj Khaleefa and Dubai Mall 

In the third morning at Dubai we said bye to our good hosts. We’d earlier booked our tickets for the much appraised desert safari in the evening. We spent the morning with some inspiring company. 

We set to the desert safari around 3pm. The Eid holidays had given the organizers the best catch of the season. We saw a crowd of people waiting for the desert wagons as we reached the location. As we waited for the jeep to come, we just roamed around the desert mounds across us. Due to the rain in the previous night, the soil was moist and it felt like walking on the soil of a river bank.

Sunset during Desert Safari

The sun was setting with magnificence as we started our desert safari. After two steep rides, we reached the desert camp. It seems the organizers have reduced the driving time to one third of the original time. The rush of tourists also made it necessary for them to reduce the driving time.

The desert camp was crowded as we reached there. Interestingly, other than the free items, everything that we put our hands on was expensive. In the stalls of complimentary, there is a rush like bees. However, little Shreya took me away from all these hustle and bustle to the play area.  After some time, I started feeling bored of the little wing and slider. I had literally drag her away from enjoyment zone.

Shisha

Sreejith was having Shisha in the meanwhile.  We shared it for some time and I felt as if taking a good vaporizer. Shreya was getting adamant again and I was about to take her back to the play area.

Dharwish Dance

It was then, a Dharwish dancer came on to the stage. However I didn’t pay much attention to the dance as I was busy cajoling the screams of Shreya. Still, I don’t think I missed much here. The dance seemed very much similar to his contemporaries I’d seen at Bangalore shopping mall and at the Nile Cruise.

Belly dance

Then, it was time for the much awaited belly dance! I heard jeers and giggles as she appeared on the stage. However as she started moving, most of them fell silent. She was so graceful with her movements and I got convinced that belly dance is much alike any other art form.  I may also be able to look at these kinds of art forms from a different perspective after reading Memoirs of Geisha. The audience broke into a loud round of applause as she stopped.

The Dharwish dancers and belly dancers started taking turns on the stage and performed finally in a group. These eight dances comprised the best part of the desert safari.

In the meanwhile there was a long queue for the food. I checked one queue and left the attempt straight away. I and Shreya visited the empty mehendi stall and tried to put mehendi on her little hands. She admired it till she spotted Sreejith. As soon as she saw him, she demanded for his handkerchief and wiped the mehendi neatly away from her hands.

It was soon time to return! Our bus was crowded with Philippines. I remembered our host telling about increase in their arrival to Dubai. It seems they are fast replacing the Indians (Malayalees?)  from the domestic labors. Even the Indians prefer them for household work since they are more efficient than Indian workers.

Continues in Sahasra Nam