After the incredible experience we had yesterday, it’s difficult to know where to begin. It was our last day in Abu Dhabi and we had booked a desert safari with a company called Safari Abu Dhabi, who put together an amazing half day trip for 250 Dirham ($70). Truly a bang for your buck! Immediately after we’d won the trip to Abu Dhabi we began looking into a desert safari like this, so to say we were excited was an understatement.
We got picked up from our hotel around 3:30 P.M. in a large white Toyota Land Cruiser, a car I assumed was way too luxurious to be crashing around the desert in. I couldn’t have been more wrong as these cars handled the sand with ease. It was a short 40 minute drive from Abu Dhabi into the Lawi Desert where we’d be spending the rest of the day. The first activity on the list was something called 
“dune bashing,” which is basically driving up and down sand dunes, coming incredibly close to tipping over but never actually doing so. The drivers are specially trained to drive around the dunes and are incredibly talented at what they do. I would say it’s pretty comparable to what’d I’d think a roller coaster on the beach would be like, with steep climbs and drops that really make your stomach churn. At one point, we got stuck on the peak of a dune and had to be strapped up and pulled down by another SUV. It was awesome! Funny story; we had stopped once to take some pictures and overheard a woman asking her driver to take it easy on the remainder of the ride because she sometimes experienced motion sickness. We all laughed. What did she expect something called “dune bashing” to be like?
The next stop was at a camel farm where we had the chance to get close and take pictures with camels. I have to say, even as calm and peaceful as they may look, they’re a bit intimidating. 
I’ve heard they’re capable of spitting in people’s faces so I was hesitant to get up real close and personal. There was a big pack in the middle eating as well as a couple lying down outside the group. I thought these guys were more approachable and decided to take a few pics.
Our last stop was at a very small camp where we spent the rest of the night. Outside we could sandboard, ride camels and, if we wanted to pay an extra fee, rent and take four wheelers through some sand dunes. Later on, we were all called into the camp where dinner was served. The all you can eat dinner included pita bread, hummus, three types of kabobs, tandoori rice, grilled veggies, marinara pasta for the less adventurous and a cinnamon bread pudding type desert. Talk about a meal. The day was slowly coming to a close and the sun was on its way down, but not before we caught some beautiful desert sunset pictures (above).
After dinner, I got a pretty cool henna tattoo, except for the fact that I asked the woman for a snake and it ended up looking more like a hot wheels track than any snake I’d ever seen. She only had three choices so I had a pretty good chance of choosing her weakest tattoo, which I did. Once again, you win some you lose some. This time I’ll be losing for about two weeks. Doesn’t matter, I’d already had an incredible day at that point so I wasn’t about to let a children’s toy looking henna tattoo ruin my day. Before departing camp, all the lights were shut off and we were left with nothing but the desert starlight. As amazing as Dubai was, it’s always nice to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and get back to where it all began. What a way to end the trip of a lifetime. As I sit here and share my experiences from this part of the world, a part of the world many Americans don’t get the chance to venture to, I can’t help but think about how fortunate I’ve been to see the places I have, do the things I’ve done and most importantly, share it with everyone who’s interested. After all, happiness is only real when shared.
Taylor's Diem 