Our first day in Dubai has been excellent. Our group toured the city in the morning, taking a boat ride along one of the water ways of the city. There was a frenzied purchasing of high quality pashmina's from one of Dubai's ample pashmina shops which seemed a natural complement to the multitude of textile and fabric shops. Many of our classmates picked up gifts for friends and family as we walked through the narrow alleys of Dubai's fabric district.
We stopped at a delightful little waterside cafe, where we had some light lunch (we were told not to eat too heavily for our desert safari later that day). After a quick repas, we made our way back to the hotel in order to prepare for the events of the day.In the mid-afternoon, all of us promptly showed up for our first official event, the desert Safari. It was on this excursion that I experienced a new type of horizon, a proper desert, with sand as far as the eye could see in every direction. I've been fortunate to have been able to experience different types of horizons: ocean, forest, mountain ranges and even endless wheat fields, but there was a great deal of anticipation and excitement upon leaving the city for the desert.
The ride was absolutely amazing. Split between three white SUV's, our group was making deliberately aggressive driving patterns along the natural embankments along the sand dunes. It was very much like driving a motor boat through rough water in a storm with the car violently pitching in every direction. Our driver, Salem, handled the car with an expert's touch, being a driving instructor for Porsche.
After a few brief pauses to look at camel farms and wild gazelles (and subtle pause-to-prevent-sickness breaks), we arrived at a rather mysterious camp, a small oasis in the desert.
The camp was like those I had only seen in Hollywood movies. Before entering, those of us with "stronger" constitutions following the tumultuous car ride were treated to a camel ride. Shortly thereafter, we discovered the sand boarding we had heard so much about earlier that day. Along the face of a particularly steep sand dune, was a series of torch lamps and at the top were four snowboards with snap on bindings (I think they were snap on bindings). As we waited for them to bring us "boots" they quickly replied: "You don't need them". Without a firm binding, none of us would be "carving" the mountain, but most of us felt brave enough to venture an attempt.
When it came to my turn, I was a little nervous. The hill seemed a bit steeper than an average ski hill and without bindings I was certain I would lose control of the board. However, the ride down was excellent. Not certain how sand would feel under foot, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it had the same texture and consistency of powder. That's right. Powder. Powder quality texture in an environment where you didn't need to wear winter clothes. And with the powder like texture, the board was also much slower, assuaging my fear of bombing down the hill at a break neck speed.
In the center of was a hearth and along the sides were traditional Middle Eastern tables and cushions. We were entertained with a belly dancing show where all the guests were invited to participate. The show was followed by a generous bbq feast. Finally, as the evening drew to a close, we returned back to our accommodations in order to prepare for the events of the following day, our first official company visits in the Dubai’s International Financial Center.
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