7 February 2011…No trip to Dubai can be complete without a trip out to the desert.  And of course in our case, that means two trips to the desert and also a trip to the nation’s capital, Abu Dhabi. Oh yes, also a visit to Oman, a country almost lost and forgotten in the big world.  Because when visiting Dubai there are no half measures.

The city state of Dubai is really just a small human oasis in a vast barren desert.  We took two excursions out to the desert to see two different aspects of life (or lack of life) there.  One afternoon we jumped in a Toyota Land Cruiser, the premier off-roader of choice in Dubai, run by one of these local operators.  First stop was a massive range of sand dunes which we aggressively drove up and over, around and through, criss-crossing ridges, gullies, bluffs, blinds, bowls and barrels of sand.  What a hoot!

The forces are idle before the attack of the sand dunes

But don’t think this was a novel event.  There were literally hundreds – no kidding – hundreds of similar vehicles doing the same thing as us, an amazing 35 Cruisers from our company alone, all thrilling their city slicker passengers to life in the desert.  Like ants on an ant hill after a kid has kicked it, 4WDs scurrying in all directions, so many they had to be careful not to crash into each other, a scene we couldn’t have imagined if we hadn’t been there.  And the real kicker – it was raining the whole time.  Not just a little rain but good solid rain, in the middle of the desert, clogging up the tracks, turning the sand dunes to a massive trap for unsuspecting drivers.  And yes, we did get stuck, along with many others.

There is nothing subtle about driving the sand dunes near Dubai

We then drove to a huge complex of tents, permanently pitched in the sand and set in a circle to create a huge open arena surrounding a stage.  In the rain, now dark and cold, we raced to the cash bar – another rarity across the UAE.  But obviously out in the middle of nowhere a more liberal attitude is taken about alcohol (thank goodness) and we also had pre-dinner snacks of various lamb kebabs, open-fire baked flat bread and samosas. 

Julie venturing out into the traffic

We were entertained by a Russian belly dancer who danced in our tent amongst our tables (since no self respecting Russian belly dancer is going to dance in the miserable rain), ate a beautiful Arab smorgasbord of exotic meat and vegies, and finished the damp night with a guy wearing a long dress and dancing sort of a whirling dervish type of thing.  That part was kinda weird.

Because of the rain we missed out on the camel rides, the sand boarding down the dunes and the romantic sunset but we did see some soggy locals, cold wet tourists and a belly dancer up really close.

The stunning Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi

The motorway connecting these two cities in some places was as much as five or six lanes in each direction.  And because we weren’t travelling in rush hour the only traffic of note was the endless stream of dirty Land Cruisers with dark tinted windows travelling at Mach 2 in the fast lane.  But most cars were dirty because of the sand blowing in and the rain, so that’s okay…..

Julie incognito inside the main prayer hall of the Grand Mosque

Abu Dhabi has two main attractions in the city – the Grand Mosque and the Emirates Palace.  The Grand Mosque was overwhelmingly impressive, a massive modern structure sitting on a hill, beautiful white marble with colourful inlaid semi-precious stones, 1,000 pillars, 80 marble domes, room for something like 40,000 worshippers at one time, the largest single piece of carpet in the world, chandeliers the size of garages, the whole thing a magnificent tribute to their religion.  We did the free tour but Julie had to wear the full Abayah, that come hither full length black number with the Hejab to cover her golden locks.  She wasn’t too impressed about all this, I can tell you.

We were maxed out on the Wow factor

We also visited the Emirates Palace which is a stunningly over-the-top hotel open to the public.  The hotel recently made the international press because the 15 metre Christmas tree in the lobby had $11 million worth of decorations on it.  We then drove down the Corniche Rd which followed the beach and enjoyed an ice cream on the esplanade amongst all the beach goers. 

Julie having a fountain shower at the magnificent Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi

On the way back to Dubai we stopped at Yas island where they now hold the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.  We stopped at the Yas Hotel, which amazingly was built right over the top of one section of the race course, and watched a race car doing practice laps.  And we drove past the Ferrari World complex, the largest red building I’ve ever seen, big enough for multiple football games, apparently a theme park celebrating everything to do with Ferrari.

We used our last day in Dubai to head for the desert again and explore the nearby sand dunes, mountains and coast line.  We rode the sand dunes, posed with camels and traversed long desert stretches through the ultra-conservative emirate of Sharjah until we came to the sleepy town of Dibba. 

Julie makes new friends very easily in the middle of nowhere

Dibba is on the Oman Gulf and also straddles the border between Oman and UAE.  We flashed our passports, had to endure border guard jokes about Mr. and Mrs. Kangaroo, and then spent most of the day in Oman.  Our goal was a 4WD track in a barren mountain range called the Hajar Mountains and what is called the Grand Canyon. 

Oman is an odd country in that it is divided into three different sections and we were in the northern most section covering the Musandam Peninsula (which forms the narrow Straits of Hormuz with Iran on the other side).  This land is almost uninhabited except for the occasional goat herder and his goats.  Almost nothing can grow here and the term moon-scape has never been more apt. 

We travelled up a canyon that got narrower and narrower, eventually only wide enough for our 4WD, then up an insanely steep switch back track to a ridge that gave magnificent views in all directions.  We were in the middle of nowhere and reminded us again of one of our favourite lines – think about where you are on the map!

After a picnic lunch on a Persian carpet Julie and I opted to start walking down the road and organised for the driver to pick us up when he caught up with us.  We came around a bend when a string of donkeys crested the ridge and stopped in front of us.  The donkeys were coming up the hill with empty pack saddles, presumably to be reloaded and sent back, and their three minders were close behind.  The toothless old guy who looked like he’s live out here his whole life let Julie pet the donkeys, feed the donkeys and eventually, yes, ride the donkeys.  I’m not sure who enjoyed the occasion more – Julie or the old guy – but it probably wasn’t the donkey.

Sorting out the day's catch on the beach of Dibba, Oman

The drive home included a stop in the fishing village of Dibba where we saw a group of fisherman on the beach sort through their net full of fish, throwing back the turtles and stingrays, separating out the bigger fish and the squid, and ending up with a ton of the little sardines.  Very cool.

The drive home included passing through the emirate of Fujairah, which means we visited four out of the seven emirates in the UAE (although you would never know because there are no signs – in English – that mark any borders and we never saw different flags or any other unique symbols).  Later we stopped at the town of Masafi which has the well known Friday Markets (which are open every day…don’t ask) and where we bought a small ‘Iranian silk’ rug and decorative (read camel) pillow case. 

Julie is a tough negotiator to an unsuspecting local carpet merchant

I think we enjoyed the days outside of Dubai as much as those days in Dubai itself, mainly because exploring the countryside/desert/bush is more our thing.  But what is truly fascinating about Dubai is the enormous contrasts of the place, the biggest this and that, the spectacular wealth on show, the stunning architecture and yet you are in an Arab culture surrounded by desert where you can’t buy a beer or wear sleeveless tops.  It definitely makes you reset your compass, and as they say in the classics – it’s a nice place to visit but I wouldn’t want to live there.