Arabian Family Vacation Part II - Desert Adventure

A trip to the Middle East is hardly worth the effort if you're not going to experience the desert. Since Kris and I had tried out the dune buggies a few months ago, we decided to go a different route with Rachael and Mick in town. We enlisted in the help of our friends at Gulf Adventures and signed up for the Inland Sea Safari and Dunes Discovery tour. With the temperatures rising it seemed like it was only logical to take full advantage of an air conditioned vehicle. This also meant that the four of us could enjoy the ride together, rather than taking separate ATV's or dune buggies. We'd also be able to avoid getting sandblasted when riding in an open vehicle and knew my Mom would appreciate the safety factor! We met our driver at a neutral location and were pleased to find out that we'd be riding in a new Toyota Land Cruiser. Kris has been on this type of tour a few times and hasn't been as lucky with the SUV selection. The last thing you want when trekking through the desert is a dated car that doesn't seem fit for extreme dune bashing.

Our driver, Mr. Bassam, has been a professional dune basher for 17 years. He was born and raised in Qatar, although coming from an Egyptian and Palestinian decent. He was happy to answer any questions we had and quickly put any fears to rest with the amount of experience that he was able to speak of. 

The drive is roughly 75 km south of Doha to get to the Inland Sea. But the first stop on our adventure was the camel rides! The four of us hop on and enjoy the bumpy ride, while our driver prepares the SUV for driving in the desert by letting air out of the tires.

At this juncture, if any of us weren't impressed with the bumpiness of the camel ride, it would probably be in our best interest to forego the dune experience. Once we were back in the SUV and strapped in, there was no turning back. I can only describe this dune bashing experience as the best roller coaster ride I've ever been on. Our driver had more handle than ever imaginable on the most ridicules dunes I've ever seen. We were driving completely horizontal across the dunes and dangerously close to the edge of a sheer drop off which was sometimes 5 or 6 stories high, and then dropping straight down appearing that we were going to smash our front end straight into the sand. I felt completely confident in our driver's skills and knew that he wouldn't put us in any type of danger. He knew the path of the dunes like the back of his hand. He did this every day and some times even went back to the dunes after he was done his tour for the day and drove the same path at night.

We took turns in the front seat, which of course was the best view. I've never felt my stomach drop that many times in such a short span of time. I would say that driving on sand feels somewhat similar to driving on snow. The feel of the tires trying to catch and sometimes spinning as well as the back end of the car careening into a fish tail as the driver tries to maintain control. It's an incredible skill that would take years to master.

On our drive south toward the dunes we saw a few wild camels. We asked Mr. Bassum if we'd see any wild camels out on the dunes and he said it's a possibility, but not very likely. There was a ranch about 50 km from the dunes that was home to hundreds of camels. They sometimes left the ranch to travel out for the day and made their way to the area that we were in, but then always returned to the ranch at night for food and shelter. We rounded over the top of a dune and our driver notified us that it was our lucky day. We approached the camels and they didn't seem bothered in the least bit. There were about 20-25 of them. We were even lucky enough to see 6 or 7 baby camels. 

We continued to make our way through the desert and eventually came over a hill to the magnificent view below. The striking greenish-blueish color of the water was a brilliant contrast to the shades of beige sand that we had just traveled through. The water looked beyond refreshing! 

There were a handful of people posted up on the shore, but for the most part the endless stretches of coastline were undisturbed. Across the water you can catch a glimpse of Saudi Arabia. We were so close that our cell phones even buzzed with texts welcoming us to Saudi.

We took a few minutes to relax and get our stomachs ready for the next leg of the journey. The view from this beach was absolutely breathtaking. The water was crystal clear and the temperature was perfect. The only way to get to this location is by SUV through the dunes. It's not an easy task for an inexperienced driver. It's common to see people stuck, although thank goodness we didn't run into anyone in trouble. It was such a peaceful place. There were a few families that were camped out by the water's edge. They had their vehicles backed up to the coastline, their tents set up for shade and grills out ready to cook. I could have spent days there. In the future we'd definitely like to take a trip back and actually camp out for the night.

Our driver took a less adventurous path back through the desert to spare our stomachs since our next line of business was dinner. We made our way back much more carefully and we were able to enjoy the scenery rather than seeing flashes of sand here and there. We came to the top of one really large dune and we were facing out toward the sea. Our driver inched his way to the edge and I eventually came to realize we weren't going to stop. He let the vehicle almost teeter totter on the edge. The only words I could manage to form were, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?". Our front end started to dip down and all we could see was an almost vertical drop about 50 or 60 feet high. We basically just slide down the sand at a slow pace and safely landed at the bottom. Mr. Bassum turned the car around so we could see the mighty mound that we just descended. There was another car at the top with the driver out and waving at us. It truly gave a perspective of just how high we were!

We pulled up to the Bedouin camp arrangements provided by Arabian Adventures. There were about 6 or 7 very large tents decorated with Arabic seating, carpets and cushions. We were immediately given a selection of water and cold beverages (non-alcoholic of course). 

Before our meal was cooked on site, we had a chance to take advantage of the Inland Sea. The water was crystal clear and calm and there were little creatures and fish that we were able to explore. The temperature of the water seemed to be a constant fluctuation between warm and cool. I would say it was the perfect temperature to be comfortable, but at the same time refreshing from the desert air. The sand felt like baby powder under your feet and you could make out the endless ripples of sand under the clear water. Looking back toward camp we were able to watch the sun setting over the dunes. This was a truly unforgettable experience for all of us. 

The meal was described as an Arabic BBQ with fresh flat bread being made next to the grill. There was an assortment of chicken kabob's, rice, hummus, and tabouleh. We were famished after our swim and the food didn't disappoint. After dinner they provided 
an Arabic dessert of what seemed like a chocolate zucchini bread (I'm probably not even close on this comparison, but that's the only item I could compare it to), as well as coffee and tea. We were stuffed and exhausted and the comfort of the traditional seating came in quite handy. I could definitely get used to this style of eating.

Overall, we were extremely pleased with the tour and especially that Rachael and Mick were there to share in this experience. I would highly recommend this for anyone thinking about making a visit.

Arabian Family Vacation Part I - Doha

It's been almost two months since our last post, but I assure you that life hasn't slowed down in the least. Back in May we were blessed with the company of my sister, Rachael, and her husband Mick. They spent a week with us here in Doha, and then we all traveled over to the UAE to visit Dubai and Fujairah. On our second to last day in Fujairah we got a phone call from my parents letting us know that our Nanny had passed away that day. Nanny was 92 years old and lived a wonderful life. She passed peacefully with my Mom and Poppop beside her. I was very blessed to be able to spend tons of quality time with her the during my last trip home. The next day I was able to get a flight out around the same time as Rachael and Mick to be home with my family for the next two and half weeks. Although our trip had ended on a sad note, we still had a great time entertaining our guests in the Middle East.

The first few days we spent lounging by the pool, soaking in the sun and allowing them to fight off jet lag. Since their second day in town happened to be Cinco de Mayo, we felt it was appropriate to celebrate with dinner at Paloma, a Tex-Mex restaurant located in the Intercontinental Hotel. I know they probably weren't planning on Mexican food while in Qatar, but we promised we'd get around to some of the more traditional Middle Eastern food eventually. We got to the restaurant thinking it would be packed for the holiday. Much to our surprise, there was absolutely no mention of Cinco de Mayo, no specials in celebration of the holiday, and plenty of tables up for grabs. Now... I'm completely aware of the fact that we're pretty darn far from Mexico, but we at least thought that a Mexican restaurant would be representing one of their most renowned holidays. Wishful thinking! We didn't let it dampen our spirits as we ordered up a round of margaritas. I know I've mentioned the strict regulations on alcohol in previous posts, but since this restaurant is located within a Western hotel, alcohol is available.

With our glasses empty and our bellies full, we made our way down to the beach to enjoy an impressive view of the Doha skyline and relax by the edge of the Persian Gulf for a moment. Temperatures were just starting to rise in May, but the night time air is perfect for enjoying evenings outside.

 Intercontinental Hotel

Next stop for the night was my favorite place in Doha, Souq Waqif. Literally translated to "the standing market," this shopping destination is renowned for selling traditional garments, spices, handicrafts, and souvenirs. It is also home to dozens of restaurants serving cuisines from all over the world, as well as Shisha lounges.


We grabbed a seat at one of our favorite cafes and ordered up a few cocktails. Alcohol is not available for purchase in the souq, but all of the restaurants have an impressive menu of fresh fruit drinks, smoothies, coffee and tea. The best night time activity here is to sit back and enjoy the view. The souq is crowded with people almost every night of the week. And it seems everyone is just as content with the favorite past time of people watching. 

The next night we went back to Souq Waqif for a more adventurous meal at Al Adhamiyah Iraqi restaurant, which we haven't had a chance to try yet. We recently saw a write up in one of the local magazines which described "brilliant, authentic food". It was a must try in my book. We followed suit with the author of the article and tried a few of his recommendations including Kouzi al sham which has been described as an Iraqi version of a pie. Encased in a kind of bread, you break through the layer to uncover a delicious jumble of fragrant spiced rice with chicken, lamb, vermicelli, sultanas, and potato. This dish is served with a yoghurt sauce. We also ordered the safe, but always pleasing chicken tikka dish.

 

 Kouzi al sham

Chicken Tikka

After dinner, we took a stroll through the souqs to walk off some of our meal and engage in some more people watching. 

On the weekends, there is usually some type of musical event taking place at Souq Waqif. This particular night there was a large band of local Arab's singing mostly a cappella, but supplementing here and there with drums that were heated over a fire. I'm guessing this has something to do with the acoustics of the instrument.

We ended the night with a photo of the four of us. We spotted some beautiful stained glass windows and thought it was the perfect spot for a picture. Thanks to Ken for warning us that we were about to snap our photo in front of the windows of a mosque which is definitely not allowed. We quickly walked on and found a new spot for our photo. Stay tuned for our next adventure in the desert :)