Sunset Camel Ride

It has been high on my to-do list of Dubai to ride some camels!! Since we decided to have a stay-cation over spring break, I thought it would be the perfect time to fit it in!

Ben and I made the hour or so drive out into the dessert to Al Sahra Desert Resort Equestrian Center.  Once we arrived, we followed the winding road to park and make our way to the camels.  Like with many things in Dubai, there weren't any signs or people around to really direct us and let us know where we were supposed to go.  It was a beautiful day and the place was very serene so we absolutely did not mind.  It was a very enjoyable walk.

When we made it to the camels, we were greeted by our two guides.  We were excited to learn that we were the only two on the sunset camel ride!! Woo hoo!! Our guides led one of the camels over so we could pet him and get in some pictures.  Ben and I both agreed that camel hair was more coarse than we thought it was going to be.  We learned some interesting facts about camels such as: 

-- Camels are able to swim while carrying things on their back.  Apparently, in some places in Egypt the camels are still used to transport goods and are made to swim across water. 

-- Camels can close their nostrils to keep out sand.  They can also continue to breathe with their nostrils closed. 

--  The whispy hair on the inside of their ears is to keep sand out.  They also have incredibly long eyelashes to do the same.

--  Camel's cannot walk on gravel.  Their feet are very soft and the gravel can hurt them, cause infection and in some cases lead to death.

--  A camel's hump is filled with fat.  Many people believe water.  That is false.

-- A camel's spine is straight.

-- Camels live between 30-50 years. 

-- When mating, the males can show they are enjoying themselves (or show dominance) by something that protrudes out of their mouth.  Apparently, it is quite appalling (according to one of our guides).

-- Camel milk is more nutritious than cows milk.  There is more iron and less cholesterol   We were able to taste some after our camel ride and it does taste different than cow's milk.  Camel milk is a bit more salty, has a stronger milk twang to it than cow's milk (if that makes sense) and is more rich.  Not bad, though.

--  Female camels mature faster than male camels by about 3 years. This is true of humans as well.  ;)

After our introduction and education it was time to ride!! Since we were the only two along for the ride we each got our own camel! Once we sat down, we had to lean back while the camel stood up because they lift their hind end first. Mine did it as soon as I was seated and scared the crap out of me, but I recovered quickly.  Then we were off!  We went on a 40 minute ride around the desert and were lucky enough to see a small gazelle and a desert hare (or fox, not really sure which).  Our legs and bums started to hurt after a bit since the sway of the camel and the way you are using your legs and back to steady yourself is something we are not used to.  

At the conclusion of our ride, we were able to taste camel's milk and play with a couple of miniature ponies before leaving.  We both agreed that we want to return and ride horses in the desert before leaving Dubai.

Prior to returning home, we stopped at the Mall of the Emirates to eat at the world's largest Cheesecake Factory.  

It was a truly memorable day/date!

From the Heart

So this may be a long shot, but I thought I would throw it out there anyway. . . 

At the end of this school year Ben and I plan to go through all of our belongings in Dubai to make the decision as to what we do or do not want to take with us back to the States.  An idea came to me to offer anything we did not want to take to the amazing Filipino women who work at our school.  In this country, Filipinos are close to the bottom of the food chain.  They are paid very minimally and expected to work incredibly hard for it.  Most of them are here because they are earning money to send home to support their families and do not get to enjoy the excitement of Dubai.  They just can't afford it. 

Back to my idea - I plan to wash any clothing Ben and I do not wish to keep and put together any household items that we are not taking home and offer them to the wonderful women we work with.  That being said, if you feel moved to donate anything, please feel free to package it up and send it to us!  It takes about a month or a little over to receive packages, so it would need to be done fairly soon.  I realize that this may not be something many people respond to, but I wanted to throw out the invitation out there anyway.

Our address:

Collegiate American School

Attn: Benjamin Jackson & Lyndsey Jackson

P.O. Box 121306

Umm Suqeim

Dubai, U.A.E.

Love to you all and see you soon!  

Zen

Home <3

Many things in the near future will be changing in our lives. We have a big move coming up, currently without a known destination.  This brings a lot of uncertainties such as jobs, where we will be living and the annoying task of finding a decent hair stylist. ;)  Instead of being my usual self and worrying like mad about the unknown, I am going to trust that everything will work out as it should and go lay by the pool. :)

Happy belated Easter to those of you who celebrate it!

Disgruntled Employee

I couldn't help but giggle and snap a picture of this note left on the fridge at school.  It reminded me of a certain episode of The Office. . .  

 

Now to come up with a snarky reply note. . . 

So much time for activities!

Due to unfortunate water circumstances, we are stuck on dry land instead of doing our baller island camping trip this weekend.  There apparently is a threat of 8-10 foot swells which I am not keen on experiencing in a dhow boat.  Plus the thought of sea sickness or something of the sort ruining an amazing experience is a little off-putting.  We will reschedule and have our amazing trip in a month or so.  We previously thought it would be on the World Islands, but discovered it will actually be on Moon Island.  It is roughly a 4 hour boat ride to the island where we can swim, play beach games, snorkel, fish, take a sunset cruise and relax while having a supremely amazing time.  Ben and I are both incredibly disappointed about having to reschedule, but we also like the idea of living a little longer. Ben did point out that we could combine the thrills of 'The Perfect Storm' and 'Castaway' all in one weekend.  We do have previous crab hunting skills which would come in handy if we were marooned on an island. :)

Since spring break is nearly upon us and we have plenty of free time this weekend (boo!), we went ahead and finalized our plans for our time off! As mentioned previously, we are staying in Dubai since we have financial obligations that come before travel and we want to be responsible. Instead of pouting about our lack of ability to venture to another part of the world, we have decided to make the best of our spring break and fill it with all sorts of fun things.  Our Dubai Extravaganza will include:

March 31st - SkyTrail

'SkyTrail is a multi-faceted obstacle course that is suspended along the ceiling of the mall (13 meters above ground) that truly tests the physical and mental ability of the participants.  Located adjacent to an 8 meter climbing wall, SkyTrail can be accessed directly through an auto belay system or form the more adventurous, by climbing the wall.'

April 2nd - Sunset Camel Ride

  We will have a night of interacting with camels! We will have the opportunity to brush, pet and make friends with the camels prior to going on a sunset dessert ride. We also have the option of trying camel milk.  I hear it is disgusting, but I must try it at least once. 

April 3rd - SkyDive Dubai

We will be skydiving over the Palm! 

April 4th - Jamjar Painting

We have BOGO coups for a canvas painting session. We each will have a 36x48'' canvas to fill with our creativeness. 

April 7th - Stable Tour

We will do an early morning tour of the Dubai Equestrian Club stables.  Maybe we'll get to feed the horsies! 

The rest of our time will be spent either by the pool or on the beach.

Addendum: Due to unforeseen expenses and lack of funds, we only did the sunset camel ride and sky diving.  We also spent a TON of time at the pool, went out for supper with Ben's co-teacher and her husband and read a lot. Seriously - I read 5.5 books over spring break!  Success!