My lovely visitors :)

Monday, March 15, 2010

Dune Bashing--Some Desert Fun in Tawi Nizwa

as-salaam aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

My husband and I went dune bashing the other day - it is definitely the beginning of the end of the desert going season, for me at least. It has started to get so hot during the days. So I have to try to get in a bunch of dune bashing over the next few weeks inshallah!

I am posting photos here, but just so you know, not a single photo can capture the true beauty of the open desert. It is really something you have to see for yourself. I drive from time to time but I do get nervous when I get the more steep hills climb because I do not know what is on the other side--a nice flatter surface to keep driving on, or an immediate steep decline... and it does take finesse to get over and through the desert hills. I drove the other day for a while and we went through a more difficult area than I had previously driven through. There was one steeeeeep hill to climb and I told my husband I don't think I'm ready but he told me to just follow the tire marks so... I went up up up up and then was trying to reach the highest tire marks I saw, hit the top and then I was supposed to steer left but when I hit the top the force made the car go right a bit and then.... we got stuck LOL

Alhamdulillah there were some guys around and they helped shovel sand from underneath the car and then pushed our car back to help us get out. I felt so embarrassed!! And then of course, we got to the bottom and my husband went to climb the same hill and was over it in not time and it was so easy LOL

If you saw my last post you saw that I posted the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado where I am from--its a beautiful beautiful place Mashallah--but, most of the are is off-limits to any vehicles. So no dune bashing like in UAE, except a small area that is available (I don't know how big the area is)--but here in UAE there are huuuuuuuge areas to go dune bashing.But there are pros and cons to each.... for the dunes in Colorado, since it is a federally protected zone, while, it is too bad you can't do some serious dune-bashing, you won't have the problems of trash lying everywhere harming the environment and wildlife.In UAE where you can drive through most desert areas, you do see lots and lots of trash left out--and what they have found with autopsies on dead camels that are found in the deserts--70% of them died because their stomachs were full of plastic trash bags (the garbage left in the desert) The bags block their digestive systems so the camels slowly starve to death. pooooor things :(

The photos I am posting are from different days we have gone dune bashing... I did take photos yesterday but they all start looking the same LOL These photos are from an area named Tawi Nizwa (he he the first is a camel who stopped to pose--he and some others were roaming around the start of the dune bashing area... I think its pretty much if you go to the desert, you are going to encounter camels roaming around :)

One day we went with my SIL and she saw a GMC go up and then down this one hill and she said "Atta GMC!!" (kind of like "go GMC") and then 5 seconds later we heard a lound noise and this is what had happened to that GMC:



all we told her she gave them the evil eye... Alhamdulillah there were no serious injuries in that accident.

Here is one video clip on a busy weekend at Bedayer (Red Dune) --it was windy that day as you will hear  :)



14 comments:

  1. Assalam alaikum!

    Cool pics!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mashallah! :X

    ReplyDelete
  2. :X The pictures are gorgeous! I love the camels. Masha'a'Allah! just gorgeous. God's willing we can go together someday. men on one side and us on the other... I know we'd have a blast!

    ReplyDelete
  3. wow..
    beautiful...
    sunset..
    camel...
    great view..

    this is so exciting..
    many jeep there ya..

    ReplyDelete
  4. Asalamu Alaikum, Wow look so nice mashallah! Now I want to go dune bashing too! I'm going to go bug my parents about it now. hehe

    ReplyDelete
  5. wonderfulllllllllll u know i wrote a post some days ago about the wish of seeing the desert....and the magic of it!!!is so nice!!!!!!it warm's up my soul!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Asalam Alaykum this sounds like fun. We do this back home but in mud its sooooo fun..

    Is it common for women to do these things in the UAE just curious :)..

    ReplyDelete
  7. Noice camel!

    The dunes are great fun. Friends from Arizona understand that but friends from other places dont. Dunes? 40 degrees? Are you insane? Nah, You live with the cards you're dealt, right? If we had snow (not counting MOE) we would ski. We have sand, so we go dune cruising as I call it.

    The GMC is kinda a funny thing that had become an increasing sight. But alhamdullillah, I havent seen anyone very badly hurt.

    Great pics! Especially the camel! lol.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for all the comments :)

    Alice, have y'all done any dune bashing, or driving in the desert to barbecue??

    it is so much fun and the camels just walk right by your car (of course people slow down where there are camels)

    ann, yes there are lots of Jeeps :D

    Texan in UAE,inshallah we will get to have a group outing with all our friends one day!

    Amria, yet yes go bug your parents to take you!

    miss_dior, inshallah you will get to see the desert one day :)

    Noor, ohhh doing that in the mud would be so much fun!!! as for the local women... some women are more and more coming out to go dune bashing--but of course they go with male family members. It isn't all too often I see another local girl driving, although I do see expat women driving from time to time. :)

    most local women who go to the desert do go with family to hang out and barbecue and stuff more-so than dune bashing :)

    ultra[blue]- yes, you can still go dune- bashing in 40C weather but you can't stop and go sit outside just for a lil' rest--which I love doing!

    ha ha ha would you believe I grew up in a state famous for skiing and I have NEVER gone skiing in my life!!?? I did tell my husband when Ski Dubai opened that my first ski experience will NOT happen at ski dubai LOL--I have to go back home for that inshallah!

    ReplyDelete
  9. mashAllah so beautiful! love the one of the sunset! u have a good eye

    ReplyDelete
  10. This is so nice, and it feels good as well:))

    Love it

    ReplyDelete
  11. Assalamu Alaikum. Those are truly amazing shots! The sunset one is my favorite :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. thank you dust n roses, miss Dreamer, and nadia :X

    ReplyDelete
  13. great view of the sunset and the camels.. old lawrence of arabia style ;)
    love the camels


    Dubai desert safari

    ReplyDelete
  14. travellermimi, welcome to my blog and thank you!!

    ReplyDelete