Awesome African Adventure. Day 3-April 11, 2025

Dubai

Awoke to some sun rays over neighbouring construction site.

Today is my actual 60th birthday and we headed out for our Desert Conservation tour, with a 7am pick up, after a quick pre road trip breakfast in the hotel. This tour was gifted to me by ‘The camping crew’ so huge thanks to them and Mary who was the arranger for this one.

Picked up by Roberta our lovely Italian guide (Rome and Florence) in a nice Black Land Rover Defender.

A 40 minute trip out of Dubai with some interesting facts shared on the trip. See below.

• Did you know that Dubai imports sand from Australia? Their own sand has too high a silica content (wrong shape- grain are round not triangular) and is no good for cement – so they use our sand for their building.
• They have a mountain made from the sand they remove from building sites.
• The world’s first camel hospital is built here in the Dubai Camel Racing area that is set aside for all the camels in Dubai (50k we think).
• The camels are too dumb to be left in the wild.
• The camels are used for Dubai’s most popular sport – Camel racing
• They used to use children as young as 6 to ride the camels but this was too dangerous. Now they use robots!!!
• The desert we are visiting is the private Murquab Reserve of the Crown Prince Sheik Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and only the Platinum Heritage company we are with is allowed to run tours through this particular section of the desert.
• The Sheik/Royal family have a few holiday houses within the area.
• The sheik also built a Bedouin village to house the Bedouin who don’t want to live in Dubai city.
• Speed limit on the way was 120km but there is a 20km leeway before a fine.
• Number plates have run of letters, now use numbers.
• Savage fines for dangerous driving especially red light cameras.
• Each Emirate has its own numberplate.
• Petrol is 35c a litre. And they mainly deliver it in a little blue truck. Service stations are rare.

We arrived into the Reserve, were gifted a water bottle each and a traditional Bedouin head scarf which Roberta tied for us.

We also had time for some pictures with the vintage Land Rovers that some trips use. It was too hot at this time of day for us to use them. Roberta aired down the tyres (22psi, low profile 22inch/275/55 profile for the 4wd nerds)

We then headed into the desert…

.…and saw many Oryx that have been allowed to roam free now. Earlier in time there were only 9 left. They were taken to Phoenix Arizona to diversify the breeding with a genetically similar workers before bringing them back to be kept for 20 years in a fenced area which is now devoid of vegetation, as a result. More recently they have been given free rein within the 225 000 square km Reserve and are fed daily by the rangers on the alfalfa grown by the Bedouins nearby and are in fine health and growing numbers (1000).

We also saw Gazelle – both Mountain and Sand. I wasn’t sure of the difference. But when you look at the colours it’s quite obvious. The gazelle don’t need to drink – they get enough from the plants they graze on. Of course they can and do drink if they want to.

We also saw a lizard called a Sandfish which would skitter across the sand and then dive under and disappear. fascinating.

There was a fair bit of vegetation including some grasses, some trees that are now revered by the locals for their ability to shoot down roots for 65metres to draw water from the water table at about 70metres. There was another tree that grows (the Sodom Apple) good shade,nice flowers but poisonous sap.

The sand was very light coloured and soft it was pulling the vehicle around a bit. Roberta was really patient and happy to stop for photos.

We spent probably an hour or so in the desert then some more at a man made lake – the Sheik is a bird nerd and wanted to provide an environment for water birds. The animals also water there. Plenty of fish too.

From there another loop through the desert, more critters. We saw the rangers Ute feeding the alfalfa to one small herd of Oryx.

The Oryx sex can be determined by the horns. Males have straight horns and females curved and ‘v’ shaped.

We were fortunate enough to see some young of both the oryx and gazelle.

The gazelle are so finely built – their legs look fragile and the pattern inside their ears was beautiful.

Next stop was the Al Maha Desert resort- a 5 star resort within the Reserve for our breakfast. (Sooo glad we had a First breaky at the hotel, I would have been car sick on an empty tummy for sure.

The breakfast and location were stunning. The outlook down across the desert was very ‘Out of Africa’ like.

Then back to Dubai city and the hotel. A fabulous morning outing.

We pondered about next outing. Mary was keen to see the Kite Beach – so we left Suzie to phaff at the hotel (too hot for a beach and she can see kite surfers daily on St Kilda beach!)

Hotel shuttle across the city centre to the beach gave me an opportunity to look at the socials and send out a thanks for the birthday wishes.

The Kite beach was almost kite less. But LOTS of people. It was a bit Venice Beach and a bit Baywatch. Wheelchair accessible too. Dipped our toes and wandered along the edge in the very warm, clean and blue Arabic/Persian Gulf. Quite a lot of noisy jet skis out in the choppy water and other water craft.

Time for a quick ice cream and drink, wander back through the stalls/beach market – Mary was bailed up by a perfume seller. Phil sent me in to rescue her.

Cabbed back to Dubai mall to meet Suzie.

Wandering through the mall to meeting space, we were mesmerised by the Dubai Aquarium. So much to see even without paying to get in.

Met up with Suzie and went for a birthday drink on the edge of the fountain lake at Gunaydin. One drink became two and we ditched our plan for Hop on hop off bus as it was a bit expensive. Watched first fountain show and decided to have something to eat there too.

I think we saw four fountain shows and the Burj Khalifa light show as well.

Then home via the Mall – you see something new every time and it truly is a melting pot of people. Lots of men in the tradition white robes (buggered if I know how they keep them looking so clean and crisp)

I buggered up the trip home. Hurriedly downloaded the Careem (Dubai Uber) app and accidentally selected the wrong Radisson Blue. Which meant we saw some different aspects of the city and eventually made it home, with plans for coffee and something a little sweet.

We ordered coffees and a two sweet treats to share and I went up to the room for my File Hub to download the days pics only to find this awaiting me on the bench.

So now we had two sweet treats and cake. I was highly amused as I balanced this and the photo gear to take downstairs to the others. But wait there was more …

And so the birthday came to an end. Phil had been carrying these in his pocket all afternoon waiting for a chance. The challenge was finding a match!

Thanks to all – another chapter in the Series of Sixty for a birthday to remember and one that keeps on giving.