Day 2: Dunes

Friday is the first day of the weekend in the UAE, and as little was open I stayed I lounged and ate. A lot. The, in the afternoon I went on my long-anticipated dune tour. Our driver knew what he was doing, but he delighted in taking the most sickening routes across the dunes. We fishtailed, lurched, slid sideways down the steep dunes, and sent up sprays of sand as if whipping through puddles of water. My lunch, earlier a source of satisfaction, was now was threatening a return visit.

I was never so happy to see camels, for we had a scheduled stop at a camel farm. The place smelled just like that carpet I bought in Afghanistan. (I finally removed the odor after two washings and a thorough spraying with Lysol).

Regretfully, I said goodbye to the camels and returned to the 4x4 for more torture, keeping my eye on my watch and praying for sunset. As the sun began to sink, we stopped atop a tall dune for the sand boarding. By this time, I felt so nauseated I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stand up, much less surf the dune. Fortunately, we only had two boards and three hopeful sand-boarders, so I let the others go first and got a chance to center myself.

But my rest ended all too quickly, and I was strapped onto a board atop a frighteningly high dune. Much to my surprise, I glided easily down it. I’ve never snowboarded, but have been told that sand-boarding is slower and easier. Makes sense – sand must have more traction than snow. However, I seem to remember snow being much easier to walk up. After trudging up the hill twice I felt ready to collapse, face-down in the warm red sand. Between the heat and my sedentary Kabul lifestyle, I was done-in.

Dusk lasted about 15 minutes and then the night became black as pitch. Funny how quickly darkness falls in the desert. We drove to a permanent encampment where dinner and bellydancing awaited. Again, I was too nauseous to do more than nibble at some flat bread and weakly applaud the dancer.