Our Dubai departure lingers somewhere in the horizon, so close yet so far away.
In anticipation of leaving Dubai in ‘X number’ of months, we have started the task of checking items off of our “Dubai Bucket List” – things that we MUST experience before leaving Dubai!
My personal list includes off-roading in the desert, holding a falcon, and riding a camel. I also have to ride the world’s fastest roller coaster at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi. We have yet to take a frame-worthy family photo in front of the Burj Khalifa and Burj Al Arab, so we have to do that too. And I really want to take Micah to Yas Waterworld in Abu Dhabi and the Mattel Play Town, so he can fulfill my childhood dream of meeting Barney. 🙂
It goes without saying (but I’m going to say it anyway) that we must visit all of the Dubai Parks. They’re the whole reason why we’re out here! We already had a sneak peek of Lego Land and Bollywood Parks, but they weren’t fully finished yet. Now that both parks are open to the public, we need to go back to experience it all. I need to properly cry over everything that Anthony has designed. 🙂 Experiencing the Dubai Parks is by far the most important thing to me, and if that’s all I do the rest of my time here, I’ll be happy.
However, that’s not the case for us!
Over the weekend, we checked our first item off my list — we went off-roading in the desert!
Anthony’s gone several times, but Micah and I have always stayed home. So when Off-Road Zone, an auto body shop that specializes in Jeeps, announced their first off-road event of the season, we decided that NOW was the time to ‘check’ our desert adventure off our list.
This was an ideal time to go because Off-Road Zone hired several Jeeps to lead and trail our group. These professional off-roaders provided assistance and guidance, so I felt safe bringing Micah along knowing that we had 100+ cars around us to help – just in case. After our off-road excursion, we were treated to a BBQ dinner under the stars! It sounded like the perfect adventurous day out.
Our trip took a while to get started because there were sooooo many cars (mostly Jeeps, of course 😉 ). I had never experienced it before, but the camaraderie among Jeep drivers is something pretty special. Everyone was very cordial and patient with one another, and they kept giving high-fives to Micah, the “Little Jeeper” as they called him. Micah had many conversations with people that went something like this:
Person -“Do you love Jeeps?”
Micah – “Yes! I love Jeeps!”
Person – “Are you going to get a Jeep when you grow up so you can get all the girls?”
Micah – “….. Yes?!”
Um, EXCUSE me? 😯 In that case, Micah’s only allowed to drive scooters for the rest of his life. But our little guy had a blast, whooping and cheering with happiness whenever we went up and over dunes. I admit that I was a little nervous, because I got REALLY seasick when we went on a yacht a few months ago, so I dreaded this mysterious motion sickness kicking in again. Thankfully, I was fine. Whew!
The most stressful part of the trip occurred when we accidentally mixed in with the intermediate off-road group. We got stuck several times, but then we were rescued and taken back to the beginner’s group and it was all smooth sailing after that. It was way easier to relax, enjoy the bumpy sand dunes, and appreciate the special kind of beauty surrounding us.
Just LOOK how close we got to these camels! One sassy camel even crossed in the middle of our convoy, taking his time cause he knew that accidentally hitting him would cost the driver a hefty fine (thousands of dollars!). Camels own the road / desert / sand / everything.
(Random aside: camel milk chocolate has a weird tang to it).
I think that many people come to Dubai with the intention of visiting the desert. If not for the off-roading experience, then for simply taking in the view of the seemingly endless sandy terrain. It was a different kind of beauty, for sure.
Overall, our off-roading trip was an unforgettable experience. Anthony took fantastic care of us, and I would definitely do it again. You can’t visit Dubai and not visit the desert. It’s like going to California and not going to the beach! 😛
Before leaving Dubai, I knew that I just had to visit the desert and appreciate its sandy splendor.
So we did it.
Check!
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Los Angeles to Dubai 