In the footsteps of Wilfred Thesiger

Assalamu Aleikum!

I am back in the UAE after my time back home in rainy Britain. I came back just in time for another holiday. This time it's the Islamic New Year.

One of my colleagues decided to spend the holiday in the desert and I volunteered to drive him to his drop off point and pick him up again. As for myself I spent the afternoon at Mirfa, a seaside town on the road to Saudi Arabia. The town and beach were deserted except for a few couples looking out to sea. It was funny but the road leading to the sea when I had turned off the main highway reminded me of just about any seaside town in Europe. I felt my excitement rising as I got closer to the sea. It was a bit like my feelings as a child on holiday in Pembrokeshire. And......the beach was golden with palm trees and little areas of seating. The weather was warm but not hot. I guess it will be more crowded when the weather heats up a bit.

Meanwhile, my colleague spent his night sleeping under the stars with only the sound of roaring 4x4 jeeps to keep him company. Apparently it is a popular pastime to camp out in the desert and race 4x4s over the dunes well into the night. But he did manage to have a chat with a camel herder and I arrived right on time to bring him home. When I picked him up he was barefoot as he said it was easier to walk over the sand that way. He also managed to avoid any encounters with snakes, scorpians or camel spiders.

Masalamah

Yahya