Wanderlust and Desert Dust

March 9, 2023

One of my favorite experiences on trips is window-watching. I love that time in a car, on a train, or on a bus to stare out the window and capture the scenery. The ride to our desert adventure allowed plenty of opportunity. As we drove the thirty-five miles south of Doha, we left the city and entered more remote stretches. There were a number of massive oil and gas operations, and we learned they were placed there purposefully. Their location kept them isolated from populated areas.  

There were also large storage lots with campers and other vehicles. The Qataris enjoy camping in the desert while riding their 4-wheel vehicles in the dunes. They drop off the campers in these storage areas before heading back to the city, and then they pick them up the next time that they head out. Winter is the high season for playing in the dunes, so we were there just at the end of that period. I was able to see (and hear) several parties out in souped up cars roaring and sliding their way through the massive dunes while rock and rap music blared from their speakers. 

Like almost every experience on this trip, the desert wasn't what I was expecting. In my mind, the desert is isolated and dangerous. It should be hot, and the sun should be painfully strong. Instead, I felt like I was in a recreational area. While it may seem like a strange comparison, it most reminded me spending a day at the lake. Everyone you see is there to relax and have fun. Instead of boats and jetskis, there were Land Rovers and camels. Though to be clear, the camels were just there for the experience. 

After we arrived at our destination, we climbed into a vehicle that was part monster truck and part bus. Our driver took us on and around and over towering dunes. At times, we were riding a peak and looking out the window at a massive drop. At other times we were running at full speed, bouncing along like a jetski through the waves. We stopped for a while in the dunes to get out and explore. I expected to step out and find the sand as hot as what I experience at the North Carolina coast in the summer. Like when you have to run across it before it burns the skins off the bottom of your feet. Nope. It was not hot at all. The best word to describe it would be...pleasant. I had slathered on my sunscreen and wore the hat that I specifically purchased to protect my fair skin from the frying rays of the desert sun, and it was a lot nicer than I expected. 

The monster bus dropped us off at a complex by the water. We were greeted with "welcome drinks" and given a variety of activities to choose from. We could relax in the shade on giant cushions, join in a hookah, pet some goats, lounge on the beach, or take kayaks out into the water. Oh, or ride their camels. I obviously went for the camel ride. Do I remember my camels name? No. Will I for the rest of my life remember the surprising experience of a camel getting up off the ground? Absolutely. Unlike a horse, you don't put a foot in a stirrup and hoist yourself up. A camel is too tall for that. Instead, the camel lowers itself down to the ground and the rider climbs onto its back. Her back, in my case. Then, I learned that camels get up first with their back legs and then with their front. So, the rider is pitched forward towards the camel's neck and then tossed back upright after the front end lifts up. And then imagine that the whole thing has to happen again in reverse at the end. While my camel riding adventure was fun, it was hardly authentic. This was all for show, for entertainment. While the Qataris spent centuries living as nomadic tribes in the desert, that is not what their lives are like now. The desert is a vacation, a resort, an adventure, but not a lifestyle. 

After my brief stint as a camel rider was over, I headed out to the beach to relax with my fellow travelers. I have to admit it was a bit surreal to wade in the Persian Gulf. Yes, I realize it's just a body of water. But it's also this place that I've heard on the news countless times, and almost always in the context of conflict or concern. The reality was it was pretty calm. And peaceful. Kind of like the Gulf coast in Florida where there aren't really waves. I imagined that I could see across those waves to Iran, another conflicted land shrouded in mystery. But it was only my imagination. Just tranquil water as far as the eye could see. 

After watching an epic sunset over the dunes, we dined on another over-the-top and magical meal as we sat at an enormous table in the resort's dining room. I want to call it a restaurant, but we were the only customers. Twenty of us dining on grilled meats and veggies and rice and pita and sauces as we stared out the wall of glass into the dark night over the Persian Gulf. 

When we finished dinner, we loaded back into our monster bus. At first I thought that we had a different driver. Then, I realized it was the same man. He had worn the white thobe (robe) and ghutra (head covering) on our way out into the desert in the afternoon, but he had changed into jeans and a polo shirt for our ride back. More of the show, I guess. I did briefly worry about what it would be like to navigate back through the dunes in the dark. It turns out that there was a paved road that took us directly from the resort back to our starting point. Just leaving behind wanderlust and desert dust.