Desert Safari Time!

I talked Garvey into it! He thought it would be silly, but I convinced him otherwise. Well, I also called to make a reservation while he was in the other room, but that is beside the point. We went on a desert safari! At around 3 in the afternoon we were picked up in a nicely air conditioned Toyota Land Cruiser (the kind of car the women in my neighborhood drive) by our driver, Mohamed, and two other people he had in the car. We picked up another couple at the apartments nearby and we were off. At first we were quiet, but an hour into the drive we began to chat. After about an hour and a half into the boring highway drive we made it to a souvenir shop! We all used the bathroom and were attacked with trinkets while Mohamed let some air out of our tires. We were about to get serious. When we piled back into the SUV we drove for about 10 more minutes before hitting the sand. It was awesome! We cruised over the sand dunes. Mohamed drove us up down and around. Plenty of times, when the dunes were steep enough, we would attempt to go up, but slide in the sand back down. I was nervous that we would flip, but once again, I laughed for the majority of the ride. The woman next to Garvey, Debs, had a much different experience. While her husband sat shotgun, she held onto Garvey for dear life. At one point she was so scared she bit him! This strange woman literally sunk her teeth into Garvey's arm! Her husband couldn't have laughed harder. Mohamed just continued to drive and turned his radio up. The radio was blasting Britney Spears. I was loving it! We took several breaks during the dune drive to visit camels and to take pictures, but the ride never stopped being fun and frightening. There were plenty of times throughout our drive that we couldn't see out of the car! The entire SUV was covered in the sand that we were kicking up! I took a video of part of the trip, and my mom will be able to post it soon. After the crazy driving was over we arrived at our Arabian Nights Camp Site with the other 10 or so SUVs from our tour group. The center of the site was a large stage surrounded by tables. The site had a falcon to take pictures with, sheesha, a full bar, henna tattoos, snacks and a place to dress up in traditional outfits. Everything was included, and Garvey was psyched! He could drink all of the Fanta he wanted for free! Before it became too dark I tried sand boarding! I also forced Garvey to ride a camel with me! Riding a camel was very similar to riding an elephant at the circus. It's pretty pointless, but you have to do it. I still remember the one time I rode an elephant at the circus with Uncle Tom and Garvey. It wasn't especially awesome, and I'm sure it cost Uncle Tom a near fortune, but I will always remember it! Once the sun set, the entertainment began! We had a real live belly dancer! She was good, and it was fun to watch, but she looked so angry! She had the meanest look on her face! She had different men come on stage with her to try belly dancing, and it was hilarious. Then she pulled me on stage... it was far less funny. I just pulled out Aunt Jane's signature move and the running man. It worked for me! Angry Belly Dancer finished her performance, and the food was served! The barbecue was delicious. And it was a buffet! I think I saw Garvey smiling by the end of the night! By about 9 pm the festivities ended and our stomachs were full, it was time to leave. We piled back into the car, pumped up Lady Gaga, and headed back to Dubai. Mohamed had filled the tires again, and he cruised along the highway. All in all it was a great day! The drive was awesome, the food was delicious, and Garvey was happy in Dubai. It was a success.