Save Your Feet!

Day 2: Off-road.

Luxury Tours picked us up at 2.30pm (best time to go to the dentist) for our VIP Desert Safari. The journey was 1 hour 30 mins and shared similarities with Mario Kart - we were half expecting to see bananas and mushrooms being thrown. Fellow drivers continuously undertook and horns became the soundtrack for our drive.

As by some miracle we arrived at the dune-bashing site. Being thrown about in a 4x4 over undulating sand dunes, music blasting and palms sweating was actually so exhilarating. Would highly recommend!

We ended up making friends with a lovely family from London and found ourselves communicating with them from opposite sides of the camp. They gave us tips for Dubai and our next destination, India. The evening finished with swapping numbers.

The camp included camel rides, sand boarding, quad bikes and shisha. After feeling sorry for the camels and smelling the BBQ we headed straight for the snacks. Following a heated chat with the corn salesman, Beth finally devoured the spiced cob and Dan had a pot of Pringles - you can take the man out of England but you can't take England out of the man.

Beth's note:

At the camp a steward approached me and asked that I swap seats with Dan; also asking the couple opposite to do the same. I was confused by this and told that 'more people can fit on the table this way'. This made no sense as the number of seats stayed the same. Two gentlemen then occupied these seats. Dan noted that the men would only sit next to other men. I felt embarrassed and a little unsettled but did not let this affect my evening.

Dan queued for what seemed like days for food. Returning triumphant with onion bhajis, potato pasty, chickpea curry, chicken skewer and barbecued chicken. Very tasty.

We ate whilst watching fire dancing, traditional Arabic dancing and bellydancing. We both enjoyed the fire dancing and were particularly amused by the explicit version of Kanye West's 'Ni**as in Paris' backing the show.

We crammed into a 4x4 to take us out of the desert. For some reason, the guide requested that the 3 males of the group squeeze into the back of the Jeep. Dan subsequently ended up with his knees by his ears. The guide continuously shouted 'save your feet! save your feet!' to Dan as he slotted the middle seats back into their position. Beth found this whole fiasco hilarious, considering she had ample leg room and an overhead handle.

Things we found interesting today:

- Petrol costs only 50 pence per litre (!)

- Our tour guide said that 90% of the tour companies in Dubai are run by Pakistanis

- No matter how long you live in Dubai you cannot get a residency

Hope you're all well!

Love,

B&D

- Groupon cost for VIP Desert Safari with Luxury Tours for Two 230AED (£45)

- Corn on the cob 10AED (£2)

- Weather: Rain in the afternoon but still 24 degrees C.