By Chris Elder

Dubai welcomed the Majestic Princess with stifling 75% humidity and temps over 100 degrees F. Uncomfortable to say the least but our bus for the morning city tour had great A/C so off we went to see the sights. Ten years ago this ultra modern city did not exist as evidenced by brand new buildings, homes and commercial centers. There is still construction going on everywhere with huge cranes, concrete mixers and building material scattered everywhere you look. We visited the small Dubai museum, the mosque, and had several photo ops before taking a water taxi over to the Gold Souk and the Spice Souks. After our shopping spree it was back to the ship for some lunch and then off again for our Desert Safari.

We decided to do this excursion on our own and our driver met us promptly just outside the cruise terminal. This was a small private tour of just six of us so after picking up our four vehicle mates from a couple of Dubai’s finest hotels we were off down the highway and into the desert wilderness. It took about an hour for us to reach a meeting point of about ten other vehicles, Toyota Land Cruisers, where we took a short break while the drivers started letting air out of the tires. This would give our vehicles more traction as we tackled the fabulous red sand dunes that lay out as far as the eye could see.

Once off the highway the fun began as our convoy sped up one dune and straight down the other. A wild and thrilling roller coaster ride ensued until we reached a beautiful spot in the middle of nowhere and had the opportunity to try our hand at sand boarding. Sue and I were not courageous enough to stress our poor knees on the boards but we thoroughly enjoyed the antics of the rest of our group while they plummeted down the dunes with a limited degree of success. Once we all had enough sand in our shoes it was time jump back into our air conditioned 4×4’s and head to our camp for camel rides, dinner and a show.

Getting on the camel was a piece of cake and the ride at sunset was fabulous but getting off the beast proved to be a real challenge. Front legs drop straight down and hold for a moment and at that point you’re holding on for dear life and trying not to be flung forward onto the sand. Once down you have to throw your legs over the hump to dismount and in spite of riding horses for thirty years, I felt like a total idiot trying to drag myself off the creature. Once again, we were happy to have survived the encounter and can’t wait to do it again.

Following the camel ride we entered the safari camp and had a wonderful barbecue dinner including the most delicious dates and exotic appetizers. Once our bellies were full the show started and we were entertained with a dizzying performance by a male dancer that spun for about thirty minutes. Normally this would have been a belly dancing performance but since it was during Holy Ramadan, belly dancing was not permitted. The show was great although I would have of course preferred the belly dancers, and then we were once again back in our vehicles and off to the ship.

Overnight the ship made the short distance to the old city of Abu Dhabi where again we woke to scorching heat and high humidity. Today we would do a short city tour that culminated in a visit to the spectacular Grand Mosque. Again, the pictures will have to speak for the beauty and opulence of this structure which houses among other things, the largest carpet and the most expensive chandeliers in the world. Dress code here is strictly enforced, especially for women, and poor Sue had to don a black costume over her clothes and a black veil to cover any exposed hair. With the heat and humidity there were times I didn’t think she was going to make it but you’ve already come to know what survivors we are. After about two hours wandering in the mosque we were once again back in the air conditioned comfort of our van and on our way back to the Majestic Princess. Tonight we would enjoy our Arabian Nights themed sail-away party as we set course for our next port of call, Colombo, India.

Until then, Ciao for now!

Chris and Sue Elder