Qatar famil, Day Two - Sea, but not sick

With thanks to Qatar Airways for this trip

There was no actual Bircher muesli on the otherwise dazzlingly comprehensive and multi-cultural breakfast buffet at the hotel, W Doha, but there was a delicious mango soft muesli that was almost as good, and certainly eminently acceptable. I know, regular 😃 reader, you were keen to get that report.

And then our busy day began, we three Kiwis, plus Lori and Carolyn from Qatar Airways, guided by Yegor, of Discover Qatar. He is Russian and one of the expats who make up almost 90% of Qatar's population and keep the country's economy ticking over very nicely, thank you, for the citizens. They enjoy the highest standard of living in the world (paying 0% tax) and it's all funded not by oil, as you would think, but gas - they have enough to keep the world supplied with LPG for the next couple of centuries, Yegor told us.

He told us lots of things about Qatar, about which he is hugely enthusiastic, but even he was out-enthused by the people we met at the striking Burj Al Bidda. Here we learned all about the country's hosting of the World Cup (er, that's the football world cup) which is taking place here in 2022. They won the bid back in 2010, but excitement is building fast now, and it's going to be a huge event for Qatar. They're building eight new stadiums, all different, and are so proud of everything that we all bit our tongues when, showing us the models, they were especially rapturous about the Al Wakrah, which looks distinctly vulval. (Officially, it's meant to resemble a bike helmet. Yeah, right.) The stadium construction is all very eco, and afterwards the top levels of most of them are going to be donated to countries that are less well off. Only one has been fully completed so far but they build things fast here - are you listening, Auckland? - and there's no doubt that everything will be ready on time.

The most amazing thing to me about all these stadiums - stadia - is that they will be air-conditioned, even though they are open-topped. Managing heat is as essential as breathing here, because it gets so incredibly hot. The business day begins at 7am because of that (and the prayer schedule) and in the middle of the day everywhere looks dead because no-one sensible is outside. Summer heat is starting to build now, and it got up to 37 degrees today. The record is a phenomenal 50.4 degrees, but even the more usual low 40s in summer sounds horrendous to me. Winter is best - in the 20s.

We drove along the Corniche, past a great cluster of beautiful new skyscrapers, all different, all lovely, past the huge, more traditional Government building, Amiri Diwan - also new, there's nothing old here - to the National Museum. This place is mind-blowing. It only opened last month, so it's buzzing with locals and school parties, but it's always going to be a huge attraction because it's such an amazing building. It's modelled on a desert rose, which is a natural formation of sand that looks like a bundle of potato chips. The construction is all discs, randomly intersecting with each other, sharp-edged and inscribed with cracks. How you would even draw the initial diagram I have no idea, let alone actually build the thing.

But there it is, and its galleries are full of beautifully displayed beautiful things - history natural and human, in airy spaces with moving projections on the angled walls. It's an absolute must.

After a lunch that defeated even the guys - we kept thinking we'd finished, and then they would bring yet another delicious course - we set off in a 4WD with Mohammed from Sudan to, I was afraid, lose it all. My last desert safari was not enjoyable, the dune-busting making me feel distinctly sick - but this was much better, driving-wise. We stopped off en route for a camel experience where I watched, rather than rode, having been there, done that; but I enjoyed getting up close with a falcon.

Then we drove along and over the sand dunes, tipping sideways and forwards to go up and down some especially steep ones: fast enough to shriek happily but gently enough not to get nauseous. It was a bit disappointing to see so much litter scattered over the sand, especially since the city is so neat - but it was also lovely to see the clear blue sea, and surprising to fetch up at the Inland Sea so close to Saudi Arabia that we could see it clearly across the water, and I got a Vodafone welcome to it on my phone.

We repaired then to a beachside desert hotel and, as the sun set remarkably quickly, we sat in a gazebo by the water, enjoying the comparatively cooler air. Then there was more food - delicious, again - and finally we drove back across the trackless sand in the pitch dark, and along the fancy new roads (so new they don't even appear on the GPS yet) to the city's sparkling skyscrapers and, finally, bed.

Qatar famil, Day One - It actually really was the business!

With thanks to Qatar Airways for this trip

Normally, when you turn up to the airport to start a famil, and there's a hiccup at the check-in desk, it's not a good start - but today it really was. Arriving a bit grumpily for my flight with Qatar Airways to Doha, resigned after having had the golden enticement of travelling in the airline's excitingly new QSuite business class whisked away in a brief email just yesterday, I stood in the queue for ordinary business class and tried to remember to be grateful for that. And straight away, payback! A Qatar lady pulled me out of even that short queue to deliver the news that yes, in fact this was a plane with QSuite fitted, come and check in over here, and get your pass to the lounge. Result!

It was only the Qantas lounge, but it had everything I needed, I met my two other famil companions, one of whom was at school with my daughters - no, I don't feel old, why do you ask - and after some useful charging time (new camera!) we were escorted onto the plane ahead of the other passengers, to have a quick once-over. 

For the airline of a dry country, there was a lot of wine. The colour, that is, which, combined with grey, gave a muted and sophisticated air to the décor. A glance back down the plane at economy showed rows of seats in 3:4:3 on this Boeing 777-300ER - very standard, nothing enticing about that. But QSuite - now that is the business. 

Single seats on the sides, alternately rear-facing; and in the middle, what they understandably boast about: sets of four seats that, with some sliding of partitions, means that you can sit facing each other to work or socialise, in virtual privacy thanks to the doors that slide across along the aisles. Clever. And yet everyone in the foursome still has their own space, TV screen and multiple stowage places, and the option when desired to pull the screens back across again for total isolation. Even more remarkably, it's possible to create an actual double bed in one half of the quartet - the only one in the world outside actual first class. (This does not enable a cushy entry to the Mile High Club, note: you're both still meant to wear your seatbelts at all times; and the walls are only chest-high, so anyone can peep over, any time.)

Of course I didn't want any of that, so I had a window seat, facing backwards for a novelty - which I then had to give up for someone who wanted to sit alongside her friends, pft, and ended up sitting facing forwards and not quite next to the window, though I could see out of it if I leaned over a bit. Still, there were lots of good things to explore and enjoy - multiple seat positions, lots of nooks for gear stowage, a cute little pillow with a slogan in Arabic and English which I was told I could take with me, a set of pyjamas to change into - tracksuit, basically, but stylish - food and wine menus to peruse, the TV entertainment library to scroll through... and cheerful Sun welcoming me, leaping forward with a cry of dismay when I went to load my bag into the overhead locker by myself, and then delivering a Buck's Fizz. (Though Qatar is officially dry, you can get alcohol on the airline, and in some restaurants and hotels, and expats can buy it from the one liquor store in Doha - and they certainly aren't stingy about it on the airline).

And so we set off for our 17+ hour flight to Qatar, most of it spent crossing Australia's red and hazy Outback, and then the Indian Ocean. I ate early - asparagus soup, mezze, a spicy chicken rice dish, with champagne - got into my pjs, broke out the mattress and the plush blanket, and settled in to watch four movies and sleep. Which I did, lying completely flat and comfortable. I've had similar pod comforts on Emirates, but the sliding door is the big difference, and a very welcome one too, adding mental comfort to the physical. I really like to get into my own zone when I fly, even with a companion, and this made it literal.

We arrived at Doha in the middle of a very warm night, and were whisked through the special system they offer, which means being met off the plane and taken to a lounge while checked-in baggage is collected for you, bypassing queues for customs and immigration (we'd had the same back in Auckland), and then being escorted out to our taxi. Very smooth operation, and so lovely to skip the queues.

We did have a bit of a transport hiccup at this point, but it was soon sorted and we drove into the city along a wide, new motorway, lit by streetlights with decorative solar-powered patterning up the poles. The city was lit up too, in all colours, the buildings modern and soaring, all shapes, heaps of glittery glass and the overall effect very 21st century, and attractive.

We checked into Hotel W, all very upper and comfortable, and finally hit our soft beds at around 1.30am local time, after about 20 hours of travel. Tough life...

Unnatural

Sorry. This is another gloomy post. I've just read a Guardian story about all the workers who have died in Qatar during the construction of the stadiums there ahead of next year's World Cup (that's the Football - ie soccer - World Cup, fellow Kiwis).

According to the paper, 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangla Desh and Sri Lanka have died in the ten years since Qatar won hosting rights. And that's not counting all the other "guest workers" from Kenya and the Philippines, who are also numerous on the building sites in this small, very rich but, outside of Doha, kind of bleak country. There are probably many, many more unrecorded.

I was there in 2019, courtesy of Qatar Airways who were wanting to push their new route to Auckland, and we got the full publicity barrage. It was impressive, seeing the plans for the stadiums (stadia), even the one that looks like a vulva, and what they'd already finished. The whole city was bristling with cranes and scaffolding, and it was easy to get caught up in the excitement of what they were preparing for so enthusiastically.

Even then, though, there was some quiet muttering, and I looked at the air-conditioned glass bus shelters on the streets, and wondered how on earth men, even from hot countries, could cope with working physically, in dangerous conditions, in such stifling heat. We did see them, of course, on the building sites and around the streets, in their helmets and boiler suits and they didn't look cheerful. It's not surprising that, as well as deaths from falls and other causes, and the vast majority of fatalities due to what Qatar blithely categorises as "natural causes" - ie heat - a fair chunk of the figures are down to suicide. Poor things. It's the final (actually, the first) insult, that they had to pay to go there to work.

Cheering links

We're good with this now, aren't we, regular 😃 reader? Coincidences are standard, connections are daily occurrences, nothing to see here, right? [Er, see here, right.]

Today, it's the announcement that  a weapon-detecting AI system is to be installed in the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch that was the site of the first terror attack on 15 March. It's the first time in the world that it will be used in a place of worship. It was invented in San Francisco - actually, Silicon Valley, so more accurately that would be San Jose - and is already in use in public spaces and (sigh) schools in the US. It apparently notifies authorities within seconds if it identifies a threat.

Since the March attacks, an organisation called Keep Mosques Safe has been set up, and it's they who are funding it for Christchurch. And where is KMS based? In Qatar, where it was the initiative of the chief executive and founder of Al-Ameri International Trading. I'm a bit vague about the function of the company but, now that I've (just!) been to Qatar, I can easily believe it has both enormous funds at its disposal, and some forward-thinking and generous people behind it.

So, Christchurch, San Jose and Qatar, all coming together in a tidy and beneficial bundle.It's very satisfying, and goes a small way towards mitigating what has become, routinely, the spirit-sapping ordeal of reading the world, and domestic, news.

That's (not) the business...

I have deliberately done something out of the ordinary, for me. It's an experiment, a bold step into the unknown. Actually, it's exactly the opposite: a well-prepared step into the completely known, thanks to research (by which I mean Google). What I am currently doing - brace yourself, regular 😃 reader - is finding out about my destination before I go there.  I KNOW!!! Crazy.

Tomorrow I flit off to Qatar for a couple of days. Literally, a couple of days. Auckland to Doha is 17 hours, which is currently the longest commercial flight-time available (equalling Singapore to Newark, Sydney to London), so my total time in the air will be not far behind my total time on the ground. Who would want to wreck the climate and kill polar bears for that, you ask? As well as inflicting jetlag on myself for what will probably be about ten times longer? 

Someone who's been offered Qatar Airways QSuite business class for free, that's who. QSuite? Otherwise known as First in Business - the nearest, I am confident, that I will ever get in my life to your actual, fabled First Class. Try to imagine the vast amount of personal space, the interesting configurations (backwards-facing! Foursomes!), plush duvets, privacy, DOORS! As well as all the fancy food and drinks that are standard with such luxury. All a bit thrilling, and in my view worth the ridiculousness of flying so far for such a short visit - because this time, it really is all about the journey.

Or was. Ten minutes ago I got an email from the PR lady organising it all to say, er, sorry, it turns out they haven't actually been able to organise a QSuite plane for this one flight after all, so we'll have to slum it in business class. But, she added brightly, when Qatar Airways it begins its regular QSuite service to NZ in June, I can always go out to the airport then and have a look at it while it's between flights. 

Pft. Of course I acknowledge here the first-worldness of being disappointed that my free flight will now be only in regular business class - but, heck! That was the whole point of the exercise, dammit. I mean, look at what I'm going to have to put up with tomorrow: big seats, expensive toiletries, complimentary pyjamas, lie-flat, food on demand - for goodness sake, I might just as well be flying Emirates! 

So that's taken the shine off the trip, truly. Sigh. But what I started this post by talking about will still apply - instead of dropping into the unknown, as I usually do, where everything is a discovery and (mostly) a delight, I have genned up on what to expect. I've seen all the classic views of the city, read all about the history, the culture, the politics, the food, the geography. I know what not to miss, as well as what to miss, I know about the climate and, forewarned about the conservative dress, spent literally hours yesterday working through my wardrobe trying to assemble outfits that will cope with the blast of desert heat as well as the equal but opposite blast of indoor air-conditioning, and at the same time meet the requirement to keep my shoulders, upper arms and most of my legs under cover. Not easy, I promise you, and there is going to be discomfort, guaranteed.

I will be able to ask informed questions of my guides, and to recognise where I am much of the time. It will be all about Ah! Yes, instead of Ooh! Look! 

Will it be a better way to travel? I'm suspecting not, to be honest; but I'll let you know. Now I must go and brace myself for the rigours of 17 hours of standard business class tomorrow. I will not be holding my breath for sympathy from one single soul.

Qatar famil, Day Four - Highs and lows (both literal and figurative)

With thanks to Qatar Airways for this trip

Considering that it was after midnight when we left the hotel, and we had been for three days in passive famil-mode (no independent thought or action required), it was a triumph that when our booked ride to the airport didn't turn up, one of us managed to summon an Uber. It was a minor hiccup, and we were delivered to the First Class/Business Class terminal where we lapsed again into passivity as a nice young lady sat us down while she checked us in, and then took us to the Al Mourjan Business Lounge where some of us fell on the wine - that's figuratively fell, since it's kept in a locked cabinet to which only the attendant has the key.

I wandered off for a quick look at Hamad International Airport, which is very new and shiny and airy, and full of high-end shops - Harrod's! - as well as more useful ones. I was pleasantly surprised to see that WH Smith sells Whittaker's chocolate - NZ's own, if you don't recognise that name, and the best. Plonked in the middle of a huge intersection space was a most unexpected giant teddy bear. Unexpected - and creepy. It's a work by Swiss artist Urs Fischer called Lamp Bear, made of cast bronze with a canary yellow finish. It's 7m high, weighs about 11 tonnes - and its back is pierced by the stand of a lamp that fits over its head like a bonnet, and makes you think irresistibly of an interrogation scenario. It cost $6.8 million, and was bought at Christie's in New York by a member of the Qatari royal family, who presumably thought s/he was doing air travellers a favour by making it their last impression of Qatar.

We continued to sit in the lounge, not giving a thought to anything, when our escort turned up looking a bit agitated and we remembered that, oh yes, we should probably see about getting to the gate - especially since the flight was meant to leave in just half an hour. She hailed a passing electric car for us, while she took, I think, a train, and came running to meet us at the far-distant gate where, presumably with considerable relief, she was able to hand us over.

Our flight back, again on a Boeing 777-200LR, was in the old-style business class, with regular seats in 2:2:2. It actually felt a lot roomier than QSuite, without the walls, but was obviously much less private, so it was just as well my neighbour was a pleasant businessman from Christchurch. To my attendant's disappointment and later concern, I went straight to sleep and managed to snooze most of the way, though I did mollify her by accepting breakfast at one point. This flight was shorter, just the 16-odd hours - not, as you may be thinking, regular 😃 reader, because it's downhill, but because we were flying east, against the rotation of the planet.

We arrived on time around 4am local time, and were lucky to land because of thick fog at Manurewa. I was the sole passenger on the SkyBus into the city, but far from that on the first ferry of the day, which was crammed full with eager people heading to the island for the Waiheke Half Marathon. And then I fell at the last fence because for some reason there were no buses or taxis at Matiatia so I ended my indulgent, luxuriously comfortable trip by literally hauling my suitcase home up and down hills for 3.3km. Welcome back to the real world.

Qatar famil, Day Three - Mainly architecture, plus false feathers

With thanks to Qatar Airways for this trip

Famil itineraries inevitably include such laughable listings as: 'Breakfast at leisure. 9am depart for...' but this morning, body clocks being what they are, we all woke early and met at the buffet with a couple of hours to spare before our first appointment. After a bit of excitement when a metal ceiling sprinkler cap fell unexpectedly from a height of about five metres and hit one of us on the arm (leading to confusion, apologies, the taking of personal details - and then, nothing. Not even a compensatory bowl of fruit), we set off for some private exploring.

Since the other two are proper journalists, they were keen to go and connect with Al Jazeera, or at least visit its nearby tower - but it turned out to be a disappointingly undistinguished building that we didn't even try to enter. On my suggestion, we then walked on to the Sheraton Grand hotel, which was within sight, being scandalised en route by spotting a Western girl wearing a short dress, with bare shoulders. (Apparently you can get away with that sort of thing outside but might be refused entry to some places.)

Well, it was worth the walk in the heat: one of the first developments here, a video in the lobby showed it being constructed in 1978 in the middle of nowhere - a great act of faith. Now, of course, the city has crept around it but, being right by the water, it still has a peaceful feel. It's impressive enough outside, built as a pyramid; but inside it's a dazzling combination of space, angles and curves. Very luxurious, too, as you would expect.

We later got kudos from Yegor for being so energetic, and showing initiative. He is used to his tour guests falling asleep, he said - no reflection on his narration, I promise. He is, incredibly, a keen cyclist, and very happy that all those new roads have intrinsic cycle paths; and he's so optimistic about the new metro currently being constructed that he's sold his car, and is very scathing about the traffic jams we spent a lot of time stuck in today.

Our city tour took us first to The Pearl, an artificial island mostly occupied by expats in apartments, and the upper-end shops targeted at them. How upper-end? Rolls Royce Phantom level, literally. Plus there were lots of private yachts moored along the waterways, air-conditioned shopping/restaurant galleries all differently-themed - Alhambra, Venice... - and immaculate gardens and fountains everywhere. It was like Disneyland for adults. With added Porsches and Ferraris.

There was more of the same in Katara, though more locals-oriented. It's all new, but paying tribute to the past and to the culture - like a beautiful tiled mosque, looming dove-cotes, pointed archways, another mosque in gold glass tiles - and also other cultures, like a full-size Italian marble amphitheatre. 

The idea is you come here to pray, eat, shop and swim, everyone together - and also to enjoy the fine things. Ramadan is coming up soon and, although that means daytime fasting and penitence, at night they party like Thanksgiving and Christmas put together, and all the decorations are going up now. 

This includes actual Christmas-style trees made of Bohemian glass, worth $50,000 each, displayed outside in public areas. Qatar is such a law-abiding place, you see, there's no reason why not. Apparently it's standard for cars to be left unlocked, keys in the ignition, laptops on the seat, and nothing happens. Carolyn puts her handbag down in clothes shops while she browses and everything is always there when she comes back. Astonishing.

We went to the Souq Waqif for lunch so everything was closed, unfortunately - but one thing open was the Falcon Hospital, where you take your bird for replacement feathers, or operations, or medicine. Falconry is huge here - you're even allowed to take yours on board planes with you (though in a cage, I was disappointed to learn).

An unexpected call after that was at the Msheireb Museum, which tells the unvarnished story of slavery in the Arab states - of Africans, of course - which continued up till an unnervingly recent date. We only flitted through, but it looked like a horribly fascinating story.

Next came the Museum of Islamic Art, which used to be the pride of Doha but has just had its nose put out of joint by the National Museum. Still, it's on its own island in the harbour and has a distinctive design, modelled on a burkha. Inside is a classily-displayed collection of calligraphy, carpets, tiles, pottery, jewellery and knives - but most people are drawn outside to the classic framed view across the harbour to the city's skyscrapers. The staircase in the foyer is also deservedly famous.

After a brief rest, we set out in the evening for the classic dhow cruise, which I'd been looking forward to, and which didn't disappoint. It was still hot outside, though, even in the darkness with the breeze - so, more of a fan-assisted oven effect - but the views of the illuminated skyscrapers were brilliant. 

We glided along, as jet skis and jet boats whizzed past (one got stopped by the water police) to The Pearl again, its date palms all lit up, and then a small boat delivered our dinners - spicy kebabs and rice - which we ate as we cruised back again, listening to Arab music that was both hypnotic and incredibly drawn out - a song can last 10-15 minutes.

Back at the hotel, which was buzzing with expats, as well as locals in white robes (men) or black (women), all out enjoying Thursday (= Friday) night entertainments, we went to our rooms to rest and prepare for our long, long journey home. Which begins at 2.25 tomorrow morning.

Seoul, Day One - A long way to the loo

With thanks to Air New Zealand for this famil

It feels very weird to have dinner as usual and afterwards sit down on the sofa to start watching our habitual programmes - and then, at 7.30pm, to get into the car and drive to the ferry to begin a journey to South Korea. Bizarre, even. With an overlay of anxiety because the pre-dinner news featured an item about the increasing unreliability of Waiheke ferries, and I really didn't want to fall at the first fence.

The ferry chugged up on time, though, and all was well - until the second fence, the SkyBus to the airport, which simply didn't turn up. The printed timetable promised one at 9pm, but it didn't come, and then I noticed that the electronic sign said the next one would be at 10pm. Phoning for clarification was no good: the help number took me to Melbourne, and the local number I eventually found hidden away simply stated, when rung: "This number cannot respond to calls from mobile phones". Er, what? 

So I stomped off to take a taxi, which was the extortionate rip-off I expected: $94. That's three times the SkyBus return fare, and almost three times what a pre-booked Cheap Cap would cost. Painful. Trust me, complaints are in process.

[UPDATE: Full refund promptly actioned, with apology. Consider me mollified.]

But then it all got better: I met my Air NZ host and Newshub companions, we checked in Premium, and breezed through to the fancy new Koru lounge to wait for our 11.55pm flight to Singapore. Sadly, not in Business class, but Premium Economy which, since my last flight was in Qatar Airways' Business, felt rather more economy than premium. But the seats are wider and more spread out, there's a nice pillow, and though the seat doesn't recline as far as an Eziboy, which is my personal measure of such things,  it does have a footrest and it was still possible to get comfortable enough to sleep adequately. I skipped the dinner that some people opted for - breakfast was nice.

We arrived at Singapore a bit late because of headwinds, and were officially escorted to a buggy to be whisked what seemed miles past endless fancy shops and people looking vacant in massage chairs, to our gate for the Singapore Airlines leg to Seoul. This was, disappointingly, economy class (I KNOW!) and it did feel like it too: an A350,-900, 3:3:3 configuration and very snug seats. Truly, I had no-one next to me, and am neither wide nor tall, but even I felt cramped. The TV screen was so close I had to put my reading glasses on and even then it wasn't comfortable to watch. And, they took half the 7-hour flight to get around to serving dinner, which was an inordinately long delay. Good thing it was worth waiting for - delicious Korean chicken rice. A great omen, I hope.

We landed mid-afternoon, breezed through their big, airy airport and were met by Sue, our local guide, who took us to a minibus with flowered curtains and fringed pelmets above the windows, in which we drove the unexpectedly long way into the city. Like 62km! And Sue was hoping, since we were ahead of the rush-hour, that it would take "Only 90 minutes".

And, in fact, it did: away off the island of Incheon, past many green hills, over the bridge to the mainland, and along the Han River, spanned by a variety of bridges, all impressively engineered and busy with traffic. We passed the Lotte World Tower, looking Shard-like, the stadium built for the 1988 Olympics, which still looms large in the local consciousness, uncountable numbers of tall apartment buildings, lots of trees, and, finally, the vast COEX convention centre which includes our Intercontinental hotel.

It's five-star but, spoilt by my hotel history, my room seemed pretty standard to me - until I went into the bathroom. Well! There it was, my first electric toilet. The first shock was that the seat was heated, but I soon, er, warmed to that idea. I studied the options for washing, and drying, and can report that the process is pleasant, accurate and effective. I shall return; and not just because nature requires it.

For dinner we kind of piked it, going to a recommended US Gastropub in the vast mall beneath the hotel - Devil's Door. It's built like a brick warehouse with a huge screen above the bar, showing a Korean baseball game - it's one of the biggest sports here, who knew? - and served food in battered enamel buckets, that kind of place. We startled the waiter by each of us ordering something, and understood his astonishment when the food arrived (very fast). The portions were huge! But it was all very tasty and we did a valiant job of eating most of it.

Then we popped upstairs to the 30th floor to look at the night view of the city - pretty good - and to have yet another drink, before finally retiring to bed and the day's final unexpected result. You know how there's always one light in a new hotel room that you can't find the switch for to turn off? Always. Sometimes I've had to ring down to reception for help, the switch was so cunningly hidden. Well, tonight, I couldn't find it to turn the ceiling lights above the bed ON. That was novel. And no doubt tomorrow will bring more surprises.

Many a true word spoken in error

Desert Safari Dubai has perfect includes for Sole, Family, and Couples. If you are traverse in Dubai or on a stopover flight. You were most likely to do different activities in Dubai. Either than visiting malls, dine in restaurants or city sightseeing. For an adventure break, one should endure a 6 Hours Evening Desert Safari. 

This is a spam email that came to me via a comment on this blog. Clearly, targeted, at least; but had they done a little research, they would have discovered that I have actually done the Dubai desert safari not once, but twice (actually, three times, if you count the one I did in Qatar). And neither time, to be honest, with real enjoyment - which at least makes their choice of verb in the last sentence very apt, I reckon.

You get picked up in a 4WD and taken out along the motorway into the proper desert - which doesn't take long at all, since Dubai is plonked, very unnaturally, right in the middle of a vast, sandy expanse. Then it's time for the tyres to be let down a little, for added grip, and you're off into the dunes, following a path of sorts, apparently chosen for maximum jolting, lurching and sliding, in every direction. Honestly, you do have to hang on, inside the vehicle, to stop from slithering about, and bumping your head. There's some excited whooping to begin with, but then, in my experience, things quite quickly go a bit quiet.

It's properly sick-making, if you're that way inclined, which I am, and also others I shared the trips with - one, literally. It's very far from the ideal preparation for a buffet feast at low tables in a pretend Bedouin camp, trying to be positive about a woman doing a cliché belly dance (the first one I went to, she turned out to be Russian). There was also a pre-dinner single circuit on a camel to do, which would have been a novelty if I hadn't already done proper camel treks in Australia: it was hardly worth the lurching effort of getting on and off. I did enjoy spotting an oryx, though.

My safaris were free, provided by the tourism people, so I got the basic deal, understandably. There are much fancier versions, with added astronomy, owls and falcons, hot-air balloons and even luxury overnights, which does sound lovely, and not at all the sort of thing you would have to 'endure'. All, though, very academic right now of course.