My dad told me he would take me to the desert. My mom had also been to the desert there before. She said the sky is beautiful at night because there are no lights to distract you.
It was 4pm, very hot. 107°F (42°C) and we got on a jeep and drove towards the desert. As we moved further away from the coast it got even hotter. By the time we reached the Empty Quarter it was 117°F (47°C).
It seemed like we were driving towards nothing but suddenly, life appeared!
I didn't know there was so much life in the desert. We saw camels, birds, gazelles, oryx, and we found a small oasis, and there was fish in the water! There was even a mini sand storm!
When we got the the Bedouin camp, everyone called me Sheikh! I think they liked I was wearing their clothes.
"Sheikh, Sheikh"
I learned about the falcon - the national bird and they let me hold it for a bit! It flew really fast for a while, but then it came back.
"I like that one!"
My mom says I had a moment with this camel, and that we were now friends for life.
"Sometimes when you're with an animal, sometimes you just have to calm it down and do this, right dad?"
The camels were very important for the Bedouins. They provided milk, shade, meat and they helped them carry their things whenever they traveled through the desert.
We roamed through the desert until it was dinner time. When you're sitting at the top of a camel it doesn't feel so hot because they are so tall that you finally feel a breeze.
Camels can be very fast too, and they have camel races here. I 'drove' the camel for a bit but it was not a race. Instead, we enjoyed the scenery and didn't go fast.
We saw the sunset and had dinner in the desert. There was grilled oysters, lamb, chicken tajine, kibbeh, lentil soup, hummus, some other arabic dishes, and even camel! The camel cooks for 10 hours and it's pretty delicious!
"G: Dad, are we eating our camel, that we rode?
D: No, George, it's a different one.
G: Oh ok, good."
At the end I was exhausted, the heat was significant but I did amazing the whole day, my dad said! I learnt a lot not only about the Bedouins and their ways, but also about the desert wildlife.
Turns out the desert is an amazing place that is full of life, and I'm glad I was here to see it!
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