HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-04-15, Page 210
Goderich Signal -Star, Wednesday, April 15, 2009 - Page A21
Qatari sun, sand and sea a Bedouin adventure'
Part two of a two-part series about a desert
safari in Qatar on the Arabian Gulf
'No Land Cruisers traversed the desert of
Qatar on a safari adventure along the Arabian
Gulf, carrying a couple from England and six
Canadians, including your scribbler and her
husband, James.
The Qatari version of the Canadian `cot-
tage' is a tent or two pitched somewhere in the
desert. We saw .a number of these get -away -
from -it -all encampments on our trip but few
people around them.
Our two -car convoy continued into south-
ern Qatar toward the narrow bottleneck that
allows gulf waters to encroach the desert
and eventually form die large body of water
known as The Inland Sea.
Suddenly, we saw a solitary fellow stand-.
ing on a hill some distance away, waving a
yellow t -shirt. This undoubtedly signaled
trouble.
Our drivers immediately turned the Cruis-
ers in his direction. There in a rather deep val-
ley was a small-ish four-wheel drive vehicle
buried to its doorsills, its passengers, includ-
ing a young child, standing nearby.
One -car trips to the desert are not advised—
its heat and unmapped vastness are unforgiv-
ing.
We clambered out onto the sand to let our
Qatari guides hook up tow ropes between one
of the Land Cruisers and the trapped vehicle.
Within seconds, the stranded Car was extri-
cated.
With waves and goodbyes, we were on our
Way—more roller coaster travel over the sand
to a gigantic bluff, probably 150 me-
tres high, overlooking the brilliant
blue water of the Gulf that filled a
bay surrounded by mini -mountains
of sand.
Through binoculars, we viewed a
large flock of pale flamingos, more
white than pink, standing in the
shallow water.
Warm winds whipped around us,
sand as fine as sugar caressed our
bare feet, the silence wrapped us in a
blanket of stillness, and the vistas enticed us.
Pushing further into the desert, the land-
scape began to fall away until we arrived at
a pristine beach—the waterway entrance to
The Inland Sea, with the flat-topped buttes of
Saudi Arabia rising. in the distance.
Walking along this dazzling and empty
shoreline, paddling in warm, salty water,
James and I enjoyed the wonderful change
from Doha's noisy traffic, busy streets, and
ever-present air pollution.
Our hospitable driver let us wander at
will—all of us taking many photos to record a
very special place.
Eventually, we loaded ourselves into the
safari vehicle and headed out into the dunes
again, bound for the Bedouin camp where
we'd enjoy an Arabic_meal.
At one point en route to the camp, Khalid
slowed to a crawl and nosed the Lanct Cruiser
into nothingness. The front end slowly sank
into and over the edge of another magnificent
100 -metre sand cliff.
Looking down—waaay down—to the
other Cruiser that had preceded us
was quite a kick. And then we were
slowly sliding... sliding... push-
ing a small wall of sand ahead of
us, gaining controlled momentum,
drifting ever so slightly sideways,
straightening—then, woosh, the
exhilarating ride was over.
The less venturesome of our
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party were speechless at what had
happened. Khalid had tiptoed us to
the brink and then silently slipped
down the steep slope with the skill of a rally
driver. Yahoo!
Eventually, we came upon the tour com-
pany's self-sufficient Bedouin camp, nestled
among dunes at yet another stunning beach
on the Arabian Gulf.
Open -fronted Bedouin tents facing the wa-
ter contained beautiful linings, Persian carpets,
i
traditional Arabic furnishings and music.
After much shore paddling, hiking around
and picture taking, we were called to dinner—
Arabic style lamb and chicken, rice with veg-
etables, pita bread with humus, bottled water,
strong tea and sweets for dessert.
Safari Tours Manager Bassam Al Awaj ar-
rived at the camp and dropped by our tent to
check that everything had been to our satisfac-
tion. We assured him we'd had a great time.
Sunset occurs about 6:30 this time of year
in Qatar, and soon the tranquil water lapping
the shore reflected the glow of a nearly full
moon. Sans city lights, millions of stars lit the
sky overhead too.
It all transported James and me home—
to beautiful Lake Huron, Meneset's sandy
beach, the quiet lakeside.
The desert on the sea will call to us again
We'll have to go back.
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