Day 10 - Dubai, part 2 (Desert Safari)

Well it's Tuesday afternoon/evening and I've been back for almost 48 hours - the problem is I'm not quite sure what time zone I'm in at the moment!

I slept today from 1am to 1pm, but that was mostly just making up for the fact I only got 1 1/2 hours sleep combined on the two flights from Dubai and then Singapore.

Even my laptop is confused...Windows is not automatically changing to Daylight Saving Time, so to get around it, I have to set the time zone to "New Caledonia". And no I'm not kidding.

So I'm finally catching up on writing about the last of my adventures, which was a desert safari about half an hour east of Dubai's city centre.

Only a Landcruiser would do for this adventure. You see plenty of 4WD's around Dubai and that's because they actually do go off road, unlike the "Toorak Tractors" in our country that never see dirt for fear of messing up the paintwork.

Even the main highway from Dubai to Abu Dhabi can turn into something of a dirt adventure - our driver on that trip told us that he'd driven through sand dunes on the road thanks to dust storms. Keep in mind the informal speed limit along there is 140...

So these guys are pretty skilled when it comes to bush bashing.

This is a shot through the windscreen of the Landcruiser as we progressed along the track...coming down a very steep drop at that time!

Now I defy you to try and get good action photos from inside a 4WD speeding through sand dunes as you're laughing your head off - I didn't get too many, but this next one wasn't too bad.

Hard to believe some of the side slopes they were driving on, but I never felt like we were about to roll.

After sidestepping the camels, quad bikes and sand surfing, I ventured inside the compound.

After basically getting cleaned out in the souvenir shop (fortunately I didn't have much on me anyhow), I came across this amazing bird.

For a fee (of course), it could've been my hand inside the glove.

This was the scene inside the compound before most of the tourists had arrived. You can see we were sitting on those thick cushions in front of low tables. The cushions were comfy, but because everything was so low I had to keep moving my legs around to stop from getting a case of "dead leg". The concreted area was the stage for the performers.

As night fell and the action started, I knew it was going to be hopeless shooting photos. So I might've switched to video...

This guy was amazing. He basically kept going around in a circle for at least 5 minutes - I was amazed he wasn't dizzy when he finished!

Then he was followed by a fire twirler...

And last but definitely not least was this brilliant belly dancer. Before this clip, she was dancing with a sword on her head at one point keeping it perfectly still - now that is talent!

She didn't look too bad either, I have to say...

Before I knew it, the night was over and it was time to head back to the hotel.

A sign at a bus shelter best describes what I thought of Dubai - "where the map changes every day".

I'd also say that it's a place where anything is possible. Buildings spring up so fast thanks to the almost perfect weather for construction, cheap labour from India & Pakistan and non-stop work.

You would be very surprised to hear me say this, but you'll find it's nowhere near as much of an Arab place as you would think. Only around 20% of the population are local "Emiratis" who wear the traditional Arab robes. I couldn't help but observe that it was more like Mumbai than Dubai! But that's just my two cents worth.

I found the UAE to be safe, didn't feel any threat to my personal security. But I'd say no matter where you go on Earth, there are people who will try to take advantage of you, especially if they perceive you are easy fodder to be taken for a ride.

On a few occasions, I was approached by various hawkers and I found the best way to deal with them was to say either you had no money, already had the product in question or just politely turn them down. Their persistence and sales techniques are certainly admirable, but hold your ground!

Dubai has some of the world's best shopping, so get ready to spend! But you shouldn't throw out the normal rules of shopping just because you're in a foreign country.

Always try to haggle, it's guaranteed to work in the souks but in the big malls discounts can still be arranged. A classic technique apparently is to start walking out if you're not happy with the price - they'll often throw you a more acceptable figure to get you to come back!

Shop around, don't just buy at first sight. You'll find similar products in many places, even the big brand name stores are in more than one mall so you may be able to play them off against each other. Definitely worth trying if you're after a specific brand name watch, piece of jewellery or some other high value product.

And most importantly, know your product and your budget. Get a feel for what you're buying and understand what it's costing you in Aussie dollars - you will definitely find things are cheaper there once you do the calculations.

Work on those principles and you and your plastic fantastic will be all the better for the trip!

Anyhow, as I bring the final blog to a close, I must take an oath. I swear that I will try to not talk about the trip too much, however hard resisting the temptation might be! What a trip it's been!

I guess the question in my head now is - where to next?