Desert Trip

Shay’s Birthday!!! She organised a trip into the desert. We left after work on Thursday, about 160 of us. We were in groups of 5 in 34 4WD. It was an awesome precession of vehicles driving along the roads of Doha! When we got to the desert the drivers let some air out of their tires and then it was dune bashing. Soooooo cool, these huge powerful cars driving all over the dunes, sliding down the side of sandy hills and generally causing havoc. Have some amazing video footage backed by a chorus of screaming girls!!!
As the sun began setting we zoomed over the dunes towards our camp. A big sand dug out in the middle of nowhere, run on generators. There were about 10 tents around the outside and enough tables and chairs for the 160 strong party crowd. It didn’t take long for us to pick a spot to sleep on later, grab a drink and hit the dance floor which was lit by four fluro green lamps in each corner. There were coloured lights and a DJ who pumped out tunes from 6pm till the wee hours of 2am the next morning.



It was boiling when we first got there and most strolled around in their swim wear making regular trips out to the inland sea for a splash. Unfortunately the sea is littered with jellyfish and many unaware party goers had mean looking red marks to show for it the next day. Bec and I had invested in a 3 QR spray bottle and were constantly filling it up with iced water to provide a little relief from the heat. Around the edges of the party pit were large banks, people had sand boards out and were pummelling down the side of the dunes. We also hired 4WD buggies to drive all over the dunes like a pack of spoilt school kids. The dance floor was rocking from early on in the evening with most taking a short break to sample some of the food cooked for us in the middle of the desert. We continued drinking, racing around, talking, swimming, dune bashing, dancing, sand boarding, playing soccer and smoking shisha pipes all evening. At one stage they even thought it would be practical to light a fire. It was a huge bonfire which didn’t attract too much attention in 30 degree heat.


I didn’t get any sleep, opting to lie out under the night sky in my sleeping bag and watch the shooting starts. It was actually freezing and I was struggling even being wrapped up in a thick sleeping bag. It’s beautiful out in the desert, the night sky is so clear and the air crisp and cold. The dune buggies were still going into the wee hours of the morning and often the sound of their rumbling motor would penetrate the deadly quite black night. I was one of the only people still alive at that time and enjoyed the serenity of the middle of the desert. As it started to get lighter I climbed to the top of a sand dune and watched the sun rise. It was beautiful.



A large number of people did not end up sleeping in their tents and by morning the place looked like a war zone with bodies scattered all over the place, most not making it into any sort of shelter and some, having passed out, being covered with plastic chairs, heavy pillows and other interesting items. As the sun rose magically over the waters and the desert, the heat came with it and it was not long before there was movement once again in the camp in the general direction of breakfast. Also making movements out of the hot sun with our delicate heads. By 9am we were back in the 4WDs and heading towards the city of Doha.