Desert Safari

I thought that my first post should be related to the region where I am living!

If you come to Dubai for a holiday or for any other reason, you shouldn't leave without doing a Safari :) With a licensed driver and a specially made Toyota Cruiser 4x4 with capacity for 7 persons, you will be taken to a place where you might think you are on Mars or something, or in one of those Indiana Jones movie screen shots :-)


Most of the hotels' concierge would help you with your Safari reservation; 180Dhr (49$) per person including food and drinks for a full 7 hours trip. I suggest not to fill your stomach too much, in case :) Generally around 15:00 hours, you will be picked up from your hotel lobby and taken to Oman-Hatta road. Before the Safari can start, they stop for taking the air out of the car wheels.

After riding up and down like on a slide at a theme park, but with a bit more fun (which is called 'Safari Bashing'), you will stop on top of the mountain to watch the sunset... Think that you may not see those mountains or valleys again tomorrow..

Afterwards you will be taken to a desert camp in the middle of nowhere, and if you want, you can ride a camel and get your photo taken...


Or you can dress up like a local emir with a disdas for men and black abaya for women ...
Or you can get a henna tattoo within 2 seconds on your leg, arm or back, wherever you like, made by an Indian woman. After eating a selection of Arabic food and drinks, come the belly dancer and a bit of Arabic music. Then you will be taken back to your hotel by 9:30pm.



You will definitely enjoy it for sure :)

With Love from Dubai

I have been following 'Internations Musings' for a while now. Hans has the greatest interesting subjects on his blog and we do not only get to know many people through his blog but also get informed as well. Well, when Hans asked me that humble question to join as co-author I said 'Yes'!

I have been asked to describe myself: I am Turkish, with full Turkish mother and Cypriot Turkish father, educated with hotel and tourism management background. As you understand from my surname, I am married with a British/German, well more like world-man really, as he has been out of his country since 20 years. We have 2 daughters, Isabella Aleyna 9, and Victoria Asya 7. We have been around the world due to working for international hotel company; 8 countries and 12 cities within 14 years, yes, it is time to slow down and settle down a little bit for the sake of the kids' schooling.

Have a lovely day, greetings from hot, sunny and humid Dubai!

Derya Lount

New co-author: Derya

Today Derya Lount, a Turkish woman, currently residing in Dubai, will join this blog as co-author. She has her bilingual own blog as well.
So we're now with 5 persons: Myrthe, Yasemin, Vassilli, Derya and me, Hans. I expect another co-author from Cyprus to join us soon.
Derya will introduce herself. Her surname doesn't sound Arabic or Turkish at all...the screen is for her to explain..)

On the same page...

An interview with the Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul, Mesrob II, read it here.


..and an article about the folksinger İsmail Türüt who is praising in his last song (lyrics by Ozan Arif) the people that killed Dink and Father Andrea Santoro, an Italian priest in the Black Sea region. Read it here.
Interesting to start your day and week with...racism...