desert
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Don’t They Know it’s Friday?
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One of the first issues I came to face when I started working in Arabia was that something was fundamentally wrong with the working week. It ended on Thursday—which was good. But then it started on Sunday—which was less so. Until then, I cannot in good conscience say that I knew what a Sunday morning…
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My Problem with Camels
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Camels and I do not see eye to eye and have mutually agreed that it is for the best that we lead separate lives. The Arabian camel is a single-humped dromedary with a sharp, bony spine that it is exceptionally unpleasant to sit on. That accounts for my position on camels. As for why camels…
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The Eco-Questionable Delights of Dune Bashing
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When I arrived in the Emirates, I saw the giant desert dunes as surrogates for my beloved Norwegian mountains and was happy. Here I could walk to my heart’s content and enjoy the silence and tranquillity unique to the desert. The Emiratis were also happy about their dunes, but for a different reason; one that…
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The Dunes of the Rub’ al Khali
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Winter, unless it comes with plenty of snow and cold, crisp, sunny days with blue skies, isn’t useful for much. The worst type of winter is the one that offers near-perpetual downpour, grey skies, short days and around-zero temperatures. That, incidentally, is the type of winter we have in Belgium – and indeed in most…
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Afterthought
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Not even as a failure had my misadventure been complete. My walk had yielded several photos of the mountain I had wanted to climb with which I was pleased. And, the sunset had been—as is the custom of sunsets—faultless. But… to every silver lining, there is a cloud, and that cloud was now on my…
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The economic life of a Land Cruiser in Wadi Rum
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— ‘You like my car, sir?’, asked Abdullah, visibly proud of his ageing Land Cruiser. Abdullah was my driver and guide for my day’s outing in Wadi Rum. — ‘It is an, an…, ah yes, an INTERESTING vehicle’, I replied; using the word ‘interesting’ as one does when at a loss for a something to…
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Sand, sand, sand…
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Sanddyne i ørkenen mellom Abu Dhabi og Al Ain i låg kveldssol Handling er ein fin ting, men det finst grenser for kor lenge ein kan rusle kringom i Abu Dhabi og handle. Ein kan naturlegvis variere med å ta seg ein tur til Dubai for å handle. Men det er, når alt kjem til…