One of Dubai's favorite pastimes is driving SUVs in the desert.
The morning before our cruise started we went on a Desert Safari.
We were taken about 50 miles outside of the city and when we reached the desert,
our drivers made a stop to deflate the tires (otherwise we'd get stuck in sand).
That was the opportunity for us to walk around and explore the desert...
...which looked remarkably similar in all directions.
There wasn't obviously much vegetation, except for an occasional shrub...
...and a few low maintenance plants.
As for animals, this thirst resistant caterpillar...
...and a scarabeus rolling its ball of camel dung was all we saw.
Then we continued our joyride through the desert...
...following our tour leader...
...who had a nasty habit of choosing the road less traveled...
...which created lots opportunities for flaunting the horse power of our engines.
(although in this part of the world they may use the term camel-power as a physical unit)
Our water break took place at a plateau covered by patches of grass.
In the distance, we spotted a herd of camels...
so we approached them for some photo opportunities.
Fortunately for us, they were tourist friendly and didn't eat us despite the high water content of our bodies.
After some more car-frolicking in the desert,
we arrived at a little camp for refreshments and joy rides.
Some of us chose camels...
...and some hopped on snowboards...
...and rode the dunes down.
Then we returned to Dubai (Burj Khalida center left in a haze)...
...and arrived in the port just in time for departure.
On most days there is lots of dust in the air (what with the dryness and the desert),
so sunsets typically don't get much better than this.