Dubai A Swiss family who did a 28-year road trip, a Yemeni who travelled the Far East on a camel, a Malaysian who cycled from Malaysia to London, an Omani who roamed the sea in a boat, a Bosnian who travelled to Makkah from Sarajevo on foot, an Emirati who became the first Arab to climb Mount Everest – these are some of the rare explorers you can catch up with at an ongoing travellers’ fest in Dubai.
Being held for the first time in the Middle East, the three-day Travellers’ Festival 2012 opened on Wednesday at the Cultural and Scientific Association in Al Mamzar. It is being organised by Emirates Travellers, a group that explores the world in a car and the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing.
Awad Mohammad Bin Mejren, head of the Emirates Travellers, said: “The festival has been organised to celebrate the spirit of adventure and provide an opportunity for travellersto share their fascinating experiences with the public.”
He recalled his own adventures between 1996 and 2007 where he and 17 other Emiratis covered all the continents across eight stages in their cars.
Bin Mejren said all travelers are united by their love for adventure. “The number of travelers is increasing. One overriding reason why people take to travel is that they are tired of their routine work. They want to be one with nature.”
Fellow Emirati Saeed Al Memari spoke of how he scaled Mount Everest from Nepal in 2011 and from Tibet in 2012, becoming the first Arab to manage the feat. “The biggest challenge was to cross the dead bodies on the way and keep your morale up till you reached the top,” he said, adding that the first journey took him 45 days and the second three days less.
An active sportsman, he said he covers a wide range of sports including swimming, diving, scuba-diving, freefall and running. However, he did not undergo any prior training in mountain climbing. “I just did it and wanted to put the world’s highest flag on the summit.”
Al Memari has climbed many mountains and tall buildings across the world. Not one to rest on his past laurels, he is now set to scale Burj Khalifa and base-jump from the world’s tallest tower on New Year’s day.
