Just desert

Dubai Press Club members enjoy a desert safari

The world looks very different from atop the sand dunes in the Margham desert. Pinkish-red waves of rippled sand stretch away to the horizon and the Hajar mountains form an impressive backdrop. This silent sea of sand is sliced in the middle by the black ribbon of the Dubai-Hatta highway.

Getting to the top is an adventure in itself. To the uninitiated, riding up the tall sand dunes in a 4WD is an incredible experience.

Childhood memories of the 'well of death' with motorcyclists dressed in black riding around at great speed inside a metal globe come flooding back as the powerful 4WD gathers momentum on the natural curves along the dunes to make it to the top in a manner akin to a roller coaster.

It takes skill and nerves of steel but the young men who drive tourists up and down the sands do their job with dexterity.

Members of the Dubai Press Club went on just such a journey last Thursday afternoon in a convoy of nearly 15 4WDs. Going up and down the tall Margham dunes was an enthralling experience for most. Some didn't see it that way, though.