If you are on an offroad adventure, getting stuck is basically a rite of passage. The first time we went off-roading was on the pristine beaches of the Northern Cape, and getting up those dunes was more challenging than it looked. It was why, as we passed a shelter of camels in the desert, we asked, “Should we deflate the tyres.” “Nah, it’s not necessary.” These famous last words kicked off the start of our Dubai desert adventure. The correct answer, by the way, is “yes.”
Excursions in the Dubai desert are a common pastime for those living in Dubai. It’s a short drive from the city and an opportunity to enjoy quiet time with friends and family. There are various desert safari tours that visitors can choose from. These typically include camel rides, dinner, quad biking or photography sessions. Or, you can travel out for a sunset braai (or barbecue, as the locals say), go camping or drive your 4×4 through the dunes.
A weekend braai in the desert
One of the best things about having friends move to another country is the opportunity to visit a place through “local” eyes, and, of course, their guest rooms are always cheaper. We flew to Dubai for a brief holiday. On our first evening, we headed into the desert to watch the sunset, throw meat on the grill, and begin our long overdue catch-up sessions. We’d heard so much about the desert braais from our friends, but the most excitement came from the kids. “You’ll love it, Aunty. It’s amazing.” And it was.
Dunes towered above us on each side as we drove deeper into the desert in search of the perfect spot. One that is far enough off the main road to be private but also close enough to enjoy the beautiful landscape of the Dubai desert. Along the way in the base of each small valley, small groups of people settle in for their own adventures: a small family with children, a group of friends sporting fancy vehicles revving in the distance, and a couple taking the afternoon together.
This meandering is the fun part of off-roading. You commit to the process as the drive’s momentum takes you up and down dunes; shapes change with reach rise, and the sand cascades around you and lands in nature’s perfect formation. At many points, it was just us, the sand and the sky – which was awesome.
We stopped at our friend’s usual spot. There were some rumblings about how the place had changed since the last trip and the vague certainty that this was it. When we stepped out of the 4×4, our feet gently slipped into the soft sand (this is what we call a sign). We took a few steps and surveyed the incredible views; a brief breeze wafted around us and formed small waves in the sand. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
We set up our tables, watched the sunset and took many photos before we were enveloped in darkness. Armed with torches and glow lamps, the children create fun light shows. It was the perfect evening.
Then, we got ready to head home.
Stuck on the dunes
We briefly looked at the wheels as we began packing up. While we sat meters away, laughing, eating and full of joy. The wind silently danced around our car as it gently sank into the dune. Our first attempt to drive out confirmed what we all already knew. We’re stuck. “Oh no, we’ll be stuck here forever, one of the children proclaimed. I love how children never have a middle ground on this. It’s either ‘we’re driving out here tonight’ or ‘we’ll remain in the desert forever, fossilised by the sand – never to be heard from again’.
Since forever was not an option, we made another attempt to get out. Armed with our limited experience stuck in a dune and our 1-day “intro to off-roading” course from a year ago, we suggested that perhaps we should deflate the tyres (this increases the surface area on your tyres and gives you better traction). Six adults gathered at the rear, pushing or rocking the car while the driver “put foot” (as we say in South Africa), and the children squealed in supportive cheers and affirmations. Relief folded over us as we managed to get out.
That’s when the other family who had joined us discovered that their car was also stuck in the sand. That’s right. Both cars! So, we gathered for the second time that night to repeat the exercise. We seemingly left it all out there the first time, and they remained stuck. We used our rope to connect the first car to the second to pull it. The car finally made it out and drove off the dune.
In our car’s enthusiasm to pull the second car out, our car was stuck – again. This time under even more sand. So we started to dig, which the children were thrilled to do because, until then, they’d been banished to support the team on the sidelines. We didn’t have any spades, so manicure be damned, we used our hands—unfortunately, the spirit of the ‘little engine that could’ could not in this case.
Worried about staying out there all night alternating between stuck cars, the children’s refrain of ‘forever’ sounding possible, we moved on to plan B. An SOS message to the local amateur offroad groups in the area. Someone said they were on their way. The group members suggested a few troubleshooting instructions, the first of which was, “Have you deflated the wheels?” By this point, we had done that, but that question was asked so many times that night that it was starting to feel like kryptonite.
I don’t know how long this took. I was so tired that I took a nap in the car. The children were still operating at a 10. Then, glimmers of lights dipping and weaving in the distance appeared as our optimism increased. The humming grew closer. Then, to the shouts and cheers of the children and, dare I say, adults, a fully kitted Jeep came bouncing over the dunes with lights blazing and ready. Forever was coming to an end.
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