Sunset Safari in Dubai Written by Owen Palmiotti
Photography provided by Owen Palmiotti
“Planet Tours,” the representative from USO Dubai
rambled at an arrival conference. I was thoroughly intrigued.
It was catchy. I was off in my own little world as usual, thinking
of a rocket ship and space and far off worlds, but then was nudged
into the reality of shipboard life.
“How many crewmembers will be going?”
I looked at my list, “Eight, including me.”
“Great, see you at the pier at 1530.”
I had set up the tour for my shipmates a few days prior and eagerly
waited for the 4x4 off-road vehicles to pick us up at the end
of the pier. I stood there in my long pants, t-shirt, sunglasses,
and Australian army hat and dove into the “shotgun”
seat. There, we blasted American music and the Dubai native drove
us through miles of desert. Finally, we emerged into a winding
path of dunes. Two vehicles rode together through the dunes and
we blazed trails through uncharted sand. I felt like Moses, parting
the golden seas, sand spraying out from beneath the roaring engines
and spinning tires. I felt like Christopher Columbus, venturing
to unseen lands. It was great.
Next on the agenda was a stop to view the sunset. Honestly, I
have seen better celestial tangos being a sailor. A sunset at
sea is beyond comprehension. There are no limitations to the mind’s
interpretations of the site. There is simply no string of words
to describe it. But anyways, we stood in a huddle of tourists
and guides, watching as the sun kissed the western sky. I decided
to be adventurous and do cartwheels and flips down a steep sand
dune. Definitely a bad idea, since I have no skill with gymnastics.
It was more of a rag doll being carelessly tossed down a pitch
of sand. But it was caught on video, and I looked real “classy”
as you might say.
Then we rolled into a Bedouin campsite, filled with tents and
a central sitting area. Off in each tent were various Arabic cultural
agendas: traditional dress, a little souvenir shop, and barbeque
pit. I smoked hookah dressed as Sheik Palmiotti. I ate shish-kabobs.
I even attempted to sand board. That failed miserably. It was
like attempting to sled down a hill without snow. I had to nudge
my feet and shift my body weight to even make it halfway down
the hill. It was there when I decided to just continue my acrobatic
ways and flip down the dune.
But out of the entire trip, the most memorable thing was riding
the camels. I have seen countless cowboy movies and even a couple
of old classics where they would race these desert beasts across
the vast distances and stretches of dryness. I felt like a rodeo
clown mixed in with Owen of Arabia. Maybe sometime soon Planet
Tours will uphold its name, allowing the entire world to simply
see things, out of this world.
Owen Palmiotti’s
home is Monroe, New York, but it is difficult to find him
there. He is a sailor, serving Third Officer with Military
Sealift Command. Owen graduated from SUNY Maritime College
with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marine Transportation
and International Business, and with a United States Coast
Guard License.
