AL MAHA 2008

AL MAHA

We checked out of the Burj al Arab and were taken into the desert about 80 miles away for a one night stay in a conservation reserve, Al Maha, started by the president of Emirates Airlines on his desert property. That original holding was added to by the ruling family, and the reserve now covers 22,500 hectares or 5% of country of Dubai. The focus of the conservation efforts is desert antelope and ibex, plus the desert grey fox, but other animals are beneficiaries as well. By the way, Emirate Airlines has a huge number of 777 planes. Planes that aren't 777's are Airbuses. We counted more than 20 parked away from the terminal when we arrived the other night.

We have been upgraded to Al Maha's best room, best being defined as the ability to have a family in residence. The rooms are stand alone tent/cottages that are supposed to resemble desert encampments. I'm not so sure. They sure don't move the furnishings in this 3-room, 2-bedroom suite by camel! (Of course in the Middle East, it is not unheard of for an emir or prince to move an encampment to the desert via private 737.)

Our residence "tent" included a big central great room and a large bedroom to each side, as well as our own private pool looking out to the desert. Except for the pool, the layout was remarkably like Lost River. What made it look somewhat like a tent was a canvas, in the shape of the top of a tent, that covered the entire structure on the outside. We went for a soak in our outdoor pool, watched big yellow wasps and various birds take a sip of water from the pool edge, and generally relaxed.

Later in the later afternoon we were driven off road in a 4 wheeler through the sand dunes on a "safari". The animals were few but the sand dunes were neat. I realized as we drove for the hour long tour how right we were to cancel our South Africa trip. No matter what animals we might have seen, riding along in a four wheel, air conditioned vehicle for hours at a time would have been awful.

Just before nightfall, we went to a demonstration of falconry. Climbing down

the steep sand dune from the hotel to the area they were going to fly the birds was too much for me but Carol went down. (Carol's report: what a totally weird sensation; the sand was like dry quicksand. Going down I sank up to my ankles, but coming up was incredible exercize. It is very hard to walk up a steep sand dune. I think a sand dune would be very inexpensive "gym equipment" for some entrepreneur.)

The falcon exhibition was really something to behold and assuming our movies turn out, one of the segments will be a short history on falconry. Our dinner was under the stars and delicious. It reminded me that every hotel in Dubai center claims to be at least 5 Star (the highest Michelin rating) with several, such as the one we stayed in, claiming to be 7 Star. The food in Dubai city generally does not live up to the hype, however.

We had an early pick-up in the morning again, were driven to the airport, and we said goodbye to Dubai. Or maybe that should be goodbye to Do Bye. We're now off to Oman, first stop Muscat.

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