Desert camping is perhaps the most unreal experience ever – it’s just you, the dunes, the sand and the endless emptiness.
The dunes are massive, some as high as skyscrapers. The winding road snakes through these shape shifting mountains, over the sand and then in between the salt flats. Arriving at the campsite, you step out of the car and the heat hits you with the fiery intensity of a thousand burning suns.
The tents are set up and it is time for the long haul up the dunes. That dune seems so much bigger when you’re actually climbing it with your sand board dragging behind. As you pull yourself over the crest of the dune you’re surrounded by an endless ocean of sand.
The walk to find the perfect slope is ... what? Long? Sandy? Yes, but awesome!
Your feet sink into the soft, cool sand – this sand so different to the stuff you find on the beach. That sand sticks to everything but this sweet sand falls away with each step, leaving your feet smooth and clean.
You find your spot balanced atop the windblown dune and the next thing you know, you’re flying down the biggest slope you can find. It starts off slow, but you gain so much momentum that by the time you land at the bottom of the dune, you’re tumbling head-first off your board into the sand. The best dunes are long, high and steep – they really let your board soar out of control, the sand flying around you in gritty, colourful waves.
As the Arabian sun sinks behind the dunes, it soaks everything in gold. It’s time to return to the campsite. The fire is lit and the meat starts to sizzle. The yellow fire burns fast and bright. The sand is cold, crisp and soft as you sit watching the full moon rise above the dark dunes, making the desert a silhouette of waves. The timid desert mice scuttle around the tents looking for scraps from the barbeque.
As you lie in your sleeping bag, the only sound is the wind gently moving the sand to create new formations for tomorrow’s sand boarding adventure. You drift away to the melody of the breeze, dreaming of the desert, content.
Sarah Gausel, age 17
