DUBAI – Emiratis and expatriates alike are all set for an epic adventure as they prepare to step forth into the sandy desert terrain here on an unforgettable journey of self-discovery.
Foreigners and locals will embark on this once-in-a-lifetime Camel Trek expedition, which is being organised and supervised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC), alongside the renowned UAE explorers Ahmed Al Qassimi and Mohammed Bin Taryam on Friday (January 22nd).
The 10-day trip will offer all of its hearty participants the chance to escape the humdrum of everyday life, with a back-to-basics approach allowing everybody involved the opportunity to bond with their camels while unearthing some deep-rooted, inner qualities amid the dunes and dust in a technology-free environment.’
Mohammed Bin Taryam, said: “The overall objective of this camel trek is to provide an unforgettable experience that also helps in the dissemination of our culture here in this country. There is a clear need for such an expedition as it takes participants back to the olden days, when our ancestors led a far more nomadic lifestyle and transported goods in an altogether different manner. At the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC), we are striving to revive our heritage and history among the UAE community at large in order to come to the collective – and full – realization that it is of fundamental importance to our present day and our future. It really promises to be great fun for all of the adventure enthusiasts on this trip.”
Ibrahim Abdul Rahim, Director of Event Management at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC), commented: “We’re proud to organise such a trip, which spreads knowledge among different nationalities of the traditional aspects of life that were experienced by our ancestors, and pleased to welcome all who have decided to join us on this fun and interesting journey. We hope to pass on our ancestors’ experiences in transit to different nationalities and, through the challenges and difficulties they will invariably face on this expedition, it will cultivate qualities displayed by our ancestors such as: patience, wisdom and the power of concentration. We will do our utmost to prove all means of comfort to them and to provide them with all of the necessary facts and information to help pass on this experience to their families and friends in their native countries. A fun atmosphere prevailed at the end of the training period, which bodes well for a comfortable and successful trip for all participants.”
Ahmed Al Qassimi, said: “If a person feels fear while riding a camel, then that can be a clear cause for concern and create difficulties on this trip. Therefore, the training session – which was held before the start – aimed to remove that fear factor and establish a link between the reins and the rider, knowing full well that the participant has to care for and feed the camel to be able to consolidate that fledgling relationship and that will ultimately bear fruit over this 10-day trip.”
Al Qassimi added: “This is the second trip by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC), having travelled the desired distance of 400kms without any accidents or injuries in 2015. I expect we’ll achieve a better result and be even more successful this year due – in many ways – to the expertise we have gained from that prior experience, including the selection of the very best camels and a longer training period for the participants.”
Indian Rasheenah Ahmed, who is a mum of two children, commented: “I make a mental note to read the newspapers most of the time and I never quite get round to it. Fortunately, for me – I opened up the paper on this particular day, read about this camel trek and I thought to myself:
‘Wow! This is something I’ve been waiting for all of my life.’ Everyone has been very supportive and told me: ‘If you want to do it, you should go for it!’”
Charlotte Sarrazin, of France, stated: “I’m a very sporty person and I wanted to try something new. I’m also going on this expedition because I’ve been in Dubai for three years now and I want to know more about the culture here. I’ve learnt so many things about the heritage and the history since I started this training programme and it is truly amazing.”
It is, expected that the participants will set off on the first leg of their daily journey at around 7:30am every morning. They will then stop at 12noon for roughly two hours prior to recommencing their onward voyage towards their camp for the night at 5pm or so and sufficiently prior to sundown. They expect to traverse around 50km every day and thus complete a 500km expedition.
