The British expat Emma Brain had never spent more than a few hours in the desert before December, despite living in the UAE for more than two decades. It was then that she embarked on the annual Camel Trek initiative by the Hamdan bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC), which consisted of traveling 12 days across the UAE's deserts.
"It was priceless," she told Khaleej Times. “When you live in Dubai, it is easy to get lost in the glitz and glamour. This trip reminded me that there was this whole other side of the country. We were also dressed in the traditional jalabiyas and riding a camel through the desert. So we got the full Emirati culture experience. It was a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
A group of over 30 people, including Emiratis and expats, rode camels for 8 hours a day for 12 days through the desert, starting at the Empty Quarter (Rub' al Khali) desert and ending at Global Village. During the course, they enjoyed the beautiful desert, soaked in the Emirati hospitality and bonded with their camels.
The trip was an attempt by Robin Kyung Tae Kim, a curriculum developer for the Ministry of Education, to immerse himself in Emirati culture.
"We have been incorporating more aspects of Emirati culture into school curricula," he said.
I wanted to experience it first-hand so that I could make it better. For me, the biggest takeaway was how important camels were to the Emirati identity and culture.”
The challenges
Emma and Robin both agreed that the trek was extremely physically challenging. “Nothing prepares you for the bruises and aches that come from riding a camel for so many hours,” chuckled Emma. “So much so that whenever we took breaks, we would massage each other’s backs.”
Before the trek, the group trained continuously for several weeks. “During the last few weeks, we were training three times a day,” said Robin. “So I had mentally budgeted the difficulties I would face. However, the first day was incredibly tough. Temperatures were higher than usual and we were going through the salt plains. So it was hotter than expected. After about three days, our bodies got used to it.”
The bond of a lifetime
One of the most memorable aspects of the trek for German expat Anne Runde was her bond with her camel. “One night, I had headed out to give my camel a treat but I had forgotten my torch,” she said. “It was pitch dark and I was about to turn back when my camel stuck her head out and looked at me as if to say hey, I am here. I felt such a connection to her that I began calling her Binti (my daughter).”
She said she found the process of riding a camel very therapeutic. “It was almost like meditating,” she said. “I never imagined I would feel that way. When I was on the camel, I was not thinking about anything else.”
The connections Robin made during the trek blew him away. “I was expecting to do the trek and then go home,” he said. “But I made such amazing bonds, both with my camel and my co-riders. My camel’s name is Shamrookh, which means the connecting stem for all the dates. He was notorious last year for not behaving well but I was able to make such a connection with him that towards the end of the trek, he was the first to fall in line. It was so fulfilling.”
An impressive operation
Every day, the riders traveled over 45 kilometres. “We would wake up at around 6.30am and after breakfast, we would load up and prepare the camel,” said Emma. “The aim was to set off at 9am. We would reach our camps by around 4 or 5pm. Between that we would stop several times for breaks.”
She said HHC handled every detail. “From chefs to cook the choicest dishes to toilets to showers to tents, HHC takes care of everything,” she said. “And the whole thing is entirely free.”
The scale of the operation impressed Robin. “I can’t stress how big the production was,” he said. “The media team, the medical team, the arrangements was such a huge logistical operation that I am blown away. "I highly recommend it to everyone."