My first taste of these standard excursions was early in my arrival to the region on the first night of Eid Al Fitr in 2009 (see blogpost "Toasting Eid in the Desert"). At that time, one of my colleagues had us do the now-famous "jump shot," into which which I coerced my sister-in-law and her colleagues into compliant submission. The initial response to this exercise is patented...the "subjects" mumble something unintelligible and the body language is one of reluctance lacking enthusiasm. Once a few shots are snapped and images are reviewed, the enthusiasm factor rockets and everyone wants to do it again and again until the perfect shot is snapped. Below see some distinguished US Attorneys and judges perfecting the jump shot:
As the triathlete of the crowd, my sister-in-law was naturally the best jumper!
The standard excursion goes to a location near the Saudi border and a local driver wearing traditional dress picks up the group in town near a supermarket. We ran into the market to ensure we had our soft beverages of choice in his cooler and set off for our adventure. About 40 minutes into the drive, there is a standard stop where the tires have to be deflated to about half because now the driving is in the desert and this is how the tire can "grab" the dune angles. A good driver will take the face of a dune on its side and then slide down the dune as if hydroplaning. And if full entertainment value has been factored, the Beastie Boys are blaring and it's a bit of a show. It was definitely a show to this crowd! Here's one of the camels on display at the tire letdown spot:
Once the sun set, we enjoyed a traditional dinner of lamb, chicken and beef kebabs, cardamom-scented rice, hummus, and bread baked over fire in this camp:
And dusk in the desert is always magical...
Consultants from Europe were invited into my convertible Jeep for a self-guided excursion into the desert with two other local ex-pat colleagues in March, where the jump shot was again met with anemic enthusiasm. Within moments, there was an insatiable need to "perfect" the shot irrespective of the effort required.
And, of course, the cyclist in the group took the jump shot to new heights of expression and excellence:
On this trip we encountered the desert hyacinth in situ, which looked much like a succulent. These flowers dot the landscape where they have self-germinated the winter prior and aren't easy to find.
Once the temporary foreigners cleared out, the resident foreigners headed into the desert regularly on the weekend afternoon to catch sunset from a different vantage point, start a fire (to keep unwanted critters away), and make dinner. There's always something new to see or experience. Here are some snaps of various spots and the "chef" among us, checking the marinated tuna with a headlamp to ensure a rare result in a dune surrounded by basalt and jasper deposited by a river that disappeared a couple million years ago.
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