Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine October 2021 | Page 44

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Al Marmoom Adventures by Shana Jones

The scene opens with a 360-degree view of golden sand everywhere , for miles . Heat shrivels the air and undulating ridges in the sand mark where the wind plays relentlessly . Two majestic oryxes jostle quietly with each other , their white coats zig-zagging their reflection of the afternoon sun with each movement . A few yards away stretches the long shadow of a camel just in from a long trek ; its long , willowy eyelashes bat away occasional swirls of sand kicked up by the frolicking oryxes . Elsewhere , a Bedouin woman puts on the finishing touches of an intricate henna design on the hands of an expectant subject , her own hands and feet ornately decorated with the dark brown mix . Overhead , a mere dot in the distance , a falcon meanders gracefully along the horizon . This is the Al Marmoom desert , and its adventures beckon .

Chapter 1 – The Bedouin Experience
Premium desert tour provider Platinum Heritage takes you into the desert to experience a day in the life of a Bedouin in the Arabian desert over 100 years ago . You ride as part of a traditional camel caravan and set up a majlis ( Arabic for “ sitting place ”). You watch a live falcon show and learn about the enduring significance of this national bird ; you may even learn to fly one !
Chapter 2 – Al Marmoom Conservation Reserve
At the Al Marmoom Conservation Reserve , the largest open nature reserve in the UAE , you get to meet the other natives of this desert :