CAMPING WITH FAMILY IN UAE: A Beginner's guide

UAE, has one of the most happening cities of the world, DUBAI, where there is no dearth for fun, socializing, shopping, movies, restaurants or any other exciting activity that a major city can provide. But what if you yearn for a break from all this? What if you long to go back to nature enjoy some solitude? But you, at the moment lack in time or money, to travel to Europe or Asia or elsewhere in this world?

Fret not.

Peel off UAE's glossy layers and you have an immense option of adventure. UAE's terrain ranges from vast stretches of sand , pristine beaches, rocky mountains, oases, and even mangroves.
Be what may be your interest, photography, cycling, bird-watching, hiking or even just camping there is a place for it all, if you manage to do enough research.

Last year we camped for the first time with our little daughter in MUSANDAM and then in UMM AL QUWAIN, and Jabal Jais in RAS AL KHAIMAH. It is really addicting especially in winter.

So here's a list for anyone taking the plunge of camping in and around UAE.

When to camp?

Ideally October to March is the best time to camp in UAE and nearby OMAN (which is accessible through a road trip). The temperatures vary between an average of 18 to 35 degrees centigrade depending on the time of day and the month.
Choosing the place and time of camping is very essential .
If you plan to visit the mountains always remember the temperature is probably 10 degrees cooler, and the nights are probably very chill in winter.
When camping near the wadis always be careful of flash floods. The rains fill up the wadis in an instant.
Do look at the weather report for the week.
But luckily UAE's temperature isn't as unpredictable as the rest of the world's is :)

Choosing a camping spot.

This depends on what you would love doing.

If you are an adventure sport enthusiast there is nothing like the Mountains- for trekking, hiking, watching stars, mountain biking, rock climbing etc. The Hajjar Mountains have amazing hideouts and wadis, if you follow well known trails on a 4x4.

If you have kids and love a lazing day of sun, water and sand then the Beaches are the places to set up camp at. Added to swimming, kayaking, picking sea shells and also building sea castles, the beaches are an endless source of water even if salty:)
The beaches are our favorite spot for camping. Luckily this tiny country is blessed in bounty in this department. But you need to hunt for beach areas designated for camping. Sadly the beaches are underutilized for these purposes.

If you love to be the Bedouin for the day and don't mind the sand all over you then the Desert is the right place for  desert drives, animal spotting, dune bashing and of course star gazing. This is in plenty too. With many tours companies providing deals and packages for night out at the deserts.

Sadly, we would love to add forests/ National parks to the list, but there are none that we know of in the country, where designated camping sites are present. How nice it would be to doze on a hammock in the shades of trees:/


Where to camp?

Must have guide for road trips and camping in and around UAE and Oman. seen frequently in the stands of petrol bunk convenience stores and sports shops.

We are yet to camp in all the places on our list,but have frequented RAK (Al Hamra), Umm Al Quwain (Al Rafaa), Jabal Jais (RAK), Jabal Hafeet (Al Ain), Al Qudra (Dubai) and Musandam (Oman). The others are all on our bucket list for camping.

Abudhabi
Liwa
Sila Beach
Pearl Coast
Many of the islands

Al Ain 
Al Hayer forest
Jabal Hafeet

Dubai
- Ganthoot
- Jebel Ali
- Al Qudra

Sharjah
-Kalba
- Deserts of Maliha road

Umm Al Quwain
- Al Raffa Beach

Ras Al Khaimah
- Al Hamra
- Jabal Jais
-Awafi
-Mizra

Fujairah
-Al Aqah Beach, Fujairah

Oman
-Musandam, Khasab
-Tiwi
-Turtle Beach
- Sohar
- Sur

There are umpteen number of Wadis where people especially those with 4x4 do go.
- Wadi Bih
- Wadi Sana
- Wadi Madhbah
- Wadi Wurayah

Where to shop for a first time camper?

• Carrefour camping section

It has almost everything you need, at amazing prices. within 300 AED you probably could haul everything necessary for a small family of 2 to 4.
Location : Deira City Centre, Dubai

• Declathon

This place is an amazing one-stop-shop for anything related to sports. It has to-die-for camping section where you get the right stuff with the right info. This is the place for a novice who wishes to take up serious camping. And don't forget to pick their 'Outdoor Check list'. 
https://www.facebook.com/DecathlonDubai
Location: Mirdiff City Centre, Dubai

• Adventure HQ 

If you are a pro,this is where you should go to get your gear from. 
www.adventurehq.ae
Location: Times Square Centre, Shk.Zayed Road
+971 4 346 6824 | +971 4 346 6909

• Ace Hardware

We seen some cool camping stuff at Ace Hardware too.
www.aceuae.com
Location: Dubai Festival City

• GulfCamping.com

If you are on the fast track and love shopping online, you must must check out this site. This is THE camping website for this part of the world. Just browsing through all that's available makes us want to plan our next trip :)
www.gulfcamping.com

• Bling My Truck.com

Another cool website for off-roaders, with a lot of serious camping stuff
www.blingmytruck.com

• Dubizzle

Don't forget to check through Dubizzle, for much pre-loved items. You might just find a steal. 
dubai.dubizzle.com

If you still haven't sorted out your stuff even on a Thursday morning, We have still found barbeque stuff and coal in most of the petrol bunkers near the camping sites and in other Supermarkets like LuLu and Nesto


The camping list 

For beginners an easy pop-up tent would do if its for day-camping or just one night under the stars.
The pros can go in for the good gear with all inflatable mattress and other accessories.

Ropes and tent pegs (in case you don't find stones to weigh down your tent or if your tent is pitched on soft sand)

If on a smooth terrain like the beach , a mat, sleeping bags and pillows would do. But your sleep will be much better if you have an inflatable air bed and some comforters especially in the mountains and deserts. 

Camping lights, be it a flash light, or a camping lamps. The head lamps are an amazing accessory especially when you are cooking outdoors and in darkness. 

Lawn chairs. We find it a necessity more than a luxury. We scored an amazingly comfy camping chair at 19 AED in carrefour. Oh since then camping has been so much more delightful.

A Portable chemical toilet, if you are queasy about the shovel and sand method.

Cooking equipment:
- A barbeque kit.
- Charcoal
- Lighter fluid
- Matches and lighter
- Cooler box
- Simple kitchen utensils- like a tea pot, skewers, tongs, plates and cups etc.

Firewood, for the warmth and the campfire to set the mood through the night.

Lots and Lots of Water. This is the most essential item on the list.

Garbage bags and tissues or used newspapers.
Can't stress this enough please, please, keep the area clean and take your garbage with you.

Entertaining equipment:
- Music box. Please keep the volume low with respect to others nearby :/
- Board games
- A book to read 
- Literally anything that makes you happy.

Definitely a GPS for any kind of road trip in UAE.
Charged phones.
Extra batteries if needed
Or a power bank, in case of emergency

UAE Offroad Explorer for the best places and their locations.

On person, wear comfortable clothes and shoes.
Extra clothes, Beach wear, hats, sunscreen lotion, insect repellents.

A complete first-aid kit

Completely serviced up-to-date car or 4x4.

No off-road emergency services are available in UAE, so keep the UAE police number handy.

CAUTION AND RULES:

Do read this article and make wise choices about where and how you camp. 
http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/society/camping-in-the-uae-what-you-need-to-know-1.1127208

Always better to venture out in groups at least with two vehicles if you are heading farther away from a city and accessible roads.

Always let your family and friends know where you are exactly going and when is it that you will return.

Look out for flash floods in wadis, scorpions and other poisonous beings in the desert dunes. Also, pitch your tent on the beach with an anticipation of a tide at night, lest you want a completely soaked up mess.


Great reading sites for information, sights, locations and prior experiences:

1- Outdooruae.com

2- UAE-Weekend-Lovers

3- UAE Offroaders

4- U.A.E Camping and other Misadventures

5- EveryTrail- UAE

6- Weekend UAE

Established camping organizers-- GLAMPING

If roughing it out in the outdoors is not your cup of tea, yet you love being in the lap of nature, then try out these well organised outdoor stays.

1- Banyan Tree Al Wadi for a luxurious and romantic getaway to a bedouin style desert resort. 

2-UAQ Marine club in Umm Al Quwain where the camps are set up already in a private beach area. 

3-FAKC.me This one is a pretty amazing group of Fathers and Kids Camping. But registration is based on referrals alone.

4- Relax RV Camping Resort Set in the dunes of Ras al Khaimah provides an RV style of luxurious camping.

5- Ecoventure provides adventure and outdoor education based camps for both families and school trips somewhere towards Al Jeer area near the border with Oman.

6- Noukhada.ae. This tour company provides kayaks and ferries your stuff to a desert island in abudhabi, then you are on your own till the next morning when they bring you back to mainland.

7- Dreamland Aquapark surprisingly has waterside chalets with barbecuing facility for an overnight stay in Umm Al Quwain.

TIPS for camping with Children:

- If you haven't camped before in UAE, start with day trips which are not too far off from civilization. Al Rafaah (UAQ) and Al Aqah (Fujairah) and Jabal Jais (RAK) beach are good spots.

- The age group of children with you can determine where camping would be the best enjoyable. For small kids it is the beaches are the best.

- Do carry enough food and water especially for the kids, and do not forget sunscreens, hats and other basic first aid that you may need.

- Make sure the children are watched over at all times. Especially when the bbq is on. There  are 4x4's and dune bikes riding around the beaches and deserts, so keep the kids safe.

- Take along simple games that the kids would love playing when outdoors. Of course its not a tablet :/

Fear not, camping is a very child friendly activity, especially in a safe country like UAE. Our daughter has always had fun and made some great memories and new friends, in our many camping trips. We find it to be a nice and amazing way to expose her to nature and free play. 

This link has great tips for family camping trips in UAE http://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/family/uae-has-ideal-spots-for-camping-with-children

Souring corals and shells left back by the tides

Searching for animal (fox) footprints

Making twig houses

Watching ducks and birds

Unlimited Beach time

So gather your tent, the winter is here, ride into the night, to unseen places, soak up the the sand and the sky, gaze at the stars, and leave the place with only memories.
Hope you make the most of the season!

See ya!!
Zain & Farz

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THE ZAHIR: Thoughts from real life

I had been filling up my time with books, COELHO, GIBRAN, lately. The most recent read was "The ZAHIR" by Paulo Coelho. I had picked up this book at an airport bookshop. I have read the book twice now.
Skimming the pages again, I wont dwell much into the plot or the characters or genre.

What I need to write is the journey of being a reader of "The ZAHIR".
As the story unravels, I cling onto portions of the written text, and my thoughts tumble on.

The word Zahir, a feeling or thought that refuses to leave our mind, may be even an obsession.
Very often, this does happen, in our lives  at certain points where we are fixed at a space, emotionally, mostly with no control of the situations leading to it. Why does it happen and for how long, no one can judge that. The Zahir may be positive or negative. The circumstances we find ourselves in, is largely because of the Zahir we decided to act upon or the ones we did not act upon. Sometimes we barely even realise it, the thoughts that lie in the depths of our heart, is the Zahir. It is never forgotten. Mind and heart are two very powerful mediums.

True freedom, stems not only being free of others control, but also one's own. If the Zahir in our lives is positive, freedom may not be the right choice. But it is the negative thoughts that grapple us, we deserve freedom from. The past, bad memories, our fear, our comfort zone, don't we deserve freedom from these?

Inspiration strikes our life at various junctures. Its so powerful and engulfs our thoughts and emotions, compelling us to act on it, fleetingly. Then it fades to procrastination. The first step to achieving a dream should never be taken tomorrow. No matter how big the task is, how huge the hurdles are, even if at the moment it all seems impossible, the first step should be taken today, because there is never a tomorrow.

Not 5 feet or 150 centimetres, why? Does it have to be constant? Something that may have been perceived the best for that time period, may not necessarily be the best when times have changed.

Humans are evolving beings. Everything about us is in a state of constant change. Our relationships, our likes, our circumstances, the very society. Is it not befit that we spend few moments often evolving our thoughts too. To adapt to the new change. And that change has to start with us, within us.

Misplaced souls?! Have you ever watched a child during play? They are mind, soul and body immersed in it. Something happens along in adulthood and we misplace our souls. It damages work, relationships, and one's own self. Is it too hard to keep one's soul where we are physically, without any distractions? To play with our child without fiddling with our smart phones, to be at work when working every moment. If our souls' find it hard to stay, it is probably an indication that we are at the wrong place doing the wrong thing.

Counting our blessings is becoming a dying habit in the present world. It seems easier to complain and grumble. If we can actually sit down and write two columns, one of blessings and the other of our complains, it is for sure that the list of blessings is far longer. But then why do we dwell more on our complains than our blessings. Is it not right to enjoy the graces and be thankful of them? Instead of channelling our energy to our meagre list of complains. 

Many things in this book, even devoid of plot and characters, made me think. What are my thoughts? Which of these would take me to a better place from today? Which were those that are better discarded? How free am I from the situations around me, from the webs of my fear? The present day should be my priority. What are the changes in me that I need to take with the change of a place, age, situations and relationships? I must remember to keep my soul where my body is and if my soul is happy elsewhere I need to take myself there. There is no halfway in between. Of  all, gratitude to God, to my loved ones and to every kind soul that passes my way. Is it that hard? Life is simple. It is we who complicate it.

So there it is, my ramblings from a book I just closed. These are a chain of thoughts, that struck me as a humble reader. The power of a written word is great...in no way is this a review of the book.

FARZ

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Two cups of "Chai" and a year of blogging!

Last year around the same time of the year, we sat down one Thursday night after dinner to watch some movie. After a stressed out work week for both of us. All we wanted to do was relax. Silently watching a boring movie we were probably having the same thoughts going on in our head.

Here we were in a new country, just set up a new home, leaving behind family and the friends we knew. Just as much as we missed them and the social life there, we had been very excited to move here and were eager to start a new life, make new friends, have a wonderful time exploring the place and most of all having quality time with our precious daughter together as a family.

But none of that was happening. Here we were, rushing from dawn to way past dusk in our work life, and the little one was having as a hectic day as us, shuttling from nursery to home and then to grandparents house. Slowly there was getting to be no time for us. No time for family and friends, we did not like it a bit.

Switching off the TV, Zain quietly said we need to do something about it. He suggested why not start a blog.
I was apprehensive. I had no idea how blogging worked and did not like to put myself out there into the online world. I am a bit more private person. And how could blogging help us in any of our worries as above.

But then he just went on and make some of his trademark mesmerizing Chai and we went about checking out  some amazing blogs online and reading up how to start one.  We had never written anything worthwhile online or anywhere else ever before. And putting ourselves out there, even if in front of our family and friends was making us a bit nervous. A Engineer/ Banker and me a dentist, we had never worked with anything online and it was a start from the scratch. We even did not even have a proper idea as to why?

Exactly a year since we pressed that publish button on a post in blogger. This was the very first post, introducing ourselves The Spectrum of our Rainbow.
Whew!! What an awesome journey!

• We have a learned a lot, when we mean a lot, it means humungous stuff, about blogging, the designing, the content, promoting, the stats,  the nitty gritties.. all of it.
• This gave us time together as a couple, something to work together on, a common ground, considering the vastly different professions we were in. 
• This kept us in touch with family, the simple joys we faced in our day to day living was being shared and seen. 
• It vastly improved the quality of our day, we became more organised with our time, we planned for the weekend, started doing the hobbies we liked most with our daughter. The pleasure of sharing it was even more exciting. 
• It has given us friends, even if on a virtual platform and considering that it has only been a year, we love reading what every one has to say and love the interaction we get on our posts.
• It has made exploring the country we live in, all the more exciting, more news about whats happening around here, is reaching our ears and its so much fun. 
• Our photography has improved from a scale of 1 to about 4 on a scale of 10. A new hobby in the brewing. We are seriously thinking of upgrading from a point and shoot. 
• There is so much more to look forward to in a day, reading what other bloggers have written about, new inspirations, new places, new recipes to try out. What otherwise seems a drab day is always exciting now.
• We have gotten out of our comfort zone. Explored new places, shared our views written about them on a public space. Its an amazing feeling when you see comments and appreciation. 

So there is a lot we have gained from this year of blogging. Its become a new part of life we wish to continue for long. Zain was a bit apprehensive, that we would lose steam along the way and the blog would fizzle out. But its got us hooked on. 

All along we keep reminding ourselves to not let the blog become a pressure or ride over our life. That's the only thing we are vary of now, to balance the happiness we derive out of it without going overboard.

Now we dream of a day when our little one may want to pen a few words here:)

The blog for the past year managed to reach only our family and real life friends. But since the beginning of 2015, we love the fact that we have so many new blogger friends who drop down here every time we post and leave their sweet comments. Thanking all the readers so much. Stats and comments sometimes are very motivating to go on.

Coming to the celebrations. We went to one of a favorite places to unwind. 

If you have been to Sharjah, you would have probably seen this giant teapot "AL-BREEJ" on a roundabout in Qasba. Its serves one of the best tea and coffee, of the Arabic or Indian flavor. They also sell boxes of amazing Arabian desserts. The place is flocked with people and lines of cars in the evening and from afar and is up late until 2 am.
A news article on the Teapot here.

We were attracted to this place by its looks when we had just moved into Sharjah. Such a cute way to have a tea/coffee cafe, with the structure of giant teapot and huge lighted coal underneath. So we picked two cups of our favorite "Zaafrani Chai" and sat sipping in the Qasba corniche, watching the beautiful skyline of Sharjah being reflected in the still waters.

The journey of blogging started with a cup of Chai (check out our pretty little CHAI-SPACE at home here). It is only befitting that we celebrate a year of blogging having a cup of tea at one of our favorite hangouts.

Hoping for lots more to come in this space.

ZAIN & FARZ

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D-I-Y INSECT CARD: A Thank you card to our daughter's Kindergarten teacher

Our daughter is finishing kindergarten 1 today. WOW!! we really survived a year of sleepy mornings and running to catch the bus. 

But it seemed just like yesterday, when we packed off our little girl in her new set of uniform and sparkly new shoes, and a bag too big for her tiny shoulders, in her school bus. Trusting a bunch of new adults, to care of the most precious person in the world to us. 

Anyways fast forward now. The little one has  friends from the class, the bus and a whole new world of her own, which she loves. There have been days when she would go on and on about the day in her class. She adores her teachers. We can hear the giggles and the laughter as the bus comes to drop her back home. And her numerous tales of the day just shows us how great her school day has been. 

How does a teacher bring in so many new children into a class from the warm cocoon of family and transform these tiny babies into such amazingly active and bright children by the end of the year? Hats off to the educators who have begun the process of molding them into tiny human beings, infusing courage, knowledge, confidence and compassion into them. Truly amazing. 

Her teachers will have a new set of children to mold this year, as the students of this year go on. And year after year they will be doing this great task. They may not get to witness how beautifully these children have gone on to lead wonderful and successful lives. 

But the teachers who held our daughters hand, albeit even if it was for a short while, we will never forget them, for their role in our child's life. 

We made a card for my daughter's teachers, and she scribbled a beautiful THANK YOU and LOVE YOU in it. 

God bless them, for their hard work, we reap rewards.

FARZ & ZAIN

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