Morag

It’s taken me long enough but I finally made it to the desert for a BBQ and bonfire.

Up to now we hadn’t been brave enough to do it on our own, you see the husband and I both left our sense of direction back in the UK. I had visions of us being lost in the desert for days, eventually running out of water, no telephone reception and suffering from hallucinations of mirages whilst vultures circled above, just like in the movies! 

I’m glad to say that I needn’t have worried as we had a wonderful guide in the guise of a neighbour’s husband who patiently drove at a sensible pace with plenty of use of his indicators and with my car practically glued to his bumper. We weren’t alone, we were part of a long convoy of intrepid desert adventurers that day.

With a car full of excited children and a boot bulging with firewood, portable BBQ (purchased especially for the occasion) and enough bangers and burgers to feed an army, we were heading 21km south.

Before we knew it we were off-roading towards our destination ‘Camel Rock.’  I hadn’t even put the car in to ‘park’ when the kids started jumping out and racing up the rocky mounds, exploring and enjoying the vast open space. Of course, that left us oldies to unload and set up camp, to be honest I didn’t mind, I was already benefitting from the calm and tranquility of the desert.

With a cool breeze, friends, new and old, sat in the glow of the fire whilst sharing food, drinks and stories.

I picked up a few top tips from the more experienced desert-goers that evening and was truly overwhelmed by the warm welcome to us desert newbies!

As I gazed up to the stars in the sky, I was already planning our next trip out to the Bahraini desert.