It was our plan to maximize our time seeing as much as we could, and I believe we accomplished that. I had been hearing about the sand dune bashing as something I had to experience. There are many different tour operators offering this experience. Therefore, you have to determine which one suits you individually: Enjoying an ATV ride, sandboarding, etc. To ride out on the dunes, it is a good idea to have your head covered for protection from the sun and the sand. As you arrive at the ATV site, the store keepers are eagerly waiting to sell and fit you with the scarf (shemagh or Arab scarf).

Driving to the Red Dune Desert takes about forty-five minutes with the first stop at the point where you get the ATV experience. At this stop, there were people getting camel rides, taking pictures with a falcon at a cost. If you are on the safari excursion which ends at a camp site, all that is available at the camp site and is included in the price you paid.

After the ATV experience, our guide released air from all four tires, and we were off for laughter, screams, and woos. Some adventurous groups took the ride, approximately forty-five minutes, ride to the camp on ATVs. This SUV ride required skillful driving and knowing the terrain very well. We drove up and down dunes at a speed, particularly when climbing a dune, and our driver/guide seemed to have enjoyed this as if it was the first ride.

We stopped before arriving at the camp site for photo opportunities and for the adventurous ones, go sandboarding down the sloped dunes. Going down might not be too bad but coming up back to the starting point would certainly be a challenge as the sand is so thick.

While riding along, we passed one of the SUV stuck. They already had assistance and it appeared they were trying to balance the vehicle.

Upon arrival at the camp, you were offered coffee tea soda or water with a sandwich. Here, you are able to ride the camel, take pictures with the falcon ,get henna designs, enjoy a live show, and served a meal. No alcoholic beverage.

After a buffet dinner, the evening ended with this view. This was an enjoyable afternoon into the evening of new experiences with laughter and lots of fun. I also noticed the natives took their time out when it was prayer time. Since it was Ramadan, the belly dancer did not perform, but the male dancer and the fire dancer gave an enjoyable performance.

We still had more to see and do the next day. I will just let the photos speak for themselves.

This is Dubai Miracle Garden, the entrance time is opened so you can visit at your leisure. Spending about two hours gives you enough time to explore the garden. There are seats along the paths as well as vendors where you can get refreshments. The creativity was remarkable and a place one can enjoy whether you are into gardening or not.

After a good walk and some rest time we headed to The Global Village which opens at 6pm. This is a theme park where about Ninety cultures are on exhibition. To cover this site you probably need about three hours and that is without stopping to explore each country’s exhibit. There are goods to purchase such as linen, shoes, jewelry etc.There is also a mixture of food that you can enjoy depending on your taste. We had Mexican and thoroughly enjoyed our meal in a relaxed non formal setting. There is a lime and mint drink, not limited to the village, but was the best one I had.

The next day we embarked on a day tour that would let us see the other five Emirates. The United Arab Emirates consists of Abu Dhabi, the capital, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain,Fujairah, and Ras AL Khaiman. As we left Dubai heading towards Sharjah, the traffic was very heavy going towards Dubai. It is fair to say people live in Sharjah and work in Dubai. Our guide explained it is cheaper to reside in Sharjah which should not be surprising.

We then moved on through Ajman. Ajman is the smallest but had high-rise buildings and roadways were in very good condition. As we drove along there were some beautiful homes somewhat where old meets new. Of course not as busy as the others.

We soon entered Umm Al Quawain we came upon a salt patch it was not clear as to who and where the salt was used.

We ventured into Ghost Town an old village

Fujairah is another large one and at the point of Dibba Al Hisn we passed the border crossing point to Oman. We also realized that tourists do stay in the other Emirates other than Dubai and Abu Dhabi. There are beautiful beaches and boat rides sailing the gulf. Getting to drive through the mountains offered a spectacular landscape looking at the varied colors on the mountain side and just experiencing the rolling hills. Getting to get a glimpse of all seven Emirates was great. Traveling to the UAE was on my bucket list and I was happy to spend the time exploring with family and friend. My five year old nephew was such a trooper and did not flinch as we did all these activities. He was aware of where he was and that he was on vacation, so glad he enjoyed himself.