On a desert safari, I went
With a bunch of friends
We decided to stay overnight
we pitched our tents by the oasis.
By the time it was getting dark
We saw a trail of camels approaching the oasis
We were but a bit surprised
hoping they were not bandits
They arrived in twos and tied their camels to the trees
they went to freshen up at the oasis
We saw big bags laden on the camels
we were curious,
As one of them approached us for a matchbox
We made friends with them
and learned they were merchants.
They traveled through the deserts carrying their ware
and would exchange them for gold and leather goods;
their goods were expensive spices from across the borders;
besides that, they also had various kinds of incense.
They told us stories of bandits attacking them.
In the night, while they travel, hence they decided
To break the journey until morning.
There were two - three families along with them.
The ladies sat in the tents, and when they came out
they covered their faces.
We knew they were local people, and that was their custom
They cooked inside the tents
while the men grilled the meats on stones and iron rods
The food was simple,
grilled meats with just salt and little pepper,
They had a sauce made of white gram and lime, and garlic
It was rather tasty and went well with the bread that the ladies gave us
Dates and fresh juice and camel milk.
We slept in the open and watched the stars
While the merchants smoked on hukka
And chatted till fell asleep.
At the break of dawn, they were up and ready.
They bid us farewell; they gave us a small pouch of
spices and these spices were really very expensive.
We saw they were dressed in long gowns called the
dishdasha
and the women in long black gowns too, called the
abaya
and their heads were covered with scarves,
and they wore heavy jewellery too.
The ladies did not speak as they spoke the local
language
only a few men could speak English, but that, too is
broken
We enjoyed our night with them,
and learned a lot about their travel and culture.
By noon we met another group of merchants
But these were the locals
they carried meat, milk, and dates
from one desert town to another,
they could not speak a word of English, only Arabic.
It was time to pack and get back to the city
And what a time we had
As we experienced life in the desert.
Bio
Debra S Mascarenhas is based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and has been here for almost three decades. She is a widow, living with her three children there.
She graduated in Arts and majored in Literature.
Writing comes to her naturally. She has two books published in the UK. “Whispers from my heart” & “Sail into the world of my poem.” She writes short stories and poems.
She also does the artwork, painting in acrylics. She did not attend painting classes but mastered it independently. She is passionate about cooking, gardening, writing, and photography.