One of the pasttimes here is desert camping. I admit that I am still trying to get my head around the idea of going out into the middle of nowhere and setting up a tent (or better yet, paying someone to set it up for you) and staying overnight in the middle of a sandpile.
It is said that Kuwaitis do this to help them think about their bedouin culture and returning to their original "roots" where they were nomads and travelled from camp to camp. Apparently they also purchase goats and sheep and attempt to live as simply as possible. There are dozens of these camp communities throughout the desert north of Kuwait City. The tents are certainly larger than anything I've ever camped in, these tents each look like they could host a party of 100 people.
However, as the picture of the items piled onto the truck shows, not everyone just grabs the sleeping bags and heads to the desert. Apparently, there are those who pack EVERYTHING. (I guess this is also true in Lake Country) There are different versions of "roughing it" in every culture. True story-- I did see a satellite dish next to a tent, but I was too busy staring to take the picture.
I imagine that the idea of spending the night in a mosquito infested, tree-lined dark forest by a lake with the sounds of crickets and owls is a foreign a concept to someone from Kuwait as sleeping on the hard sand in a dark desert with potential snakes, lizards and nothing above you is to me. Maybe I'll get up the courage venture out on a desert overnight (we were invited this weekend, but respectfully declined).Right now, I'm too scared of snakes,total darkness and things that could go bump in the night. But, I'm not saying I'd never do it. Maybe I'll go find that guy with the satellite dish and snuggle up next to his family.
No comments:
Post a Comment