I hope our future generations will be able to see almost extinct Arabian Oryx.
"The next time that boy pursues you, he better do it like a dying man looking for water in a desert. When it's the right guy, you'll know, because he'll cherish you." ~ Karen Kingsbury
Desert is one of the extreme, harsh and unforgiving environments on our mother earth. I always put my hat off to those who are brave enough to live in the desert; but after experiencing desert myself, I respect them more than ever.
Some people have no choice; they were born in the land of desert, they must adapt to survive. To quote Sir Charles Darwin, "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change."
The second journey to the desert reminded me on the article about Sir Wilfred Patrick Thesiger, that I first read during our first business class flight with Etihad Airways .
Thesiger (19100603-20030824), also known as Mubarak bin London, was a British explorer and travel writer. His classic travel book Arabian Sands was dubbed by the National Geography as one of the 100 Greatest Adventure Books of All Time. It describes both his travels in the Empty Quarter of the Arabian Peninsula (between 1945-1950) and the traditional life of the Bedu (Bedouin) people whose "spirit once lit the desert like a flame." Such an approach of living is perhaps now lost forever, in accordance to Michael Asher.
Few hours before my first trip to the desert in 2014, Professor L who also loves photography, enthusiastically showed me the book, with many beautiful black-and-white photographs of the desert.
I deeply like the following paragraph written by Thesiger, affirming my choice of minimalist lifestyle and striving to give more than what I have received in this life.
"In the desert I had found a freedom unattainable in civilization; a life unhampered by possessions, since everything that was not a necessity was an encumbrance. I had found, too, a comradeship inherent in the circumstances, and the belief that tranquility was to be found there. I had learnt the satisfaction which comes from hardship and the pleasure which derives from abstinence; the contentment of a full belly; the richness of meat; the taste of clean water; the ecstasy of surrender when the craving of sleep becomes a torment; the warmth of a fire in the chill of dawn."
His writing in crystal-clear prose echoes some interesting phenomena that I experience or observe.
Human beings often do not cherish what they get too easily, these include a lover, a talent, a friend, a career or a prize. In the age of grade inflation, students often think that they deserve an A or A+, when they have not put sufficient efforts to achieve what they desire. After they graduate, some if not many, think that they are entitled to a well-paid job. In reality, it is not our education certificates that will open doors, but our passion and commitment in whatever we do, that will bring life satisfaction.
It is harmonious to remind ourselves that satisfaction in attaining a goal was directly proportional to the hardship and challenge involved in getting there, as Thesiger had realized many decades ago.
The desert experience also reminds me on a senior friend of mine, who shared that my first desert trip is reminiscent of the song Olive Tree (橄榄树). The lyrics were written in 1978 by San Mao (三毛), when she was wandering in the Western Sahara desert. San Mao's husband, Jose Maria Quero y Ruiz hailed from Spain, where there are abundant of olive trees.
My favorite Chinese version of the song Olive Tree is sung by Chyi Yu (齐豫).
橄榄树
不要问我从哪里来 我的故乡在远方
为什么流浪 流浪远方 流浪
为了天空飞翔的小鸟 为了山间轻流的小溪
为了宽阔的草原 流浪远方 流浪
还有还有 为了梦中的橄榄树橄榄树
不要问我从哪里来 我的故乡在远方
为什么流浪 为什么流浪 远方
为了我 梦中的橄榄树
I also love the English version of the song Olive Tree, sung by Sally Yeh (叶蒨文)
There is a farmer,who walks on the road,
Stranger,why do you wander?
Don't ask from where I have come,
My home is far,far away
Why do you wander so far,
Wander so far,wander so far?
For the little bird free I wander,
For the medow green and wide,
For the mountain high and blue
I wander,wander so far
Then,is there more?
Yes,for the olive tree of my dream.
Don't ask from where I have come,
My home is far,far away.
Why do you wander,
Why do you wander so far,far away?
For the Olive tree of my dream.
Don't ask from where I have come,
My home is far,far away,
Why do you wander so far,
Wander so far,wander so far
Our gratitude list:
♥ people who have made our trip memorable and pleasant
♥ dune bashing
♥ sand boarding (an item of my bucket list was checked)
♥ camel riding
♥ saw the Arabian Oryx
♥ good value of money (each of us paid AED50 for the entire event)
With love,
ServicefromHeart
20150306
20150508
