Strangers of the Desert - New Adventures, and New Friends (UAE Car Camping Part 2)

just a girl and her car, in a new country, all alone.

she got a car.

Imagine this. You're 21 years old, you're just settling into life in a new country. You feel the urge to explore, but...

• its your first semester of a new uni
• your transportation options are limited.
• the environment you're in is conducive to stay put and don't venture out too far.

However, one thing leads to another, and a few decisions later... you end up with a rental car.

And now, for the short period of time that you do have it, you're about to make the absolute most of the freedom having a car unlocks.

recap:

After itching to go to go into nature and the only opportunity seeming to pass by me, a classmate suggested we just make our own opportunity.
We rented a car that afternoon, decided to drive to Al Ain with no plan, but turned back one hour into the drive to make it back for a spontaneous opportunity to have dinner with the founder of our school.

The next day, the school friends that where going with me bailed on the Al Ain plan.
I was left with a car... and a choice.

I spent that day driving around with my roommate, exploring Dubai and doing some things we always wanted to do.
However, I couldn't let the Al Ain plan go.

Later that night, I drove from Dubai's Academic City to Al Ain, where I tried to car camp but pulled an all-nighter of driving, star-gazing and mountain exploring adventures.

I took a nap on the mountain after sunrise... then drove down one of the most scenic mountain roads in the world in the day.

Talking to some new friends I made at the gas station down the mountain, I decided the adventure must continue, and ditched my comfort zone for another night to properly try car camping in Al Qudra.

I spent the night at the Love Lakes, which was a phenomenal star-gazing spot. The nature was amazing, but given that it was my first trip alone in what truly felt like the middle of nowhere, I was so nervous I (once again) barely slept all night.

However, morning came, and I enjoyed a beautiful sunrise before driving back to school, and back to "reality".

But after an adventure as good as this one, my reality would not be the same anymore.

---

Read the whole story in PART 1 here:

Sunrise on the Mountain: Falling in Love with the UAE's Deserts on my First Ever Solo Road Trip

---

I had about an hour's drive to school, and even though I was leaving pretty early with time to spare, Dubai traffic can be unpredictable so I decided to book it outta here before the traffic got bad.

I changed back into my nice green abaya so I looked put together. Apart from my roomie and my other two classmates that where going to originally come to Al Ain with me, I don't think anyone but a few people knew that I was gone.

But hey, I deduced that if I look decently good and show up at school, no one would even know. When they looked at me, by looking at me no one would have the faintest clue that I just lived in my car for two nights, experiencing what felt like a wild adventure full of serendipitous moments.

Surely, serendipity would strike again.

And it indeed would.

the way back (to reality).

Traffic did hit in the last leg of the trip. At first things where looking promising, but arriving in Central Dubai, I was counting down minutes, praying that I would find parking.

My uni classes where held near the Offices ONE World Trade Center... and from what I've heard, the meter parking is always a gamble there. Parking privately or on a lot in that area would cost me a fortune I did not have.

I got there. The meter parking was full.

consequences.

There was an event happening nearby in the conference centers, so all the parking was taken up and even the overpriced lots where EVEN MORE overpriced and also where at capacity.

Class started soon. Finding parking could take hours. Reality is, I might be cooked.

...or is it?

Alright.
I got myself into this, and basically unlocked a new scene in this quest where I had to find a way to figure this out...
...and fast.

I double parked on the road like many people, waiting inside my car for someone to leave the RTA parking. However, I knew this wasn't gonna cut it.

Scared I was going to miss my classes (my uni was pretty strict on that) - I got out of my car and started asking basically every passerby if they perhaps knew somewhere to park, or if they where going to leave and I could have their spot.
I almost got lucky, but another person snatched the spot before me.

The clock was ticking.

If I just waited on other people, my chances where purely luck-based and realistically low.
Trying to find alternative solutions and asking the passerby seemed like my best bet right now.

One older guy I asked told me that he lived in the apartments, and he could try to tell the guard that I was a guest and they would let me park inside the lot for free.

I thanked him profusely, and we exchanged any details in case there was any trouble for me to leave at the end of the day.

Thanks to that kind guy, I ended up parking my car in the world trade center apartments.

I recalled a lesson I learned from my sailing captain, who would literally say all you have to do is show up, ask for what you need, commit to getting it and you'll find the right people to help you figure it out. Trust that you'll be able to figure it out, or at least find the right people to help you get there.
The memory made me smile. Thank you kind stranger!

After parking the vehicle, I literally flew to class, making it with not a moment to spare.

Me in the green abaya, in my school bathroom, with that surreal feeling somewhere between delirious and I cant believe I just did that:

the show must go on.

Officially, I had to give the car back after school today.
However, deep within me I knew this wasn't the end of this chapter... or more like, I wouldn't allow this chapter to be over when it felt like it just began.

After just unlocking this newfound boundlessness, I wasn't yet ready to give up my key to freedom just yet. And of course, if I kept the car, I was just inviting more opportunities for serendipity to strike again.

Reality check first, though. After checking my finances and moving a few things around, I decided to extend the car for just another couple of days. I talked with the rental, they actually gave me a better rate since the total amount of days I had the car was longer, we said Khalas, and the deal was done.

Once again, baby rented her first ever car. Adult things.

Now that the car was settled, I knew serendipity would send some more opportunities my way for new stories to write themselves. Naturally, having the vehicle in my vicinity will inevitably invite some more side quests.

new adventures.

The first side quest came almost immediately. I guess word got out in my small university class that good ol' me had herself a little car now.

Immediately after school... a classmate asked me if I was driving in the direction of Dubai Marina.

I thought of maybe going to Dubai Mall or something to run some errands then go to sleep early to catch my body up to speed, but I decided to hear him out.

The classmate had a meeting with a mentor of his around 8pm over there. If I was heading that way at some point also, he said he would ask to hitch a ride with me (instead of paying a lot of money for a taxi).

I told him I'd think about it, but I wanted to finish some work first, so I thought to go check out a café. He shrugged and said he'd join. We went downstairs to the café.

Turns out, it was world cake day or something like that, so the café was doing a special deal they where giving a slice of loaf cake for free if you purchased a drink from the café.

Intrigued, my classmate and I contemplated the idea. With my allergies I knew I wouldn't be able to eat the loaf cake, but I could give it away to someone.

Another one of our classmates, seeing us two as he passed by, walked in.
We got him looped into the loaf cake idea.

After some thinking, my two classmates decided to split a café drink and loaf cake amongst themselves. It was a good deal (Dubai can be expensive at times and cafes around ONE Central weren't cheap, so it was a treat).

I decided to surprise our office building's security guard (this kind older man) with a coffee and loaf cake as a little thank you for taking care of us during our time at school.

My classmates loved the idea and helped pitch in. We first went up to him to strike up a quick conversation, sort of secretly ask him what his favorite café drink is and what flavor of cake he likes better... asked if he was open to receiving a surprise, went back to the café and then surprised him with just that.

It was a small gesture, but I think we made him really happy. Sharing simple moments of joy is one of life's greatest treasures.

I looked at my classmates, and we all shared a smiling nod.
That was a bonding moment.

---

Anyways, we where bumbling around still deciding what to do - and went to another space to co work. At this point, we all missed the bus that would take us back to our dorms.
Our little group was kind of random (all 3 of us didn't know each other that well at all), but we decided to say screw it, let's go towards Dubai Marina, and see where the vibes take us.

I decided to ditch my mall plan and go for a vibe drive with my classmates, ending where I'd take my classmate to meet his mentor.
All three of us where just along for the ride at this point.

serendipity strikes again.

Ater driving around Downtown Dubai for a while, we made our way to drop off our classmate at his meeting, me and the other guy intending to probably just drive home.

However, my classmate let his mentor know that he was coming to the area with two other classmates, and serendipity struck again.

Somehow, my classmate's mentor invited all three of us to meet him...

It was such a surreal feeling, to be sitting across from two classmates I really just met in a nice office close to Dubai Marina, drinking a cup of tea and getting ready to get our perspectives expanded by the conversation that would entail.

Our classmate's mentor was so open to sharing his experiences and perspectives, as well as giving us guidance on our questions. All of us had a really long and amazing discussion about life, systems, critical thinking frameworks, and the Dubai real estate investment market.

Surprisingly intellectual side quest, I learned a lot.

By the time our meeting ended, it was past 10pm.

a night to remember.

Given that I just came back from my trip this morning, the other nights to remember where catching up to my body. As we approached the parking lot and I saw my car, my body decided to become a noodle and I felt myself get momentarily really sleepy.

I sent my classmates on a quick walk around the area / grocery store snack run so that I could take a quick 20-minute power nap before I drive us back. Given that my previous two nights where basically all-nighters, I knew I needed a quick snooze to freshen up my brain to get us home safe.

Your reaction time is greatly impaired if you're driving tired. If I was unfit to drive, we would have probably taxi'd back and I would have gotten my car back in the morning.
However, I am aware of my limits and have a lot of experiences taking very long road trips, and also being responsible for a big vehicle and other's lives regardless of my condition since I have been crew on a sailboat. However, my three months living on a catamaran with 4 strangers is a story for another day ;)
Regardless, I do not condone tired driving.

After a quick moment to rest my brain, I called the homies back into the vehicle, and we began our drive back, blasting crazy songs from our international childhoods as we barreled down the highway, genuinely having a good time, ready to bring a close to the amazing night.

Now... here's where the night gets crazy.

Given the adrenaline we accumulated on the drive back, we where kind of all awake and alert again, so I suggested that we take a quick detour to wind down. And I knew exactly where...

the desert spot.

I guess I developed a little tradition of stopping by the desert spot on the way home, just to soak up some last peaceful vibes and ground myself in a place that felt so vast before I turned in for the night.

We pulled in and parked the car. It was past 11pm at this point.

All three of us got out, walked a few meters in to the sand, and stared up at the sky, intending to stop by for 5 minutes.

We all breathed a heavy sigh, processing the sporadic sequences of events that lead us to this moment right now. We saw some lights and heard faint music in the distance, but otherwise, the desert spot was pretty empty that night. The (mostly) silence filled the air, and we became aware of the vastness of the world again.

We where about to head back into my car, when a dog started barking. The barking got closer. A big ol' doggo ran at us, playfully barking like a lunatic.

"Buttercup!!!" exclaimed my classmate as the big dog ran up to lick him. The way it was flailing around let us know this was just a puppy.
"The dog looks kind of mean and scary at first - but it's actually so sweet. It looks like such a Buttercup." He said.

We heard someone yelling "LUNA!!!!"

Over the tall dune, someone that we assumed was the dog's owners materialized.

As soon as he saw his dog all over us, the guy ran up to us, apologizing. The dog was running around being silly, we where all laughing, and the dog's owner was trying to contain the dog while asking us to come check out him and his friend's picnic set up, offering us some lemonade to drink.

At first we refused since we had to get up for school in the morning, but he insisted, so we look at each other, shrugged, and decided to follow him over the dune to where is "little picnic setup" was.

As soon as we saw it, our jaws dropped.
This was no little picnic setup.

The two strangers, friends, neighbors, hanging out with the dog... decided to bring a classic full BBQ setup with them into the desert dunes...

And their explanation?
They where just out here chilling, enjoying their day off.

Before we could even finish the glasses of lemonade they gave us, we got convinced to stay and try their food. The two guys (who where such sweet and genuine souls) told us that today, for some reason, they brought a ton of extra food that they realistically KNEW the two of them wouldn't finish.

"It's like God sent you three our way, that way, it's merrier, and we get to share our time and our food with some newfound friends, Subhanallah!" said the dog owner's neighbor.

Subhanallah indeed, we thought, looking at each other, amazed at the new series of events unfolding before our very eyes.

It was ironically perfect, because come to think of it... neither of us have actually had a proper dinner that day.

They fed us.

And I mean they FED US.

They had marinated prawns, lamb, chicken, vegetables, bread, a tomato and chili sauce they blended right there with a portable blender...

And somehow, I was not allergic to nearly all of the food.

Dear Reader - I'm sorry for the bad picture quality. I took a few pictures and videos, only to capture the surreal feeling of the experience (sort of like a document that it happened, because to my delirious mind it honestly wouldn't have been surprising if I woke up the next day and thought it was a dream. To be completely honest, it did feel that way. However, when writing out this story, I thought it would be good to (despite their cinematic short comings) still include them. They where a part of the story after all, and it can perhaps help immerse you, Dear Reader, into the almost near blur that that unexpected evening was.

---

We talked with the guys for a long time, exchanging stories. Every few moments, we would all pause and laugh, thinking about how crazy it was that we found ourselves all out here eating together in the desert spot... strangers moments before.

My classmates and I where still in awe at their setup. They had a charcoal grill, blankets and sitting pillows, a speaker for music, so much produce it could fill a kitchen, a 4x4 pickup truck with a generator in the truck bed, so they could hook up their appliances.

it was incredible.

As we marveled at their setup, my classmate jokingly asked, is there more?

And boy oh boy was there more.

The two guys ran to their car, and ran back with something that they plugged in. They turned the device on...and eagerly showed us their disco lights.

Me and my classmates laughed out of amusement - we've truly never seen anything like it.

They kept re-filling our plates with food, and looking at my classmates, I guess that we where fully committed to the bit at this point,

After vibing in our desert disco for a little while, they made us some tea (classic).

One of my classmates excused himself to message his project group, but rejoined us rather quickly - realizing he didn't have any internet connection out here.

The two guys looked at each other.
"Oh, you don't have reception? No worries! Here - just connect to our portable wifi!!"

They take out an entire wifi modem, and plug it into their power source.

For the n-th time that night, our jaws dropped.
Our new friends had surprised us yet again.

---

We finished our meal and our lemonade, and as much as we did not want the night to end, we did have school the next morning.

We checked the time. It was now almost 1am.

We thanked our hosts, and the crazy dog for bringing us to them
(the dog was currently tied to the truck on a leash because she was being a little too hyper when the food came out - worry not, she got her share though :)

As we where getting ready to leave, our amazing hosts decided to let us part with one more surprise.

The disco lights turned off, and the fairy lights came out.

They set up the fairy lights so beautifully... encircling their campsite, and providing a soft warm glow, sending a warm wave of calming energy over all of us.

As we where finally leaving for the 3 minute drive that would take us back to our student accommodation way past our bedtime... the lights lit up the sand dune we had to cross to get to my car.

We embarked on our walk, appreciating everything that the day had brought, also in wonder of how many seemingly random yet serendipitous experiences we where having.

I lingered atop the dune for a moment longer... watching my two classmates that I barely knew before these few hours we spent together, wondering how it was that we got to this point.
I savored the back to my car from the sand dunes, parked at the edge of the desert spot...

And we heard barking.
The dog got let loose, and it ran to us to say goodbye.

The owner chased the dog down again, catching it and keeping a tight hold on it's leash. We all laughed, said one last goodbye.

bye bye, buttercup.

My classmates and I piled into the car, and we watched our new friend and his dog fade into the distance as we drove away, once again entering Academic City.

---

Once we parted ways and I got back to my dorm, I took a quick shower and let my head spin. My sleep deprived but excited body was doing it's best to process the events from that day alone, not even having the time to let the events that happened from the previous trip sink in.

Tomorrow was a new day, and I had to be ready to face it.

I didn't look at the clock before I hit my bed, for I knew my roommate's alarm would wake me up.

But until then, it was finally time for me to rest.

day 5 - slow it down, and process it all.

Before I knew it, it was morning again.
This time, I wasn't in the middle of the desert or camping in my car but in my student dorm bed, with another day full of responsibilities ahead.

We had a couple of important events at school that afternoon, so I made sure to at least try my best to give myself a mental reset before I had to lock back in.

That morning, I dragged my feet a little more, deciding to leave a bit more last-minute to school since driving myself would be faster than taking the bus anyways. My roomie decided to follow suit and come with me.
As I was pulling out of the parking, I saw that some other classmates missed the first bus too, so I let them carpool with me.

Though I was a bit socially burnt out from the past few days, the drive to school was pleasant.
Plus, now I finally knew what those suburbia kids felt like when they drove their friends around.
It was kind of fun to be the bus.

Did I struggle to find parking again? Yes.
Very much so actually.

It got so bad that I let my roommate and a few other classmates go so they wouldn't be late. One classmate decided to stick it through with me and suffer through the treacherous hunt for a parking spot.

We eventually drove to a different parking area farther away, and even though it looked relatively close on the map, the reality was we now had a 30 minute walk to get to uni.

Did I miss some of my first period? Also yes.

During my longer break, I decided to go on a walk to clear the mess that felt like it was building up in my head. I sort of felt somewhere between overwhelmed, vulnerable, and exhausted that day, like a weight was pressing on my shoulders. Regardless, the day wasn't yet over, so it was time to just place one foot in front of the other and try my best.

As I continued my walk, I noticed that the area by my school seemed a lot less crowded. Knowing that I would be really tired later and have less bandwidth to deal with things, I decided to make future me's life a little easier and moved my car to the parking closer to school.

Though I did risk being late a few times today, I knew it was not a day to push myself to show up. But... I did make it for the important stuff, and put in my best efforts to show up fully. Given I was more tired than usual, I decided to cut myself some slack and take it more chill.

I felt rather weary all day, which... I guess isn't that strange given every new experience that the past few days have entailed.

Returning from class I felt the turmoil rise up in me. Deciding I needed a quiet day, I remembered how back when I lived in New York... I would always go to the beach and be with the ocean whenever I needed a reset.

Luckily, Dubai had the Gulf, and plenty of beaches to go round.
I set my navigation, gave Passenger Princess a long hug, and started driving myself to the beach right after school.

The sunsets in Dubai are truly spectacular. I think there is something different about the desert sun... it feels more vast, more wide... if that makes any sense. The somber mood I was finding myself in gave way into some room to breathe, the quietness of the space around me allowing for the weight I felt accumulating on me all day to feel a little more bearable.

The sun's hues just envelop the whole sky... and from the road, I watched Dubai's glorious skyline get shrouded by orange hues.

The drive to the Jumeirah Beach area was in reality short and sweet, but for some reason, to me then it felt really long.
I just let the space envelop me, after a few days of rapid and ever-changing adventure just letting it be me and the car, alone again on another adventure.

The sunset colors painted the surroundings of Jumeirah beautifully as I arrived.
I waited in anticipation for the orange to turn into red, and for the Magrib adhan (sunset call to prayer) to echo all across Jumeirah.

In my heart, I felt peace.

beach daze.

I've been to Kite Beach maybe once before in a group ride with my classmates where we split a 6-seater cab to get there.

And, since this night where I took myself to Kite Beach to give myself some quiet time to reflect on the mayhem that was the past couple of days... Kite Beach became my spot.

After taking a sundown walk on the beach, I felt something stirring inside of me that I couldn't quite describe.

I decided I needed to find a place to reflect. My heart was feeling oddly raw that evening, and it seemed that all the events in motion from the recent few days had put me into a reflective state. It was nothing unusual that it was stirring up some things inside of me that needed processing.

New experiences help break open our perspectives, and naturally, certain things that lay dormant inside us that we may have not yet had the opportunity to process.

I found a café on the beach called Common Grounds, and decided to sit down there and journal for a while while sipping on a fresh-pressed juice.

After the pen hit the paper and moved for a while, I let my walls down to myself.

These past few days where incredible, sure, but it just reminded me how fast everything moves.
How quickly my life changes.

2024 was the most intense year of traveling for me... a year where my life became unrecognizable over and over again.
If I could sit the different versions from each month of 2024 down to talk to each other and share their stories, every version's jaw would drop the moment the next one shared their experiences.

It hit me that I had less than a month left of being 21 years old. It was now October 3nd, and my birthday was rapidly approaching at the end of the month.

for my 22nd birthday, I actually gathered a bunch of my classmates to all go hang out on Kite Beach together. A simple beach day - and then whoever wanted to could join to go to a dinner together after. That sunset on Kite Beach on my birthday with so many of my classmates is one I'll never forget... but the version of me at this point in the story was not yet aware this memory would be hers to keep.
Right before I left Dubai in April 2025, I also gathered all my friends together for an evening at Kite Beach (on what was ironically, my half birthday). Later that year, I was passing through Dubai shortly after my birthday as well. On the 1st of November 2025, I had a little gathering to celebrate my 23rd birthday on Kite Beach with my friends in Dubai, my friends that I made all on my own... friends who quite honestly, feel like family to me.

Every period before my birthday hits, I get really reflective.
At that point thus far, my 21st year of life was the most intense, pivotal, and experience-rich year of my life... and I felt a pull on my heart.

Things happened so fast... that I never even had the chance to truly reflect, to process, to realize and integrate the lessons everything that year brought fourth.

All alone with my journal, my juice, and my view in the empty café on Kite Beach... I started to cry.

The sea breeze caressed my face.

i never really had the chance to slow down.

I sat there with my journal in front of me for what felt like quite a long time. Sometimes writing, sometimes just in awe of the world, sometimes spacing out - making room for all the experiences that overwhelmed my head to get a stage to shine and try to be processed.

I was in a rather somber mood, and let my heart be raw... something I was still learning to do, even just to my own self.

One of the girls that worked there checked in on me after a while.
She was really sweet, and was a calming, grounding presence.
You know that feeling when you just feel safe around someone, even if you've never really met them before?

Yeah, that was it.

She just sat with me for a while, and after some time, we both exchanged some stories, reflecting on life together.

I'm happy to say I made a new friend that night. Her and I still keep in touch to this day.

After I wrapped up my time at the café, I smiled to myself.
The universe really sends us the right people at the right time, doesn't it?

I thanked my new friend and the café staff - they where all Filipino, and given that I had been to the Philippines earlier that year, I excitedly shared that I loved my time there.

I keep in contact with the friend I made that night still to this day! It's been over a year since I've met her, and if your ask me... it's these little human connections are what make life so dang precious. I always made sure to stop by that café to say hi to the friendly staff every time I went to Kite Beach, and over the next few months, I went to Kite Beach a lot. I became buddies with most of the staff because I'd see them so much. Even now, when I stop by that café when I'm in Dubai, there's always someone there for me to say hi to :)

---

I continued for a little night walk on the beach, and realized it's been a while since I actually connected with my family.
I decided to give my mom a call while on my walk, properly filling her in on the past few adventures I've had (instead of sporadically calling her from the base of Jebel Hafeet) exploring different places around the beach.

I was grateful to have been able to have such a nice long talk with my mom. Listening to my mom talk about how she's been over the recent while, I I even stumbled upon this little beach library - a little area elevated from the sands where everyone could come, grab a book from the little shelves, sit on one of the little benches provided and read.

I stayed way past night fall.
I loved the peace it brought me.

I counted my blessings, ended the day overwhelmed by gratitude, and decided it was time to drive home.

There was so much uncertainty happening sometimes that it felt tumultuous.
All the change that I've recently undergone was catching up to me, and the feelings it brought up where all crashing on the shores of my mind like a steady flow of strong ocean waves.

But in the midst of all this, that night, I realized.

Taking time to process and reflect on the journey, on the perspective shifts that new experiences bring up within you... that is necessary to integrate new lessons.

If you want things to change, you have to allow yourself to change.
Change requires confrontation. Sometimes, the hardest confrontations that happen are the ones that come from a place deep within ourselves.
Your evolution will not wait on your comfort, so meet it, show up to face youself... even if readiness isn't something you feel yet.
If you're not mentally present, you're gonna miss the moment.

My time on the beach that day marked a point where I'd learn to take the time I need to pause when the chaos hits, to process + reflect on my experiences so that I can be confronted with the change I needed to face.

The environment, in all it's vastness, helped be the host of the cathartic nature that was all those feelings coming up and being revealed to my consciousness.

From now on, this very beach would become my spot.

day 6 - the last day.

I rested better that night.

In the morning, I went to school with the car again, and finally had a slightly less of an annoying time finding parking.

Regardless, my stuffed cow Passenger Princess was indeed living up to her name.

She was really with me through every adventure, even if it was just the 30-50 minute traffic-dependent drive to school. The best baby for real.

However, one thing did lay on my consciousness more heavily.

It was time to close this chapter.

today would be the day i gave back the car.

Two days ago, the thought of returning the car and handing back the keys felt like returning my key to freedom.

However, despite the knowing that this particular chapter with this particular vehicle was over, I felt at peace.

At peace knowing that it was up to me to change my life. That if I wanted to experience more adventure, more spontaneity, more freedom... there was a way that I could provide those experiences for myself.

Going from never renting a car before to having the sudden burst of independence... something that might seem so simple to others, but for someone who has never done it before, it was like a mental block has been lifted.

I can choose the means by which I create my new adventures.
I can just choose to make it happen for myself.

Not just that, but any thoughts in my head that have any doubts now have solid, irrefutable, concrete evidence that I have already done it.

that i have already proved it to myself that i can.

Though I was at peace with it, of course I felt a level of heart strings pulled letting the car go.
Me and this vehicle bonded over so many adventures... in such a short span of time too. It was sentimental at this point.

But, with the knowledge that me and the car's time together was very slowly ticking away and would rapidly be over, I knew I needed to ensure that me and the car have one last adventure.

peace, at last.

I contacted the rental to confirm my drop off time.
I let them know I would give the car back in the evening.

That way, I could peacefully enjoy another sunset at the beach... a perfect and peaceful close to mark the end of our time together. The final culmination of what turned an otherwise ordinary week of my life into an extraordinary, grand adventure.

On my way out, I found myself talking to a classmate. The conversation got rather deep.
I let him know I was going to the beach, and given that we where both reflecting a lot on certain things in our lives, I offered for him to come with.

So that's how I somehow ended up kidnapping yet another classmate on a little side quest in the car.

Waze for some reason took us through the Za'Abeel Palace grounds as we drove to Kite Beach after school.

And what classmate was this?

It was the one who went to the desert for his birthday.

full circle.

He brought up the day of the desert birthday party on his own.

He didn't mean to not invite me, the whole event was organized very rapidly, and happened so spontaneously the logistics became overwhelming real quick.
He realized the logistical chaos lead to disorganization, and that disorganization ended up with some people that he would have wanted to invite getting unintentionally left out.
He apologized.

There where never any hard feelings on my end of course, but it was good he brought it up.

Any subconscious or residual tension dissolved, and it felt as if we where faced with a truly blank canvas again, a canvas that was ready to write down the next adventures.

Learning how to talk things out became a theme in the next months that followed. The past few years have taught me wonders about what it means to be a good communicator, and how to actually communicate with others mindfully and openly.
When in tension or in doubt, talk it out, clear the air - first, do your due diligence to process it yourself, and then, mindfully and openly, communicate with the other parties involved.
Whenever things lay on our hearts, they eat at our souls a little bit. One big thing I realized that keeps coming true is that so much of the world's problems would be solved if people just TALKED to each other.

In a way, the fact that I didn't get to be a part of that birthday party most of my class went to was the whole reason this adventure got the first foundational layer to have the catalysts enabled it in the first place.
The irony made me laugh a bit.

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The adventure on the beach was nice.

We parked in the Night Beach parking lot (which is significantly bigger), meaning that we had to walk quite a bit to get to the part of Kite Beach where I bumbled around yesterday.

The sun still high, there where many Kite surfers in the water.
I got to talk to a kite surfing instructor on our walk, learning how the scene was in Dubai.

We met a couple at Common Grounds (yep, I was already back for a fresh-pressed juice at the café from yesterday).
The husband was a pilot, and the wife worked in aviation administration. It was so cool to meet people with careers that we'd had dreamt of as kids.

When the sunset hit, we left the café behind and took a trek on the beach.

I helped another Kite surfer land his kite, laying it down in the sand (I still remembered exactly how from the time that I used to Kite surf when I was 15-17 years old).

Though the time of returning my rental car was approaching rapidly, I was savoring the walk to the parking lot.

This walk to the car would be the last one... but it couldn't be more beautiful.
Contentment washed over me, and I found a peace in the finality of it.

Every once in a while, we turned around to watch the Kites go down as the sun set on the beach.
After we dusted off our feet and got back in the car,
We embarked on the drive that would take the car back to it's home.

no more car... for now.

The rental return process went very smoothly. I tidied up the car earlier that day, and after we packed up all of our belongings and the handoff guys did the final check, it was over.

It was done.
No more car.

The car was safely returned to its home, new memories made and many more kilometers racked up on that odometer.
We waved goodbye, and took a walk to a gas station nearby to stock up on snacks and call a cab back to our student accommodation.

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stillness, appreciated.

The next few days I spent back in Academic City, appreciating the stillness after the past few days in constant motion.

Some part of me was already plotting my next adventure, figuring out how to sustainably secure myself a vehicle for a longer period of time.

I reflected on the urge of exploration that I let freely take over me those past few days.

Having the car for only such a limited time definitely forced me into a sporadic dance of motion I didn't even know I could muster out of myself. I am happy to say, I made the absolute MOST of my time having the vehicle.

Looking back, this road trip became the catalyst moment to a lot of themes I would continue to learn in this chapter of my youth:
Independence. Being able to figure it out in the moment. Leaving it up to God after doing your due diligence. Not taking things personally, and just letting life flow.

Self-Sufficiency. Accounting for "adult world" things. That I can just do it and take an idea from my head into reality.
That I am capable of more.

The car, the first car I ever rented, will always have a special place in my heart.

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I let the next few days be still. I knew more adventures will come. This trip felt like the dam breaking, like the floodgates of me enabling myself into a new world that I would be able to freely discover.

Amidst the uncertainty, there is one thing that is certain for a long time to come.

i will never forget this feeling.

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fin.

Dear Reader,

It's been a journey - and I'm happy you made it this far!
Beyond grateful to have your here in this little corner of the Hive chain. Thank you Hive and Worldmappin community, I appreciate you all so much!

Thank you dearly for reading this story!
This is a part of a little blog series I'll be writing about my adventures. One day, I can look back on this, and show these stories to my grandkids.

I'm a firm believer that it's our stories that unite us, and recently, I've made up my mind to document and share more stories from my life. Expect more stories (of varying lengths) to be published on here for you to enjoy. This one was cathartic and long, but I am happy to have shared it.

Make more art, create more, write more, and I hope this can inspire and invite your too, dear Reader, to consider sharing your stories in a way that feels authentic to you.

"The world needs your unique gifts, don't leave with them still inside of you."

Adventure and exploration - especially novel experience where you're forced to figure out a lot - teach you so much about yourself. Often, through getting your perspective on life blown open again and again... you'll realize you're capable of more than you ever thought of.

I hope everyone experiences being a traveler.
Get out there and explore.

<3

This was Part 2 of Natalia's Al Ain, Jebel Hafeet, Al Qudra Love Lake adventure + all the side quests that came with the freedom of having access to her own vehicle for the first time...
...a time she'll surely never forget, immortalized on the Hive Chain.
...circa final days of September 2024.

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@nataliatothemoon on hive chain

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on other platforms:

nataliatothemoon on instagram, tiktok, and youtube
natalia2themoon on x/twitter

my only official social accounts.

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Worldmappin: [//]:# (!worldmappin 25.17849 lat 55.22029 long Kite Beach, Dubai (My Spot). d3scr)

[//]:# ([//]:# (!worldmappin 25.17849 lat 55.22029 long Kite Beach, Dubai (My Spot). d3scr))