My husband, who went to St.Christopher’s in Bahrain followed by a business college, still has a Bedouin corner in his brain. He calls it sarcastically — The Noble Bedouin Manual.
He enjoys long caravan trips with his macho buddies in the desert in winter, and in the past, included luxurious fancy trips to hunting grounds in the beautiful Far East with an entourage of servants and gadgets. More recently, there have been short simple trips to the mountains of Oman.
Most of these do not involve real hunting, although all the accoutrements and accessories are there — hunting dogs, rifles, falcons, jeeps and the latest in GPS monitors.
After 20 years of Bedouin indulgence, my husband finally lost interest and his trips shrunk to frequent luxury spas and resorts. His last frontier is his huge, fancy electric-lit tent that he has permanently pitched in front of the house.
Every Tuesday night he enjoys a meal there with his friends, reminiscing and remembering. Their latest project is to write a manual for desert trips.
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Dear Nadia
Originally I am from Canada, but for the last 20 years I have worked in the Middle East. Luckily my wife has agreed to all of my adventures. We lived in Lebanon, Sudan, and now Saudi Arabia. We love to experience all the life styles, and I have noticed that many Saudis have a tent in front of their homes in winter. When I asked they said that they like to keep the old customs. Can you please tell me where I can find, and what the cost is of, a small tent?
—Leonardo, Canada
Dear Leonardo,
There are many kinds of tents in the market now. It used to be simpler in the past. Tents were made by local women from the wool of goats. They were simple but very solid and size varied according to need. Nowadays tents still come in all sizes; there are Chinese ones and others as large as a mansion.
Al-Kadi is the brand I recommend; they actually customize the tent to your taste and budget.
