Emirati Bodour Al Tamimi, 33, is a portfolio manager at Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and co-founder of Bedashing Beauty Lounge. She also walked Oman's Wahiba Sands with Mountain High last January.
“The trek in Oman gave me a lot of time to reflect within myself. Walking frees the thoughts from my mind and takes me to a serene place, especially walking in the desert, because after the first few hours you realise it’s all going to look the same. Then you concentrate on your footsteps. You go back in your thoughts to things that are intrinsic about you and how you need to improve.
“I can look out at the sea all the time from my office at ADIA. And I get to see the mountains when I go to our farm in Jordan. The desert is what I don’t see a lot. You need to see green, blue, and you need to see the yellowness of the desert.
“The walking also makes me appreciate how people used to cross the desert to do the pilgrimage [Haj], which would have taken them weeks if not months.
“I used to hear stories from my grandmother about hardships in the old days – how when it was hot, they wet their clothes and slept on the roof of their one-storey house to cool down. I didn’t care much when she was telling me. Now one of my grandmothers has passed away and the other has Alzheimer’s, so I can’t get those stories anymore.”
Emirati Alanoud Al Marzooqi, 21, is a media and science student at Zayed University. "It's my last semester before I graduate so I haven't had time to train on the sand, but I've been going to the gym every day. I know it's going to be challenging.
“It’s difficult with our customs and traditions for a lady to sleep outside of her home and to walk in the desert without men. When I told my friends, they asked ‘you really can do that?’ They’re encouraging me. I need to put myself in this situation to know if I can do it or not.
“I heard stories from my grandparents about how they used to spend months walking and going by camel from one place to another. My mother remembers her grandmother telling her how it was really hard for them.”
Ayan Barra, 32, is a recruitment specialist from Djibouti in East Africa who was born and raised in the UAE.
“I used to be obese – three years ago, I was 85 kilograms and now I’m 68kg. Once you start walking and losing weight, you become health-conscious. I come from a family of diabetics and have siblings who are obese, so I’m also doing this walk to encourage them. For over a month now, my sister has been walking with me on the Corniche when I go training, so she is now also trying to improve her health. She then encourages her friends.”
Anne Lange, 43, from Belgium, is an experienced triathlete and nutritional health coach. She has been working with caterers to make sure food provided on the expedition is traditionally authentic, and meets the nutritional needs. "We need to provide enough protein and energy because on average we'll probably burn between 3,000 and 5,000 calories a day.
“This project has so much beauty in it – I love that you get to share this experience as a group. I feel like there’s a big separation here between expats and Emiratis, and it’s hard to merge, but I would love to get to know the Emirati ladies. I also like the meditation aspect of it – being lost in your thoughts while you’re walking and pushing your boundaries.”