Picnic in October

We decided that it might be cool enough to try heading out for a picnic last weekend so we packed up the cooler and headed to the "suburbs" with the idea of eating and then visiting the Sharjah Wildlife Park.

As usual, the Suburbs were completely empty. I really have no idea what the area is meant to become. For now it is a fenced off area of several miles. Inside the fence are 2 partially constructed buildings, some camels with a shack for the camel herder and lots of sandy roads. We parked in the shade of the same tree that we always seem to end up at and set up.

Chase came prepared with his shovel. I am not sure what he intended to dig, but there were no shortage of sand dunes for him to dig into. Zoe made a bug cage and hoped to find some insects to bring home. We left the relative cool of the shade and went for a stroll in the sand dunes. There were lots of tracks in the sand but all of the creatures had taken refuge from the heat of the day. In the sand dunes we saw small holes which must have been the homes for the lizards and snakes whose tracks we saw everywhere. Even the camels were nowhere to be seen. It wasn't long before the heat became too much and we retreated to the shade ourselves. The temperature on the car thermometer read only 35 but in the direct sun it was scorching.

In the end, Chase didn't make a dent in the vast sand dunes - even with his hard work at digging. The only insects we encountered were the flies that wanted to share our snacks and the ant that climbed up Chase's leg, so Zoe left with an empty bug cage.

We crossed the road and spent the rest of the afternoon in the Wildlife Park. We fed the animals in the petting zoo before enjoying the air-conditioned comfort of the actual wildlife area. We ended our afternoon in the picnic area outside the museum. The kids enjoyed playing in the grass and climbing the trees.

Even though the temperatures haven't actually dropped this week, it feels a little cooler and there are even some clouds in the sky.