Dressed in traditional Emirati robes, Ibra him Sharaf cuts an incongruous figure in the icy wastes of the Arctic. He says he feels right at home there - but now he is planning to leave this planet altogether in his neverending quest for adventure.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience," says the man who will become the first Emirati in space, when he takes a suborbital flight with Virgin Galactic, probably in 2009.
"I'm so privileged to... be a part of creating space travel history."
Great explorer
The Dubai-born businessman and traveller has paid the $200,000 (Dh734,000) fee for the flight already, making him a member of the exclusive "Founders Club" - the first 100 people to be carried to the edge of space by Virgin.
He has made three trips to the North Pole, and has recently returned from the latest in a series of expeditions across the isolated expanse of Siberia. "The world is there for everybody to explore - it is fascinating for me to see how people live in other parts of the world and how they cope with the challenges of life," says the 58-year-old.
Although Sharaf travels extensively on business, he says it is the trips in to the wild - away from the bustling cities of the world - that he enjoys the most.
"It is a different world. A totally different form of travel, to be in the wilderness," he says.
The Sharaf Group, which he founded with his brother Sharafuddin in 1976, employs more than 2,600 people across several continents, and has subsidiaries involved in shipping, retail, IT, financial services, travel, air cargo and property. Extensive business interests mean the tycoon can fulfil his childhood dreams of adventure and exploration.
"He is one of the most adventurous people I know," says his son, Salah Sharaf.
"He loves Russia and all these cold places, but I am trying to persuade him to do a trip across the Empty Quarter of Saudi Arabia with me. "Since he was a young man he has been going on these adventures. He has never been one to stay where he is."
Heading North
Sharaf's first trip to the North Pole took place in 2001, when he flew to the top of the globe by helicopter from a nearby Russian military camp.
The intrepid Emirati returned in 2005 for a longer visit when he and several fellow explorers camped at the pole for a week.
"It's a really interesting place," he says. "You are on a metre-and-a-half of ice, and below that is the ocean, 4,000 metres deep.
"The second time we flew in a cargo plane to the Russian base - landing on the ice is quite a scary experience. The environment is so extreme, you feel anything could happen.
"The ice could break, you could run into a polar bear, and there is the extreme cold to deal with as well." Sharaf, who started doing business in the former Soviet Union more than 20 years ago has completed epic trips across Russia's furthest reaches, including a 28-day, 15,600km journey on and off-road in 4x4 vehicles, from Sakhalin Island in the far East of the country to St Petersburg in the West.
The tough road
"We started by travelling on an ice-breaking container ship to carry the vehicles, and then drove off road. There is no other way, there are no nice asphalt roads," he says.
"I had my picture taken at the Pole of Cold in Oymyakon, where the coldest temperature on earth has been recorded - minus 71.2 degrees Celsius - although it was only minus 20 when we were there." Having the money to hire ice-breakers, helicopters and off-road vehicles obviously helps to satisfy a yearning for the great outdoors, but friends in high places are just as useful. A frequent companion on Sharaf 's Russian trips is Arthur Igor Chillingarov, a renowned polar explorer and former deputy speaker of the Russian Parliament.
"There are a lot of borders to cross between states in the Russian Federation, and it is necessary for everything to go smoothly. Having friends in the authorities certainly helps," he smiles.
"The government has been very supportive in all the expeditions I have done, for which I am very grateful. The country out there is beautiful, breathtaking - forests, mountains, and very few people." His face darkens as he mentions the "many prisons" - descendants of the infamous Soviet gulags - but he quick ly brushes past the thought. "They are very warm people in Siberia. I was astonished that almost all of them knew where Dubai was. Several people I met had been here on holiday or on business, and when at one point I visited a school, all of the students knew of Dubai and could find it on the map.
"It is not something you expect hundreds of miles in to the wilderness of Siberia.
"It was very, very encouraging to hear that the UAE is so well known." Sharaf's most recent trip to the region took place in February. It involved a 2,422km off-road drive through southern Siberia, crossing frozen rivers along a route impassable during summer, when the ice has thawed.
Adventure quest
"During the winter it is the shortest supply route for the city of Yakutsk to go overland this way.You can drive 50 tonne trucks over the ice with no problem," he says.
"During the summer it is impossible. There are no bridges, very few roads. It was extremely interesting to be able to see it in this way." Sharaf is already planning a return trip to the region, either later this year or next year.
"I want to drive from Shanghai to Mongolia, then through the Altai Republic in Siberia, and then right the way across the country to Moscow," he says.
"It is important for people to explore the world.
"It gives you knowledge of other people and places that you can bring back and share with other."
By Gregor McClenaghan
© Emirates Today 2007
