Fujairah

Ater our adventures in Al Ain and Oman, Garren and I headed to the east coast of the UAE to Fujairah. Fujairah is an emirate that sits on the Gulf of Oman (Indian Ocean), and is growing in popularity due to its proximity nestled in between the Hajar Mountains and the Gulf of Oman. We drove through the Hajar Mountains, through a crazy highway tunnel built into the mountain - it was crazy long, and you couldn't see the end - it drops before you exit the tunnel. The unnerving part was the "Goodbye" sign we saw before we entered the tunnel...

We got to the coast and followed the highway north about 60km (36 miles) to the hotel/resort we called home for 3 days - the Rotana. We spent two days relaxing on the beach, getting some sun.

We went snorkelling on the second day. Having spent quite a bit of time in the Carribbean snorkelling and diving, it was really cool to see all of the different types of fish living in this part of the world. The staples were the same - parrotfish, wrasse, grouper, triggerfish, eels, etc. but were so different in colors and patterns that you wouldn't see in the Carribbean or Pacific Ocean (Hawaii). I was given a big picture book in high school or college, that had gorgeous pictures of diving in the Maldives - an island chain in the Indian Ocean. There were several fish that fascinated me in that book, ones that I have always wanted to see, and finally saw them in the short 30 minutes that we were out snorkelling. The Picasso Triggerfish being one of them. We didn't take an underwater camera with us, the water was a little murky anyways...

Here's a picture looking back at the resort from the beach... the Hajar Mountains towering over us

View from our balcony

We ate at this restaurant called Waves one night. We went inside, and picked a fish from their fresh fish selection and they grilled it up for us. Brought it to the table whole - head, eyes, tail and all (ok, no guts). It was really quite good and another great experience. The food at the resort had its moments of brilliance. We had a buffet breakfast every morning which was part of the room cost. It was so nice to eat a real breakfast - waffles, eggs, bacon (beef), pretty much anything you would want. Room service food, on the other hand, was a little disappointing - I have come to realize that what you read and see on the menu is not always what you get. This hotel was not the first, and I'm sure, not the last time this will happen. Oh well, live and learn!

We drove back on Wednesday, and drove through this village called Musafi. It could be my favorite little village that I have seen. I can't explain why, but it gave me a real serene feeling driving through, and really made me appreciate the peacefullness of the small villages of the UAE. Just outside of town was this massive market - fresh fruit stands, pottery, plants, rugs - booths stretched for a 1/4 mile on both sides of the street. Even had big inflatable cows - the plastic kind you win at the fair. We didn't get a picture, but we did buy some fresh mango and a couple of house plants.

Driving through Masafi

This is the highway in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, driving back into Al Ain. Every major road in Abu Dhabi has green space surrounding it. Even in the middle of the desert! You look either way, and it's nothing but sand, but surrounding the highway are beautiful green leafy trees, palm trees, shrubs. 1000's of miles of irrigated highway - can you imagine the water bill? It kills me, but I do enjoy the view. Only in Abu Dhabi though. The emirate of Dubai isn't as green. The great Sheik of Abu Dhabi - Sheik Zayed bin Sultan (now deceased) - wanted his land to be green! And so it is...

Al Ain and Oman

Garren and I packed up the car and drove 140km directly east to Al Ain, the second largest city in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, sitting on the border of Oman. Garren has a friend he met though training whom we stayed with on both Friday and Saturday night. We had some other friends come into town, Tonya and Janelle, and they met up with us on Saturday morning for a day of hard work and adventure…

We got up early (5 am) Saturday morning and prepared to climb Jebel Hafeet on our bikes. I knew it was going to be a tough challenge, I have never climbed anything like it on my bike before, but I was excited nonetheless. We met up with Janelle and Tonya and rode about 45 minutes to the base. Then we started to climb… and climb… and climb. The road was a seven mile stretch that gained about 3000ft in elevation. It took me about 1 hour and ten minutes to get to the parking lot at the top. I kept a close watch on my heart rate and just kept a steady pace the whole way up. It was a bit hazy out once we got to the top, so the views weren’t spectacular, but it was still nice. Once everyone was at the top, we turned around and headed back down. That was definitely the scariest part for me. I haven’t put many hours in on my bike and don’t have great descending skills, so the ride down was a bit of a hair-raiser. We stopped and took this picture on our way down… this is about 2/3 of the way to the top, you can see the road winding below, and a car that apparently didn’t feel the need to brake…

Once we returned from our 3 hour ride, we showered up and ate and then reconvened with our friends for a much anticipated trip into Oman. Garren and I were originally going to spend several days in Oman, but we ended up only taking a day trip in to see this beautiful wadi we had read about in Off-Road Oman. It was about a 2 hour drive, and we spent about 1 hour crossing the border (you wouldn't believe the amount of paperwork involved). We were getting a little worried because it looked like it could rain at any minute... Janelle is a meteorologist and she was giving us up to the minute forecasts based on the cloud cover. But, we had driven all that way and we weren't going to let the clouds spoil our trip. So we decided to go for it, and stuck high on the walls around the wadi to avoid staying in the wadi itself - just in case. The wadi was already pretty flooded and the locals were all driving their trucks and SUVs up the wadi to the dam. We figured if there was a threat of flash flood, the locals wouldn't be messing around in the wadi. The hike was a bit longer and tougher than expected. Lots of bouldering and scrambling across slick rock. There wasn't really a trail like we expected, it must have been lower in the wadi, luckily there were a couple of locals that led the way for us. They didn't speak english at all, but were kind enough to show us the way. Our goal was to get to this rock in the wadi covered in moss that is constantly dripping fresh spring water into a big blue pool... sounds idyllic, right? Well, here is the rock in its current state...



As I said, the wadi was pretty flooded. Water was high and brown due to the silt/sand that the rainwaters picked up upstream. Guess that means we will just have to go back again someday when there hasn't been a lot of rain. Garren got lots of good pictures but I can't post them all here. When I get around to it, I will start a photojournal on some website so you can see slideshows of our trips.... I am moving into my apartment here soon and won't have the internet for a bit, so it could be awhile before that happens. Anyways, here are some of the pictures from our hike.

Fort in a village as we entered the wadi

Dam at the base of the wadi...overflowing from recent rainfall

Looking up into the wadi

Just to give some perspective as to the magnitude of this canyon... the guy in the picture ended up being our "tour guide."

As I said... we had to do some bouldering, and the rock was super slick, especially with wet shoes.

This is where we stopped to eat and soak our feet. It is a natural spring in the middle of the wadi. The spring comes from under the rocks on the left and flows into the wadi.

Hiking out of the wadi - they are walking on a "falaj" - you see these all over the UAE and Oman. It is how the locals irrigate their villages with water from the wadi.

Parting shot as we leave the wadi at dusk. I think this section is usually dry as the parking area is further upstream. We chose not to drive across and opted to walk (it was well over knee deep in some areas).

Lessons for "whitey"

In addition to cycling, Garren and I made it a point to get out of town this weekend and do a little exploring. We decided to go to Hatta. Afterall, it is described by many guide books as being one of the “classic trips in the Emirates.” We booked a room at the Hatta Fort Hotel, and after a short 2 hr drive we arrived in Hatta. First order of business? Pool! We were both exhausted and wanted to sleep and get some sun. So we slept and got some sun until about 5 when we checked into our room. The pictures on their website pretty much tell it all, so I will avoid copyright infringement and just have you check out their site. The only issue I have with the pool picture is that the water wasn’t quite that blue (photoshop does some wonderful things). Nonetheless, it was nice. The picture of the room is exactly what our room looked like, pretty cool décor. Spacious room and stocked mini bar – what else can you ask for? Here’s the view from our balcony….

We woke up Saturday morning and proceeded to head to the Hatta Pools. It was about a 25 minute drive from the hotel, mostly off-road (graded track) through the Hajar mountains.

Dried up riverbeds are common here in the UAE, and are called wadis -you’ll hear me talk about these a lot as most of the trips in the UAE involve some type of wadi hike or visit. Flash floods are common when it rains, and the wadis fill up quickly, resulting in potentially dangerous conditions if you are hiking or driving through one… but no worries, you won’t find me near a wadi when rain is imminent. The Hatta Pools are never dry, although the wadis that flow in and out of the pools are. It is a series of deep pools carved into the rock where you can swim and relax in the heat.

While it was a beautiful place, our experience there was tainted. First off, there is litter everywhere… starting in the parking lot, and continuing down to the pools. The far end of the pool was a floating pile of debris so we only swam ½ way across. It was quite disgusting and highly unfortunate that natural places such as this have succumbed to the ignorance of mankind. Apparently any highly visited place in the UAE has problems with trash and graffiti… different culture, I suppose. Anyways, the Hatta Pools were recently discovered to have high levels of e coli bacteria, mostly due to roaming goats and donkeys, but I’m sure the trash isn’t helping the cause. Garren and I did swim a little, but were sure to keep our mouths closed tightly and not take in any foul water. The water was cool and refreshing in the heat of the day.

Second, we had brought our lunch to eat at the pools, and upon opening it, a giant hornet came out of nowhere wanting some of the action. We captured and buried it. Then its friends came along to join us for lunch. They were huge, and we didn’t know what they were, nor did we want to risk getting stung - for all we knew it could have been the most poisonous hornet in the Middle East. It turns out that it was an Oriental Hornet, and it wasn’t going to kill us… But at one point, it looked like the hornet was humping a piece of our roast beef, only to find out it was just cutting off a piece to take with him. Needless to say, we packed up and left the effervescent pools. Next time we’ll come prepared.

I was expecting the land between Dubai and Hatta to be rolling sand dunes everywhere, but I was wrong. It is mostly dry gravel plains with some scattered shrubbery. Halfway between Dubai and Hatta is a set of giant sand dunes. Big, beautiful mountains of reddish-orange sand, aptly named “Big Red.” On our way back through we stopped and rented a 4-wheeler and went cruising through the dunes. That was super fun, but another learning experience – unless you want to find sand in random places for weeks on end, wear long sleeves and pants, and wrap something around your head. Of course the guys renting us the 4-wheeler where aptly dressed… maybe we should have taken a hint. They must get a good laugh when we come back covered in sand.

Also - on our way back we passed a camel caravan on the side of the highway. Almost 30 camels lined up single file cruising through the desert.... could have been my favorite sight of the weekend. Picture is on the right navigation bar.

Well, that’s all for now! More adventures await. Keep posting comments, I love to hear from you!

The importance of athletics

I have always felt that this mainly applied to college bound students - going from a high school where you know everyone to college where you don't know a soul can be extremely intimidating. Athletics, whether it be intercollegiate, club or intramural help to bridge that gap and provide an instant social group. It is the absolute best (and healthiest) way to ease into your new life and surroundings.

Today, however, I realized the importance of athletics to all, young and old. Moving to a new city, state or country is just the same as arriving at your dorm on the first day at school. You are thrust into new and unfamiliar surroundings. There are thousands of people around you, but you feel so isolated, and don't know how to start the process of meeting acquaintances. After being here for one week, I was starting to crave socialization... and talking to a waiter who speaks broken English does not count. There’s a group of 20 or so cyclists, from all over the world that meet at a mosque in Abu Dhabi on Friday mornings, so we made plans to meet up and ride with them. The ride was great, truly refreshing on several accounts. First, it was so nice to be outside exercising - early morning (4:30) = cool temperatures (95 F). We were out for 3 hours and the temperature and pace were perfect. Second, and most importantly, I was able to meet and talk with some of the cyclists during the ride. Two of the women I met were from Michigan and Canada, both being here for different lengths of time and both offering their opinions and advice on settling in in the UAE. And so, after feeling isolated all week, I was finally able to meet some great, English-speaking, helpful and interesting people, all thanks to athletics. We even exchanged numbers and will probably meet up early next week to ride again. So, whether you are starting over in a new place, or are just tired of the social scene wherever you may be – pick a sport, join a club, and you’ll find that healthy camaraderie is just around the corner.

Jet lag

Hello all… It’s 9:30am here, and I’ve been up for almost 7 hours. Yep, woke up at 2:30 this morning and haven’t been able to sleep since then. Other than that, I am happy to report that all is well! My flight here was easy. Surprisingly easy. I highly recommend noise cancelling headphones for any flight, especially 12 hour flights. I was able to sleep without any distractions, and although it was 12 hours, it felt much shorter than some flights I have taken in the US (like the Portland to Atlanta flight I recently took). My arrival in Dubai was also surprisingly easy – minus the mile walk from the gate to passport control. The only thing I had to wait for was my luggage (which all arrived in one piece) – there were no lines at passport control or customs.

I am now realizing how difficult it is to put such a new and exciting experience into words. So many things to talk about, so much I don’t understand, even more I want to learn. It is almost overwhelming, but it is good too, I like my brain to be happy and busy. Where to start? I guess the most obvious thing is to talk about the insane climate. I first felt the heat while getting off the plane in Qatar and boarding a tram to the terminal. As soon as you step outside, it’s like hitting a wall. A stagnant, thick, wall of heat. It really does take your breath away. Since being here, I have learned the sheer necessity of air conditioning. The crazy thing is that it doesn’t really feel like it cools down outside as evening sets in. The temperature does, but the humidity continues to rise, which makes it feel warmer well into the night. The coolest part of the day, no doubt, is early morning. I actually drug Garren out of bed this morning to run at 6am (I was getting ansy – I’d already been up for 3+ hours). The heat and humidity didn’t bother me too much – it felt much like running in Ohio on a hot, humid afternoon. However, I do have to say that we ran for about 30 minutes, and that was probably about as much as my body would allow right now. Baby steps…

What else? I think the Arabs are beautiful in their abayas (women) and their dishdashes (men). I am so intrigued by their culture and am excited to learn more - I bought a book on Islam yesterday and am looking forward to reading about the faith of my new home. I’ve eaten Iranian food and shwarma, both were excellent. The hummous here is amazing, and the flatbread is even better. I think I could eat it for every meal and be happy. I tried smoking shisha yesterday, which is basically a flavored tobacco. Smoking anything is new to me, but I do like the premise behind it. It’s definitely a social thing, very relaxing - and supposedly during Ramadan, there are shisha tents everywhere.

English is widely spoken, and although it may be limited, you can communicate fairly easily with just about anyone. Arabic is a whole different story. It appears to be such a challenging language – I also bought a book on basic Arabic yesterday. I’ll let you know how that reading goes….

Driving here is a bit scary. It is the absolutely perfect place for Garren and his R32. There are basically no rules and great, open stretches of well manicured pavement. Each man for himself. Lane lines? Ha! Speed limit? Stop signs? Let’s just say those are all merely “guidelines.” Garren says the best defense is a good offense. I have to agree. I think I will wait awhile to start driving…

Apparently the social thing to do here is go to the mall. There are malls everywhere, and with this heat, I can understand why the mall is the place to be. There really isn’t much else to do, and everything you need (including the grocery store) is at the mall. There is even an Ikea, movie theaters and cute little restaurants in the mall, in addition to the food court. I’ve been to 3 malls already, in less than 48 hours. Luckily for Garren, I’m all shopped out – I did some damage in Ohio and don’t feel the need for more things right now. Especially since all my stuff is still sitting in suitcases….

I guess that’s about it for now. It is great to be with Garren again. I love his apartment and his car. We are starting to plan some trips for the next couple of weeks, so I will have much more to write about, and hopefully some pictures for you to see. Ma is-salaama (goodbye)!