Random Living in Abu Dhabi

I really appreciate the variety of activities that this desert has sprung up.

Sometimes I go dune bashing on ATVs.

Or skip the four-wheelers and just use my feet.

I also have the option of going to more civilized places, like a posh roof bar in Abu Dhabi with my frisbee mates.

And for a little local entertainment, I can check out the bowling scene, complete with Emiratees in dishdashes, in my tiny tony of Madinat Zayed.

Outdoor adventure is usually a big bonus to living out this way. In the north of the Emirates, Fujariah has some lovely mountain oasises that make for great exploring.

I've taken first steps to a new hobby and earned my scuba diving license. Now I just have to book a dhow (ship) trip with some friends and see all the wonders of the Arabian (Persian) Gulf.

With just about six weeks left of my academic year, I'm hoping to score some more fun before I set off for my summer travel: Beirut, Cyprus, Syria, and Turkey all before I land State-side again.  Whoo!

Winter Time Means Camping

As I might have hinted, there isn't a whole lot going on in the UAE unless you make it happen. It's a good thing that I've a motivated individual that likes adventure. Getting into my new backyard has really made for exciting trips and makes me feel like I'm a part of this country. Consequently, I go camping, a lot.

Why I love camping:

Relaxing'!

People!

FIRE!

Silliness!

MORE FIRE!

Between October and April, I went camping at least ten weekends . It's no record, but I loved it loved it loved it.

Bahrain...Check!

Although I don't have three day weekends as I once enjoyed on my grad student schedule, I am afforded super cheap airfare that always seems be perfectly coordinated with my teaching hours. 

My second Gulf country was Bahrain. I spent a terrific weekend with two travel buddies, Blair and Milad, and met up Rex and his good friend Amy.  As a recent Saudi-Bahrain transplant, Amy hosted us for the weekend. Bahrain is the party place for all the Saudis that cross its border. It's a haven filled with booze and uncovered women. CRAZY! This trees that live beside the Gulf outside of Amy's apartment can attest to all the party that happens in Manama.

In fact, Bahrain even boasts Ric's Kountry Kitchen. A fantastic place for any American ex-pat. After an evening out, brunch is the best thing that can happen in life.

Besides fantastic night/day life, Bahrain sports some fine souq shopping.  I love getting lost in the mazes of leather shoes, baby toys, hardware, and kitchen ware.

At this shop, I found some delightful camel decorations that are now proudly hanging on my front door.

After walking the souq, getting turned around a million times, we reunited and enjoyed some tea. Rex is really happy about all the sugar they put in his cup, he's giddy.

The next day, Blair, Milad, and I charge ourselves up for some whirlwind tourism. Despite its small size, Amy's travel book claims that there are 101 things for tourists to do in Bahrain. We take up challenge and cross out 11 in about five hours, of which I will tell you of a select few... 

First/second stop: The Oil Museum and first oil pump in the Gulf (check!) Look at all that oil excess burning away!

This made history (in some small circles, it is still remembered).

Next up: The Tree of Life. Despite Amy's warning that we'd never find it. We did. As we witnessed, this tree is the only one of its kind and grows in the desert without any other signicant growth around it. However, there are some American tanks glowering not too far behind it.

This is how you navigate Bahrain...

Satisfied with our success, we take a detour from our very detailed map and end up sorting through pottery factories and ancient burial grounds. The cemetery could have been a construction site or home to very large moles, but we'll believe the book and check off number 73.

Around the bend, we crossed off this old fort from our tourist list. Qal'at al Bahrain was perfect in the afternoon for a leisure viewing and afford great vistas of the city.

Soon, we put our tourist badges away and joined up a bunch of Navy dudes for a barbeque (it happens). Amy put on her Tex-Mex chef hat and cranked out a fiesta feast like no other.

It was a perfect end to a great weekend in Bahrain. I wouldn't be surprised to find myself back there at some point for another weekend get-away!

New Years, YAH!

A certain catalyst by the name of Rex brought me out to the Middle East. Saudi, as my next door neighbor to the west, is about 90 kilometers from my home in Madinat Zayed. With a reliable four-wheel drive and decent tires, Rex and I are about seven hours drive apart. Which isn't that far considering it was my bi-monthly drive home to Virginia from Brooklyn. Upon arrival to Abu Dhabi, I waited for the knock on my door from Rex to borrow a cup of sugar, or get some bacon (which is available here in grocery stores, but not in Riyahd). After much scheming and date haggling, Rex and I finally decided that New Years would begin our visiting hours.

I thought the beach, dancing and bubbly at mid-night would be ideal for bringing in 2010, but that didn't happen. Despite the lack of beach, there was a lot of sand. That's what the desert gets ya, but at least Rex brought presents.

Previously, I've camped in Liwa near Tal Moreeb, the highest sand dune in the UAE. It's a gorgeous drive out, wavy desert plains give way to sloped hillsides frames in palms, and then the landscape rises to sky rocketing sands that reflect red in the sunset. Perfectly lovely, but a bit noisy as it is many an Emiratee's joy to roll out quad bikes and ATVs that blast engine noise into the otherwise serene quiet. So, it's time for a change, so Hmeem called our names with the promise of zero traffic charging through the dunes.  Deal, yah'la, let's go!

Packing up the car was no easy feat. Mostly because the 10 cubic feet of truck space I have in the back of my Volkswagon is taken up with fire wood (can't savage the forest for branches folks, deciduous just doesn't play here).  Plus, I'm camping with Rex, so, we're gonna cook us up a feast like no other, shoo. 

The desert was absolutely gorgeous all night. The full moon illuminated the entire landscape and it looked like daylight in a hazy cloud. And I'm pretty sure that was the effect, even without the bubbly at midnight.

The next morning we made a delicious Southern breakfast complete with blackeyed peas for good luck and some green spinanch for, well green. Then we set back down the road and rounded out our New Year's Day with rearranging some abandoned tires.

 Perfect.