'Labbaik, Allahuma Labbaik'

as some of you know (or may not know), last weekend i was fortunate enough to make the pilgrimage to Makkah for what is known as Umrah (it is like a mini version of the Hajj that can be done anytime). accordisng to islamic tradition, we believe the ka'bah (the black cube shaped building in the pics) was the first house built solely for the worship of Allah (arabic for god) by the prophet Abraham in line with the monotheistic beliefs of judaism, chritianity and islam. this place is very important for all muslims because it serves as a symbolic focal point for all muslims as we turn in the direction of the ka'bah whenever we pray and whilst there, supplicate...

'Labbaik, Allahuma labbaik'

(Here i am at your service, oh lord here i am)

the external facade of the masjid is imposing and gives the impression of a marble fortress

depsite the masjid being very very big (not sure of the capacity) the numbers of the faithful who flock here from across the globe ensure that the masjid is overflowing with worshippers day and night

and finaly the ka'bah itself.when you set eyes on it for the first time, a surreal feeling washes over you as memories of the dunya (worldly matters) become distant and your attention turns towards glorifying the creator of the heavans and the earth...

this has to be one of the few places on this earth where there is a constant throng of activity no matter what hour of the day it is (i do literally mean 24 hours a day!) as worshippers from numerous races unite for one purpose, to seek counsel from the lord and to gain an inner sense of peace and calmness as one contemplates their eventual destiny.

if you havent already had the fortune of visiting, then i would thoroughly recommend it. avail yourself of the opportunity before your time and energy becomes consumed with the more trivial issues in life. remember, good deeds will weigh heavy on the mizan (scales) so take account of yourself before account is taken for you.

camel milk latte!

on one of our regular weekend outings in the desert, as usual we got stuck so as we were trying to dig ourselves out this fella appeared out of nowhere and in accordance with traditional arab hospitality, invited us over to his camel farm for some milk...

fresh from the camel!!!

being a city lad i was rather apprehensive drinking milk that wasn't pasteurised nor homogenised straight from the camel however i was pleasantly surprised! for those of you that are wondering...the milk tastes similar to cows milk except that it is more creamy and a lot heavier on the palette. as the camel was milked it created a lot of froth so if you ever get the urge for a latte out in the desert, the only question that will remain is whether you want one lump or two, yum yum!

the weekly itch

its now something of a weekly fixture, every saturday morning after fajr (dawn) some of us lads get together and in convoy, go duning. just to give you a taste of what we get upto...

admittedly we do get stuck quite often but thats part of the challenge...getting yourself unstuck...out here there's no AA or RAC just a few tow ropes, a spade, a little elbow grease and using your noggin!

we all came flying over this dune, however as you have probably figured, they only time we took pictures is when we got stuck and had to get out and start digging as this fella did.

and finally, you guessed it, munchies!

The road to nowhere?

many tracks in the mountains just seem to head off for miles into the middle of nowhere. as you can see in the first pic however the beauty of this country is that many of these tracks conceal a gem of a destination and in this case the trip to wadi something (ive forgotten the name again) on the other side of the border, was not without its rewards as at the end of this parched trail was a sight for sore eyes...

the road to nowhere...

blazing a dusty trail across this moonscape terrain


finally at the the destination at the foot of the mountains you encounter these strange rock pools of water that appears to be milky whitewater because of calcium carbonate (chalk) being leached out from the underlying rooks

as you meander your way through the valley you come to the source of the water which seems to be another deep pool of fresh water trickling down through the mountains. to get to the source i had to clamber my way up the rock face as there was no way round.

as you keep climbing up the rock face (Bear Grylls eat your heart out!) you keep coming across these little pools and streams until....


you reach a hidden waterfall concealed in the mountains with its own pool for swimming in and cooling off. you've got to understand in this desert terrain pools of water naturally forming anywhere is something of a spectacle. as it is approaching summer here the waterfall has been reduced to a trickle. when i got there, there was a local arab family who had come for a picnic otherwise i would have had the place to myself and definitely would have gone skinny dipping!

wadi something...?

you may remember in a previous blog i went off roading in a place called wadi asimah well a few weeks ago i visited its sister wadi whose name i cant remember (wadi by the way is arabic for dried up river bed) to do a little off roading. as usual the driving in places was tough and adventurous and also, as usual, at some of the most exciting moments on the trip, i was so engrossed with what i was doing i forgot to take the camera out so ive only got the 'minging' pics to show you. make the best of it and enjoy!

i drove this trail through the mountains

with the road eventually winding out and ending up on the coast

my favourite activity, stopping for a bite to eat

we spent the night camped on the beach near Dibba on the east coast...it was absolutely beautiful. however as usual i forgot to take a pic of the camp site and only managed this one of the sunrise the next morning with fishermen casting their pots fishing for shellfish. an absolutely idyllic setting and start to the day. i will definitely return back there and when i do i'll take some proper pics so for now these will have to suffice!

Al-Andalus Masjid

picking up on a past blog about the mosques in the middle east, this is one of the more beautiful ones in here in Al-Ain. this masjid stands out from the others because it has been built in the architectural style of Islamic Spain. if any on you have visited the Al-Hambra in southern spain you will know what i am talking about. unfortunately, as usual, my dodgy camera work wont do it justcice. maybe when i get a chance i will retake these pics.

many of the masjids have lanscaped gardens with yep, you've guessed it, date palms!

this is the entrance to the main masjid from the enclosed courtyard

inside of the main prayer hall

and the mihrab (prayer niche) and mimbar (pulpit) at the front of the prayer hall.

Camel spotting!

salaam and greetings all!

now i know its been a long time since i have written (busy with work and other things) but i think it would be a good idea if i update this at least about once a month. so to kick off....

recently whilst out 'duning' in the desert i came across a herd of camels so i suppose no blog about the UAE would be appropriate without some camel pics so here they are. btw I'm not in any of the pics because they were really big and a bit intimidating....i didnt get out of the car ;-)