The grass IS greener on the other side!!!

Ikea

2010-10-22T18:02:00.003+04:00

Have you noticed how the customer service sucks when you want to return something?!

Ikea

2010-10-22T18:02:00.001+04:00

Have you noticed how the customer service sucks when you want to return something?!

Off raoding in wadi Asimah / Tayyibah / Sidr

2010-03-05T21:14:00.013+04:00

salaam all, below are pics from a recent off road trip with mates to wadi Asimah / Tayyibah / Sidr, three routes off the Dhaid road near the Masafi mountains...

...and the adventure begins!

a tricky bit of rock crawling over a river bed

dont wanna scratch the bodywork!

...and a spot of rock climbing

time to break out the BBQ

looks good to me

ahh...isnt that cute

whats that over yonder?

GRRRR...need i say more?!

the 4 amigos

riding off into the sunset.

Burj Dubai

2009-10-16T00:04:00.000+04:00

Some shots of the burj Dubai...you really have to see it up close to appreciate it!

Too tall to fit onto one pic, had to be done on two pics!

And a couplapnths later here it is again at a distance of a few km. For the perspective, you can see all the 'normal' skyscrapers next to it I'm comparison, now dwarfed by the burj!

M.I.A!!!

2009-10-11T00:22:00.000+04:00

Missing in Action...yes I have been! Well it has been a long time and yes many things have changed, for example, I am sitting here knocking out this update on my iPhone! Hopefully what this should mean is that I will now be able to update the blog a little more often as and when things happen...possibly even on the go. Anyway I am still trying to figure out how to put pics up but as soon as I do, will post pictures of what I have been upto for the past few months.

Ciao for now!

Voilà, here we go, me and my little sufyan!

Deliver Hope to the People of Gaza

2009-01-23T12:43:00.014+04:00

Assalamu alaykum and greetings to you all,

As some of you may be aware, recently i asked you guys to donate money to help ship urgent supplies to the needy in Gaza. This is an update of what happened to your hard earned wonga (and to prove i haven't been relaxing at The poolside on a luxury holiday courtesy of you lot!). In all we managed to collect roughly £1000 squids which worked out at over 5000AED in the local currency.

Before I continue, just some quick political analysis of the situation there...this to me is no more a 'war' than can be considered a war by Hitler against the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto. It was genocide and ethnic cleansing then and it it is genocide and ethnic cleansing now with the Gaza strip the new ghetto and Israel the new Nazi's. Now that there is a ceasfire everybody needs to continue to do what they can to keep up the political pressure to help free the people of Gaza from the opression of the zionist regime.

Anyway, this is where some of your money went...

because people have lost their homes, large canvas tents that can accommodate a family of 6...

and loads of blankets to help keep them warm as it is winter there...

the bulk of the money was spent on medical supplies. pictured is a selection of assorted hospital grade bandages, swabs, plasters...

some of the most expensive items were medicines including wholesale size packs of painkillers and anti-biotics. other supplies include emergency first aid kits and specialist stuff for hospitals such as the orangey iodine wash used for sterilising wounds before operating. on top of this the rest of the money was spent on dried foods such as milk powder, noodles tinned stuff etc. and personal hygiene products such as soap and washing up powder.

Once everything was collected, a bunch of us went down to the Aramex sorting and logistics depot in Dubai to help out with the sorting out of donations. Now personally I have never helped out before doing this kind of stuff so seeing this was quite an eye opener for me.

There was a throng of activity as we found volunteers from all walks of life helping out and doing their bit to help the people of Gaza.

tasks included...

Forming a human chain to unload trucks that were delivering donations being brought in from all over the country...

sorting everything and placing into various labeled bins...

to be packed onto pallets and loaded onto trucks to make the trip to the Gaza Strip via Jordan to be distributed by various humanitarian aid agencies including the UN and Red Crescent.

Finally I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who contributed both in terms of money, physically helping and moral support. I am sure you have made a difference to the lives of the oppressed Gazans. That's enough out of me so until the next time.

ps. yes, you have figured there are lots of pics of us messing around and having some fun but i didn't want to detract from the seriousness of why we were there so i will save them for next time. ;-)

Freaky fruit and veg!

2008-12-19T23:09:00.006+04:00

I promised to keep you entertained with with 'alternative' snippets of life out here so here's something to whet your appetite (or not as the case may be!)

so i was grocery shopping as you do and you know how in tesco's of late you seem to be able to find forever more exotic fruit and veg, well i was in one of our local supermarkets and came across these...

known as Durian fruit, some of you may have seen or heard of it because it absolutely stinks!

this one really freaked me out, known as snake fruit (or salak), I'm sure you can spot the resemblance to its slithery namesake!

and finally the weirdest pick of the bunch in my opinion was this...

Romanesco Broccoli, which looks like some type of alien 3D fractal art.

going off on a tangent (well not exactly as it is linked to the broccoli) if you are not convinced of god's handiwork in nature then check this link on logarithmic spiral's. Signs of intelligent deisgn and not just a random act of nature?!

29th september was a great day...

2008-12-19T19:44:00.007+04:00

reason why....? Sufyan was born!

As you can no doubt imagine this little cheeky chappy has been keeping us very very busy. so much so i havent had a chance to update this till now. i get a feelin my 4 wheelin days may have come to an end...cant see myself tackling dusty trails and remote mountain passes with this little one in tow instead it might be discovering the wonders of a nappy change and mastering burping techniques. anyways, heres a few more piccies to whet your appetite, enjoy!

I am worried I may not have too much to write home bout now with sufyan taking up so much of our time so i may revert to civvy mode and start writing about the local taxi's and roundabouts...erm, i think not!!!

No promises, I will try and come up with a different take on what i am getting up to here to keep you all entertained, ciao for now :-)

Jabal Akhdar

2008-08-30T23:30:00.006+04:00

On route to Al-Ain we headed back via Jabal Akhdar (or the green mountain) part of the Hajar mountain range. At over 2km tall this was definitely an awesome sight to behold.

Most of the mountain is scattered with roads and tracks that wind their way through the Mountains. with over 30 populated villages on this part of the mountain range, this place isn't as desolate as it looks.

We drove to a local beauty spot known locally as Diana's Viewpoint (something to do with when princess Diana visited Oman, she was brought to this spot because of the views via helicopter and so the name stuck) for the spectacular views overlooking the rest of the mountain range. It was here we stopped for lunch. Never has a salad and tuna sandwich tasted this satisfying all washed down with a stomach full of this gorgeously inspiring view.

You really do feel as if you are sitting on top of the world

the eerie quietness leads you to stop and appreciate the finer things in life

yes you are right, i was absorbed in a moments contemplation and meditation

for any of you considering the trip to Jabal Akhdar, it comes highly recommended!

Standing on top of the world (or so it felt like it!)

Now a word of warning! there are police checkpoints on all the roads entering onto Jabal Akhdar, with good reason. Only 4wd's are allowed on the mountain and with good reason. Put it this way, when a polce officer hands you some kind of safety leaflet - read it! Unfortunately I didnt and almost paid dearly. Due to the extreme gradients a lot of stress is put on your car therefore you have to adapt your driving technique and need a 4wd for the added traction and if necessary low range gears and better engine braking etc. To cut a long story short, on my way back down, I booted it down the mountain using hard braking at the bends however what i didnt realise was the hard braking was smoking out my brakes and had I not, half way down, decided to stop and read the leaflet the coppers had given me (it also conatined other touristy information), I would have become another statistic of some dopey tourist whose car caught fire because he overworked his brakes and ended up turning into a crashing fireball hurtling down the side of the mountain!

Muscat

2008-08-30T23:29:00.006+04:00

After leaving Salalah we headed north and took a detour to to the capital of Oman, Muscat. This is a beautiful city and there is no way a few pics and scant words can do this city justice. If any of you have been to Monaco then picture something similar, in the sense of a city that blends into the surrounding mountains and littered with greenery everywhere. Compared to any city in the UAE, i think it beats them all hands down. There is definitely something in the air that adds a sense of genuineness and mystery to this ancient city. Suffice it to say, I am not done with Muscat yet so will definitely have to retrn again to do some thorough exploring. In the mean time heres a few piccies to whet your appetite until I return!

Muscat Beach

The view from one of the hotels we stayed in on the muscat corniche.

A viewing platform onlooking the city in the shape of a giant incense burner. One of the stops on the tourist trail except on the day it was too hot and i was too tired to climb to the top to take in the views.
Now this is one of the major landmarks of the city, the grand mosque, built by the sultan of Oman.

Being in this mosque really feels like stepping back in time as it has borrowed architectural techniques and designs found elsewhere in the ancient Muslim world.

Inside is a very ornately designed interior...

with a hand woven Persian carpet that is only exceeded in size and weight by the carpet of the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi

no doubt a record breaking chandelier hanging from the central dome

and finally the mihrab (or imams prayer niche).

Whilst in Muscat, we came across this quaint little aquarium with a limited selection of marine life however i had share this one with you. If memory serves correct, this was some kind of eel however you would not believe the size of this thing, its head was almost the size of a human head! Put it this way, i wouldn't want to bump into this fella in a dark and lonely coral reef!

Salalah

2008-08-30T23:27:00.008+04:00

In southern Oman lies the region of Dhofar and and on its southern most tip is the city of Salalah, looking out onto the Arabian sea, famed for being the only place in the Arabian peninsula for having monsoon weather in its summer months. Given the average temperature here in Al Ain during the summer months is almost in the fifties, off we set on the epic 1000km (that's right, you heard me!) adventure across the desert.

For hundreds of miles all there is to see is the barren empty desert and the dusty road ahead. this is a solid 12hour drive (without stops) which is only broken up by the occasional petrol stations and on this occasion the tourists flocking southwards as we were. Though the road is empty here, at times it was a little like wacky races as everyone was going hell for leather to try and reach Salalah!

After what seemed like forever (driven all night and arrived the next morning) you eventually reach the Dhofar mountain range shrouded in a blanket of mist. Given the air temperature is still in the mid to top forties where we took this picture, a strange but welcoming sight.

This is where we start the ascent up into the hills...

Once inside the hills the weather changes dramatically with temperatures plummeting to the low twenties, mist, fog and drizzle abound not unlike an autumn day back in blighty but the most shocking sight of all is the greenery....there's vegetation everywhere!

Once over the mountain range we enter salalah city itself, a very naturally green place with an abundance of palm trees everywhere but hang on a sec...these arent date palms...they're coconut palms!!!

Here's me checking out the local fare, as well as coconuts, there are banana's, mango's, sugar cane, papaya etc. You would be forgiven for thinking that you were on some tropical island on the Indian sub continent instead of Arabia.

The man from Al-Ain says...yes!

After getting some rest, the next day we went off exploring. The area pictured is Mughaysal beach.

A spectacularly carved shoreline with monsoon waves crashing down on the cliff face made this an awesome sight to behold!

Duh...enough with the words, heres a video!

Mughaysal is locally renowned for the spectacular blowholes that have been carved into the rocks!

Two nutters...all it would take is one abnormally large wave to come crashing down and off they go to meet their maker!

This is Khor Ruri (or Ruri creek), an inlet to the ancient ruined seaport through which the lucrative global trade of Frankincense (once, weight for weight, more valuable than gold!) was once conducted.

And this is the ruined city of Samharam, a UNESCO world heritage site overlooking the creek. It is very likely that the frankincense, as in one of the gifts carried by the 3 wise men, would have come through this city on its way northwards and also reputed to be where the Queen of Sheba would have appropriated her supply of frankincense.

after driving down the hillside we reached mouth of the creek.

with a very nice beach...

and what are the chances...camels on the beach!

Wadi Darbat

This is one of the reasons why thousands of people flock to Salalah` from miles around. Wadi Darbat is a valley of picturesque green that could be something straight out of our own Lake District.

surrounded by misty hills...

and a tranquil lake at its centre next to which you can relax and while away the hours till the cows come home (yes that is actually a herd of cows on the other side of the lake!).

Whilst out exploring, we came across this travertine (type of sedimentary rock) cliff face.

normally there is a water fall here as the rain water that collects in wadi Darbat comes cascading over the cliff face.

Its not obvious but it was quite a mission scrambling up here in the 4wd with a very potholed graded track that required me to engage all the the gadgets on the 4wd (low gear, centre and rear diff etc.) and some skillful driving to negotiate the climb hence the look of achievement! I only wish i could have caught it on video for you folks at home :-(

In and around Salalah there are a number of historical claims to fame including the tomb of the prophet Imran (and family, as.) and the tomb of the prophet Ayub (biblically known as Job as.). Personally i thought it would be more appropriate to buck the trend of turning the ritual of paying ones respect to prophets deceased into a touristy photo shoot frenzy. Hence there are no actual pictures of their respective tombs. On the other hand when we went to visit the tomb of Ayub (as.) it was a winding and at times treacherous journey through steep and narrow mountain passes (I wonder how he ended up there - it really was a mission to get there!). As the time for Magrib (evening prayer) approached the mist and fog really set in reducing us down to zero visibilty and with the onset of drizzle really did turn the mood into one of foreboding dread on the thought of the journey back down the mountain when suddenly the mist cleared a little and out in the middle of nowhere was this mosque that came up on us as an abandoned ghost ship would do out of some Victorian horror novel. The mosque was very eerie, no doubt due to its location, so we made haste to pray quickly and be one our way.

On one of our last trips exploring the local sights and terrain before we left Salalah we went to visit the Tawi Atayr (or well of birds) sinkhole, at 180m in diameter and 211m deep, one of the biggest in the world and a surprising find in one of the more quieter neighbourhoods that is planet earth.

If you listen carefully you can actually hear the birds! however as always I just couldn't capture such a spectacular scene with my camera phone so here a better picture...
http://www.ngsprints.co.uk/popup_image.php?pID=118271ℑ=0

Land Ahoy!

2008-08-22T14:58:00.007+04:00

Recently i took a trip over to Lu Lu island just off the Abu Dhabi coast. As you can see, i'm still in good health...making sailing look good ;-)

As with alomost everything in the emirates its still a work in progress so there wasnt much to see or do on the island. However there was a sort of lake in the middle of the island for swimming etc. and most of the island did have secluded empty beaches all the way round.

I took this opportunity of a lack of things to do to travel on a traditional 4x4...

To be honest i havent done this up until now for two reasons, namely iive feared for the camel however he took it in his stride and managed to haul me up easily and secondly its a long way down from up there should i wish to inspect the ground very quickly.

I think i'll stick to what i know best and walk.

The new beast...GRRR!

2008-08-22T10:59:00.011+04:00

So here she is, the new beast! ths is a Toyota Fortuner, 4.0l V6. it has a low range transfer case with a centre and rear diff lock. This car is based on the Hilux pick up truck and as far as i am aware is not available in europe so you wouldnt have seen it before. (ps. click on the images to see better high resolution pics).

Unlike the pajero this has a 5 speed auto gearbox so it is great around town and given that
its is the land cruiser prado's younger sibling makes it easier to live with in terms if its size. Nevertheless this is still a seven seater so has got a decent load capacity for those roadtrips.

Now if you are wondering, performance wise this jeep is excellent! i took it down to
Hatta to do a little rock crawling on the river bed and it didnt skip a beat.

The rear diff lock really paid off making sure i got through the ruff stuff
without getting caught out on some minor axle twisters.

Good approach, departure and ramp over angles coupled with the cars height meant no grounding out on any rocky outcrops.

All in all a good all rounder with many miles of happy motoring to look forward to.

Who's that fella over yonder?!

4X4 by not that far

2008-08-21T23:13:00.005+04:00

As some of you have figured, i'm a bit of a petrol head so its about time i added something a bit more meaty car related. You may recall from previous blogs i used to have a 2 door pajero and here it is.

I really liked this car because its a proper off roader with...

a low speed transfer box
plenty of torque
and a diff lock

coupled with the fact that its got a short wheel base it was awesome in the dunes and would go just about anywhere. tThe only draw backs it had were that despite being a V6 it was only a 3.0 litre so felt underpowered and had a 4 speed gearbox so driviing around town could get a little frustrating (the steptronic did make up for this a little though).

Anyway to cut a long story short i needed to get a 4 door so I got rid of it and after much thought (and budget constraints) I got what I hoped would be an ultimate off roader (or so it said on the tin)...a Jeep Grand Cherokee and here it is below...

Now this car should have the ultimate off road running gear i.e. an electronic limited slip diff front, middle and rear so that traction is automatically transferred from a 'stuck' wheel to one that is free even if all the power is transferred to a single wheel -amazing i hear you say. Given it had a special gear box with 2 second gears, was excellent for normal driving. The one thing i really liked about this car was that it was the 'overland' spec so came with all the toys and a whopping 4.7l, 275bhp, high output engine. In english (and for any of you folks who have driven out here in the Gulf) this meant i could chase down all the nutters in the Patrols and Land Cruisers out here ;-)

so why didnt i live happily ever after...? the problem with this car is that...

its ride height is too low so it just wasnt gonna perform reasonably without having to mess around with it and do some mods
given the nutty driving out here I would just feel safer in something bigger
the engineering of this car causes too many doubts and out here when off roading, a break down in the wrong place could cost you dearly

But my biggest gripe of all was the choice in design of its components e.g. solid front and rear axles. Now i know any of you off road officianados out there will disagree and say that its a perfect setup, i would have to say have you heard of the death wobble on Jeeps (google it to see what i mean)?! give me independent suspension (like on the Pajero) any day of the week. Any compromise in ability off road is more than compensated for in generally being able to live with it on an everyday basis.

so with that I eventually decided to move on and get something else...read following blogs to find out what happened next!

disclaimer: my applogies but if none of what i have written makes sense to you then exercise your minds a little and find out. For those of you for whom this does make sense, i have written it off the top of my head so I am not expecting geeky comments on how the Jeep's L.S.D system actually works!

making perfume...medieval styleee!

2008-08-21T22:40:00.004+04:00

Now as much as I enjoy my job I wouldn't want to bore you with the details of what I do however this is really cool. whilst teaching summer school here, we done a special thing with the local kids whereby we explored the Islamic contribution to science and technology over the ages.

No its not a space age bong but apparatus to make perfume using household stuff. For those of you that are interested, this is a steam distillation of orange peel to make orange scented perfume...and it actually works!

Now to give credit where its due the original distillation technique was devised by the Muslim scholar Jabir ibn Hayyan (722-815). The ideas were taken from an excellent website (www.1001inventions.com) detailing Muslim contributions to science as well as containing a teachers resource pack on doing lots of science experiments...enjoy!

Who ate all the pies?.....me!

2008-08-21T22:00:00.006+04:00

Hellllooooo!

where have you all been? no you are right its actually me thats been M.I.A so where have i been? very busy thats what! ive been tied up with work and lots of other things and with the summer hols i just havent had time to update the blog but now that i am back at work, got lots of free time ;-)

I just want to start with something I done before I got tied up. Now this was almost 3 months ago but is something I want to share with you. With the working hours I have (7am-1pm) I generally have more time to myself to do more things so one evening what do I do......bake!

To be precise I decided to make.....a chicken and mushroom pie - something i had never made before!

For a first timer dont you think this looks the bomb!

And the finished product...yum yum!
(yes it did taste decent and no i didnt get food poisoning!)

'Labbaik, Allahuma Labbaik'

2008-05-03T06:48:00.000+04:00

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!

2008-05-03T00:16:00.000+04:00

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

2008-05-02T23:40:00.000+04:00

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?

2008-05-02T23:01:00.000+04:00

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...?

2008-05-02T21:39:00.000+04:00

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

2008-05-02T16:29:00.000+04:00

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!

2008-05-02T16:16:00.000+04:00

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 ;-)

R & R

2008-03-24T15:58:00.000+04:00

a little rest & relaxation was in order so off i headed down to the local golf course at the Hilton. However, not being able to belt it everytime i had a go was a little frustrating. i think if anything, it put my blood pressure through the roof!

(p.s. excuse my french!)

Quad Biking made easy

2008-03-24T14:51:00.000+04:00

Some while ago now i went out quad biking in the local dunes. its an exhilarating experience of having the freedom to explore the emptiness of the desert and virtually go anywhere you want but something i didnt bank on is how potentially dangerous it can be as well as the fact that i spent a lot of the time bogged down in the sand trying to pull myself out!

loading up...

A nice action shot, i make it look easy dont I!

doing what i do best...getting stuck!

the golden stuff goes on for as far as the eye can see!

...and finally packing up at the end of the day.

Mussandam here i come!

2008-03-18T17:38:00.000+04:00

well actually not quite. north of the UAE is an enclave that belongs to Oman so that the northern most tip of the peninsula (the strait of Hormuz, you may remember it was in the news recntly because of an incident between the american and iranian navy) is actually in Oman. the famous mountain range in the area (mussandam) was to be the destination but after a blowout due to offroading and a 1 hour tyre change (it was midday, very hot and the whole town had shut down) i had to make the best of it and enjoy the local scenary.

on the road to khasab

one of many empty and stunning beaches

riding along the clifftops!

this is a really interesting pic. you cant tell but the edge of the cliff is just at the bottom of the picture then its a one hundred metre sheer drop. there is no way down to the little house and mosque from the clifftop and no road down there either. the only way to get there is by boat.

this place is called khor najd (i think). it is an inlet along the straits of hormuz. it was quite a scary drive along the switch backs down the side of the nountain to get there but very picturesque i am sure you will all agree!

who's that good lookin fella?!

Inspiration!

2008-03-18T15:14:00.000+04:00

Most capitals in the middle east and in fact all over the muslim world have one masjid that is the 'piece de resistance' of the thousands of masjids that grace these lands. Whilst passing through Abu Dhabi recently i decided to stop by and see what the all the fuss is about. This is one of very few times since i have been here has something this spectacular blown me away....

And finally, a bit of the Abu Dhabi skyline at dusk...this mix of classical vs. contemporary architecture really does make this a stunning city.

now thats what you call a mall !

2008-03-17T22:02:00.000+04:00

now i'm not particularly materialistic in nature therefore plugging the ultimate means by which peoples lives become drowned in consumerism may be a little surprising but this is a far cry from beckton retail park and the like!

The Ibn Battuta mall is named after a very famous islamic scholar during the middle ages who is famed for having travlled the whole breadth of the muslim empire which at the time stretched in the west from andalusia (modern day spain) to as far east as the borders of china. he is renowned for his travels (most of which were done on foot) and was essentially the 'marco polo' of his age. the sections in the mall are themed after the different parts of the world he visited. above shows a reconstruction of some of the scientific research that was being conducted by arab scholars at the time.

an exhibit in the 'India' hall

a junk boat in the 'chinese' hall

architecture from the 'north african' section

whilst the above pic is from a different mall (dubai festival mall i think?!) this staircase come post modern water fall is absolutely amazing. unfortunately the picture doesnt do it jusctice. all along the panels you can see water trickling down and as it does so across the green corrugated marble surface, it shimmers and cathces the light...a real work of art!

Bullfighting...Omani style

2008-03-17T16:01:00.000+04:00

On my first foray accross the border into Oman i went to a sleepy little village called Sohar, allegedley where the fabled Sinbad the sailor is from. as usual i completely forgot to take piccies of the picturesque village so all i managed where a few pics of the beach (which went on for what seemed like miles!) how do i know it went on for miles...cos i drove on the beach at the water's edge untill i could drive no more!

on the way back home i was drawn to a large gathering of people off the main road. a favourite past time of the locals here is bull fighting. however i bet even they werent prepared for what was about to happen...luckily no one was injured!

somewhere in the mountains...

2008-03-17T15:53:00.000+04:00

i cant remember where i was going (or even coming from) but i had to stop and take a video of this vista...stunning!

hey ya'll, wassup?!

2008-03-17T15:24:00.000+04:00

assalamu alaikum and wassup ya'll!!!

I know its been a long time since i have written. Honestly the reason why...? you are not gonna believe me but i have genuinely been working so hard that i havent had a spare moment to myself. as i mentioned previously somewhere, i have set this up to mainly post piccies of what i have been upto so heres the latest.

(I say latest however some of these are some months old now and not necessarily in chronological order, enjoy!)

Seven Emirates in Seven Days...

2008-02-13T00:10:00.000+04:00

...well not quite. having visited Dubai and Abu Dhabi a couple of times i thought it was about time i got out and about to see a little more of the country during the winter break. As promised, here are the pics however i must apologize in advance as my photography skills are not all that and whenever theres been a picture perfect moment ive been so absorbed that i forget to take a pic! Nevertheless here they are...

its not much to look at but this really is out in the bush in the middle of nowhere near a place called Falaj-Al-Moalla. The eerie silence really is a bit unnerving for city folk like us.

A road into the mountains in Ras-Al-Khaimah

The other half doing an impression of Rio's 'christ the redeemer' deep in the mountains. can you spot the mountain goats in the background?!

A morning stroll along Ajman beach. its nice to have the whole place to yourself!

wadi bashing near wadi Asimah. only accessible in a 4wd, a challenging track that winds its way through the mountains.

stopping for lunch in wadi Asimah.

On the road through the mountains to Fujairah.

Hatta pools....

where the water has carved some amazing shapes out of the rock.
sunset from Jabal Hafeet (the local mountain) in Al Ain.
Abu Dhabi Corniche. A very nice place to take aan afternoon stroll!

its late so i'm gonna call it a day. more to follow soon.

Trip to Al Ain Zoo

2008-02-12T23:52:00.000+04:00

my pride and joy!

2008-02-12T19:29:00.000+04:00

i am afraid much of these blogs will contain either pics of my new beast or something related to it, i.e. places i have gone. if you are expecting some kind of heart to heart then forget it, thats not me! anyway, this is a small oasis just outside of Al-Ain. i like to go here for the odd dune bashing and just to sit, relax n contemplate life!

stuck!

2008-02-09T00:22:00.001+04:00

so i get my car about a month ago and the next day i go out to test its 4wd capabilities and this is what happens! honestly its the drivers fault (me) not the car. after an attempted rescue by two 14 year old kids and their pick up truck (thats right, kids!) i was pulled out by 4 coppers. the adventure continues.

21st century

2008-02-02T23:56:00.000+04:00

very reluctantly (and because i cant find an easier work-around for all the internet restrictions in this country) i have created this blog to post piccies and soundbytes of life out here so watch this space!!!