So, I will post some pictures / videos from our activities in and around Al Ain.
Compared to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, there are less foreigners in the city - but compared to Chengdu (which has so few) there is a nice mix of South Asians, Europeans, and Arabs. There are lots of mosques around, and the call the prayer (5 times per day) is easily heard even inside. The dress is conservative overall, but varied; some women in vails, some not; some men with headscarves, others not; some in Western clothing, some in traditional robes; but few (if any) people wearing shorts, tank tops, or tight-fitting clothing. The few that do are often American/European and they tend to stand out.
The weather is awesome - warm, powerful sunshine but it is pleasant in the shade. The nights are also cool. So really, pants are great to wear, and we do not miss shorts at all.
Al Ain does not have many internationally-renowned attractions, but it has been fun to see some of the local sights.
On Tuesday, we went to Jabel Hafeet, which is the mountain that towers over the city (and looms in the distance out our bedroom window). We drove out there and had a picnic lunch at a park at the base of the mountain (Subway for Alan and Arabic food for Rachel, along with fresh picked dates and tea. Rachel ordered a Shwarma sandwich and falafel, but when she arrived and opened her food, found that they replaced the falafel with liver. Surprise!)
In true ironic UAE fashion, the whole park is irrigated (and lit at night).
All that green is grass, which is irrigated to turn the sandy desert into a lush playground. There were acres and acres of parkland. However, to be honest, all the green grass made the place look great and a lot more fun for the kids who were scattered throughout the area.
After lunch, we dipped our feet in a hot spring, and then scampered up on to one of the nearby rocks for a look around.
Next came the drive up the winding road to the top of the mountain.
We stopped at a few points along the way, including the parking lot at the top of the mountain. It is a little anticlimactic to drive straight to the top - it seems like you should have to walk at least a little - but anyways it was cool to stand up there. The sun was SUPER bright - which stunk since Rachel's sunglasses broke earlier in the day - and the wind kicked up sand, which obscured the view, but all in all we do not get to go on mountains all that much, so it was memorable.
The other sights in town included a stop at the Al Ain Museum, which is the former residence of the current ruling royal family. We learned some about the family, and about life in the UAE prior to the oil boom of the last 50 years. Since the country is less than 40 years old and its development is quite new, it is interesting to compare the UAE today with its relatively simple past.
Again, there was nicely tended landscaping - doesn't she look beautiful with her matching yellow tree?
The house was spacious, organized into several sections with courtyards in the middle. The furnishings were spartan - ample searing, but few appliances or tools beyond the basics.
The last stop for this post is the Al Ain Oasis - this town sprung up largely thanks to the large oasis in the center of it. When you are in a desert, water is everything. And in this oasis, water is vital for raising animals and for growing food - in this case, date palms. We drove through one working farm in the oasis, which uses small stone channels to direct the underground water towards the trees. (larger date plantations also exist around town, which are irrigated artificially) The palms created a cooling canopy, which blocked out much of the mid-day sun.
And we have not had many dates in our lives, but the ones from here were pretty tasty :)
More to come - Dubai, the sand dunes, and our awesome lodgings!
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