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Published: January 14th 2008
A place to visit!
In one of the town's north of Dubai, we found the place to go!On a recent 3 day weekend from school, a few friends and myself decided to do some exploring a bit north of Dubai. Overall, it was quite a fun trip, including seeing new towns, 4-wheeling and buying alcohol at one of the few and infamous liquor stores of the Middle East.
On a side note, driving here in the UAE has proven to be, well, very exciting. Many of the drivers are foreigners, mostly from South Asian countries such as Pakistan and India. If anyone has ever traveled to India and driven, you may be able to understand. So, it goes kind of like this:
1. There are painted stripes indicating where you can drive (lanes), but these are only suggested.
2. If you need to see a store or pick someone up, the middle of the road is as good a spot as any to do so.
3. Driving very, very fast is okay (if curious, check out the number of accidents in Dubai alone), so long as you blink your lights to alert everyone to get out of the way ASAP!
4. Motorcycles use the paint stripes on the roads (even the police!), yes, their own lanes between
Desert route
a part of what I was while driving in this area. car lanes.
5. If you get hit by a local in an accident, it is your fault if you are not a local (I've only heard about this, but I can't say I have had the experience myself).
Overall, my experience of being an aggressive driver when I was younger has come in very handy! For the most part though, the roads go well, and you have to take into consideration this city is growing so fast, that not even the roads can keep pace throughout the city. However, only the strong of heart should drive in Dubai (I won't even ride motorcycle myself).
On that note, driving off road in the desert is a great time around here. There are many trails, everyone I've met has been friendly and there are many beautiful places to see. This will probably become one of my favorite activities out here. After all, in every part of the world, I'm sure there is nothing like getting away from the usual places for tourists and seeing the unique aspects of the area.
As for the liquor stores around here, that has been one big culture shock. In the US, it is nearly
More of the view
A bit more of the driving scenery! an impossible feat to drive 1/2 a mile without seeing one. Here in Dubai, I have to drive about 25 miles to a liquor store. In the Middle East, the country's are dry (not allowing alcohol) because it is against Islam's teachings. While in one sense I have managed to survive without my weekly soma (Brave New world, read the book), it certainly is nice to come home to my place and now have a beer when I want. This is just one small example of how different the world can be. One of the first things I want to do when I return to the US is have a nice beer and cheeseburger somewhere on a patio restaurant.
In the end though, I must admit that the Middle East does bring its own sense of beauty. Hopefully the pictures do some justice, but driving through the desert and seeing places that have kept their same identity for generations is something that should be appreciated.
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