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Published: September 25th 2010
Remember when I said Al Ain looked like Brooklyn? Well I guess that’s how I perceived it when I first entered it with my skewed perception after leaving Abu Dhabi, but for the past few days (since we finally got a car, Yaaaay!) I have been able to really get around and see things. Al Ain is really a nice place. The weather is cooler here. It’s cooling down now anyway, and Al Ain doesn’t have the humidity like Abu Dhabi. It’s very dry here. The first tourist place I wanted to see was the Camel Souk. I thought Abdullah would love to see that even though the warning in the tour guide said remember this is a meat market! We have been literally looking for it for 4 days. I have seen probably 90% of Al Ain, minus the dessert. We followed the map to where they said the camel souk is but all I have definitely seen there is the vegetable souk. Different people have given us different directions as to where the souk is and its all within a “3 block radius” but we haven’t been able to find it. We are thinking maybe it just closes all
up before we arrive. I did find Lu Lu Hyberbad, which is a big supermarket that has everything! I was able to find everything from home there including..Kraft Mac & cheese! They had a section of Camel Meat. They had beautiful steaks, 3 Halaal steaks nice big cuts for $3.50 American! Lamb too very cheap. Sausages you guys $3 for a large package. The more difficult thing to get is fresh chicken it is all frozen in the markets anyway. They even had taco shells & all the cheeses from home very expensive though, but worth a treat every now and then. Right next to LuLu is the border crossing to Oman.
I did notice while shopping in Al Jimi Mall something really funny and I wish that I could take a picture but it would have been weird. As I said before most of the women are dressed in black with Nikab or full veiled faces and the men in white Jilbab with Kufyah, but if you go to the mall on a weekend night, which I went on Thursday night because the weekend here is Friday & Saturday, you will see the mall filled with teen punks, just
like at home. Boys have the skinny jeans, ass hanging out. Gelled up hair. The girls are primping and giggling trying to get the boys attention. I will say most have their hijab still on though, with their jeans and tops. Make up is a big thing here and they pack it on. Even the Women, they have on Hijab and/or Nikab but plucked eyebrows and loads of makeup. Strange.
Another thing I discovered on my travels was Women only areas. There are full parks and gardens that are gated and only for women! There are stores and activity places-only for women. I see the signs but I have to venture further to check it out. There are women-only taxis, they are so cute they have pink flowers on them and are driven by women for women.
I love the city of Al Ain it is very unique. It is closest to the Oman border. And you there is so much construction you can literally see areas where the desert is still visible and where they are creating the city right in the desert it’s amazing. What is unique to Al Ain is that Al Ain has a mission to
keep it green well I think the best explanation is in this tourist information snippets: Present day Al Ain covers a vast land area (almost 13,000 square kilometres) incorporating the original seven oases. It has a relatively compact, low-rise city centre surrounded by widely spread residential neighbourhoods, interspersed by parks, palaces, extensive date palm groves, commercial districts, hospitals, universities and colleges. Visitors will immediately see why Al Ain is known as the “Garden City”. The authorities have devoted great effort to creating a lush green environment. Roads and roundabouts are lined with trees, shrubs and flowers, and the city has many well tended parks and green spaces. The overall ambience of Al Ain is calm and relaxing. The city offers a real sense of traditional Arabia. In the souk area, you may find row upon row of shops selling such products as traditional clothing, camel sticks or animal medicines. In contrast, Al Ain Mall and Al Jimi Mall offer the best of modern shopping and entertainment just a short drive from the city centre. --I love the roundabouts that direct traffic. In the middle of them is some art stucture with a theme. They are very cool.
There are many
looking for camels 065
notice the paved walkway (new) next to the desert sand hasnt been paved yetOases around Al Ain-They are basically green areas with tons of Palms trees and trails through them. Today we went to the Al Ain Al Ain Oases. It was amazing peaceful place. This is the biggest oases and contains date plantations. The dates are just hanging there tree after tree after tree. You can drive through the huge labyrinth and enjoy the view here is some information online about Al Ain Oases: The area is still famous for its traditional irrigation system, the Filaj, some parts of which date back as far as 1, 000 BC. The water was directed through a network of skillfully designed, man-made tunnels and channels to provide "trickle irrigation" to the farms and date groves in the surrounding area. Aquifers and wadis also provide physical evidence of sudden downpours of rainwater flowing across the land during storms. Much of this valuable fresh water still soaks unused into the desert sands, but the city has found other ways of satisfying the needs of thirsty crops and animals.
The use of modern water supply technology in Al Ain can most clearly be seen in the greenery covering more than 100 square kilometres of the area. Even the
six-lane roads in the city are lined with a wide variety of trees and shrubs, both indigenous and foreign. The staggering amount of landscaping in the city and its surroundings is the direct result of the commitment of the President, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan to the process of reclaiming desert land and transforming it into something both beautiful and useable. The 100 million assorted trees and 18 million date palms are watered by a combination of reprocessed waste water and desalinated water, leaving the groundwater as the main supply for human consumption.
I really love this place. It is an Islamic place where you feel Islam all around you. When the call to prayer comes you see all the men walking to the mosque. I made Jumah Prayer today and there were many women also. All I will say about this experience is it was beautiful and you could feel the weight of the angels in the masala. I was ready for all the stuff that Muslims do to aggravate you especially in Muslim countries where you know they should know better, like Morocco where you really don’t feel like your amongst Muslims. Here you really see Islam
manifested. Most people are kind and helpful. The place is peaceful. People are working together to make their country great and they haven’t forgotten Islam, in Al Ain anyway, I imagine places like Dubai are vastly different. At first I was a bit miffed that only Emirate people are allowed to hold key positions in this country. I chalked it up to racism and caste system and there may be some of that, but honestly, I think they are just protecting their country, people, and culture. If you start letting people hold key positions then obviously those people will bring in their ideas and practices. And I for one would not want to see this beautiful place turn into the United States, Pakistan, or like the other Arab countries that are throwing away their Islam. Even though I know my husband could never hold a high position here such as principle, or working for the department of education. It is okay with me, I understand.
After I was feeling all this love for Al Ain we (all teachers & families) were summoned to Hili, one of the areas for housing. (Where I didn’t want to go). We were getting our
construction of a mall
across the street from Hili Apartments keys to our new living quarters, Yaaaay!!!! I was hoping we would be going somewhere else. But when we showed up at Hili, my husband saw our name on the list of residents for Hili. (sigh). I went up and saw the apartment. What I could of it because it was dark in there and my world came crashing in. I immediately became home sick and missed my house. My husband of course loved it and didn’t want to hear anything to the contrary, so all I could do was walk out. The apartment itself isn’t too too bad. Here’s the thing it’s actually only a 2 bedroom apartment with a maids quarters which we are supposed to use as a 2cnd bedroom. The room is fairly small with no windows, there are no closets! This means we have to buy wardrobes which are expensive, large and take up a lot of space! The worst part is: It is a compound. It reminds me of Coop city in New York. There are tons of kids none of them Muslim! All of the teachers that came from US, Britain, Australia they will all live here above me, below me, around me.
We are right on the Oman border across the street from us there is a big gate with razor wire fencing and the border crossing station. They are building a pool in the area. So you know what that means with all of these Europeans. They are also building a giganomous mall on the premises. I absolutely hate it! And I want to come home. My feeling is what am I doing here? I could do this at home? Really? I am really really sad right now….
NEXT DAY
My husband takes me back into the apartment so we could see it in the light and hoping I will feel better. I really try, but I realize it doesnt have enough space in the kitchen to put a table and it doesnt have a dining room! WHERE DO WE EAT?! I feel like I am going to break down and sob about every hour....I am claustrophobic, I cant imagine living with all those people for years in a tuna can. My husband said once we get settled he will look for somewhere else to rent, but its to difficult to do right now.
Todays Random weird fact about Al
Ain. We have no cold water. We have 2 setting very warm & scaulding hot. We couldnt figure it out. At first we thought it was just at the resort but then we realized it was everywhere. Then my husband said you know I have been thinking about the water and its probably just comes from whereever it comes from that way. Its so hot here why would the water be cold. Its impossible. So you get very warm water. Yes!!! that makes sense.
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naima
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my babies....