A Drive Along the Border

This picture was taken near Ohala (Wahala). I’ve lived in very rainy, verdant places and in semi-arid desert areas. I find that there is a beauty to every variation of nature. Even this dry, rocky terrain is beautiful.

Our circuitous route on our Monday drive took us near the Oman border.

We had a debate about this fence as to whether it is the Oman border or not. DaddyBird argues that is it for something else, a restricted area of some kind. The map supports his position.

In the 21st century, this is what checking the map looks like.

Well, that is the last post resulting from our one afternoon road trip last Monday. Hope you enjoyed it.

Exploring Fujairah: Part 3

Posted by Kanga.

This episode is about Wadi Al Helo, which is actually part of the Sharjah emirate, not Fujairah, but was part of our road trip. (Alternate spellings include Hilo, Helou, Halou)

We’ve driven through Wadi Al Helo several times, because it is on the Sharjah-Kalba road, but this time we actually got off the road to take a closer look.

Wadi Al Helo has a long history of habitation back to the early bronze age and is an archaeological site. In recent years, there has been some major work done as evidenced by at least three hillsides that have been carved out to form terraces where modern houses have been built.

We drove up onto one of these terraces and found exactly what we expected, a pleasant neighborhood with a mosque.

There are several government buildings in Wadi Al Helo, but we did not see any retail businesses. There must be at least one grocery, but we did not come across it.

Below the terraces, in the valley, are farms and palm groves.

Goats and Donkeys and Bears, Oh My!

Posted by Kanga.

Okay, there are no bears, but there are plenty of goats and donkeys just roaming around, nibbling on whatever they can find.

Donkeys come in a range of colors from light tan to black. They usually travel in pairs.

And sheep, too! In the background is the Ohala Fort/Castle. (Alternate spelling Wahla or Wahala) This is close to the Oman border.

It is amazing that they find anything to eat in this harsh environment, but they do.

Oregon Sights

Somewhere on Oregon State Route 26. It’s nice to see evergreen trees again.

Mt. Hood

Somewhere in Deschutes County, south of Bend, Oregon

Geese above and pelicans below, both in Klamath Falls, Oregon

Fujairah

Fujairah has several roundabouts with large public art. Above, the large coffee pot and cups, below a hand holding a perfume bottle (?).

Along the beach were some rather Flintstone style trees and matching trash cans.

This is Paul and our new friend Zeyah standing on the beach. Below you can see that the water was so still and the sky so hazy that it is nearly impossible to see where the horizon is.
I fully intended to dip my toes in the Gulf of Oman, but the overwhelming bad fish smell put me off. The sand here was actual sand, not broken shells. It was very dark sand and it made the water dark, too, which made it even more uninviting.

Bull Butting Bust

We drove all the way to Fujairah yesterday in hopes of watching the traditional bull butting. We did find the “arena” and there were other hopefuls there waiting to see a contest or two, but none materialized. Someone said that someone important had died that morning which would mean that the contests were canceled due to mourning. Nothing in the Gulf News this morning, so it wasn’t a government official.
Notice how this guy drove up onto the berm so he could watch from the comfort of his vehicle. Below, more of the hopefuls waiting for some action.

Anyway, we had a blast on the drive, the dinner, and the drive home. We had the company of two new friends and lots of interesting sites and experiences. I will post each separately.

Oops, you are probably saying “What IS bull butting?” It is a contest between trained bulls who butt heads and the winner is the one who pushes the other out of the “ring.” It is a mostly bloodless sport. No bull is killed. No matadors. Think of it as bulls wrestling.

We intend to go back, so if and when we do, we’ll have video so you can experience it vicariously for yourself.

Road Trip #1 – Hamriyah Beach

So, Paul already spilled the beans about our discovery of Hamriyah Beach, but here are my pictures. They don’t do the place justice. The water was an overwhelming color. Really amazing.

There were scads of beautiful shells on the beach. I picked up a couple just because I couldn’t resist.
This is the road along the beach.
This is the mosque by the beach.

Road Trip #1 – Second Stop – Ajman

This is the gate to the museum which, unfortunately, was closed for the holiday. You can see the security guard walking away after delivering the bad news that we could not come in.
This is public art sculpture on a grand scale in the center of the street across from the museum. There’s a bow of a boat (behind the palm tree) and arches.
This is the view just a quarter turn from the last shot. I took it for the variety of colors the buildings are painted. It’s rare for a building to be anything but sand colored.
Here is the only graffiti I’ve seen so far. It wasn’t very imaginative. Apparently, the Vinny gang reign here. The graffiti was in English and Arabic and appeared to be all intelligible words, unlike American graffiti that is usually carefully crafted code and symbols.
Here you can see the public art in the background and the Vinny gang’s artistic talent in the foreground.

Road Trip #1 – Leaving Sharjah

So, following our exploration of the Naboodah house, we got back in the car and headed northeast again. These pictures are of the Sharjah coast line, sort of. There are three teardrop shaped bays. Here you can see the oil drilling structures in the background.

Similar to Dubai Creek, there are dhows and piles of cargo being shipped to India or other areas of the Arabian Gulf.
I’m not sure if this sign was in Sharjah or Ajman, but I thought it was interesting that we were on Sharq street. I’m easily amused and entertained. The houses in the background are referred to as villas. Here, you live in either a villa or an apartment. They don’t use the word “house.” The villas always have a wall around the perimeter of the property. Seems a little secretive, but it makes for a neat appearance and you don’t have to be concerned with whether the neighbor keeps his yard nice. I would have said “mows his lawn,” but that’s not common here.

Road Trip #1 – First Stop – Sharjah part 2

Welcome to the House of the family Naboodah. This is part of the Sharjah Heritage Center. It is a restored house of a wealthy family.

The house is a series of rooms that surround an open courtyard. There is a partial second floor and walkway all around the top.



The extended family lived here and each of the doors above lead to a bedroom for each of the sons. There was also a game room for the children, a kitchen, a storeroom/pantry. I’m not sure why the toilet was upstairs, but it was.

Majlis seating is basically cushions and pillows on the floor. (Majlis = parlor or living room — where men would gather to shoot the breeze, drink coffee and smoke shisha). It was odd to see a wooden bed frame with the mattress up off the floor (just like a Western bed) with majlis seating down on the floor. (Sorry that I don’t have pictures of that. You’ll have to imagine it.)
(By the way, shisha is a very fruity tobacco smoked with a waterpipe.)
These are the lovely lattice works inside the rooms. These are on the top of inner walls just above eye level and provide ventilation between rooms. They are made out of gypsum.