Hatta Road Trip – Dune Bashing

My coworker/companion over here in the UAE, Nick Fairless, does a lot of Motocross riding back at home in Florida and has been riding bikes of one sort or another his whole life. Well, that makes two of us; although mine are not usually motorized.

Anyways, Nick is hell-bent on riding MotoX bikes while we’re here and since he’s not having any luck finding/reserving any, we instead take a short day trip on our one day off up to the red sand dunes of Hatta to rent ATV’s. Larry and his son Corey join us and we drive north along the Omani border and then bank west towards Abu Dhabi… our destination: the ‘city’ of Hatta, and more succinctly, the “Big Red”.

We drive cross county in our Toyota Prada (a 4x4 is definitely a necessity if you plan on going even a little off the road, as sand + hills = disaster otherwise) and pass through the "scrub" desert; sand interrupted with tufts of brown, hardy grass, Acacia trees and a few other hardy shrubs.

As we penetrate deeper into the desert, sand and nothing but begins to predominate and soon there are small dunes with even less grass and shrubs. Along this road, however, the dunes get really big and there is no vegetation at all. This is where we found "Big Red".

Big Red is just that; a 300 foot (oh sorry, a 30 meter) dune that posses a distinct red hue, particularly during the fading light of dusk; and actually, there’s like 4 or 5 slightly less big 'Red's' in a row. Beyond them unfurls miles and miles of wildly divergent dunes of all shapes, sizes, colors, and contours. Big Red is also a very popular dune for 4 wheeling and even sand boarding; particularly on the Muslim holy day of Friday. We were warned not to go on that day, cause there’s SUV’s and ATV’s flying in around in every direction… no worries; we work on the holy day : )

Anyways, we get there, rent our ATV’s, take them out on the “test” track (smaller dunes), then head over to the biggies. I must say, I was a little disappointed in our machines. The ATV’s we had in Costa Rica were Honda manual 450’s. Here, we have much weaker auto 330’s. But, you know what, we still had a blast. However, this was some deep, soft sand, so it you didn’t stick to the high ground, drive at a constant high speed, or really know what you’re doing, you would get buried in the sand sooo quick. Yes, it happened to me.. twice… argh.

If you actually were able to navigate your way to the top – no easy task from the back side – you were treated to a pretty spectacular view. Even better was watching the Land Rovers, Jeeps and even GMC pickups fly up the dune full speed. The best though was watching them get stuck at some seriously precarious angles and watch them carefully work themselves out of getting stuck without flipping back over down the hill.

The highlight/lowlight of our trip comes thanks to Larry’s son Corey, the reckless teenager. I’ll explain: for like 15-20 minutes, we couldn’t find him, which is not a good thing in a desert; and our alotted time was more than up. So, I say, “hey, let’s all head back to the top of Big Red and we should be able to see him from there.” if you look closely at the picture of the lone ATV at the top of the hill, you just might be able to make out a white object over the rear right fender... well, that's a full size Land Rover getting ready to make another ascent. Now, picture us trying to find a single small ATV in the distance.

Well, after we make it up and scan all around, all of a sudden Nick says, “hey, who’s that dude with a white turban on his head walking through the desert?” Yep, Corey. With his t-shirt on his head.

Apparently he took off on his own, didn’t pay attention to where he was going, drove way too crazy and flipped his ATV, then could not get it re-started. So, he walked out of the desert. Then – and you can’t make this up – couldn’t remember where he walked from. Soooo, we searched for his ATV for another half hour. And could not find it.

Finally, some of the staff came out on ATV’s to come find us. They then took Corey out on a dune buggy looking for it. Larry was sweating bullets thinking he was going to have to buy an ATV and leave with nothing. Finally they found it, all was well, and we headed home. Great trip.

Oman Road Trip #1

Okay, I’ll admit it. Before I arrived here, I knew squat about Oman… nada. I knew it was somewhere in the Middle East, but if I looked at a map, I would be just as likely to point at Jordan, or Yemen. It’s sad when the only countries we Americans (most of us anyways) can identify on a map are the ones in which we have wars in.

On that note, I get asked often by friends and family, “are you scared? Is it safe?” Well, when you’re in UAE and Oman, the answer in my opinion is yes, it’s very safe. There is little to no crime (the punishments for doing so are very severe) where we live and travel, the people are nice, and there is scant hint of terrorism. However, when you do look at a regional map and realize where the UAE sits – smack dab in the middle of all the countries from which we hear so much frightening news, its easy to understand everyone’s concern.

But, I digress. Oman is apparently quite the diverse nation with desert flats, huge mountain ranges, and a beautiful coast line that wraps around 2/3rd of the country. And just like the USA, it has a northern part that is disconnected from the mainland.

Our first sojourn into Oman occurs courtesy of Bruce Ora's Nature Conservancy group. We take a day trip into Oman to walk through and explore the Mussafah Wadi. Wadi (Arabic: وادي‎ wādī; also: Vadi) is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley; in some cases it may refer to a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain or simply an intermittent stream.

Thankfully there is no rain today, because I’m not in the mood to get washed out or cling to some tree branch for a couple hours. Instead we trek down into, around, and up and over the wadi and continue on towards a large date palm oasis, and eventually arrive at a wadi pool. We are encouraged by some Italian guy to jump on in and he proceeds to (I kid you not) rip off his pants like some break-away basketball warm-ups, only to reveal his mini Speedo and dives in. “Who’s coming with me?!?”

I submit to the power of the silverback Italian and his black Chiquita banana holder and follow. The water is amazing, cool and clear. 4 or 5 more people join (thankfully) and we all dry off. Just then, we are greeted by a really cool group of native Omani teenage boys, who are very excited to talk to some tourists, take some pictures with us… and even offer us some medwat, which is a local, herbal, strong tobacco which they all seem to love. I acquiesce and realize why they like it so much; as it nearly knocks me off my feet. STRONG stuff!

Most of the group are big plant nerds, so I fit right in on that one…. Imagine a bunch of people walking around, only to look down and proclaim:

Ohh… cool, its Euphorbia larica!” –pictured to the left.

Or, “hey everyone, come check out this Calotropis procera!” –pictured to the right.

Yes, I'm one of those people that come over to look and take pics.

Yep...... uber dorky.

Life Around the Villas

The villas we inhabit that I’ve previously spoken about are located almost directly across from the existing zoo. Every night or every other night, after work is done, I like to go for a 2-4 mile run to stay in shape (man, I actually really miss LA Fitness) as well as get a feel for the neighborhood. The area is pretty decent, the weather has been really cool at night, but here’s what I’ve really noticed…

Cultural Observation #1

I’ve decided to make a point of waving, smiling and saying hello to literally every person I pass on the road, sidewalks, wherever. Call it making a good impression, waving the friendly flag for Americans, or just to avoid having everyone stare at me. Well… most people I pass, whether they are Pakistani, Afghani, Indian, Omani or Emirati… smile and wave back. However, there are still a great deal of people who stare at me, or just don’t know what to make of me, and my silly greetings.

What I’ve realized is this is kind of the reverse scenario of what happened to me when I moved to Minnesota many years ago. I, having spent my formative years in the very ‘friendly’ confines of New Jersey and New York, had grown quite accustomed to minding my own, and not really greeting anyone, or dare even locking eyes with them. Then, I moved to the land of Paul Bunyan, and in the first few weeks, I kept thinking, “who was that and why did they say hello…… why did he/she just wave at me…. why are they smiling and looking at me?” I was completely unaware of ‘Minnesota Nice’.

So, I guess pretty much the opposite is what is happening to me now.

Other amusing observations…. I sooo wish I had a camera for this one. I passed by a large house/complex the other night, and I could have swore I hear kids laughing and what sounded like a bunch of dune buggies or go-karts… well, lo and behold I stuck my head through the partially opened gate, and what had to be 10-12 kids, were having a miniature ATV race around a HUGE driveway. The fathers were rooting on their kids as they were flying around the makeshift oval track… it was hysterical.

And here’s one last mixed architectural appreciation/cultural observation: on my runs through different areas, I’ve noticed there is literally a mosque every 2-3 blocks in nearly every neighborhood - some small, some decent size, some enormous; those are Juma Mosques, that can handle heavy traffic on Fridays. I’m not sure who is responsible for building all these mosques… the municipality, the developer, the city… but, they really are everywhere. And they are beautiful. Some of them are just plain stunning. So, I’ve stared collecting an image library of every new one I see.

But here’s the sad part… when the local people are going to and from the mosque, a great deal of them are not walking there. We’re talking a maximum of 3-4 blocks, or most likely a 1-5 minute walk. The vast majority of people I have seen are driving (in an SUV of course) by themselves to the mosque… and when you think about the fact that they are supposed to pray 5 times a day… wow. I’m afraid the Americanization of automobile dependency has permeated the Emirate culture, and that’s probably not a good thing.

Day Three in Al Ain

We were supposed to get up early and take ATV’s across the border into Oman (where you have to get your passport stamped once a month), but we can’t locate the rental place and Larry doesn’t have the right documentation to get into Oman. So, instead, we all decide for our one day off to head over to the Hilton pool deck…. But alas, jetlag finally sets in and Nick and I crash for half the day.

Well, jetlag, and a combination of being woken up every night/morning at 4am to the (very) nearby mosque, with its vertical minarets and their multiple speakers blaring Muslin singing/chanting/warbling. Yeah, that’s fun. I had been warned several times by Andrew Schmidt how much fun this was going to be, and yes, I’m a believer.

We finally get up and get moving…. and walk over to the Al Ain Zoo. The existing zoo is about 40 years old and contains a large contingency of desert/savannah/jungle animals… giraffes, zebras, gazelles, ibexes, lions, tigers, and more monkeys than I’ve ever seen.

One particular highlight is the Birds of Prey show; where eagles,

hawks, falcons, and owls literally swoop right over your head from one trainer to the next. I even got to volunteer to catch a vulture…. strong little grip on that sucker.

There are 6 of us out here right now, myself, Nick Fairless, Rand Gentry, Larry Hughes and his son Corey, and lastly, Bruce Ora. Bruce also has 2 of his friends visiting from Florida (they were on a Celebrity cruise through Italy and Greece). Bruce loves to cook up these huge gourmet meals (with some excellent presentation… I feel like a judge on Top Chef).

We are treated to Bruce’s girlfriend Sarah’s eggplant appetizer that I can’t even describe, plus Bruce’s own red beef curry and green chicken curry. Fresh mango slices mixed with mango sherbet arrives for desert…. and bottle after bottle of red and white comes your way; which of course is right up my alley. We even have shots of a French liqueur aptly named Framboise that comes served with a raspberry at the bottom of the shot glass. I slam mine back only to look up and see everyone sipping theirs… a couple seconds later I realize why… yeooow! Good night.

Felt just like when I was studying abroad in Paris and Ken Ray and I slammed back our uber-expensive French liqueur only to hear our professor Terry Schnadelbach scream, “Nooooo! You’re supposed to sip it!”

Some things just don't ever change!

Day Two in the Middle East

Awake to a huge breakfast (something I’m totally not accustomed to) and head to “the office” (or the double wide trailer we work in). It’s only 4-5 minutes from the villas, but we take the long route around and through the site.

Okay, first some context.... the map shown above is of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.). The country, as it is called since its independant in 1971, is situated between Saudia Arabia and Oman. Abu Dhabi and particularly Dubai are the most famous of the Emirates; however we now reside in Al Ain. Al Ain is the 4th largest city in the UAE, and is know as the Garden City, given the many oasis, parks, tree-lined avenues and decorative roundabouts within the city. Al Ain has been continuously inhabited for more than four thousand years and is considered central to the cultural heritage of the country. It is also the birth place of Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first president of the United Arab Emirates.

The weather is hot, but from what I’ve been told, it has actually cooled off tremendously - from like 130F (50C) to around 90F (34C), and the nights aren’t actually that bad. The obvious difference is the lack of humidity.

Our first day at the office is spent setting up the “command post”. Actually it involves moving a bunch of crap around and setting up the workstations. As soon as you walk outside, if it wasn't for the heat, you might think you're on Mars or the moon. Bruce and Rand keep saying, "no, no, it looks like Southern Arizona, y'know the Sonoran Desert". Actually, Nick and I don't know as we've never been there. So, for now, its Mars.
We break early for a late lunch at the local mall.
And eat Chili’s. Yep, I’m eating Chili’s at a mall. Hmm… weird.

Later that night, Bruce takes us to the local rugby club for a Hawaiian t-shirt luau with his local expat group called Hash (don’t ask). On the way home, Larry takes Corey, Nick and I up to the top of the Jebel Hafeet, a 4,000 ft. mountain, With 21 corners and three lanes (two climbing and one descending), the immaculate road to the top was called the greatest driving road in the world by Edmunds.com.

What awaits you is either the Royal Palace of or where we hung out, the Mercure Grand. The Mercure is a 4 star, mountain oasis resort, and it features large pools, bars, private cabanas, and dining overlooks all perched on the side of the mountain. The views are spectacular and the breeze is so strong, it’s actually chilly up there. We indulge in some German beer and sheesha (their version of hooka). I do some exploring of my own and end up at the pool deck, where I do my best Wedding Crasher impression and treat myself to delicious food and drinks. I simply followed the rule book: •Rule #3: When crashing an Indian wedding, identify yourself as a well-known immigrant officer or a county lawyer. Perfect.

Day One in the Middle East

Ahhh… the 14.5 hour flight to Dubai. It actually wasn’t as bad as I thought. Uncomfortable? Check. Cold? Check. Long? Check. But, the food was good and the movies were even better… State of Play, Defiance, The Hangover. The latter was edited, so as not to offend those sitting next to you… funny to see the Chinese guy jumping out of the trunk of the car, only this time he has digital tighty-whiteys on.

We get picked up by Larry and his son Corey, in a small SUV of sorts… however, there’s 5 of us plus 4 luggage bags, 3 computer monitors, and 3 desktop boxes. Yeah, we were mules and this isn’t gonna work. So we have to hire a cab to drive half of us all they way to Al Ain… which is like 1hr, 45min away. We finally get to our villas around midnight.

The villas that were staying at are rather plush and very nice... lots of space. There are two of them side-by-side, and they each have 4 bedrooms, living room, long dining room, full

kitchen, laundry room and six, yes SIX bathrooms. I think

they were definitely designed with having visitors/guests in mind. Bruce’s villa is really nice as he has quite the interior decorator touch.

The villas also have internet access, so I can email friends/family as I go to sleep and they are sometimes just getting up. It's definitely gonna take some time to get used to being half a day ahead on the other side of the world. Lastly, the only downside seems to be that the TV has very few decent channels –its mostly British and Arabic programming – which means no Gators and no Cowboys (ahhhh!) and its really hard getting used to not having a cell phone... not being able to just pick up the phone

and call someone.