Why Did The Camel Cross The Road?

Because it was no longer needed - now that Pia got her new car :)

And what better than to put the wheels to good use right away? Aric, Aidan and Pia decided to venture outside the glitzy sandbox and see some of the other Emirates. Hunter unfortunately did not join as he was grounded. We very much encourage creative thinking outside the box, arguing a cause and speaking your opinion - except for when it comes to arguments over whether you should do your homework...and discussions with your teacher about what should be taught in class! So Hunter took a little time to think about whether he actually wants to be the Principal or just settle for a student role the next few years.

Meanwhile, the rest of the family - armed with bottles of water, road map, a full tank of gas (at $20) and a great sense of excitement - headed North-East on highway 611 / E88 through Sharjah, our neighboring Emirate and then across the desert to Fujairah, on the opposite coast. It's the only Emirate (out of the 7) located on the Gulf of Oman, rather than the Persian Gulf - also the only Emriate that is almost totally mountainous. Because of the terrain it also gets most rainfall as is evident by looking at the rough stoney hills with all the run-offs and ravines. It is such a change in scenery from the flat sandy desert we are normally surrounded by and the beauty is hard to describe.

For those interested in a little Geography lesson, Fujairah borders the Sultanate of Oman, and Oman has a small exclave inside the mountains of Fujairah. You never quite know when you cross a border out in the wilderness so our car insurance includes all 7 Emirates as well as Oman. There are only 130,000 nationals in Fujairah and no foreigners are allowed to buy or own land there (as opposed to free zones in Dubai where westerners are allowed to buy and own).

On the way East we passed lots of strange phenomenons - seems that the local Emiratis love to pull off the roads and settle with a picnic about 100 feet into the desert. It's almost as if they've never been able to roam around outside the big cities and they do a little off-roading in the sand dunes, only to park, set of camping chairs and let the kids collect dry branches and twigs for the family BBQ fire. We also passed lots of camels roaming the desert shoulders of the highway, not stopped by cattle grids (as they were filled with sand) - there ought to be signs with "Camel X-ing" rather than deer signs.

We had lunch at a very local and original Arab restaurant with great Mezze, Hommous, fresh salad and pita bread. The food is fantastic here and we are really falling in love with the traditional cuisine of Middle Eastern dishes. Oddly there seems to be a big population of Indians in Fujairah - perhaps because it is cheaper to live there than Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Driving along the desert road from Dubai, we saw a lot of little "strip malls" and then out of nowhere you would see a row of stands with fruit, toys and Oriental Rugs...in fact, if we ever need to shop for rugs, that's where I would go - they were beautiful and inexpensive. Propably cut out 2-3 middlemen! The main industry - not surprising - is cement, stone crushing and mining, with sub industry of steel and iron work. Driving along the coastal road from Fujairah Port up to Dibba, was such a mesmerizing vision. Rocky coastal line mixed with small sand coves - it is very similar to Portugal's Atlantic coast.

Every Emirate has their odd trademark - I'm convinced Fujairah loves round-abouts. We passed the shark roundabout, the teapot & cup roundabout, the pottery roundabout, the lantern roundabout and the ship and dolphin roundabout on our trip. Tried to capture the quirkiness of them all, as well as the traditional Arab living places. Very different from Dubai's fast and bling-filled city life. Goats seem to rule in Fujairah where Ferraris rule in Dubai! It was a great all day road trip and next time we hope to make it into Oman for a little additional excitement and Arab insight!