January was a very low key month. First most of the students were around the globe studying for the Jterm session and only a few remained in Abu Dhabi. This gave staff a little more time to enjoy some additional downtime as we fulfilled department tasks and prepared for the spring semester. In addition, this gave me some time to host a guest from New York and participate in some tourists activities. Starting with the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque located between Mussafah bridge and Maqta bridge.
With assistance from a tour guide, there was much to acquire about the Grand Mosque.
A few details:
The mosque is open for tours___
It can accommodate 40,000 people, if need be.
It has approximately 82 domes around the property and the mosque itself
There are 5 daily prayers, which are exemplified on the following clocks.
Starting at the top, you can find the real/current UAE time.
In Arabic
Periods or times when prayers take place
Farj –Dawn , Shoroq-Sunrise, Dhuhr-Mid day, Asr-Afternoon, Maqrib-Sunset, Tsha-Night
Imam stands at this podium to give the daily prayers, live each day. These prayers are projected (via satellite) and are heard all around Abu Dhabi and the local mosques.
The carpet located in the Grand Mosque has its own story. This handmade Iranian carpet took 2yrs to make. Final touches had to be finished on site and in patches in order to work around the columns and ongoing construction.
It took 11 years to construct the magnificent Grand Mosque.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan loved gardens and flowers, and the style was incorporated into the design detail. Also family members had an opportunity to contribute their own suggestions into the structure it is today.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, 1st President of the UAE and was ruler of Abu Dhabi
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Current President of the United Arab Emirates,
Ruler of Abu Dhabi
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice President of UAE,
Ruler of Dubai
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces. He works closely with our university.
Exploring Dubai
Part of being a tourist is exploring Dubai, which also included plans for my first desert safari. What I had not accounted for was the laid back planning / our late start on behalf of the travel company. This culminated in an hour long bus trip which was at full capacity, a snoring man, a screaming toddler, and all to an unidentified location with other people looking for the same adventure. At least once we arrived you knew you were in the right location (even through our bus driver got lost). At first glance, you could see people randomly having picnics, playing soccer and I was delighted to have phone service for certain portion.
Great use of SUVs. Complete open space and if any driver saw a good spot , they were welcome to just turn off the road and hit the dunes.
Luckily we were paired with a lovely Indian family. The children live in Dubai and parents were here visiting. All six of us were in this lovely (one and only burgundy) SUV-my favorite color...of course I took that as a sign / good luck charm. That's also after I said my prayers once vehicle started moving.
Within the first 2 minutes, I became acutely aware of how insane and terrifying dune bashing can be. All you see are steep valleys and dunes of sand. The entire ride felt like a portable rollercoaster, which kept your adrenaline pumping along with the loud appropriate car music. In the moment it was so terrifying but mixed with excitement. I was in awe about where we were and felt comfortable because obviously our driver was a professional. I tried to take more pictures but everything was moving too fast and I had to hold on for safety purposes. We did manage to take a quick break to enjoy the desert ambience.
The dunes provided a great view of the desert, but it was nice once we arrived to main base (with food, 4x4s, henna, shopping, camel rides). Before the trip I was very excited about camels and they were an absolute MUST. However, once I saw them for the first time, I started having second thoughts.
We must have stood there for 30-45 minutes trying to decide what to do.
It didn’t help that:
-I saw this woman utterly terrified and basically fell off camel instead of gracious dismounting it. I think she was absolutely jolted and fear got the best of her and she could not walk.
-The camel's descent requires everyone to lean far back as the camel rest down on its four feet.
-No organized process for riding the camels, and people kept cutting the line.
After some hesitation, we gave in and decided to ride the camels after all.
The ride was lasted about 5-7minutes, and after doing it I felt accomplished.
But still terrified about how large these animals are.
Hence the fear in my eyes even as my picture was taken.
To ease my fright, I decided to partake in 4x4 driving instead.
At that point the grounds were clear and the entire track was all me. After dune bashing, I was afraid the hill might be too high. But after one round (def with a helmet) I was more relaxed and continued to take 4/5 laps around. I was the queen of my domain. Granted it was not as fast as others but it felt refreshing and free.
After those thrills, we went inside the main area where we joined approximately 400 other people who were fulfilling their desert adventure. The same family we spent time with earlier during dune bashing, invited us to join their table; it was very nice of them. The rest of evening concluded with delicious food, a belly dancing and tanura dancer show.
Following the desert safari, I have a greater appreciation for the power of an SUV, the drivers, and anyone who gets a thrill from this adventure. While I believe it is a risky sport, I absolutely had a wonderful time and would do it again. Though the arrival stage was a bit unorganized, at the end of evening, you could tell that these travel companies know what they are doing.
Other Dubai Highlights:
Jumeirah Beach Hotel
Burj Khalifa at night
View from Atmosphere, 122 floor in Burj Khalifa
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