From city to desert

You will be happy to know that after three weeks I am alive and well. I am finally beginning to feel settled in to my new life here in Dubai and have had the chance to explore a bit.

View from our room in the Media One hotel

In my last post, I wrote about what it was like getting into Dubai and the first few days. School has been going well and I have made many friends, some of whom I am already sure will last a lifetime. The first two weeks of school were very tiring, I found crawling out of bed at 5:30am became easier every morning, but I am still working on not wanting to pass out at 7-8pm every night. I have to plead guilty to the fact that I have not cooked much in my new place, as ordering in is too easy, very affordable, and some restaurants offer some pretty healthy options. I have already become victim to the Dubai lifestyle! I will also use the excuse that my gas oven does not have any temperature settings... simply a dial from high to low.. very strange.

It is also a strange thing that already in mid-September we are on a week of holiday for Eid, an Islamic religious holiday. Time for rest, relaxation, and adventures in the UAE.

Dessert table at Media One brunch
(click to enlarge)

Friday was my first experience having "brunch" in Dubai. Do not be fooled by the name, as brunch can refer to any meal taken throughout the day. I've not completely figured it out yet, but my experience so far was interesting. We booked an evening brunch at the Media One hotel and received a complimentary single room, so we arrived in the afternoon to take advantage of the free pool access. It was nice to have a girly day relaxing on the sunbeds with poolside food and drink service, before we dolled ourselves up for the evening. 

Brunch at Media One was known to be a good one. We used special discounts and ended up paying 270 dirhams for all inclusive food and drink (96 CAD or 55 GBP) which is a good price for brunch. The buffet that greeted us included seafood, sushi, curries, and traditional Western food. Not to mention a delightful smorgasbord of breads, cheeses, and desserts including a chocolate fountain and cotton candy machine. We enjoyed a delicious meal and an endless stream of Prosecco or whatever else we felt like drinking as the dj (yes, dj) played the best tunes from the last twenty years. The music was fantastic, a 90s kid's dream. Conversation was routinely interrupted by belted out song lyrics, and by the end of the night people were on their feet dancing between the tables. The restaurant turned into a nightclub before our eyes.   

At 11:30pm brunch was over and we eventually got kicked out. I stepped outside to explore the terrace, and was amazed to see it was air conditioned. I am well used to space heaters on outdoor terraces for those chilly summer evenings, but to see the other extreme.. air conditioning? Dubai, people, it's got everything. We later took the elevator up to the nightclub on the 43rd floor of the hotel. Not really my thing, especially when I discovered you are able to smoke in nightclubs in Dubai. By the time I got home around 2am, I immediately showered the smoke from my stinging eyes and putrid hair. 

A few days later, on to the next adventure! Someone from our group suggested a day-long road trip to see a few sights. Our three car convoy drove southeast of Dubai toward the Oman border. Unable to cross the border due to the pending passport/visa situation, we drove around Oman to get to our first stop in Hatta. Along the way we got our first glimpse of true, unending desert. We freaked out at the first sighting of camels, and again at the second. 

We climbed into the mountains and turned a wide bend to see a reservoir, the most brilliant shade of turquoise. Being in the desert makes you appreciate these sites so much more.  We then had a lunch at the nearby hotel, and drove northward along the coast. 

Hatta reserv

In Fujairah we detoured off the main road and drove parallel to the beach, until the driver of the lead vehicle made a quick turn onto the sand. He drove straight onto the beach toward the seafront-- as the locals do, apparently! We hopped out of the cars and enjoyed a bit of sun, sand, and surf. One of the boys found a half baked skate on the sands and thought to throw it at me. I was more upset about the fact that it landed in the water and disappeared amongst the waves, so I couldn't get a good look at it!

 

We followed the coast northward once more, passing through little pockets of civilization. We stopped again in Khor Fakkan, just as the sun was beginning to set. The entire town seemed to be enjoying the beach and the park, and parasailers cruised over the bay. We then finally turned for home, driving west into the sunset. The landscape was ethereal, its mountains misty, palm trees silhouetted in front of them. Once we passed the mountains we drove through the desert as the sands took on the glow from the sunset. I knew at once that my love affair with the desert had begun. 

Since the adventures of the weekend, the remainder of the time has been R&R. I did a bit more shopping to make home feel more like home, and took the time this morning to do a solid clean. To take advantage of the moment, I finally made a video tour of my apartment to show everyone back home, so I'll leave you with that one. Enjoy! For my next post you can look forward to seeing highlights from my trip to Abu Dhabi later this week.