Thanksgiving in the Desert: Photo Flash

I'll follow up shortly with a real post that explains these pics from my Thanksgiving weekend here in Abu Dhabi, which included my first 5K diabetes walk, some boardgames and sheesha, a self-guided walking tour of the real downtown Abu Dhabi, and most importantly...a $10 Pakistani buffet with a midget greeting me at the door:

PHOTOS HERE

A second visit to Dubai: Balancing the new and old

My apologies ya'll - I've been slackin' for sure on my blogging/writing/photo posting responsibilities. Now that I'm back visiting Seattle for a few days, I'm getting a bit more breathing time (literally - the chilly air is nice and refreshing on the lungs!)

If I remember right, the last Evan in AD post was about the adventure to Oman. Since that memorable (for better or worse) trip two weeks ago, I managed to squeeze in another trip up to Dubai. Visit #2 to Dubai was quite in different. In place of the motoracing, indoor ski slopes and world's tallest building (we actually saw the Burj Khalifa again b/c you CAN'T not see it) was a refreshing replacement of some real culture down in the older area of Dubai. We had a chance to explore the souk markets and stroll along the waterfront. Sticking with my theme of pictures being better than (my) words, I'll let the pixelated action take it from here:
A fortress-like structure a block or so from the river. Wish I knew more of the significance/history, but I'm guessing it was important in protecting the waterwater trade routes. I could be way off though...

Me and a couple co-workers strolling through Dubai textile market area. Can you guess which one is me? I'll give you a hint - I didn't wear a skirt that day.

Two of the locals having a Saturday afternoon discussion

An impromtu game of cricket in the alley...moments like these are what make traveling so great.

More wandering through the souks



Daily life on the river through Dubai

My co-workers - a mix of nationalities: India, US and Syria. Getting the opportunity to meet, interact, and learn from so many people of different parts of the world and of different cultures is one my favorite aspects of working/living abroad.

Speaking of new cultures and areas of the world, any chance that I could rock this look back in Seattle? I'm thinking it could work for sure, especially if I tracked down a rainproof one...

Speaking of rain, I'll be living it up back in Seattle for the next few days, so I won't bother ya'll with any posts (I'm loving the fresh air and cool rain so far, but I doubt that'd make for an interesting blog post). So, I'll check ya on the flip side when I'm back in the heat in UAE next week.

Nightmare to 0man / Abu Dhabi Delight

This past weekend was one of lessons learned, unforgettable experiences (for better or worse), and the confirmation that Abu Dhabi still does have some traditional culture left amidst all the glitz, glam and Gucci. The two days were quite opposite - one unexpectedly unpleasant, the other unexpectedly enjoyable.

Friday (our Saturday) was bound to be an adventure - my colleagues and I rented a car and hit the road eastward for oman, the neighboring country known to be progressive and expat-friendly. Our main goal was to it to Sohar, a coastal 0mani town about a four hour drive away, for a day and night of exploration and R&R. Oh, and a few of us needed to renew our "paper" which requires and exit and re-entry.

Long story short: mission #1 (Sohar) was a big fail, but mission #2 was a success. It took about 90 minutes to get to the 0man border...three hours later we hadn't made it more than 10 miles in. Without divulging too many details (I'm a bit paranoid of what govts might be monitoring), we basically paid several ludicrious fees, were told numerous different stories, and were ultimately stopped in every way possible from continuing to Sohar. So, with an eye-opening three hour experience in 0man under our belts, we crossed back over the border and headed home.

The next day was much more pleasant. Determined to find some traditional culture within the modern metropolis of downtown Abu Dhabi, a few of found the Iranian souks down near the Corniche. As you'll see from the pictures below, life in these souks hasn't been affected much by the globalization and rapid development of the rest of the city. Old wooden ships still float in fruits and vegetables, crafts and artwork is displayed market-style on the concrete ground and no high-heels or Lamborghinis were in sight - a great combo and quite refreshing if you ask me...

So have a gander at a few of my favorite images from this past weekend - the good, the bad and the ugly:

Cruising through Al Ain, the border town to 0man - we're certainly not in Abu Dhabi anymore...

While numerous, the mosques still don't fail to catch my eye everytime I pass one

Western 0man lookin' a bit like Arizona

Okay, maybe you don't find this in Arizona - about 30 minutes outside of downtown Abu Dhabi


At the Iranian souk: loading watermelons from the old wooden boat into an old wooden truck, probably being taken to an old wooden building

New best friend

42 pounds of watermelon, courtesy of new best friend

Can't believe this thing still floats - pretty sure it was used in the Iranian pirate battles of 1542

Guess all of them still don't quite float!