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!
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