Zanzibar

Oman

One of the great things about living in Al Ain is that it's pretty close to everything. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are only about an hour away, the empty quarter is just south, and the Oman border is only minutes away. Amy and I decided to start out March by hopping the border and heading into Oman with a local group called the Al Ain Weekenders. We didn't know what to expect, but we were happily surprised. 

The geography in Oman is drastically different than the U.A.E. Instead of an ocean of sand dunes and sky, Oman is filled with enormous mountains and rugged terrain. 

The Grand Mosque

In spite of a heavy work load, two weeks ago Amy and I were able to visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Amy had visited the mosque before I arrived in the U.A.E. and after seeing her photos I was very excited about our visit.

Up

This past weekend Amy and I found ourselves back in Dubai. We booked an early morning hot air balloon ride and the pickup for it was at the Dubai Ikea. The night before we ate at the Al Dawaar revolving restaurant on top of the Dubai Hyatt. The restaurant is good, but the view of the city is better.

Afterwards we drove to the nearby city of Sharjah. Sharjah is a suburb of Dubai, but has a much different vibe due to lack of tourists. It was a special night because the city had set up light shows at mosques around the city. We spent the rest of the evening walking around the beach corniche looking at the many mosques as they were painted with projections and lasers.

We woke long before the sunrise to catch our ride to the balloons. Our guides / drivers / pilots from Balloon Adventures Emirates were waiting and as soon as everyone arrived we immediately raced to the launch site (and when I say we raced, I mean we raced... those vans were moving!).

Christmas from Bavaria to Bohemia

Dune

A day before the National Day celebration Amy and I were invited to go "Dune Bashing" with our new friends Zach and Sarah. Dune bashing is essentially the Emirati version of muddin', or rootin' or whatever you call off-roading.

42

This past Monday marked the 42 anniversary of the United Arab Emirates. It is a big deal over here, and it should be. The UAE is one of the newest countries on earth, and in 42 years they have completely re-imagined their country.