Sunday 22nd Jan: Al Ain

Al Ain is 100 miles from Dubai, on the border with Oman. Rob thought it might be interesting for us to see a part of the country outside the upmarket holiday facilities of Dubai.

It’s motorway all the way, and we are soon running through the desert. This is a typical view, also with some camel herds that were too far away to photograph so you’ll have to make do with the crash barrier and a pylon.

We’re heading for Jebel Hafeet, a mountain on the far side of Al Ain. The stark rocks are evident as soon as we get to the outskirts of the city.

It’s a beautiful new road up the barren mountainside that has no trees or even bushes. You can see a bit of greenery at the bottom of the photo on the outskirts of Al Ain. The road doesn’t disappear, by the way, but dodges behind the white stone in the lower centre of the picture.

The UAE (United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai and Al Ain are part) is known for poor driving skills. The next photo of a small truck seems to underline that observation; especially worrying as the road is excellent and alcohol is banned. 

At the top we’re at around 3,500 ft, in a huge car park that has clearly been blasted from the rock. The red-roofed building at the back rejoices in the name of the “Asphalt Café”, and did a very creditable chicken tikka wrap for lunch at literally ¼ of Dubai prices. The black, tarry relish came free.

The views were remarkable, if a little misty. We are looking down here into Oman.

The car park contains several of these notices. We stopped writing our postcards home immediately! 

An interesting feature is the sheik’s summer palace, looking like a concrete flying saucer. It’s apparently 10 degrees C cooler up here, so a welcome respite from the summer heat for the local aristocracy. Notice, too, the road running along the ridge: that’s our way down.

We pass through Al Ain once more on our way back to Dubai; it’s a fairly ordinary town, but here and there some buildings stand out: this mosque for instance that looks so elegant. Even the lamppost is in harmony. 

Today we realised that Dubai resort isn’t the whole story. The UAE is a desert land with a harsh climate, but somewhat cushioned by the oil wealth that flowed into the country from the 1960’s.