Al Ain

The freedom of having our own car! No more taxi drivers for at least a few days. They are not quite like a box of chocolates, but you never know what you're gonna get. Sometimes, they are kind, know where they are going and make conversation in their limited English. Other times, they don't understand you at all. If they feel frustrated enough, they may ask you to get out of the car or start waving their hands dismissively and yelling in Arabic. This happens more often in what I call the "stinky" cabs. There are two kinds. The gold and white taxi is cheaper, older and has the well-defined scent of a car that has hosted sweaty people for years. The smell is ingrained in the upholstery. One of my favorite rides in a stinky cab was when the driver positioned himself directly in the flow of the AC blowing all the man-smell from his underarms towards me. It felt like one of those movie scenes where the hot chick is standing in the wind with her hair and clothes swaying gracefully- but not. Although he did have flowy garments on... After that, I began carrying lotion in my purse to sniff throughout my rides. The advantage is that those drivers have been here longer, so they know where they are going. But, sometimes they want to bargain for the cab price instead of using the meter and I've already shared what happens if they lose their patience. Also, there are the new silver cabs -fancy and more expensive (by a couple of US dollars). The drivers are nice but clueless since some of them have been here less time than I have. I end up giving directions in my new broken English "at signal- left, now stop, Stop!" The driving is something else. Left turns from two lanes over from the left-turn lane and lots of honking. I've seen worse in the streets of Buenos Aires, but for some of my friends, every cab drive feels like a life threatening experience. Needless to say, when we rented a Toyota Yaris for our out of town trip to Al Ain, Michael and I felt a complete sense of ownership over our destination. Armed with our road map to the UAE, we headed for the "Garden City" known for its greenery and natural oasis. On our one and half hour drive, I had my first experience with the desert. I was amazed by how soft and orange the sand dunes looked. They went on for miles since there is literally nothing between Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. When the weather cools down, we are both looking forward to going on a desert safari to see what its like to be in the desert and not just drive past it. Al Ain is the second most important city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. It is also the birthplace of former president Sheikh Zayed and has museums we thought could teach us some things about our new place. Our first stop though, was the camel market. You've probably heard Michael talk about his interest in this animal and we could not wait to see them face to face! We had heard rumors of people not being able to find the place, but we persevered and...you'll see! The captions on the web album will tell you the rest of the story. To get the full effect make sure you click on "view album" to start from the beginning! All in all the trip was a success in that when we returned to Abu Dhabi we felt like we were coming "home". Sometimes you have to leave to appreciate what you have.