Hili Archaeological Park and....... Weather in Al Ain

This morning, Kim and I hiked to Hili Archaelogical Park, about 2 miles down the road.  There was not one person there when we arrived, and only a mother, father, and 2 children when we left.  It's a large park area, beautiful with grass and flowers, and a few scattered remnants of an archaeological dig.

This is the pathway leading in from the main entrance.  It reminds me a little of DisneyWorld if you could be there when there are no visitors!

This is a picture of the foundations of one of the buildings that was part of a larger settlement. Pottery found here belonged to one of the Bronze Age Phases (3rd Millennium B.C.) and additional pottery shows that it was reoccupied during the Iron Age (1st Millennium B.C.)

This is the central fountain, with the ubiquitous mosque in the background

There were various play areas for children, but I found this the most fascinating.  It was huge.  I'm not sure I would  let my children slide down this monster.  AND....right behind this is something called "Free Fall."  It was like a straight wall that children would slide down (NOT A SLIDE--a STRAIGHT WALL!) and then land at the bottom.  Kim said it might be entertaining to watch the children get hurt!  I can imagine broken limbs!!  They do not have the same concern over here about lawsuits that we have in the U.S.  Many times out walking we will see things that are SO dangerous, but there are not even warning signs of danger.....much less barriers to protect people.

This is a close-up of a carving on the Hili Grand Tomb. It is an oryx, an animal that is indigenous to Arabia.  This rock carving was created more than 4,000 years ago. This tomb is the largest monument in the U.A.E. in terms of the size of the stones used.  It was excavated in 1965.

On another note, it's been an interesting contradiction in weather this past week.  First, we had BIG rains!  Here is a picture of the rain standing on the basketball court and 2 little kids running around kicking the water.

Then, just yesterday we had an awesome sandstorm.  According to The National, our newspaper, the storm started off the coast of Dubai and headed east to us, with wind speeds of up to 55 kph.

Visibility at some points was almost zero.  Then, as the sand died down, you could see enough to get this picture.

So now, we've had the heat, the rain, the sand, and the "cold."  It got chilly enough for me to wear a sweater on several mornings!  Can't wait to see what's next in store.....

Weekend in Dubai

We decided to get away for the weekend and spend a couple of nights in Dubai.  We got there about 5:30 Thursday night, checked in, and had a lovely walk along the creek. We ate at a Japanese restaurant where you select all your own food, put it on a plate, and give it to the chef who then prepares it for you.  It was so much fun! The desserts were about as beautiful as any I have ever seen, but I didn't want to be gauche and take a picture of them!

On Friday we went up to the 124th floor of the Burj Khalifa and toured.  It was amazing, and we were fortunate to have some awesome views.  With the fog being so bad in the past week, we were worried that visibility would be low.  The ride up was so fast!!  You couldn't see out:  probably because people would get motion sickness?!  You could hardly tell the elevator was even moving.

Burj Khalifa:  tallest building in the world

We went to the Dubai Mall, where we found all the things we couldn't find in Al Ain.  I was so excited to finally find a pair of shoes in my size!  I bought some jeans, some casual walking pants, two pairs of shoes, and some other odds and ends.  Kim got a watch to replace his that finally gave up the ghost after 6 years.

Standing in front of the Burj:  couldn't get the whole thing in the picture, even though we were still quite a distance off

Looking out across the Gulf:  Look how small the other skyscrapers look!!

Looking down on the road system from the Burj:  you can see the shadow it casts

We visited the Gold Souk and the Textile Souk, where I bought some scarves.  Kim was a little overwhelmed with all the "hawking" of wares, so we didn't tarry for long.  We stopped at a little creek-side restaurant and enjoyed an evening snack and the sunset.

View looking out across the creek as we ate

The Old Souk at night

Deira Creek at night:  you can see the small boats ferrying people across the creek

Sunset with the Burj Khalifa standing tall in the background

Gold Souk at the Mall

On Saturday we took it easy and walked along the creek for the morning.  We sat out by the pool and soaked up some quiet rays until it was time to head back to Al Ain for work tomorrow!!

Walking along the creek on Saturday:  interesting juxtaposition of the modern yachts in the background with the small boat in the foreground

Christmas in Spain: Ronda and Seville

Our next two trips were a jeep trek through Andalucia and a LONG day trip to Seville.

First, Andalucia:

We took a jeep tour through the small pueblos blancos or white towns nestled in the hillsides of the mountains.

Looking out across the valleys

In a grove of olive trees....This olive tree has been dated at 1,000 years old.

Picking olives--We learned that green and black olives come from the same tree.  The difference is in their degree of ripeness.  Green olives are picked by hand.  When ripe, the black olives are harvested by shaking the tree trunk and collecting the fallen olives.  They then have to be marinated for a long period of time before being eaten.

Also picking oranges....There are orange trees everywhere, even lining the city streets.  The ones in the cities are not edible (it would take 1 kilo of sugar to make 1 orange edible).  These particular oranges were in an orchard and were delicious!!

The small town of Monda--Women bring their laundry here to the city center and use the water for washing clothes.

Stopping to let the sheep and goats walk past on the road--very pastoral!

Saint Roque Chapel:  There is a statue of the saint and the dog who saved his life inside.  This is on a hilltop, very windy and cold!  Nearby is the water that is said to increase the life-span of the people in the city below.  They have been studied by scientists to determine what enables them to live so long.

We all drank water from the fountain so we could have a longer life.....Some of us (Stephanie and Cory!) drank enough to live two full lives!!  This is Cory drinking down all the water Steph put into a bottle to take home!  LOL

Another view looking down into yet another small white town.  I never tired of this!!

Looking down from one of the towns overlooking the Mediterranean Sea

The next day we went to Seville.  This was a LONG bus ride in the pouring rain.  We didn't get to see much in Seville except the cathedral, but we did have a delightful lunch in a little tapas bar.  That's the only thing that saved the day!!

Abbey Road redux

Two crazy girls

Little Tapas Bar....it saved the day!

Cathedral pictures:

Christopher Columbus' remains.....

They wouldn't let us eat Tapas inside.....so we took our Sangria and left (meanwhile, Cory is off looking for another place we can eat!)

Christmas in Spain and Morocco: Mijas Pueblas and Tangier

Our trip to Spain was lovely!  We flew out of Dubai on December 19th, had a short layover in Paris, and then landed in Malaga, Spain.  Heather and Cory were already at the airport when we landed.  They had arrived a little earlier and were still waiting on their luggage....which never arrived.  We spent the night at a small hotel in downtown Malaga and ate at a little place called El Pimpi.

View from our hotel room in Malaga Centro

Back door to El Pimpi--all decorated for Christmas.  We stepped out the back door after eating and were surprised to find the Roman ruins that Kim had been wanting to explore!

Roman Ruins in central Malaga

The one-arm church:  never finished building the second wing

Entry to Pablo Picasso museum

The next day, we went to meet Stephanie at the airport, and then found out she was stuck in Paris because of snow.  We all boarded a train to Fuengirola, but then Cory realized he had left his sunglasses at the hotel.  He jumped off the train, went to the hotel to get his glasses, and then waited at the airport to see if Steph's flight would make it.  The rest of us checked into our condo in Mijas and checked out a local sea-front restaurant.  We had some paella and kept checking Steph's flight.

Our dinner while waiting on Steph and Cory:  paella
Notice how it is made with whole prawns....This took some getting used to!

View from the restaurant our first night.  This restaurant quickly became one of our favorites!

It seemed the airport in France was closed indefinitely, so we did not expect to see Steph that night.  When Cory knocked on the door later, we knew he would be tired and hungry.....but we found Stephanie at the door!  She was lucky to catch a flight out during a small window of openings before the flights were cancelled again!

The next morning we got a call from the front desk that Heather and Cory's luggage had been delivered during the night.  We were set to go!

Our first trip was to Mijas Pueblas, a small town up in the hills near us (we were in Mijas Costa--the coast)

Looking out on the city of Mijas Pueblas from where we ate lunch

Cory outside the Plaza de Toros:  one of the oldest bull-fighting rings in Spain

Stephanie sitting in the President's Box

No bullfight this day, so Heather plays toreador to "Kim the Bull"

Chapel of Virgin de la Pena

Interior of the sanctuary

You can see down the mountainside all the way from Mijas Pueblas to Mijas Costa, on the Mediterranean Sea--a quiet moment of contemplation before heading home for the night.  The trip up and down the mountain was quite scary!  We took a local bus, and there were hair-pin curves.  Our driver was determined to keep to his schedule.  At one point, we passed a fuel tanker on a curve!!

Our next day trip was to Morocco.  We took a bus down to the coastal city of Tarifa and then took a ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar.  It is only about 10 miles across the water!  You can see Africa from Spain.  The ferry ride was fast and furious:  this meant lots of big waves and up and down motion.  Four of us had quite a thrill ride, while Heather bunked down in back, feeling queasy.

At the windiest place in Europe, Cory's ticket goes flying across the parking lot......He did finally catch it and make the ferry ride across to Morocco with us!

Leaving Tarifa (southernmost point in Europe) on the ferry

Catching our first glimpse of Tangier, Morocco

Stephanie at the entrance to Old Tangier

When we got to Morocco, we had a tour scheduled, with a guide named Mohammed.  (The first-born son in each family is named Mohammed; the first daughter is named Fatima.)  He took us on a camel ride, to see a snake charmer, through the small back alleys for shopping, and to a tour of a rug souk and a pharmacy.  We ate lunch with live Moroccan music and belly-dancing.  All in all, it was definitely a fun day!  The ride back across the water was VERY long--about 2 hours because we landed farther up the coast, but it was also a slow ferry, so Heather had a much easier time!

Mohammed is explaining the importance of the "hand of Fatima" placed on each doorway, to ward off the evil eye

Eeeeeekkk....a snake!  No, seriously, at least it wasn't the cobra he was holding a short time earlier!!

Walking the back alleys of Old Tangier, through the markets

Chickens

Meats...doesn't this look hygienic (notice his apron)!

Olives and more

Snails....with a few escapees!

Handcrafted wooden chests:  BEAUTIFUL!

Lunch:  cous-cous, chicken, carrots, cabbage

Belly Dancer and Musicians

The Pharmacy:  they mix up whatever you want right in front of you.  There was an entire room full of these jars.  Kim got some Frankincense.  We also bought a mix of 37 different spices to cook with.  Already tried it:  delicious!

Leaving Africa to head home

Passing by the Rock of Gibraltar at night