My friend Tracy and her hubby were nice enough to let me tag along with them, I would not have been able to accomplish such a fantastic day or maneuver the confusing visa stamp process on my own, so props to them for letting me join their adventure. We started the day with a nice breakfast at a cute little cafe called Hippie Chick Cafe here in Abu Dhabi. By far the best breakfast I've had in a long time, turkey ham, scrambled eggs, hash browns and a side of baked beans & mushrooms that I didn't eat. What a great way to start the day!
We finally got on the road to Al Ain around 11 and since I wasn't driving I was able to take in the scenery which was just beautiful. Heading towards Oman you get to see the rolling sand dunes along the way and eventually even some mountains. I believe the arabic word for mountain is 'jebel'. So now I know two arabic words, jebel (mountain) and jamal (camel), go me! Aside from the scenery we also met some nice people working at the Omani border and were able to pick up brochures with more information about Oman and its tourist destinations. It definitely looks like a place I want to visit again.
Heading back home we noticed dark clouds in the sky and I thought that maybe it might rain. I hadn't seen rain since I'd been home and thunderstorms are probably my favorite kind of weather, so I was really hopeful that it would at least rain a little bit. As we were driving the clouds got darker and it got windier, it was hard to even see in front of us because the sand was blowing every where. I think it was then that I noticed a funnel cloud and realized 'hey, we're in the middle of a sandstorm!' A few minutes later there were a couple fat raindrops on my window and I thought, 'this can't be rain, not right after a sandstorm,' but indeed it was. The raindrops kept coming faster and faster and the clouds got bigger and darker, it was really amazing!
After that we stopped for lunch in a local restaurant and ate mandi, a traditional arabic meal with rice, meat, and seasonings. The staff at the restaurant were really nice and took time to make suggestions and answer all of our questions, and the food was absolutely delicious. The best part for me was that the restaurant had no tables, all of the meals were served on the floor in small carpeted sections with pillows for sitting. We had mandi, fresh squeezed juices, fresh bread, and a desert made from dates, honey and bananas, which I didn't try.
When we finally got on the road back to Abu Dhabi it was nearing sunset which was a beautiful sight and a nice time to reflect on the day. As we were driving we noticed a herd of camels walking in the sand dunes off the side of the road and decided to pull off to try and take some pictures of them. The road was covered in sand and was only partially paved so we parked and got out to take pictures of the dunes and sunset and hopefully catch glimpse of the camels. The sand dunes and skyline at sunset are amazing enough, but to see camel humps slowly coming toward you and peeking over the tops of dunes is priceless! There had to be about 12 - 16 camels just walking and grazing in the pack and they just walked on by us like they did it every day. Some of the camels were curious about us and slowed down to look at the car and even get within arms length of us. Having not one, but several camels approaching you in a wide open space is enough to make you want to crap your pants and have a heart attack lol. It was so exhilarating! Thankfully the camels were curious but not aggressive so we took our few pictures and then were on our way.
If that had been the end of our day I would have been a happy girl. It was more fun than I had had in a long time but the day was not done. After being storm chasers and camel chasers we then had dinner with some of the brave men from the air force base here. It was a really humbling experience to share a meal with some of the men who risk their lives daily just to make sure that we are able to live freely, and share some stories of our experiences living abroad. Good food, good people, good times :)
We ended our night by heading to Yas Marina Circuit, a formula one race track here. They hold races there but also have certain nights of the week that people can walk or cycle on the track for exercise. This particular night was like some sort of amateur night where regular people could pay a fee to drive and race their own cars on the track. Talk about mind-blowing! There were all kinds of people there driving their own (very expensive) cars around the track and it looked like they were having a ball. It's definitely something I would love to try.
And that was my day folks! All day long I kept finding myself thinking, "is this really my life?!". Indeed, it is.
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