Archive for February, 2013

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Fujairah Morning Sights

February 23, 2013

Posted by Kanga.

large mosque

While I was out early on Friday morning taking pictures of the sunrise, I took a few more of random sights. Starting with the new mosque which is either completed or near completion. There hasn’t been an opening ceremony, yet.

side view of the mosque

It has been interesting watching this building being built over the last year and a half.

view of main dome

The building on the far right is our apartment building. I suspect that we will hear the call to prayer loud and clear from there.

mosque at sunrise

mosque with sun directly behind it

The mosque is a beautiful addition to the skyline.

city skyline silhouetted in front of the sun

The tree in the picture below is interesting and hardy.

bent tree

You never know what you will see, including feral donkeys wondering around. The city is expanding and encroaching on their usual territory.

two feral donkeys in the city

Posted in Fujairah, mosque | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment »

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Sunrise in Fujairah

February 22, 2013

Posted by Kanga.

I finally got my lazy butt out of bed early and headed down to the beach to watch the Sun rise. Sunrise was supposed to be at 6:44 am. I got up at 6:15 and was in the car by 6:28. I was a little distressed to see that the sky was already light, but then remembered that the Sun is on a dimmer switch, so to speak, because the atmosphere bends light. So, I drove (probably a little too fast) across town. By the time I parked and got positioned for this photo session, the sky looked like this.

ocean and an orange glow on the horizon

The horizon was so hazy that I thought this was going to be disappointing. Certainly, it wouldn’t be as spectacular as the photo taken by our friend a few weeks ago. Maybe I would have to do this again on a clearer day.

ocean, orange haze, small arc of the sun appearing

Then the magic began.

ocean, orange haze, half the sun showing

With an impressive finish.

ocean, orange haze, sun fully above the horizon

It was well worth the trouble, even with the haze. I can fully understand why humans once worshipped the Sun.

If you want to see all the pictures, they are here.

Posted in beach, Fujairah | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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Genius Packaging

February 21, 2013

Posted by Kanga.

life-sized baby dolls in large plastic baby bottles

Baby in a Bottle, anyone?

Posted in Fujairah, oddities, Shopping | Tagged , | 1 Comment »

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Al Basha Restaurant

February 20, 2013

Posted by Kanga.

Well, once again, we have a new favorite restaurant. Al Basha Restaurant in the Fujairah Trade Centre Building.

restaurant sign

We met with friends who live here in Fujairah for a belated birthday dinner, since they were not able to attend the one in Dubai. The food was lovely. Lamb chops, mixed grill (chicken tikka, kabab, arayes, etc.) green salad, and arugula salad.

table full of dishes with hummus, bread, and meat

We ordered a LOT of food, but between the five of us, we managed to eat most of it. I did save a little of the mixed grill for lunch the next day.

Once it was cleared away, we broke out our Guillotine card game and played two games. It was a blast.

A pleasant evening eating good food outdoors with good friends.

Posted in food, Fujairah, restaurant, socialization | Leave a Comment »

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The Boat that Rocks Afternoon

February 10, 2013

Posted by Kanga.

At the invitation of Rock Radio 90.7, we headed off to Jebel Ali for an afternoon on a boat.

Google map view of Jebel Ali

The weather was perfect – sunny, as always, and a pleasant breeze.

long boat with glassed in lower level and open deck on top

DaddyBird dressed appropriately.

man wearing an Iron Maiden jacket standing at the bow of the boat

There were a variety of vessels out on water.

a small sailboat, motor boat and yacht on the waters

The posts in the distance are the unfinished bridge to the Jebel Ali Palm Island.

man on a paddle board

There’s no surf in the Gulf, so they do paddle boarding instead.

card game spread across a table

We got a few rounds of Guillotine card game in.

sun approaching the horizon, shining on the water

By the time the sun was reaching the horizon, our relaxing boat ride was over.

sun setting behind palm trees

Posted in Dubai, Palm Island | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment »

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Sunset, Good Food, Good Friends

February 8, 2013

Posted by Kanga.

red sunset as viewed from a highway between rugged hills

Thursday is the end of our week and the beginning of the weekend. We headed into Dubai to meet friends for dinner. It just happened to be sunset time. The high winds at this time of year kick up the dust and make for a pretty spectacular red glow along the horizon.

wispy clouds that look like wings

The wispy clouds were beautiful, like angel wings.

wispy pink clouds

We met good friends for dinner at the China Sea restaurant. We ordered too much food and managed to eat most of it.

carrot carved to look like a graceful bird

I am deeply impressed by our friends. They are good hearted, caring people, not just fun company.

Posted in Dubai, food, Fujairah, restaurant | Tagged , , | 3 Comments »

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Passive Aggressive Cat

February 8, 2013

Posted by Kanga.

tabby

Bert is generally a normal cat, but he has a few quirks. One is that he comes into the bedroom anytime from 3:30 to 5:30 a.m. to insist on getting under the bedcovers. It would be okay, if he just got under the covers, curled up and went to sleep. Instead he insists on being between DaddyBird and I, which means I have to roll over to make room for him. He then dilly dallies about getting under the covers and fusses about being positioned just right. He often goes in, curls up, waits a beat, and then exits just to turn around and want back in. Even if he does curl up quickly and settle in, then he wants to bite any hand or elbow that might be within reach. If he can’t bite, he’ll settle for kneading and clawing human flesh.

I’m skilled at sleeping, but cannot sleep through all of this. He manages to fuss around long enough to make sure I am completely awake and will not get back to sleep before the alarm goes off.

Thursday evening I had a little chat with Bert. I told him he was free to come in at any time and fuss around all he wanted about getting under the covers, because I was going to be able to go back to sleep no matter how long it took as this is the weekend.

Magically, Bert did not come at all. I’m sure he’ll be back around 3:30 am Sunday morning to ensure that I am sleep deprived for the beginning of my work week.

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Building on Sand

February 1, 2013

Posted by Kanga.

a hole in brick paving caused by erosion of the sand underneath

A clear illustration of that adage against building on sand.

Posted in Dubai | Tagged , , | 1 Comment »