Archive for the ‘Fujairah’ Category

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Happy 40th U.A.E. National Day

December 4, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

On December 2nd the United Arab Emirates turned 40.

drummers and a piper

We went to the Fujairah Fort to join in the celebrations. There was music, dancing, food, and fun.

Fujairah Fort and the competition arena

The third week of the Al Saif sword throwing competition was held in this arena.

young man balancing a sword on his palm

The swords used have thin flexible blades to reduce the chances of injury. Competitors balance the swords, feign mock fights, and toss the swords up into the air as high as possible.

two young men feigning a fight

The sword must be tossed from inside the circle on the arena floor and, hopefully, caught safely while remaining inside the circle.

two competitors before the panel of judges

I don’t know all the details of the scoring system, but points can be lost for loss of headwear, failure to catch the sword, or landing outside the circle. Two young men compete at a time and when done stand before the judges for evaluation.

boys playing in the arena

After the competition finished, the little boys not, yet, old enough to compete took the opportunity to try their hands at it.

Posted in celebration, Fujairah, United Arab Emirates | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Amateur Tour Guides

November 25, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

We served as amateur tour guides for Sharjah International Book Fair visiting authors (Mike, Terri, Sophie, Nicola, Stuart, and Yahia – I hope I got that all right.)

We started with lunch at a Yemeni restaurant.

people sitting on a carpeted eating area

We shared a large platter of mandi (lamb and rice).

large platter of lamb and rice

Eating rice with their hands seemed to be a new experience for everyone. It was enjoyed by all and mastered by some.

fort

Then we were off to Fujairah Fort which is open to the public due to the 40th National Day celebrations that started November 11th (with the beginning of the Al Saif sword competitions) and will continue through December 15th. The actual National Day is December 2nd and commemorates the joining of the 7 Emirates into a single country.

inside of the fort

It was a real pleasure to get to see the inside of the fort.

woman sitting at the top of the stairs

Sophie found a place to rest with an inspiring view and took a moment for contemplation.

fishermen making nets by hand

Below the Fort many traditional activities are on display. This man is making a fishing net by hand.

men tying palm leaves together

These men are tying palm leaves together to make a small boat.

palm leaves tied together

boats made of palm leaves

Eventually, it will look like this.

large grey bull

Then, of course, we had to squeeze in a visit to the bull butting. This competition is held every Friday afternoon and dates back to the 1600’s.

two bulls butting heads

The dark bull was something to see. He started by kneeling and rubbing his head on the ground and then was up in a flash, catching the other bull by surprise and gaining the advantage.

Unfortunately, time ran out and the authors had to return to Sharjah for the book fair activities. We enjoyed giving them a taste of Fujairah and Emirati culture.

Posted in bull butting, food, Fujairah | Tagged , , | 1 Comment »

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Day at the Park

November 7, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

The weather has “cooled” enough that it is pleasant to be outdoors, although it can still be a little sweaty, if there is no breeze.

man riding a horse through the park

You never know what you might see at the park.

people lined up on the beach watching water skiers

One source of free entertainment is watching others jet skiing. There are a couple of rental providers. One on which is “Titanic.” I’m not sure they are clear on what happened to the Titanic.

sign for Titanic Jet Ski Rental

And if you are feeling a little peckish, stop by the “Sponge Bop” concession truck.

concessions truck plastered with pictures of Sponge Bob

Posted in beach, Fujairah | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments »

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Tea, Surf, and Cat

November 5, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

white flowers with 5 pedals and yellow centers

We spent a pleasant evening at the Hilton with our friend, Rupert. Where we sat near the beach, drank tea, and listened to the surf. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I had hot chocolate instead of tea.)

waves and beach

If you look very closely at the horizon, you might see the ships and tankers lined up out there.

me wading in the surf

I dipped my toes in the Gulf of Oman for the first time. The sand here is dark, an almost chocolate brown. (I don’t know if that’s because of the actual composition of the sand or the occasional addition of crude oil.) The sand was soft and the water was cool.

black cat

There was even an affectionate kitty who wanted to be petted, until he discovered how good cheese cake tastes. Then his priorities changed. After he figured out cheese cake had run out, he decided that being petted was still good. He came by several times during the course of the evening.

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

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Bithnah Fort

October 15, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

restored fort

Saturday afternoon we visited the Bithnah Fort…

city at the far side of a dry river bed

which is across a wadi from the town of Al Bithnah…

date palm tree farm and mountains behind

and surrounded by date palm farm.

stone building covered in scaffolding

Restoration is still in process.

stone work in a flower design

The restoration includes decorative stonework and woodwork.

wooden door

stone wall

I hope they don’t cover this wall in plaster. It is beautiful, as is.

old rusted Mobil oil barrel that is now part of a water well

This Mobil oil barrel probably didn’t expect to end up part of a water well.

red mountains in the late afternoon sun

The mountains are quite beautiful.

Al Bithnah is between Fujairah and Masafi. The fort can be seen from the highway. It is a short drive with good signage, BUT the road is not paved and goes through the wadi. We made it with our compact car, but had to drive very carefully because it is very rough roadway.

Posted in Fujairah, historical site | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments »

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Thar be Rain Here!

October 12, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

I finally got to enjoy a rain storm here in Fujairah. It happened suddenly at approximately 2:30 pm. Lightning, thunder, and torrents of rain for a goodly while. It was still raining, although more gently at 3:50 when I left work.

Sand is not as absorbant as you would think. Basically, the top few inches get soaked and then turn into temporary cement, so this results in a lot of water not being absorbed causing large puddles.

rain flooded street

A flooded roundabout is a special kind of lake. (Sorry, no picture.) It slows people down, but doesn’t really improve their roundabout manners.

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

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Right Place at the Right Time

October 8, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

You have to be in the right place at the right time. We were driving down the corniche (beach road) when we happened upon a parade.

a parade led by men on horseback

The road was blocked for the parade, so it took us a while to drive around and get back to the park so we could find out what was happening at this event.

easels containing pictures of cultural activities

There were pictures of traditional activities – games, fishing, pearl sorting, camels, races, etc.

boys playing a one legged game

Some boys were playing a game in which they hop on one foot and use their free hand to try to unbalance their opponent. Also, there were young men performing traditional dance.

model of a traditional home

There were dioramas of traditional homes, children at school and play, and caravans. In another display area, a fisherman was mending nets.

easel displaying a picture of two men

There were several historical pictures from the early years of the Emirates.

two camels

Camels probably don’t need a lot of explanation.

horse and rider carrying the national flag

Several horsemen circled the exhibit area.

dark cloudy sky

The weather took a turn for the dark and thunder cloudy.

sign in Arabic

“Emirates Heritage Club” and “Heritage Caravans”

sign indicating Emirates Heritage Club and heritage caravans

There was little rain on the corniche, just “sprinkles,” but when we got back over to the side of town where we live, we found large puddles, so clearly there had been a short squall.

We would have enjoyed the rain, but, all in all, we were glad to be in the right place at the right time to catch this cultural event.

Posted in culture, Fujairah, parade | Tagged , , | 3 Comments »

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Johnny Rodgers Band on Cultural Exchange Tour

September 28, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

four member jazz band on stage

Last night we attended a free concert held at Fujairah Women’s College (Higher Colleges of Technology) and brought to us as a cultural exchange by the U.S. of A. Consulate General and His Highness Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamed Al Sharqi (ruler of Fujairah). Ambassadors for American jazz, the Johnny Rodgers band from New York kept the place rockin’ from beginning to end.

They performed selected examples of songs by great jazz legends – Louie Armstrong, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Jerry Lee Lewis. Even managed to squeeze Elvis in with Jail House Rock. However, Johnny was at his very best when singing his own composition, Mary Jean. Songs about old girlfriends are usually the most heartfelt.

four member jazz band on stage

I’m not sure how one is supposed to imitate Elvis with such a tiny guitar. He gave up and sang a song he wrote after visiting Graceland.

four member jazz band on stage

They sang to a full house and received a standing ovation. The band is very talented and it was an enjoyable evening, although it really is cruel to make music like that when people cannot get up and dance.

Posted in culture, Fujairah, Music | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment »

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Reptile Talk

September 24, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

Last July we were having lunch in the Thai Express and overheard the conversation of the men sitting at another table. It’s a small restaurant and it is rare to hear an American accent, so we couldn’t help but notice. The conversation topic seemed to be mostly “snakes of Arizona,” so we also found that an odd thing to hear in Fujairah. The September issue of Fujairah Observer explained it all. “World Renowned Reptile Specialists Visit the Wadi.”

magazine article explaining that two reptile specialists were in the area looking for the Gallagher's leaf-toed gecko

“In June 2011, Wadi Wurayah received the visit of two reptiles and amphibian specialists: Researcher Theodore J. Papenfuss form the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, and his assistant, Todd Pierson, University of Georgia, USA. … they spotted a tiny gecko on the gravel bed of the wadi: the Gallagher’s leaf-toed gecko (Asaccus gallagheri).”

Posted in animals, Fujairah | Tagged , | 4 Comments »

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A Gem Tucked into an Alley

September 16, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

It may be a little challenging to find, but is well worth the effort. Oriental Restaurant in Fujairah is fantastic.

plates of beef noodles and fried rice

Beef noodles and fried rice.

chicken in special sauce

Chicken in special sauce.

plate of prawns

Prawns sambal.

The food is very delicious and reasonably priced. We’ve already been back a second time. This is definitely a “tweetup” worthy place.

Posted in food, Fujairah, restaurant | 1 Comment »

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