Archive for the ‘Fujairah’ Category

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Small Proofs of Globalization

September 10, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

Today’s grocery discovery was Shasta brand sodas. Of all the American soda/cola products this is one I didn’t expect to see.

cans on top grocery shelf

We picked up a few other interesting sodas.

Barr cream soda, A & W root beer, Old Jamaica ginger beer, Idris fiery ginger beer

Barr American Cream Soda comes from Glasgow and claims to be “refreshing the nation.” The graphic reminds me more of a bar of soap than a refreshing drink, however. Old Jamaica Ginger Beer “with fiery Jamaican root ginger” comes from Kegworth, England. Idris Fiery Ginger Beer comes from Chelmsford, England with the challenge to “try it if you dare.” (It’s not fiery. Even I don’t think so and I’m pretty wimpy.) Our old friend A&W Root Beer comes from New Jersey (and as we discovered previously smells like surgical spirit.)

Posted in food, Fujairah, products/ads | Tagged , , | 2 Comments »

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Good Friends and Good Food

September 10, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

Look who came to visit us this morning! @DevinaDivecha & ... on Twitpic

Last week, our beautiful friends Devina and Shruti came to Fujairah. We met up at Delhi Darbar Restaurant for breakfast.

plates and bowls of Indian food

The challenge for me at any Indian restaurant is finding something that has no, and I mean NO, chili peppers. DaddyBird prefers food the spicier the better. The bowl at the lower right is vegetable korma and was supposed to be mild, but it was a no go for me. I managed with paratha (bread), green salad, and an omelette. I could see and avoid the peppers in the omelette. Despite my chili aversion, the food was lovely and ridiculously cheap. Four people ate their fill for 53 AED ($14.50).

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

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Tiny Watch Repair

September 9, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

man sitting at a small booth under a large umbrella doing watch repair

The businesses here are often small by American standards, but this is the epitome, I think. This man has a small booth in a parking lot on a busy street where he does watch repair. I don’t have any broken watches, but I could use some new batteries, so I will have to go back some evening.

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Goats and Donkeys and Bears, Oh My!

September 1, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

Okay, there are no bears, but there are plenty of goats and donkeys just roaming around, nibbling on whatever they can find.

three goats at side of the road

a tan donkey standing at the side of the road

Donkeys come in a range of colors from light tan to black. They usually travel in pairs.

black donkey standing in the shade of a bush

And sheep, too! In the background is the Ohala Fort/Castle. (Alternate spelling Wahla or Wahala) This is close to the Oman border.

sheep with the Ohala Castle in the background

It is amazing that they find anything to eat in this harsh environment, but they do.

Posted in animals, Fujairah, road trip | Tagged , , | 3 Comments »

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Exploring Fujairah: Part 2

August 30, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

Here are the signs we saw on our road trip.

road sign warning of camels

Surprisingly, we see more actual camels than these signs.

road sign with one red car and one black car

Hmm… red cars stay to the left? Red trucks, too?

road sign with a red truck and a black truck

speed bump warning sign

There are a wide variety of speed bump warning signs. There are also a wide variety (and plethora) of speed bumps.

speed bump warning sign with only a silhouette of bumps

And the opposite of humps –

road sign warning of dips in the road

Posted in camel, Fujairah, signs | Tagged , | 2 Comments »

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Exploring Fujairah: Part 1

August 29, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

I have the week off for Eid, so  no work this week, just work around the house and fun. Saturday was spent twiddling my thumbs while the Ikea delivery men assembled our new wardrobes, book cases and kitchen table. Sunday was spent ignoring all the unpacking, cleaning and rearranging necessary after this influx of furniture. So, when Monday rolled around, I decided we should get out for a drive and see things we’ve never seen and take pictures of whatever we come across. Our route was rather complex, looping around and doubling back. I’m going to publish it in multiple posts, so hang in there.

First, Al Hayl Castle:

small three story tower and courtyard

This small fort is southwest of Fujairah city. The way is well indicated by signs, easy to find. (Click here for more info about the castle.) The caretaker was eager to give us a tour. He is Bangladeshi and his English is quite limited. He insisted on taking pictures of us posing in several locations.

crazy people who write this blog

He included his finger in most of the pictures, so I will just post this one.

very narrow stairs with a lodge pole handrail

DaddyBird was very brave and went up these stairs to see the second story. I did not. They are very narrow and the steps are very tall and the handrail is very wobbly.

arrow hole in a wall

And what castle doesn’t have a few holes through which to shoot arrows?

a man's arm stretched out in front of the camera pointing to the right

Here is a picture of our guide. Despite the fact that I was taking a picture, he felt compelled to point something else out to me.

view of a valley with palm trees

This is the view of the valley from the watchtower.

sloped depressions in the floor leading to a drain

This is the floor of what the caretaker told us was the store room. He said that they would put apples here and that the juice would drain down. That would not have been my guess.

small lizard blending in on the wall

This little lizard was quite well camouflaged.

We tipped the caretaker 10 AED for his trouble, but he was not impressed with this amount. So, if you go and get his tour, you might want to more generous than we were.

You can see all the pictures here.

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Ramadan in Fujairah

August 15, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

We are halfway through Ramadan and you might be wondering how Ramadan in Fujairah differs from Dubai. There is certainly less activity in the daytime. There is no public dining in restaurants prior to iftar (meal after sunset to break the fast). You can, however, get “take away” food from several restaurants. In the afternoon, there is temporary market area where one can buy food for the evening meal (Ramadan Food Market).

Even at iftar time, the restaurants don’t seem to be busy (unlike Dubai) and I assume that this is because most people are eating at home with family. The bars are closed for the entire month and their employees are on vacation or re-allocated to other restaurants.

Following the meal there are prayers at the mosque, so the town is still rather quiet until this is over. Then shopping and other social activities begin.

Around 10 pm, things start to pick up. The Maktoum Championships are in full swing, including a wide variety of sports competitions – swimming, bowling, cricket, football (soccer), motorcross, interactive games (video gaming),”women’s games,” basketball, volleyball, tug-of-war, and more. I don’t know what the “women’s games” are and will refrain from making a stereotyped joke against my own. It is just a chance for them to compete in a protected venue.

So, we stopped to watch the first two motorcross races Friday night. The first one started at 10:15 pm.

a motorcycle racer

There was a grandstand for spectators.

small stand for spectators

And, concessions.

a man with a bicycle cart loaded with snack foods

Down the road a ways was the cricket game.

cricket players on a lit field

So, there is actually a great deal going on. You just have to be willing to be a night owl to see it or participate in it.

Posted in Fujairah, Ramadan | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments »

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In Search of Good Food

July 29, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

It’s time for an update on our exploration of Fujairah restaurants. Here are the latest fields of inquiry.

Two buildings away, within walking distance, is the Shahrzad Palace Restaurant. Judging from the full parking lot, it appears to be the place to go. Iranian food, beautiful interior and atmosphere, quiet, reasonably priced – great place for special occasion dining. Pictured below is the chicken & corn soup. I also had the cholo kabab barg. The entrée I judge Iranian restaurants by. (My favorite at Special Ostadi. It was as good as Special Ostadi, although twice the price and completely different atmosphere and service.)

bowl of soup

Next, is the Ace’s Bar at the Tennis & Country Club where I had the “All American Burger.”

salad, fries, and a burger

The salad was quite nice and healthy. The fries were crisp (and unhealthy). The burger was passable, but could never hold a candle to the Carolina Alehouse burger.

menu description of the burger as huge patty on giant bun

The bun was giant, but the patty was not huge enough to fill it.

All in all, the food is tasty and reasonably priced. The beers are the lowest price we have found, yet, at 20AED (approx. $5.50)

Last, but not least, is Al Asmak restaurant at the Al Diar Siji Hotel. I was intrigued by the menu description of the Chop Chop Salad, pictured below.

lettuce, cucumber, carrot, mushroom and mango

This did not disappoint. It is lettuce, cucumber, mushrooms, cooked carrot, and mango. The menu mentioned pear also, but there was no pear in my salad. Really yummy. I like the contrast of veggies and fruit.

The restaurant was pleasant. The food and service was good. Fresh juices were twice the price they should be. Watch out for the tax and service charges, though. Also, don’t bother with an after dinner cup of coffee. It was not brewed, just reconstituted instant coffee. Not worth the price.

Posted in food, Fujairah, restaurant | 2 Comments »

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Crested Bird

July 26, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

small brown bird with a pointed crest on his head

All our bird books are still packed in boxes, so I can’t tell you this fellow’s name.

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

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We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Malls!

July 17, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

As I mentioned in my last post, another expat remarked about Fujairah having only one supermarket (in the western definition of supermarket). We beg to differ. So, here are some highlights from one of our favorite stores.

entrance of Safeer Market

This is the pasta aisle where I found shapes of pasta I’d never seen before. They have all the bases covered.

pasta aisle

It appears that Foghorn Leghorn is selling chicken stock these days.

boxes of chicken stock with a cartoon chicken on the label

This is the spice aisle where you can get lovely bags of various spices.

Spice Aisle

I’ve never seen such a large pat of butter before. (Five kilograms – That’s eleven pounds!)

five kilogram packages of butter

Frozen chicken hearts – don’t they look appetizing?

box of frozen Chicken Hearts

And the true test – Kinder Eggs!

carton of Kinder Eggs

And this is only the grocery section which is one fourth of the store. There’s also a housewares section and a second floor filled with clothes and shoes for the whole family.

Posted in food, Fujairah, Shopping | Tagged , , | 6 Comments »

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