Al Ain: Sheikha Salama Bint Betty Mosque

I actually think this is an instance when the real thing surpasses the architect's rendering. This is Sheikha Salama Bint Betty Mosque, named after Sheik Zayed's late mom, newly opened in Al Ain. The old Sheikha  Salama Mosque that was on this site was torn down in 2007, right around the time my sister showed up in the UAE for the very first time. 

Although I can't find any real articles about the mosque, word of mouth says it was designed to put a modern twist on traditional design. The architect obviously took a little bit of old, a little bit of new and mixed it up with a whole lot of green. 

 First the old. The whole mosque is finished in a sand-coloured rock which echoes the colour and texture of nearby Jebel Hafeet and the Hajar Mountains in the area. The minarets  are also a twist on the old wind towers that were built in houses to cool them before the advent of air conditioning. The designs around the top of the towers are very traditional for this area and consist of bands of flowers and geometric shapes plus geometrically patterned screens.

The layout and the plan of the mosque all follow the usual layout, with a Qibla wall facing Mecca and a large courtyard with an ablution fountain in the centre.

 Ablution fountain - the water inside was HOT!

However, there are some features of this mosque that have been added for modernity. Inside, this mosque has no dome, (highly unusual!). The roof slopes upwards towards Mecca and is outfitted with dozens of little windows to take advantage of natural light. Directly under the mosque, there is an underground car park, although it's believed most people will walk to this mosque due to its downtown location.

As I stood and took this picture in the searing heat, I noticed my eyeballs were actually sweating, or maybe the sweat from my forehead was dripping in my eyes. Either way it was disgusting and felt awful. Please think about that while viewing this picture.

Lastly, this mosque has been designed with the environment in mind. Al Ain is a relentlessly hot place in the summer. The wind towers pull the cool winds downwards into the building and the light colour is to deflect heat. The walls are made of thick rock, insulating the inside from the outside heat. Sheikha Salama's doors are closed during the day, keeping the cool air in, and the courtyard is completely covered with a large tarp to keep the courtyard in shade at all times. It's rumored to have solar powered lighting at night. 

I wish I could find more information on this mosque, and even find out if foreigners will be allowed to enter this one as they are at Sheikh Zayed's Mosque in Abu Dhabi. I'd kick off my shoes and don the abaya for this! I'm quite taken with this building.

If the stars align and the cards are right, I may find myself in Al Ain again this summer and it will be my personal mission to learn more (and hopefully gain access if allowed), to this mosque.

Updates to come....

*Update* The stars aligned! I'm in Al Ain till the end of July!

Keepin' the town square shiny in 50 degrees...

Hitchin' a Ride On The Dubai Metro

All the metro stations look exactly like this. Unless, of course, they're underground. 

Recently I found myself on the Dubai Metro. I can't say much about it other than it's your average metro and very much appreciated by people (and by "people" I mean "me"), who don't like to pay expensive taxi fares to sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic. 

I caught the metro at Ibn Battuta Mall and took it to Dubai Mall. Yes, the one under the current tallest building in the world. (For now, Saudi Arabia is constructing a taller one as we speak!)

Inside. 

What? This escalator isn't the longest or tallest or made of gold? 

Are we sure this is Dubai? 

Hmmm.... Is it just me or does this look like the Sky Train in Vancouver?

Also those are not dollar signs on the floor. I checked.

Right up front, 3 guys enjoying the view. By the way, stripes are in this year. 

View from the train. Ah yes, I knew I was in Dubai!

Something you don't see from the road, The Burj Al Arab.

 This is Mall of the Emirates and that appendage on the building is the ski hill. 

View of the golf course in Dubai. 

You can get air conditioned gold carts here, a little tube blows cold air on your neck.  

End of the line! It was cheap, easy and very convenient. Just like a metro should be. But I can't finish this entry without a winge at the system. Why are the service buses only good one way from the metro to Dubai Mall? If it's free with a ticket, and I'm catching the service bus from the mall to the metro, where I'll buy a ticket, what's the difference? 

I never thought the Emirate of Dubai would be so - *gasp* - cheap!

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I was tired and hungry last night after moving villas in the heat, so I rode my bike over to La Brioche for dinner.

Tons of people were out, mostly men. Actually, come to think of it - all men, but when I'm on my bike they don't even notice me, I'm there and I'm gone! The sun was going down and the air was cooling off quickly. As the men left their construction sites in twos and threes, I could smell their cologne and was surprised to see them in their crisp, clean, after-work punjabis, hair combed perfectly, freshly scrubbed skin glowing.

In one huge sandy lot between villa projects, a huge crowd had gathered. There was a cricket game going on on one side of the lot, and a football, (soccer) match on the other. The football goal posts were made of old scrap pieces of wood hammered together, and all the workers played barefoot on the soft sand. They called to and heckled each other in different languages, but their laughter and cheering was universal.

As I turned the corner there was a gap in a tall fence, for a few seconds I could see a large circle of men gathered in the front yard of the luxury villa project they were constructing. Over the fence I heard drumming, singing, laughing and the tinkling of tea being stirred. Their music reminded me of the folk music Mel and I fell in love with while travelling around Rhajasthan years ago.

Hats off to many of the Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi workers in our area who make the best of their lives here. Life isn't easy for them. They work long hours in the blinding heat, building luxury homes they can never afford to live in themselves and can never step into again the day after they complete them. They rarely see their families, and yet they send their paychecks home to them every month. Suicide, beatings and murder are not uncommon in labour camps, yet these men still find a way to  sing and play football at the end of the day.

In contrast, most western foreigners are forever looking for a way to cut themselves off. Hidden away in apartments or rooms, they don't want to see anyone else. They watch TV alone, eat alone, and feel all the more miserable for it.

My bike is definitely the best thing I've bought here. Cars race down the empty streets with their black tinted windows closed tight, the air conditioner blasting, like an antibacterial, hypoallergenic, climate-controlled bubble, insulated against everything real.

I love riding my bike and hearing the call to prayer on the wind. I like riding through empty lots where the sand has been packed down by foot traffic hard enough for me to ride my bike across. I know where there's a white mulberry tree, which house cooks Indian food every Friday and where there's a dead cat, half buried in the sand, that's slowly being mummified by the wind and heat.

On the way back from dinner it was after dark, but there was a full moon and I could smell flowers. 

Friday Morning KCA

Friday morning in KCA is like Sunday morning everywhere else - people sleep in, have big breakfasts with their families, get ready to go to Friday Prayer and generally take it easy. Traffic is non-existent, so it's a good time to take the bike out for a spin.

Our immediate area in KCA is pretty much a massive construction zone at the moment. This pic was taken from the roof of our villa. As you can see everything is in some stage of going up.

The fine sand that's everywhere. 

At the end of our street is a lot used for storing all the machinery used on various 

construction sites in the vicinity. When I come home from work in the afternoon, 

the drivers are usually napping in the shadows of these machines.   

Today's destination! Khalifa City Market! 

This place has almost anything you need, and plenty you don't need. 

Someday, as a grand experiment I'm going to dump some post cards in here 

and see if they ever get delivered. 

Send me your address if you're interested!

 

The "Pink Shops" aka "Funkytown" usually I ride a little further afield but 

the sun was already blazing at 9am, time to pedal back home!

Introducing: Pamy

My transport around KCA! I bought her at Carrefour for about 100 bucks. I got a pink girl's bike because I figured the workers around here would be less interested in nicking her. The basket fits 2 bags of groceries and I can tie stuff down to the rack above the back wheel. She was made in another place close to my heart - Taiwan, and she's named after a (former) Canadian Icon!



I usually take her out for a long ride on Friday mornings when traffic is non-existent around here, although lately I've found I have to get up earlier and earlier to avoid the slowly increasing heat. The workers around here had a good laugh the first time they saw a foreign girl peddling around, but now they wave and yell, "Good Morning!" when they see me!

Strange Conversations Vol. 1: Taxi driver - Burj Khalifa to Bur Dubai

“Where you go Miss?”

“The bus station in Bur Dubai, please.”

“You mean Diera, right?”

“No, the one in Bur Dubai, near the gold souk and Carrefour. The one that goes to Abu Dhabi.”

“Okay, okay, I know…. Shit! Road closed this way, you see?”

“Yes….”

“We take another way? Okay?”

“Ummmm. Do I have a choice? Okay, fine -  but don’t go the long way!”

“Noooo! I take short way. Wait a sec, this guy wanna ask me question….”

 .......

“Okay we go now. That guy from Saudi.”

“Saudi Arabia?”

“Yup. No say “thank you”, “shukran”, “domo arigato”… nothing!

“Ah..right….”

“You from Saudi?”

“Me? No!"

"Miss where you from, I can ask this?"

"I’m from Canada.”

“Canada? You know, Canada and Germany people same.”

“What? Why would you say that?”

“I know. I been taxi driver long time. You same.”

 ......

“You work Abu Dhabi Miss?”

“Yes.”

“You have family there?”

“No, no family…. May I ask where you are from?”

“Pakistan, lady.”

“Lahore or Peshawar?”

“How you know Lahore, lady?”

“I have a friend from Lahore.”

“Lady friend?”

“Yes.”

“I am from Lahore. You have husband?”

“Yes.”

“Children?”

“No.”

“No children? Why you not have children?”

“God didn’t give me any.”

“I see. It’s okay, not your fault. Sometimes children too noisy, Mommy! Mommy!

Lady, You see this tunnel? No one in Dubai know this tunnel. Look! Empty! They all do too many U-turn upstairs. But I know this tunnel. Everyday I’m driving!”

 ......

“Lady, may I say something? Don’t be mad ok? You have baby face. Your husband really so lucky!”

“Ha! Thank you. I’ve told him that many times but he never believes me!”

“Haha! Really lady, you so cute! You make cute children! I think your husband battery finish! He need Viagra, recharge battery.”

“What!?”

“Really, I call husband, tell him “Wife say battery finish!”

“Ha! I’ll tell him you said it, not me!”

“I kidding! Kidding! I never say. I say and big fight coming! Yes?”

“Yes.”

“Husband say, “Why you tell people my battery finish!” Funny, yes?”

“Yea. Funny. Do you have children?”

“Yes, three! One boy is do computers. One girl teacher and other girl medical.”

“Your daughter is a teacher? Like me!”

“You teacher Miss?”

“Yes.”

“You good teacher?”

“I do my best.”

“I ask you one question, you get right, this taxi ride free, ok?”

“Uh…okay.”

“Between 1 and 100, how many times we see number 9?”

“Number 9? Lets see.. 9, 19, 29…. About… 20 times?”

“… Ok I say another one, really this time you get right - you no pay.”

“Wait!  Was I right?”

“Okay, you want book. Book is 50 dirham. You have 25 dirham, friend have 25 dirham you buy book for sharing, you understand?”

“Yes.”

“I book seller, I give you discount, but I cheat you just a little bit. I give you book for 45. So with 5 dirham I give you one dirham, friend one dirham and I put 3 dirham my pocket. You understand?”

“Yes.”

“Ok, now you and friend have one dirham, means you pay only 24 for book. 24 and 24 is what?”

“48.”

“Yes! And 3 dirham in my pocket! How possible?”

“Are you telling me I need to watch carefully when I pay you?”

“I NEVER cheat you lady! You have baby face! But you say you teacher, huh? Come on, what’s answer?”

“I’m an English teacher, not a math teacher!”

“Ha! Look, bus station coming on right, Carrefour on left.”

“Excellent, thank you. Here you are, keep the change.”

“No lady thank you! But I wanna tell you something important okay? Abu Dhabi bus straight over there, run quickly! Don’t miss! And don’t talk to the crazy people around here, Okay? They really crazy!”

“Okay, okay thanks again, have a good night!” 

Random Facts about the UAE

At the top of this U-Turn sign in Al Ain it says Alhamdo-lillah, 

which means "Praise to God". 

The UAE is unlike anywhere else. Some random facts.

• The border between the UAE and Saudi Arabia has never been totally settled, to this day there is no official border recognised by both countries. The UAE claims they share a border with Qatar, while Saudi Arabia says, "Nah-uh".

• Since record keeping began it has actually snowed twice in the UAE, in the high mountains in Ras Al Khaimah.

• There are very few left turns in the UAE. Say you are driving along and you wish to make a left turn, you probably won't be able to because of the massive meridian blocking your way. This means you'll have to go to the next roundabout and come back, and now the left turn is a right turn. At Raha Beach Villas, Raha Beach Mall is only 200 meters away across the road, but residents have to drive over 10 km to get to it!

• The work week runs from Sunday to Thursday. (In Oman the work week runs from Saturday to Wednesday.)

• In 2010, the UAE's population was estimated at just over 8 million, of which just under 20% were local Emiratis. The majority of the population are expatriates, and the majority of them are Indian. Many Emirati believe Chicken Biryani is a local dish!

Check carefully! Which one are you? 

• In Dubai, 1 out of 5 persons purchase 5 pieces of gold jewelry every year. In fact there are schemes run by banks to help people invest in gold, and in the Emirates Palace there's an ATM which dispenses gold bars and coins! 

• Every night during the week at exactly 7:03 an 7:53 a helicopter flies low over our villa.

• To answer Kate's question, (and I had to ask a lot of people this question, because people here don't pay attention to gas prices!) gas is 2.62 Dirhams a litre, which is about .71¢ Canadian.

• Dubai's annual precipitation is only 13 cm.

• Camel's milk is readily available in any market. 

• As of January 2nd, the six month visa for Canadians will go up to $1000 CD. Guess no one is coming to visit me soon....

The 11 Million-Dollar Tree!

Welcome to Khalifa City A!

In my last days of living in Naramata, I took literally hundreds of pictures. In the last month that I've been in Abu Dhabi, I've taken twenty.

It's not that I haven't been schlepping my camera around, it's just that nothing seems picture-worthy. In Al Ain there was so much more natural beauty and here... well... you'll see.

So I decided that maybe the mundane here wouldn't be so mundane for other people, so ladies and gentlemen, I introduce you to, "My Current Home: Khalifa City A".

So I live in a small compound. Not a compound like they have in Saudi Arabia with shops full of booze and pork and people never leave them. Arak Compound contains 6 villas and a swimming pool. It was one of the first developments  to happen in KCA, and therefore I'm told it's a bit unusual, they're no longer building this style of villa.

The Arak villas are basically dormitories. We all get a room and our own bathroom, but the kitchen and living areas are shared. There are accommodations for 6 people in each villa.

 Outside off my balcony we can see an example of new villa living, each of those villas will have contained apartments with at least 2 bedrooms, if not more. Immediately next to us, we have a vacant lot and beyond that construction that was started long ago, but never completed, (you can just see the corner on the left).

The pool area. Yes we have a pool! I haven't been in yet, mainly because I'm working till late and when I do get home, it's a bit chilly! And I'm usually not around on the weekends.

 Villa 3, where my sister once lived, and I now reside. Her artwork still adorns the empty walls.  I'll post pictures of the inside, but first I'll have to take some. 

 All over the villa grounds are squash growing. These aren't cheap to buy here!

 Khalifa confusion. This is at the end of our street. The front sign says 3rd street, sector 33 in zone 133. (And I live in Villa 3! All those threes!) The far sign says 42nd street. I have no idea how they've numbered the streets out here, it seems there's no rhyme or reason at all. In the background are two international elementary schools and more villas. The street running next to them is 16th.

 My street, whatever its name is. That's Arak compound on the right. 

 On the way to funky town. There is a long row of shops a few blocks away where you can buy food or have a coffee which Arak compound people refer to as "Funky Town". I walk over about once a week, (I'd go more often if I had a bike!) As you can see, the ground is really just sand. Do you see that round object on the horizon between the rolls of cable? That's Raha Beach and the building has been nicknamed "the Dirham" after the local currency. There's a mall and a few hotels over there. To drive there though, one has to drive almost 10km into the city and back again because the round-about they plan to put in there hasn't been done yet. Again I need a bike.

 More construction. Do you see all the cranes on the horizon? That's the new downtown core of Abu Dhabi... someday.

The story is that the proper city of Abu Dhabi is actually built on an Island, and that island is getting crowded. In order to expand, some restructuring is in order. So the plan is to move off island and rebuild in the desert where there's plenty of room for the Sheiks to build their projects that will change how we view cities in the future. Yas Island and Masdar City are located out here near KCA and there will be a direct line from here to Saadiyat Island. But those are other blogs. In the meantime, we have....

Funky Town! Need a pool? Want to landscape your yard? How about a bank, milk, light bulbs, a shower curtain or cheese? Its all here in Funky town AKA The Pink Shops, AKA Khalifa Market. (It's not evident in this picture, but the sixth row down, the shops become dusty pink.)

Around the other side and across the street is a nice coffe shop frequented by many of the expats who live out here. On any given evening you can see 10 to 12 bicycles parked out front.

And there you go! I think I should mention here that if you drive 20 minutes, you'll get to Abu Dhabi proper, and that's a whole different ball game. KCA will be great in years to come, in pictures this is what Abu Dhabi looked like  30 years ago. Perhaps someday, I'll be able to say, "I lived there when there was nothing".

Working on pictures of the villa.

Green

Yes, there is a bit of green left here and there! 

Mom in the Vineyard

Mountain Ash and Maple

Munson Mountain

Horse Tails at Wharf Park

Red

Retro-cool

Old Apple Orchard 

 Grape stems, seeds and skins

 On the Vine

Orange

Squash Soup

Birch Trees

 Naramata Centre

Boo!