A quick trip through UAE

A short trip from to the east coast of UAE and back

255 km (158 miles) over 6 days from October 31, 2002 to November 5, 2002

Curtis Mahr A quick trip through UAE

Table of Contents

Introduction...... 1

Preparation and Planning ...... 2

Dubai to somewhere close to Masafi: It seemed like a good idea at the time...... 4

Day 2: To the beach!...... 7

Day 3: My day off in ...... 12

Day 4: An evil road to ...... 14

Day 5: Fujairah-what to do, what to do...... 18

Day 6: back to Dubai...... 20

Epilogue ...... 23 Introduction

The (UAE for short) are on a sliver of land north of Saudi Arabia, and west of . I decided to cycle in UAE because I had a two week gap between my flight from Vancouver and my flight to Delhi. This may seem like a pretty weak reason, but then again, I spent the last seven years choosing travel destinations based on what letter of the alphabet they started with.

The cycle trip was part of a larger trip through Qatar, UAE, , Sri Lanka, and Europe. Because of time constraints, congestion, and maniacal drivers, I decided not to bike in India. Instead, I bought cheap bikes in UAE and Sri Lanka. This was easier than packing a bike each time I had to take a plane.

My route started from Dubai, and went into the Hajar mountains to Masafi. From there I went north to the Omani border and then road along the coast to Khor Fakkan and Fujairah. I then headed back to Dubai, and completed the circle.

A quick trip through UAE by Curtis Mahr - Page 1 Preparation and Planning

Not much planning went into this one. I usually try to see if I have enough time to get where I want to go, and cut out going somewhere if it isn't feasible. Originally, I was planning to ride north to Mussandem in Oman, and then go along the east coast to Fujairah, and back to Dubai. Because of possible visa snags and delays in Dubai and Qatar, I cut out going to Mussandem.

For bike maintenance, I took a tool kit of a pump, a cool tool, a set of allen keys, some screwdrivers, and a patch kit. For baggage, I used a 45 l hiking pack, a strap on cordura case, and 35 l daypack. Everything dense went in the cordura case and hiking pack, while bulky items went in the daypack. Because this was a trip through the desert, it was easy to travel light, and I skipped carrying a tent, and camping gear. However, as I would be trekking in India a week, I also had to carry a -20C sleeping bag, a set of gloves and a fleece jacket. Because I was unsure of how many towns would have supplies outside Dubai, I took five liters of water and a dozen bars of fruit leather for emergencies.

In Dubai, I bought a brand new Taiwanese mountain bike of questionable quality, but good enough to last a week. It had analog shifters, passable brakes, and 24 speeds, with 4 speeds being unreachable due to bad tuning at the manufacturer. The cranks had some play, and the headset was loose. It was not a great bike, but would do. Then again, what can you expect for $65? That is in Canadian smackeroos, too!

A quick trip through UAE by Curtis Mahr - Page 2 Preparation and Planning

Travelling really light...

A quick trip through UAE by Curtis Mahr - Page 3 Dubai to somewhere close to Masafi: It seemed like a good

idea at the time

70 km (43 miles) - of total 70 km (43 miles) - on Thursday October 31, 2002

Today was going to be rough. I hadn't been on a bike for a few weeks, and had not yet acclimatised to the heat. The sun was bearing down the entire day, and the temperature was reaching 35-38 C.

All things considered, it would be smart not to try to cover too much ground at first. To get at least a bit of pleasant riding time, I left from Dubai at sunrise. It would be cool in the morning, and I would have to face much less rush hour traffic. From the center of town to the eastern highway was 10 km of city streets and roundabouts. Although I am not fond of having to weave into traffic on roundabouts, there was little in the way of cars or trucks so early in the morning.

It took an hour to get out of Dubai, and onto the main highway. Even this early, it was already getting hot. I resorted to taking rest breaks in the shade of the occasional overpasses. The traffic on the highway was much less than I expected, and riding was easy because of the paved shoulder. Not surprisingly, there was sand as far as the eye could see, and in all directions. The desert was remarkably populated, with buildings scattered along the side of the highway, and the occasional camel grazing area.

Because I was planning on returning by the same road, I kept my eyes open for potential camping spots, in the event that I arrived too late to get to Dubai. Most of the road was populated, or fenced off, and I could find nothing that looked all that suitable.

A quick trip through UAE by Curtis Mahr - Page 4 Dubai to somewhere close to Masafi: It seemed like a good idea at the

Camels grazing by the highway

At eleven, I stopped in a small town called Daid. I had lunch at an Indian greasy spoon, bought some more water and continued for 15 minutes to the edge of town. It was now far too hot, with the heat of the sun assaulting me from all directions. I hadn't acclimatised, had a full stomach, and was going nowhere fast. I pulled the bike to a carwash, and asked if I could take a nap there. The workers were shutting down for the afternoon siesta and kindly allowed me take a nap on a shady bench.

A few hours later, it was only very hot, and I continued. As I got closer to the Hajar mountains, the countryside slowly changed from flat desert to rocky hills. While the passing scenery was much more interesting than the desert, it was also uphill. By five, I was exhausted, and making only slow progress. I wasn't sure how long it would continue uphill, and I decided to look for a place to camp. I took a turnoff to a promising looking quarry, and found a good camping site nestled between two small hills.

A quick trip through UAE by Curtis Mahr - Page 5 Dubai to somewhere close to Masafi: It seemed like a good idea at the

Hajar mountains

With no tent, and no sleeping mat, it wasn't going to be comfortable. However, I laid a groundsheet out, used the sleeping bag as a mat. Being a -20 C bag, it was far too much for the night time low of 20 C in the desert, but good enough to pad the rocky ground. To keep away any creepy crawlies, I rigged up a mosquito net and a camera tripod as a makeshift shelter. After a meal of bread, nuts, and yogurt, I settled in to get some sleep. Just as it was getting dark and I was drifting off, I heard the sound of a mosque call. Here I was, in the middle of nowhere, and managed to set up beside a mosque.

A quick trip through UAE by Curtis Mahr - Page 6 Day 2: To the beach!

75 km (47 miles) - of total 145 km (90 miles) - on Friday November 1, 2002

I woke at dawn, and packed everything and hit the road at first light. When I turned onto the main highway, and rode over the crest of the hill, I saw the sign for the Masafi Friday market. I had unknowingly stopped only 100m away from the main market area. This explained the mosque call.

The market had not started because it was too early in the morning. Despite its name, the Friday market runs every day, and is called the Friday market because that is the day that all the people from Dubai show up. I passed the market, and rode out of Masafi, an otherwise unremarkable town. The plan of the day was to ride along the northern road to , and then down the coast to Khor Fakkan.

The Hajar mountains were beautiful in the morning, and it was downhill all the way. With little traffic, and a cool breeze, it was a perfect riding day. I rode into Dibba by nine in the morning, and decided to see a bit of the town. According to the guidebook, there was a huge graveyard in Dibba that couldn't be missed. And I missed it. You would think it wouldn't be too hard to find a 10000 plot graveyard. Perhaps my navigation skills need some work.

A quick trip through UAE by Curtis Mahr - Page 7 Day 2: To the beach!

End of the downhill stretch

The coastal highway to Khor Fakkan was much flatter, hotter, and noisier. Just out of Dibba, two dozen Porsches and a few infidel BMWs screamed past me, trying to break the sound barrier. There is lots of money in the Gulf, and it was showing itself off that day.

A quick trip through UAE by Curtis Mahr - Page 8 Day 2: To the beach!

Two dhows

My ride along the coast was much slower. This part of UAE gets the most precipitation, and is remarkably green for a desert region. The coast is littered with small coves and sandy beaches, making it easy to take lots of breaks. Despite the beckoning attractions, I continued to pedal, and got to Khor Fakkan by early afternoon.

Before, in Dubai, the youth hostel staff had said that there was a hostel in Khor Fakkan that was very good, and close to the beach. In my infinite wisdom, I had forgotten not only to get directions to the hostel, but forgotten to even get a phone number. I rode up and down the length of the Corniche, figuring that I could spot it if is were close to the beach. This proved fruitless, as did several inquiries at shops near the Corniche. 'Hostel' is not commonly used, and cheap hotel will only get you directions to a cheap hotel.

Eventually, in a diving store, somebody understood me, and drew a map. The

A quick trip through UAE by Curtis Mahr - Page 9 Day 2: To the beach!

hostel was easy to find, once you knew where to look, and really was only 100 m from the beach. It was also an incredible deal, at only 25 dirham, or about 10 loonies.

After settling in, I took a walk along the Corniche. It was Friday, the Muslim sabbath,and the promenade and beach were packed. Perhaps one of the more unusual sights you can see at a Muslim beach are the women. It is considered provocative and tawdry for women to show just about any part of their body, so women at the beach dress like they would if they were going shopping. As such, many of the women appear to be wearing portable tents.

An even stranger sight was that there were no Germans. Germans are well renowned for their engineering, and their ability to get to the beach before anyone else. Here was a pristine beach, and not a German in sight. Puzzling, at first, and a bit unsettling. How could it be possible to have a beach without Germans? And then, I realized that Khor Fakkan was in a dry emirate, and there was no beer to be found here.

A quick trip through UAE by Curtis Mahr - Page 10 Day 2: To the beach!

A beach without Germans, or anyone else for that matter

A quick trip through UAE by Curtis Mahr - Page 11 Day 3: My day off in Khor Fakkan

I stayed in Khor Fakkan for the day. With the weekend over, the beach and hostel were empty. Not wanting to spend the whole day at the beach, I rode around Khor Fakkan and the outlying areas. My guidebook had mentioned that there was a small dam and waterfall nearby. True to form, I failed to find either, and blame the guidebook directions, the lack of maps, and my astrology sign.

I did manage to find , which had multiple turnoffs to it , and a large sign pointing in the right direction. Madha is an Omani enclave in the UAE. This place was not nearly as pretty or interesting as I had imagined, but the ride around the mountains near Madha was good, desert temperatures not withstanding.

mountain road near Madha

After visiting Madha, I rode back to Khor Fakkan, and found the best value restaurant in UAE. For a princely sum of 15 dirham ( about 6 loonies) , you

A quick trip through UAE by Curtis Mahr - Page 12 Day 3: My day off in Khor Fakkan

can select a fish, and have somebody cook it for you with a plate of rice and vegetables. This was a welcome change from the kabobs that I had been living on.

A quick trip through UAE by Curtis Mahr - Page 13 Day 4: An evil road to Fujairah

I rode to Fujairah, only thirty five km away. What had at first seemed to be easy turned out to be more difficult than intended. I left at dawn, hoping to beat any traffic. There was construction going on about 5 km out of town, and I was nearly run over by an irate driver who thought I should be riding in the construction zone, not on the road.

As I continued, I began to realize that the entire road was under various stages of construction. The shoulder was missing, or being built over the majority of the thirty five km, and I had to ride carefully. With no shoulder, it was necessary to maintain zen like concentration to ride on the thin strip of pavement between the warning line and the dirt. It did not help to have what seemed like half of Fujairah screaming past me on the way into town. The scenery wasn't all that interesting, either. Most of the road was built up with oversized houses, or soon to be strip malls. Not that it mattered too much what the area looked like, as I had to spend most of my time keeping my eyes and bike on the narrow strip between the passing cars and the rough.

I arrived in Fujairah around 9 and just like the Khor Fakkan, had difficulty finding the youth hostel. Eventually, after much circling and asking directions, I found it. Although I didn't think 9:30 AM was early, I managed to wake up the morning staff person. He showed me to a bed ( the one he had been sleeping on) in a grotty room, and then told me that I could pay in the evening when his boss showed up. This was by far the worst place I stayed in the emirates, and coincidentally, the cheapest, at only 15 dr/night.

With nowhere else to go for the rest of the day, I took a day trip down to a mangrove swamp by the UAE-Omani border. The trip was pleasant enough, passing through what seemed to be an extended suburb of Fujairah all the way to the swamp.

A quick trip through UAE by Curtis Mahr - Page 14 Day 4: An evil road to Fujairah

Not your usual mosque

The mangrove swamp was quite interesting, with scores of fiddler crabs in the mudflats, and the occasional kingfisher. I was expecting it to be larger, and it seemed to end abruptly and turn into desert in a few footsteps.

A quick trip through UAE by Curtis Mahr - Page 15 Day 4: An evil road to Fujairah

Beats riding on the highway

The ride back was better, because it was possible to ride along the beach for much of the way. Riding in loose sand is an exercise in frustration, but there was a strip of hard packed sand in the tidal zone that was fine for riding. This was much more scenic than an Emirati suburb, and cooler to ride on.

A quick trip through UAE by Curtis Mahr - Page 16 Day 4: An evil road to Fujairah

A very close shot of the beach

A quick trip through UAE by Curtis Mahr - Page 17 Day 5: Fujairah-what to do, what to do...

Rest day. I took a quick trip to al Haykl fort in the morning. Given the past record of success finding anything mentioned in the guidebook, it was surprising that I found it on the first try, and even more surprising that it did not take the entire day to get there.

Of course, sights that are easy to find are not necessarily sights that are worth seeing. The fort was in bad need of any restoration, and not terribly elaborate. However, it was still fun to scrabble around the ruins, and was devoid of any tourists besides myself.

Collapsed roof in the el Haykl watchtower

I was hungry, and rode back to Fujairah. Fujairah, being quite large, had a hypermarket where you can buy just about anything edible. I consumed a liter of ice cream and a roasted chicken. It's good to be cyclist.

There wasn't much too do in Fujairah itself. I rode around town, and

A quick trip through UAE by Curtis Mahr - Page 18 Day 5: Fujairah-what to do, what to do...

discovered that the hostel wasn't far from anything, because there really wasn't anything of interest to be far from. There was a beach, which was devoid of anything, locals and tourists included, and a strange looking amusment park on the Corniche.

Amusement park ride

That evening, while I was walking around town, an Arab in an Audi stopped me and asked for directions. It was surprising that he mistook me for a local, but even more surprising that I knew how to get where he wanted to go. Lucky for him that he wasn't trying to get to any of the tourist destinations that I had been looking for.

A quick trip through UAE by Curtis Mahr - Page 19 Day 6: back to Dubai

110 km (68 miles) - of total 255 km (158 miles) - on Tuesday November 5, 2002

Next stop Dubai! For some reason, I got the idea in my head to ride to Dubai in one day. Normally, in a cool climate this wouldn't be too hard, but the first 20 km would be uphill, the daily high would between 30-35, and it would more than likely be sunny the entire day. At the start of the trip, I noticed that the lights on the highway were on the entire night, which meant I could leave in the dark. This would allow me to ride in relative safety, and avoid the heat of the day.

I left around four in the morning, guessing that I could get the uphill portion done in the cool part of the day, and then cruise afterwards. Sure enough, the lights were on, and I rode in the eerie orange until daybreak. It was 25 km of uphill, but the air was cool, and there were no cars. Two hours later, I passed Bitnah, and congratulated myself for making it to the top of the pass so early. I could see the hills around Masafi in the distance, and thought it would be an easy ride the rest of the way.

12 km later, I arrived in Masafi, dead tired. When I looked back I realized that the peak of the road was at Masafi, and I had been riding uphill for the last hour without really knowing it. The perspective only made Masafi look like it was downhill, and I thought it was heat stroke that was tiring me out.

As it was only nine in the morning, I stopped in on the Friday market, despite it not being Friday. There would have been plenty to buy, had I been in the market for carpets ,ceramic pots, or other suitably heavy items to strap to a bike. There wasn't anything else worth carrying for the next 70 km, so I left after only a few minutes. A good thing about cycling is that you think twice before buying anything. That is, unless you enjoy having a closet full of carvings and textiles.

A quick trip through UAE by Curtis Mahr - Page 20 Day 6: back to Dubai

From Masafi, it was downhill for 15 km, which flew by in no time. I was back in the desert again, on a road I had already ridden. By 11:30, I arrived at the Natural History Museum. This meant I was only 35 km from Dubai. As it was getting near the heat of the day, I decided to take a break, and go to the museum. The guards thought I was crazy to ride to the museum, and even more crazy when I told them I had come from Fujairah. With the usual bad luck, I had arrived on family day, and single men were not allowed in the museum. However, after much pleading, the ticket taker called the main office and I was allowed in.

The Natural History Museum was surprisingly good. It was more a zoo than a museum, and had several species of indigenous wildlife housed inside. There was an indoor bird sanctuary as well as glass tanks holding several specimens of creepy crawly critters that I'd rather not know about if I were planning on sleeping in a desert. If anyone reading this decides to camp in the desert, go to the museum after you have finished camping.

I left at two, as the heat of the day was passing, and I wanted to get to Dubai instead of bush camping. It was an easy, if hot, ride to the outskirts of Dubai. I rode into town, and nearly got hit several times by the local drivers. Not wanting to take an ambulance to the hospital, I called it a day, flagged down a cab, and was driven the last few kilometers to the youth hostel.

A quick trip through UAE by Curtis Mahr - Page 21 Day 6: back to Dubai

downtown Dubai

A quick trip through UAE by Curtis Mahr - Page 22 Epilogue

This was a pretty short trip, and a good way to see the Emirates. If you head out to the Gulf, there is little to see in Dubai, and according to other people, even less to see in . With that in mind, if you have a week or two, a trip around the peninsula is a good way to spend your time.

That being said, it is a desert, and very hot. I rode in November, when it was cooling down, and it was still hot. Summer temperatures reach 50 C, and it is supposed to be very humid as well. However, there are plenty of settlements along the way, and water is relatively easy to find. There is no need to take more than a day of water, or food for that matter, as it is available en route.

The terrain is pretty dull near Dubai, but gets much more attractive in the Hajar mountains and the east coast. It is relatively flat, and steep inclines are not common. The road itself is in very good condition, without a pothole in sight. There is a shoulder for most of the way, and little traffic once outside Dubai and Fujairah.

Traffic, when you get it, is horrible. Drivers in this region are like teenagers the day after they get their licence. Larger places like Dubai and Fujairah are particularily bad. Stay as close to the edge as possible!

A quick trip through UAE by Curtis Mahr - Page 23