Saturday 15 September 2007

So what’s it like in Al Ain


Before we arrived here I searched the internet and did as much reading as possible on this new city we would be living in. I suppose that is only natural and it did help prepare me for the move but nothing is like the reality of being here.

I have found Al Ain to be a mix of things and I will, of course, start with the weather which is the most talked about thing here! On arrival the temperature was well over 40 degrees, sometimes into the 50’s, and the air scorching and very dry during both the day and the evening. I am told this is to be expected in the mid summer which is the later half of July, August and the beginning of September. In the last week or so the temperatures have become more mild during the day with daytime temps hanging around 40 degrees and a little under and the evenings, though still very warm, are becoming quite balmy. We both prefer the heat to the cold and so we are finding now that the temperatures are becoming more to our liking. In a month or so I think we will be very comfortable. We tried to sleep without the aircon last night because it is playing havoc with my sinuses, but found it still too hot to sleep through and gave up at about 4.30 and put the aircon on again. We did however venture out for an evening stroll about the town last night, dinner at the Al Diwan restaurant and a look around the souk that is quite near where we live at Al Jimi.

Of course the flow on of the heat is you have to keep hydrating constantly. We don’t go anywhere without water and have installed a water cooler in the apartment to ensure we have fresh, cold drinking water on tap at all times. It is surprising how little time it takes to be parched and for the headaches to set in. It is like the air is sucking all moisture from your body constantly and the aircon doesn’t help as it also dries the air out. Poor sinuses don’t have a chance!

After the tropical rainy days in Vanuatu it is quite strange to be going from day to day without seeing a drop fall. We had a sprinkle of rain one day but I couldn’t even call it a shower. Apparently the rain is very localised. My friend who is staying at the Intercontinental Hotel reported that it poured down for 20 minutes there one day last week, but we didn’t see a drop. The skies are perpetually blue and mainly cloudless, though there have been quite a few thunderheads hanging around lately in the afternoon, but not coming to much. Consequently the dust is pervasive. We live near a construction site and the trucks and cars coming and going and the movement of machinery makes the dust stir and blow about so that the surfaces of the furniture are constantly gritty and a fine dust is ever present. I have made a personal rule to only dust every few days as I could become quite obsessed with keeping it all clean if I allowed myself! (God, I have too much time on my hands!)

The town itself is rather spread out as there is a height restriction on buildings. I am not sure about the rules but it seems the city buildings are limited to three or four stories and the residential areas are absolutely capped to about 3 stories. It gives a lovely feeling of spaciousness and also allows the minarets and domes from the mosques to stand out against the skyline, making a particularly middle eastern feel to the place. The burbs are invading the desert and you should see the monoliths being built on the outskirts of town – subject for another blog!

The streets are well laid out and mostly fairly rectangular, joined by roundabouts of all sizes. Now whilst roundabouts may be very good at traffic management they are also very good at confusing me in terms of which direction I am traveling in. I only have to go through about three roundabouts and I have absolutely no idea in which direction I am now traveling! This is not helped by the fact that there are no hills, depressions, or other variations in altitude of terrain to help guide the senses! Each day I seem to find a new roundabout that I have not seen before. They are most elaborate with gazelles, horses, deer, flamingos, coffee pots and jewellery boxes – I will do an art piece on them – photographs of roundabouts. I think every expat in Al Ain has undertaken a similar project! They are quite spectacular and most are decorated with lovely gardens and fountains. Each time you approach one of these lovely pieces of road architecture though you have to gather your wits and put up your road antennae. The traffic is chaotic and unpredictable. People will dart from the side of the roundabout across to the exits (3 or 4 lanes) and in any day it is not unusual to see several accidents that have occurred on the roadside. Taxis and trucks seem to be the most effected! And there are some really scary HUGE four wheel drives that seem to think they are kings of the road – and I am not challenging them!

The main (and only obvious) natural landmark is Jebel Hafeet which is a mountain on the outskirts of town and in the daytime it is usually not able to be seen for a haze (or for dust). We have been up there during both day and night and there are some photos included here so you can see what the terrain is like around here – flat for miles – except for Jebel Hafeet!

So that is an introduction to Al Ain – if you want to know more about the place just hop a plane and come on over – we have plenty of room and there is always a spare bed for friends!


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