Arabian Sights

> > by Tanya Joslin

We arrive in Abu Dhabi late at night, going straight to Shangri-la Qaryat Al Beri and to bed, awakening on our first morning to be confronted by the most magical monument- The Sheikh Zayed Mosque, or, as it is referred to colloquially, The Grand Mosque. ","The view is almost ethereal. It is the world's third largest mosque, and it stands proudly in front of us. It is magnificent. Occupying a site made up of 22,412 square metres, and boasting 82 domes, including a main one that is an astonishing 85 metres high, I try to take it all in and suggest to my husband that we might, in fact, be enjoying the very best view on offer in all of the emirate. Feeling uninspired after years of travelling to the same destinations, we've decided to go for a completely different holiday this time. A driving holiday through the UAE- The United Arab Emirates. Sure, we want to see Dubai- how could we come this far and not see such a famous city? But we also want to discover more about the UAE. We want to literally drive roads less travelled, at least by those who we regularly compare travel stories with. 

The plan is to start in Abu Dhabi, picking up our hire-car here while we enjoy three days exploring the area before heading to Dubai for three nights and then on to the lesser-known emirate of Fujairah, before returning to Abu Dhabi to fly home.ABU DHABIThe UAE's capital city has a bold plan to become one of the world's leading tourist destinations, setting itself apart from its glitzy neighbour Dubai by becoming the region's major cultural centre. While some parts of the UAE might look like a construction zone, and Abu Dhabi is no exception, this, in fact, is part of the excitement. Visit now and you will be amazed at what is being built. Come back in five years time and you'll be astonished. Return again in another five years and you will not believe you were lucky enough to see Abu Dhabi as it once was. The plans are ambitious. Backed by what is believed to be the world's largest Sovereign Wealth fund, have no doubt that Abu Dhabi will be on the lips of every sophisticated traveller, and soon. In the next few years alone Abu Dhabi will open the world's first Louvre Museum branch outside of Paris. Add to this a Guggenheim Museum, and the iconic Performing Arts Centre, Maritime Museum and Sheikh Zayed National Museum (note: you will see many things named after the father of The UAE, Sheik Zayed) and you can see why this is one destination that will be on the list of every culture vulture. We spend our three days enjoying the wonderful attractions the city has to offer now, and they are many and varied. Day one is dedicated to getting over our jet-lag, and discovering the luxurious side of Abu Dhabi, or, to be more exact, the luxurious side of our hotel as we find we really do not need to leave the grounds of Shangri-la Abu Dhabi to satisfy our hedonistic longings.

The hotel has five pools and so we make the most of the one which is just outside our room, before walking along the small but private beach which the Grand Mosque overlooks. We're told that the Friday Brunch is an institution in the UAE, so we decide to join the locals and expats at the Shangri-La's renowned brunch. The food is incredible with serving stations covering the entire world's varied cuisines- I would go so far as to say it's the best buffet spread I've seen anywhere- so after hours of indolent eating and drinking we decide that the best way to cap off our indulgent day is to book a massage at the hotel's Chi Spa. Shangri-la's signature Chi Spa is a haven of tranquillity. If you visit the city even for a day, do yourself a favour and book a treatment here. The ambience is exotic- reds and oranges, it lulls you into a deep relaxation even before the treatment starts. We book a couple's treatment room and the Chi Balance, which promised to harmonise our ‘Chi flow'. That evening with our chi buffed and polished, we catch a romantic abra over to the new souq attached to the Shangri-La where there is an array of fine-dining options (as if the Shangri-La needed any more) plus bars, coffee shops and gorgeous boutiques selling a variety of Arabian jewellery and clothes- almost too tempting! We wake the next day surprised to find we are already on UAE time. It's a beautiful winter's day- early winter here is hot enough, averaging around 25˚C during the day but in summer the temperatures hover around the mid 40s which would be unbearable for travelling.

It's time to get out and explore this city so we start by taking a drive up the famous Corniche, the beach that runs along the top of Abu Dhabi's main island. On the water side of the road couples are out jogging and families are enjoying the beach while on the city side, young and old Arab males are enjoying the many side-walk cafes, smoking shisha and drinking copious amounts of black coffee. After visiting the White Fort, or Old Fort as it is sometimes known, the oldest building in Abu Dhabi with the original structure constructed in 1793, the next stop is the Heritage Village which overlooks the Corniche. Here we journey to the past and see what life was like before oil was discovered. There are bedouin tents, traditional souqs, and even a resident camel. You can't help but wonder if anybody outside of the Arabian Gulf would know about Abu Dhabi today if it wasn't for the oil. It is truly incredible how much this discovery changed the lives of Emiratis. It seems impossible that the first paved road was constructed in 1961, and up until 1971 traditional mud-brick huts were more common than modern brick buildings.

Shopping is a national pastime here, and the Heritage Village is close to the stunning Marina Mall where we stop for a few hours, lost in amazement at the array of shops- all the brand names we know, and most of the high-end luxury labels. Modern-day Arabia seems to have found its place at the glitzy shopping malls of the UAE, and coffee shops are full of local Emirati men dressed in their national dress of white ‘dishdasha'- a white robe and head scarf- sitting around talking, smoking, drinking coffee and eating sweets. I picture the men of yesterday sitting around a fire in the desert, talking about the important things in life while sipping apple tea and smoking shisha and wonder if Starbucks has found its niche in the Middle East today. One thing you should not miss is a Desert Safari. The company we booked pick us up at 3pm from the hotel, returning us later that night. If you are an adrenaline junkie you will love the first half hour of dune bashing. My, can these men drive! Screaming up mountains of sand before hurtling back down with less than an arm length between us and the incline and the certainty of a roll-over. It really is a wild time, and while a bit scary for some, something you don't want to miss. Certainly it is a unique Arabian experience, with the evening topped off with a local buffet style meal, traditional music and an authentic belly dancer. The blazing sun seems to set slowly in the desert, and the peace is incredible; for miles there is nothing but huge sand dunes carved out of the endless landscape by the winds of time. And sky, lots of sky. My eyes try to stretch further, determined to see something more than sand and sky, but there really is nothing else. Here, just an hour or so from Abu Dhabi city with the largest sun I've ever seen sinking slowly over the horizon and the cool desert wind lightly caressing my skin, I understand how people can find the desert beautiful.DUBAIJust over an hour's drive from Abu Dhabi is Dubai, and it is here that we plan to base ourselves for the next three days. Driving up Sheik Zayed Road is quite an experience. While the roads are good and fairly new by most people's standards, the local's driving habits are, well, a bit scary. It's like there are no road rules- we have a few occasions where a car overtakes us on the outside lane- you know, the lane closest to land? The one in Australia where cars pull over and stop if they have a problem? It is at times like this when we have to wonder if locals learnt how to drive using a Playstation! But don't let this put you off, because you soon get used to the driving style, and you learn to turn your head ALL the way around to see what is coming up behind you (often at 200km an hour) before you change lanes.

Dubai literally rises out of the desert. It is incredible to imagine that only 20 years ago this city was not much more than what we would consider a country town. Today, it is huge with a capital H. We quickly realise that three days will never be enough time to see all that Dubai has to offer, but we give it our best shot! Home for the next three nights is the stunning Kempinksi Hotel Mall of the Emirates which is five-star treatment all the way. We pull into the driveway which is packed with Lamborghinis and Maseratis and other exotic cars which put our modest hire-car to shame. It doesn't take long to realise that this is a destination in itself. Perhaps even more famous than the mall is Ski Dubai which is part of the complex and was a big reason why we chose this hotel. After checking into our gorgeous room we grab a bite to eat and head straight to Ski Dubai for an afternoon of snow- real snow that is! We have a bit of fun bobsledding and playing in the snow before our private ski lesson on the beginners run. Serious skiers need not be put off though- there are five different runs here with the longest at 400 metres.Dubai is an amazing city. Where else can you escape the desert heat by skiing for the entire afternoon, then stop off for a dip in an outdoor pool that has been warmed by the sun? The Kempinski's pool area is a chic place that seems to attract the city's well heeled so we join them to enjoy pre-sunset in a modern Arabian way, lost in huge bean-bags, nibbling Arabian delicacies, and sipping a refreshing Mojito, while funky tunes are played by the resident DJ. To see Dubai from the water is a must and we decide to enjoy a romantic evening dhow cruise on the famous Dubai Creek. To us it seems more like a river and wonder why it's called a creek but then learn that it was originally a creek but was widened to accommodate all the water traffic.

This was the heart and soul of old Dubai where dhows used to pull in from all over Arabia, India, and even East Africa. Dubai Creek is also an important part of new Dubai, and you still see abras loaded up with people, ferrying them from one side to the other. I think even the most unromantic would be touched by cupid on an evening river cruise, with a magical atmosphere created by the city lights sparkling on the water, the moon glowing like a golden orb in an inky, star-studded sky and the gently swaying waters rhythmically rocking the boat, all while you feast on Arabian food with a belly dancer to entertain. It's this sort of experience that really brings home the fact that you're in a totally different environment, enjoying a culture far removed from our own, and it's wonderful.The next day we get serious and see the city from The Big Red Bus. This is a must and while incredibly touristy, the only way to get around and get a feel for this huge metropolis. We see Old Dubai, the Spice Souk, the Gold Souk and the Dubai Museum all in one day, but our ticket allows us to hop on and off the bus for 24 hours, so the next day we do the Jumeirah area. There some incredible things happening in Jumeirah. You've no doubt heard of the World Islands, a bunch of man-made islands shaped like different countries, sitting just off the mainland? And of course who could have escaped all the fanfare of the Atalantis Hotel opening? We get our requisite photo in front of the Burj Arab Dubai, the hotel shaped like a billowing sail which so many people think of when they think of Dubai, and head back to the hotel to get ready for tomorrow and our next stop, Fujairah.FUJAIRAHOnce we actually get out of Dubai, the drive to Fujairah is easy. And interesting. Driving through the Hajar Mountains feels like you could be driving through Afghanistan, or at least how I imagine the mountains of Afghanistan to be. The topography here is so different to the arid desert we've seen so far. Yes, it is dry. But it is mountainous. And rocky. And beautiful. The Hajar Mountains- Hajar is, aptly, Arabic for ‘rocky'- run all the way from the eastern United Arab Emirates to the north eastern area of Oman. To the eye they simply go on forever, and are so different to anything we have in Australia. We had read reviews where travellers urged us to see Fujairah now, before it too is changed irrevocably. Development is a fact of the modern world, and perhaps nowhere is this more true than in the United Arab Emirates. But, for now, the part of Fujairah we are visiting, between the quiet fishing town of Dibba and the main town of Fujairah, is at a perfect stage with a handful of luxury resorts and another handful of more modest accommodation options. We're staying at one of the newest additions, and one of the most prestigious destinations, the Fujairah Rotana Resort & Spa. Occupying a huge site and sitting between the Hajar Mountains and the Indian Ocean, the Fujairah Rotana Resort & Spa boasts a picturesque, peaceful position which includes its own private beach. Complete with 250 ocean-view rooms and suites, a fitness centre, beach bar, tennis and squash courts and restaurants to suit all tastes, this is a true international five-star resort.

On the first afternoon, we lounge around the beach area, kicking back on the red and black Arabic cushions while we enjoy a glass of wine and watch the man whose sole job seems to be to pack shisha for guests. We laugh at how it is like being in Fiji or Bali as it is so peaceful and so tropical, but an Arabic version of those beach destinations we've travelled to before. I guess we just didn't expect to find such a stunning tropical beach holiday in the United Arab Emirates. We come from the land of gorgeous beaches. We're hard to impress. But ... we are impressed.