May 2: Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. Located in the southeast corner of the Arabian peninsula and bordering the Persian gulf, the U.A.E. is a small country about the size of Maine. It is an oil-rich nation, formed in 1971 through the merger of 7 emirates. Today its population numbers over 8 million, with over 80% of its residents having non-citizen status. Some of the emirates have even higher percentages of non-citizens. Many of these foreigners are from poorer countries, here to work in wealthy, growing economies of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, while others are entrepreneurs or corporate types seeking new opportunities in this zero-tax hub of middle eastern commerce.
In this country we make two stops. First we visit the lesser-known emirate of Fujairah, which is a very clean place surrounded by bone-dry barren mountains and lots of sand. There is a fair amount of construction going on, yet we see very few people, perhaps because of the 100+ degree heat. My tour in Fujairah is just for fun. Rather than taking a bus, groups of four passengers ride in new, air-conditioned Toyota Land Cruisers. We form a caravan of 20 Land Cruisers on our 90 minute drive to the sand dunes. There we behave childishly by driving up and down the dunes as if they were a roller coaster. We get out of the cars every so often to take pictures or just take a break. The temperature reaches 42C, or 108F, though thankfully it is a dry heat. Still, best to stay in the car. One car gets a flat tire, which provides momentary drama.
We see a few camels. We learn that a camel is just a horse designed by a committee. We also see some donkeys. We learn that the donkeys were used many years ago as work animals. Today they are rarely used, so there are lots of unemployed donkeys running wild. On the highway, there is a long fence to prevent the donkeys from getting onto the road, similar to the deer-fencing found in places with deer or elk, but shorter. However in this oil-rich nation, these miles of highway fencing are very attractive - the sort you might expect around expensive golf-course homes. Despite the fence, we spot a donkey walking on the highway shoulder. Fortunately there is very little traffic.
Our driver, Hazaa, is perhaps 25 years old and drives these dunes often. He wears the traditional head-scarf, though on the car radio he listens to Lady Gaga via his iPod. He also listens to some other music that to me sounds like Arabic rap. He speaks a bit of English, though barely enough to communicate with us. He drives just fast enough to provide a few thrills, though my fellow passengers (on average 15 years older than me) try to persuade him to go faster. Fun for children of all ages.
On our 90 minute ride back home the highway is nearly empty, practically no traffic on this well-paved artery. We pass an outdoor marketplace along the way, though we don't stop. The vendors are selling rugs, pottery, lots of fruit, and various other items. There are practically no customers. Speed laws are enforced by cameras mounted along the roads, and fines are steep for violators. For drunk drivers not only are the fines very high, but even the passengers are fined if their driver is caught with even the slightest trace of alcohol in his blood. We hear the fine is around $2,000. We return to our ship - play time is over.
Next two days in the emirate of Dubai.
Port of Fujairah:
How many drivers does it take to fix a flat tire?
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