Monday, March 2, 2009

Sharjah

I have a lot of catching up to do, and while I just got back from Istanbul, which was really really exciting, I'm writing about Sharjah first for the sake of chronology. Anyway... Sharjah is the Emirate just east of Dubai, about 45 minutes away. A couple of weekends ago I decided I wanted to rent a car for Saturday because it'd been close to two months since I'd driven and I really wanted to drive, and also riding taxis everywhere gets old, and expensive, really fast.

So the car-- I went in Thursday to reserve a car for Saturday, gave copies of my my credit card, passport, license, ID, etc. and pick the car up Saturday morning. About 45 minutes after we leave I get a call from the car company telling me to come back with the car because they weren't supposed to rent to me because I'm not 21 and therefore will not be covered by their insurance. We were already out (albeit, still in Dubai) and had the day planned, so I said we were already gone and were not coming back until the evening, and that I would return the car the next morning, as previously agreed. I also made it clear that, under no uncertain terms, would I be responsible for an accident, my fault or otherwise, beyond what I had signed in the rental papers, as it was the company's responsibility to make sure they were renting only to qualified persons. Then they called back again offering a driver for the day at no charge. Well, I wanted to drive, and we thought a 5th person was going to be joining us later, so I told them the car was already full. Anyway, as all this is going on and I'm insisting the whole time that I'm already out of Dubai, I am, as I would later find out, getting a parking ticket. Of course, it was totally in Arabic.
My little rented clown car. Probably more trouble than it was worth.
My first international parking ticket. Yuck.
Aside from those issues, it was a really good day. We went to a cute breakfast place in Jumierah and then the Dubai zoo, which is the most disgusting zoo I have ever seen, but I suppose worth the two Dirham admission just to say I've gone. Now, I don't want to be a zoo snob or anything like that, but for a city like Dubai that is all about having the biggest and best of everything, this zoo was SO third world. It was completely filthy and all the animals were in too-small dirty cages. They didn't even have grass or habitat-type stuff in them. All of the monkeys had very serious problems with their butts-- I don't know how exactly to describe it. There were gross tumor things coming off of them. It was definitely not normal. I'd also heard that a lot of the animals there (mostly birds and stuff) were illegal ones people had tried to get through the airport. I believe it. There were megatons of birds. Illegal freaking birds. Crazy.
Probable contra-birds at Dubai Zoo

Anyway, after the zoo we came back to the university to pick up the rest of the troops and headed out to Sharjah. Driving in the UAE is like driving in a video game. Its kind of like the level of Mario Kart where you have to go a specific, exact route or you'll never make it to where you want to go and have to start over from the beginning. Seriously, if you miss your turn you have to go about six kilometers out of your way to get back where you were. Also, people drive like they're on the way to the hospital with a pregnant woman in labor in the back seat. At night they'll ride your bumper and flash their brights as if to say "speed up or move the hell over", which made the fact that the tiny Yaris clown car I was driving had what may as well have been a lawn mower engine under the hood. ALSO, some of the roundabouts in Sharjah (the UAE loooooooooves roundabouts--- and speed bumps. I'll never know why) are TRIANGULAR. Yeah. They're triangles. How does that even qualify as a ROUNDabout--- IT HAS CORNERS!!!! Anyway... let's just say we got the grand tour of Sharjah---especially the Blue Souk parking lot--- way more than once.

Anyway, first stop in Sharjah was at a park overlooking the water, which was very cute and quaint. Sharjah is older and less gawdy than Dubai. Its supposed to be the cultural heritage center of the UAE and is much more strict. Alcohol is illegal, unmarried men and women are not supposed to be out in public together, etc. etc. Anyway, we walked around the park area and tried to walk across a bridge to Al Jazeera island... yes, that's its name... but the bridge was locked. For good reason-- I don't think said bridge would be capable of supporting human weight-- it was pretty weathered.
Bridge to Al Jazeera Island in Sharjah-- much less suitable for human use than it looks.

Anyway, after that we went to the Museum of Islamic Heritage, which was super nice. After that we went to the Tate museum of Sharjah.... yes, this is also a real thing. They had a really great exhibit of British Orientalist paintings. After museums we checked out the Blue Souk, which is actually a really new covered souk. It felt more like a mall than a Middle Eastern bazaar--- it had escalators! But it was nice. I bought a pashmina and a camel wall decoration thing. After the souks we took our "grand tour" of Sharjah, missing turns, getting caught in traffic, and so on, but finally made it to Qanat al Kasbah, where we met three other people from AUD. It is a really cute, romantic little area with shops and restaurants and a little bridge over a creek. It has a big ferris wheel-- the Eye of the Emirates and a cool fountain choreographed to music. We had dinner and gelato and rode the wheel. Overall, a very nice day.

Inside the Muesum of Islamic Heritage. Sooo nice!
Qanat al Kasbah and the Eye of the Emirates

I still need to write about Istanbul, but am leaving for spring break in Jordan in about five hours and need to make an attempt at sleep...

Also-- I just booked a flight to Bahrain for the first weekend in April! Do a google image search of Bahrain. You should be jealous.

Love and miss you all! Sorry for not writing more. I'll do big time updating after spring break!!!

1 comment:

  1. Hello!

    I just wanted to say I greatly enjoy your blog and beautiful photos from abroad. I work in the IU Office of Overseas Study, and I wanted to see if you would be interested in allowing us to link your blog from our Facebook Fan Page? It's nice for students to read, in real time, experience students are having abroad, especially if they're considering going themselves.

    Just let me know if you're interested.

    Thank you!

    Laura Rudolph
    lamrudo@indiana.edu

    ReplyDelete