March 15th, 2020- Day 1 of the new normal

It has been quite some time since I last logged in to write. Since that day, much has changed. I moved back into my apartment in Oakland and began to readjust into my “normal” way of life in the USA which consists of working at least 2 jobs to sustain the kind of lifestyle I prefer to live; which involves a lot of eating, drinking and traveling.

I was just getting back into my groove when everything stopped due to Covid-19. Well, it didn’t stop totally abruptly, I felt it coming. I knew things were about to change forever but I thought I would have a little more time to prepare. I was wrong.

It was Sunday, March 15th, 2020. I was catching up with a friend over a few drinks at a dive bar about 40 minutes outside of Oakland when the bar phone rang. The bartender answered the phone and almost immediately looked confused. My friend was talking to me, but I had stopped listening to him. I was observing the body language of the bartender while he carried on a conversation I couldn’t hear.

He hung up the phone and picked up the remote to the jukebox while he took a few deep breaths. He then lowered the music and made an announcement, “Finish up your drinks, the bar is now closed”.

“WHAT!!?”- The overall reaction from each and every patron in the place.

I looked at my watch; it was 2:30 in the afternoon.

I looked at my friend; he laughed and said, “This must be a joke”.

I looked at the bartender; he picked up the remote for the television and changed the channel to reflect the local news – Our California Governor, Gavin Newsom, was on the television making an announcement.

“All non-essential businesses, including bars, were to shut down immediately and the enforcement would begin at midnight. “

The bar drew silent as people finished up their drinks, closed their tabs, and made their way to the door.

My friend invited me to his place where he suggested we have a few more drinks and watch the news. I declined. I needed to get home; who knew how long public transportation would keep operating.

As soon as I boarded the BART train a feeling of panic and dread began to settle in my chest.

What would happen next?

Overcoming the fears of traveling

In my opinion, fear is the strongest emotion we have. It’s stronger than happiness, anger, and even love. Fear holds us back from so many things in our day to day life, and it especially holds us back when we try to plan for our future.

Recognizing that fear is a natural emotional reaction is important, but recognizing that you can overcome the fear is much more powerful.

Recently a friend of mine and I were talking about traveling. I had just arrived back from Vietnam and he put me up for a night in his home in D.C. so we and a few other friends could all catch up.

He asked me a ton of questions about my recent journey and continually told me he thought I was “so brave” for traveling to so many places; especially alone.

I asked him where he has desired to travel to, and he shared with me his long list of places he would like to see. He then expressed to me that he’s intimidated by the idea of traveling to foreign countries alone.

He told me he has tried to plan trips with friends in the past, but that the planning always falls to the wayside and in the end, nobody buys a ticket and nobody goes anywhere… (I think we are all familiar with this outcome when making plans with friends). He recognized that if he wants to go somewhere, he needs to just buy the ticket and go; regardless of whether his friends are able to join him or not.

Of course, I agreed with him!

I ran the circle of trying to make plans with friends for many years, and in the end, I learned that If I wanted to go somewhere or do something, I was better off taking the steps to make sure I could go, even if that meant going alone.

In no time, I got comfortable doing things alone. Whether that be attending a concert, enjoying dinner at a new restaurant, taking a flight for a weekend trip to Sin City or even driving a few miles to jump on a local hiking trail for a few hours. Regardless of what you want to do or how far you want to go, friends are not always the most reliable. At the end of the day, if you want to go somewhere, GO!!

I asked him what parts of traveling alone intimidates him the most and he told me that he doesn’t know the first step of getting a visa (if he even needs one), planning how to get around in private cars, taxis or some form of public transportation, deciding where to stay, understanding foreign currency, communicating when he doesn’t speak the language….his list (like many others) went on and on.

I pulled out my laptop and began doing some basic searches on a few of the countries he has been dreaming of traveling to; Tahiti, Japan, Paraguay…

Within about five minutes he knew if he’d need a visa, whether those countries have UBER/ LYFT or their own version of ride share cars, the typical cost per mile (we speak in miles; we’re Americans) of private transportation, if there was a metro or other form of public transit he could use to save money, the highlights of the city/country he wants to see that are most recommended (I take other peoples recommendations rarely but do suggest having a loose plan for your first few days in a foreign place), the average cost of staying in these places based on currency exchange and whether English and/or Spanish (he’s bilingual) is a common language in those regions.

Within just those few minutes he had almost all the information that had him too concerned to take the necessary steps to actually make these desires a reality.

…and now he is planning his first big (likely solo) trip!!!

Seek out your desires!!

I look forward to following your amazing adventures!

Godspeed.

Day one in Mumbai, India.

My first day in Mumbai has been great 😁!!

I landed 🛬 just after 4:30am 🌅 and got to my hostel around 5:30am 🚕. Check in time is not until noon, but I had given the hostel a heads up that I’d be arriving really early and they said they would accommodate me if they could, or store my bags until check-in at noon if they could not 🤞.

When I arrived, the man at the front desk told me he had beds available both in the mixed dorm (what I had booked) as well as an all female dorm. He suggested I take the bed in the female dorm because it was a bottom bunk and it would save me having to climb up and down every day. I took his advice, was shown to my room 🙌.

I put my bags 🎒on the floor next to my bed, kicked off my shoes 👟and crawled into my bunk fully dressed (I wasn’t about to dig though my pack for something to sleep in 🤷‍♀️) to grab a few extra hours of sleep 😴.

I got out of bed around 9am (7am Abu Dhabi time), took a cold shower 🚿(that took some getting used to 😬 ), had breakfast at the hostel, and then ventured out into the world to find a sim card for my phone📱.

I think I was warned about this city just enough 😳.

The smell here is truly hard to get used to 🤢. A combination of rotting meat and fish, human and animal waste, trash and pollution. Honestly, when I walk by a street cart and smell delicious food, it’s hard not to stop just to breathe for a little while 😷.

The roads here are insane! There are no real “lanes”, just cars, trucks, tuk-tuk’s, scooters, and bikes going in every which direction 🌪 making crossing the street a test of trust and faith 🙏 . I had been given a heads up and some advice on how to do it though, so I did fine. Never in my life have I slowly stepped out 🚶‍♀️ in front of an oncoming car 🚘 and walked, slowly, to the other side 😲.

I spent the morning eating my way around town (I couldn’t just smell the food and not try it!) and then came back to the hostel for a mid afternoon nap in the common room among other backpackers also napping, playing ping-pong 🏓 and listening to music. When I got hungry again I ventured back out to find food, and just as the sky began to open 🌧 up to drench the already muddy streets, I dipped into a restaurant called More’s Kitchen for Butter Chicken, naan, basmati rice and an ice cold beer 🍺. Everything I have eaten has been delicious with the perfect amount of spice!! Side note, it has been about two hours since my last bite of food, and my stomach still feels fine, yippi 🙌!

The weather here today was mostly partly cloudy 🌥 in the mid to high 80’s with mild humidity. A lovely break from the Middle East desert heat 🔥.

Tomorrow I plan to get up early ⏰ in order to get to the Gateway of India before 8:30 am and take a 9am ferry 🛳 to explore Elorra Caves.

If this is one of the hardest cities in all of India to acclimate to, I think I’ll be just fine 💕.

A call on the one and only Ganesh

India: Ganesh Chaturthi or ‘Ganesh Festival’ image of the elephant-headed god Ganesh

I’ll pour myself a glass of Scotch before I write this one….

WARNING: This is a blow off post… there may be choice words some may not appreciate.

I was losing my mind this week. I was filled with so many emotions that no matter how far I ran in this disgustingly humid yet desert-like heat, I couldn’t arrange my thoughts into comprehension that I was comfortable with.

I felt like I got hit by a rogue wave and the bowl of shiny cherries I had been carrying around with me fell out of my hands and into the sand. The pieces all scattered in the sand or being washed away by the sea, and I couldn’t even find the bowl to put them back in… fuck!!

I could say it was frustration, but my frustration was in layers like a shitty cake.

I could say it was anger, but my anger stemmed from the past and the present and everything in between.

I could say it was confusion, but I was too confused to know why.

I could say it was even a little sadness, but I try to never admit my weaknesses…

So here I was.. losing my fucking mind.

Where do I start… breathe in… breathe out…

As you all know, taking any kind of risk has a certain monetary value. As you can imagine, quitting your job and taking off for months at a time means there is a bit more risk. Unless, of course, you’re blessed with one of those “WFH” jobs that allows you to really “Work from anywhere”… don’t get me started on my jealousy.

I thought I had all my “money” things in line. I had someone living in my place and paying my rent who would also send me my bills as they arrived so I wouldn’t miss any payments, money in my checking account to last me a few months of paying said bills/ traveling/ having some fun, money in my savings account for any emergency that may come about, and cash in my pocket.. My plan was set, but it all revolved around the first piece of the puzzle going down on time before the rest of the puzzle could fit into place.

As you can probably assume from my tantrum, the rent money didn’t come in on the 1st (and still hasn’t).

I, of course, paid my rent on the 1st, when it was DUE.

POOF: $1150 over budget.

I made contact with the individual* a few days ago who sayid they paid the rent and put all the blame on Wells Fargo for not ‘initiating the payment in time’.

They said it should arrive in my account no later than Wednesday..

*Nothing disgusts me more about a human being than one who can’t take responsibility for themselves and their actions..just simply say, “I waited until the last minute to pay the rent so it will be late this month, sorry”.

Puts me to my next money topic, my bills…

The same individual in my apartment was supposed to be sending me my bills as they came in. My routine was that I would receive the email and then I would go online and pay the bill…easy enough.

So why when I went to rent a car the other day to drive to Dubai did my card get declined for non payment!!? I went though the emails, nothing.. I made a 300 dollar payment on the card hoping that the large amount would open the availability of the card up to me sooner… no such luck. Luckily this country is so willing to accommodate they rented me the card without a deposit..

I’m sure my interest rate just went up over that garbage..

I spoke to a friend who agreed to grab my mail once or twice a week to send me my bills so hopefully it won’t happen again…ok, another positive.

So here I was, all week, trying to plan my next move (I have to leave UAE by August 18th because my visa expires, again), and I had almost no fucking play money to buy my plane tickets with and my credit card was being declined due to “missed payment”..so I was dipping into my savings account and giving myself a damn anxiety attack in the process.

Because time is sensitive and the days of waiting last minute to purchase tickets on the cheap are over, I purchased my ticket to Mumbai. I booked accommodation for a few nights there and booked a 11 hour train to Goa because after being on “vacation” the last few months, I decided that I need a fucking coastal party in India to relax these nerves, I also booked my accommodation there (I hope 5 days isn’t too long..or too short..).

All booked, still no rent deposit into my account.

I contact my bank… maybe there is an issue on their side??

NOPE.

Stop. Breathe. Call an Arabic friend because instead of puff, puff, pass, they’re full of positivity, positivity, pass.

My Arabic friend 1. got me to breathe and remember “life is good”, and 2. set me up with his personal driver in India and promised me that this guy would take good care of me.

I called his driver in India who informed me that there is currently a taxi strike in India** , but that he would be sure to pick me up wherever I needed him.

**Looking at you, Ganesh!!*

Ok, a few weeks out are booked, money should deposit any day; why did I still feel like shit?

I called an old lover and friend and confessed that my excitement of traveling alone has dwindled down to anxiety. Confessed that this kind of an adventure that I used to crave and feed off of now feels like such trouble and that I’m feeling all the feels about leaving my family and traveling alone and that every step just feels so daunting all of a sudden. I told him that “giving up” and going home seemed like a better option right now.

He told me, “It’s not giving up if that’s what you want to do, but let’s talk though your other options…”

We did.

I decided to stay….

Today I took a break from the travel planning to spend some quality time playing pretend with my niece and nephew, and then went to the pool to drown in the heat and some crappy teenage book that was left in the house from the previous family that lived here.

I began to feel better…finally.

After the pool I took a hot shower, shaved my legs (it sometimes just makes me feel like a new woman), and jumped back on the computer.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

My productivity came back!! My anxiety dwindled.

I got the paperwork together and applied for my India Visa and I booked myself to stay in India through Ganesh Chaturthi (The festival celebrates Lord Ganesha as the God of New Beginnings and the Remover of Obstacles as well as the god of wisdom and intelligence..If you know me, you’ve seen my home and my tattoo) and then began to forward think from there…

I started to stare at the map… Thailand? Vietnam? Cambodia? Indonesia???

Where will I go next?

Finally, I’m excited again…

This was a hard week…

A sense of safety

When I first began to tell my friends and family that I would be traveling to the Middle East, the most common reaction was concern about my safety.

Even as I’ve been here for now for over two months, I still get the occasional message asking me about how “safe” I feel here.

Well, let me just tell you that since arriving in the Middle East, I have met mostly only absolutely amazing people. From Abu Dhabi to Al Ain, to Dhank, Oman, and up to Dubai. I’ve rented two cars and driven all over this beautiful desert meeting people all along the way.

The only people I’ve met here who I didn’t particularly enjoy were a group of Americans who were drunk at a pool bar (getting drunk in public here is very frowned upon) talking about how they’re better than everyone because they’re Christians and serve in the US Navy (seriously, these particular guys were awful).

The people I have met who are from here are kind, generous and proud of their country. They acknowledge how much their government does for them and are appreciative of the things they have. They are excited to show you their culture and introduce you to their way of life. They are quick to ask you if you need help if they sense you’re lost or confused. They are very highly educated and have well thought out formed opinions.

The locals I have met here are the kind of people you can sit and have a conversation with for hours, and I love to talk.

Last Saturday I was laying poolside talking to a local Arabic friend about the hard parts of life. This particular day we talked about guns and gangs and violence. We talked about terrorism and hate. We talked about hardships and the crime we have personally experienced. We talked about the perspectives we’ve been fed by our government and our media. We talked about the differences in our countries laws and possible solutions for it all. We even talked about the importance of mental health.

Our conversation was eye opening to me.

You see, I am a 33 year old female from the United States of America and I have personally experienced more crime in my life than this 36 year old man who was born and raised in Dubai.

I have experienced more death (suicide, cancer, overdose and accidental), I have experienced more hate, I have experienced more gun violence, more depression, more anxiety, more more more more more of all the negative things in life… and it never really occurred to me that these things do not have to be “just a part of life” like I had always thought.

My Arabic friend doesn’t know a single person who has committed suicide or died from a drug overdose. He only knows one person who got cancer, and they got treated in Belgium (paid for my the UAE government) and has not had cancer again since. He doesn’t know anyone who owns a gun, but he does know a guy who has a pet tiger (which is against the law here). He has never met anyone who has been stabbed. He has never seen a dead person on the sidewalk. He still remembers the first fight he saw at a night club.

This is not a sheltered man. In fact, he has traveled much of the world and experienced several cultures. He speaks six languages.

We chatted all afternoon.

The next day when I went to see him, I told him about what had just happened in Gilroy, California. 4 dead, 15 injured.

His eyes got wide and his forehead crinkled. He put his head down and shook it side to side and said, “Some people are so sick”.

Little did I know that less than 7 days later I’d be telling him about another one. This time, El Paso, Texas. This time 20 dead, 26 injured.

It seems to me that I am safer staying here…

Meeting People Is Easy

“Meeting people is easy”.

I remember the first time I heard that phrase. I don’t really know how old I was, though if I do the math I was probably around 13.

I remember hearing that phrase and having an instant emotional connection to it. At the time, I don’t think I quite understood the depths in which it affected me, but as the years have gone by and I’ve grown older, moved cities and traveled countries, I am reminded how rooted that phrase is for me.

I think that when I’m stuck in the monotony of my day to day life, the phrase tends to slip away from the front of my mind. I get tied up in my routine, my neighborhood, my regular waterholes with my regular friends and there isn’t much of a challenge to “get along”.

It’s when I travel that I am hit the hardest by the true weight of what those words mean to me.

You see, as long as I can remember I have known someone who doesn’t have it as easy as me. I may not have known the words at the time (anxiety, depression, antisocial, loner, etc…) , but I recognized who those people were around me, and I always wanted to comfort them.

Maybe if I raise myself in the middle of the bully and them then the bully will lash out on me and leave them alone.

Maybe if I sit next to them at recess and tell them I don’t want to play tag either then they will feel less alone.

Maybe if I walk home from school with them they won’t feel so afraid.

I’ve been that person for as long as I can remember, and I’m sure my family could tell you countless more stories about me doing similar acts at an age that I was too young to even remember myself doing it.

The truth is, I have never found it difficult to talk to people. I have never been afraid to hold a conversation with a stranger no matter how kind or unkind that person appears to be.

Sure, sometimes in conversations people disagree with me. Perhaps they see a situation in a different way than I do and that’s fine, everyone has the right to see a situation though the lenses of their own reality, but in the end, I have still never had a problem meeting people.

I come up with this subject today because I literally just had one of the best weekends of my life with someone I met while sitting at a pool bar a few weeks ago, and if it weren’t for me being exactly who I am, and them being exactly who they are, we would have never met.

In the eyes of our “societies”, we shouldn’t have met.

Now, before anyone starts getting all hyped up about how its 2019 and people are mingling all over the world and nobody should let society dictate what they do in life, hear me out.

Before being offered the opportunity to come to the Middle East, I never ever ever would have even considered it being a destination for me. In my ignorance I thought that all of the Middle East was a war zone.

Before I formed that ignorant opinion, which was likely because of the wars that started after 9/11, I never really gave much thought to the Middle East at all.

I always knew that different parts of the world had different ways of life, and I have always been drawn to the idea of traveling as much of the world as I can, but I really just never saw myself here.

Anyway, back to my story:

I met this guy and he had a very deep voice that captivated my attention, so I listened carefully to his words.

We talked for about an hour or so and shared another round of drinks before he had to head out. We exchanged numbers and went our separate ways.

We stayed in touch and thru our chatting I discovered more about him and his background. I quickly learned that he comes from a very deeply rooted traditional Arabic family. That he wears a Kandura during his regular day to day, and even though he’s 36, he doesn’t tell his family that he drinks and likes the occasional wild party.

We chatted often about the Arabic culture and where I should travel to and things I should do here in the UAE. We chatted about places I want to go and where he has gone and he offered to link me with friends he has in so many different countries around the world.

Then, this past week, he said he would come down to Abu Dhabi for two nights to hang out with me.

The weekend was great! Montecristos, scotch, Shisha, pools, beach, sunshine, dancing and good food. We got along so well you would have thought we’d have known each other forever! And yet, we never should have met.

If he were to have followed his strict family tradition, he would have never been at the bar we met at in the first place.

If I would have listened to the concerns of so many of my family and friends or continued to think that the Middle East was entirely war stricken, I would have declined the opportunity to be in the UAE and I wouldn’t have been their either.

And yet, we met and became instant friends.

Yes, I have met some real pricks in my day, and I promise you that not everyone has kind words to say in describing me, but in the big picture, out of the hundreds of people we cross paths with each day, most people are good people, across the whole globe, and meeting people is easy.

Be well. Be happy.

Day Three- Boarder crossing and Dhank, Oman

I woke up at 7am. Considering I went to bed around 8:30pm, I think it’s safe to assume my body was exhausted from the previous day’s adventure.

I looked at my phone and there was a Whatsapp message from my Airbnb hosts. The ladies had made a traditional Malaysian breakfast called Nasi Lemak, and wanted to share it with me! I was so excited and suddenly extremely hungry!!

A quintessential Malaysian favorite. Nasi Lemak features fragrant and rich coconut rice with spicy sambal, topped with crispy anchovies, crunchy peanuts, hard-boiled egg, and cool cucumber.

After a delicious breakfast I packed up my bags said my goodbyes. The days single goal was to cross the Oman border successfully and get a fresh stamp in my passport. I had done visa runs before when I was living in Mexico, so I had a general idea of what I could expect:

To be asked a lot of questions when I exit UAE. Wait around for an undetermined amount of time… perhaps pay exit fee’s.

To be asked a lot of questions when I enter Oman. Wait around for an undetermined amount of time… perhaps pay entrance fee’s and temporary visa fee’s.

To be asked a lot of questions when I exit Oman. Wait around for an undetermined amoutn of time… perhaps pay another fee to exit.

To be asked a lot of questions when I enter UAE. Wait around for an undetermined amount of time..perhaps pay for a visa again.

In each step of this process the typical questions revolve around, “Where are you coming from?”, “Where are you going?”, “What will you be doing during your visit?”, “Where will you be staying?” and “How long are you staying?”. If you don’t have answers for these questions, they tend to look a little suspicious..that’s the look you want to avoid when you’re attempting the border crossing for only a visa run.

I had decided that I would attempt my border cross at Mezyad Border Post. Of all the places to cross the UAE/ Oman boarder, I had read though several different peoples experiences that this one was pretty quick and easy.

Also, let me just clarify why I say “attempt” a boarder cross.

In my experiences, as well as the stories I have heard from other friends who had to do these “visa runs” to stay in a country for an extended period of time, sometimes a boarder patrol officer will decline your renewal because, by law, you must exit one country for 24-48 hours (depending on the country) before you can return to it. Other times you’re expected to have a bus or plane ticket to prove your plan to exit the country you’re entering. If the officer declines your renewal, you can expect to be stuck for the 24-48 hours necessary before you can return. This, of course, comes with unexpected costs for accommodation and car rental extension, and the most expensive thing ever, your time.

The drive to the Mezyad Boarder meant driving straight past the Al Ain Camel Market, so of course, I planned to stop. This camel market is the last souk of its kind in the UAE and is an excellent opportunity to see all different breeds of camels up close. There is also plenty of other livestock such as goats, sheep and cattle. As you walk around you see and hear traders discussing the price and merits of their animals.

It was about 9 am when I arrived at the camel market. I parked my car and began to walk around. My Airbnb hosts had warned me that the traders would offer to take my photo with their camels but then expect me to give them money, but they didn’t quite express how aggressive the traders could get.

At first I just smiled and said, “No, thank you”, when I was asked if I had a camera and wanted a photo. When that stopped working they took out their phones and then wanted to take pictures of me and with me. They kept saying they wanted a photo with “American Girl”, which lead me to walking around with my hand over my face telling repeating the two phrases, “No, thank you.” and “No, please stop”.

A few nice traders recognized I wasn’t there to buy a camel or get the best Instagram photo, and so they took me around for a “Camel 101” crash course. They were two men who looked to be in their 60’s, and they showed me the Arabian Camels, the Oman Desert Camels, Saudi Camels and a few breeds of racing camels. From what I could gather with the language barrier, they use the different traveling camels based on weight of what they plan to carry and distance they plan to travel. Overall, camels are amazingly resilient in the desert heat and so they have been used for several centuries. I also learned that some camels are a “smoother ride” than other camels, much like different breeds of horses.

The men also brought me inside one of their camel pens and let me bond with a 3 day old camel they had brought to the market. Despite it only being 3 days old, the camel was still bigger than me! After about twenty minutes I snapped one photo and took off to the refuge of the air conditioned car ready to get this visa run done.

I began to head south with the radio turned up playing Arabic music I didn’t understand but still enjoyed and the air conditioning on high. I knew there was no need to look at any map, I just had to keep driving until I got to the border.

The drive was only about twenty minutes. As I got up to the boarder I had a pleasant surprise!!

Camels from the camel market crossing the UAE border in front of me.

As I exited the UAE I was asked to pay 33 Dirhams to leave, sure.

As I entered Oman, the officer began to ask me how long I was staying and where I was headed (exactly what I expected). I told him I was visiting Oman simply for a day trip and that I planned to go to the mountainside town of Dhank.

Considering my brothers status in the UAE, I felt it would be in my best interest to be honest about my intentions. I figured if they asked me questions about why I wouldn’t be staying longer on my way out, or why I had only been gone a short time on my way in, I would simply tell them about my brothers family relocating and my role of helping my precious niece and nephew get acclimated to the desert life (I’m not above pulling out some cards to help myself out a little).

The border officer looked at me a little sideways and asked me to park the car and go inside. I went inside and there were groups of men hovering over the counter. I figured I’d wait patiently until the chaos subsided before standing in line, but as I wandered around the office looking at maps and reading about the history of Oman, I realized the “line” wasn’t dwindling at all… In fact, more men just kept piling up behind the other men. Zero sense of order…so, I jumped right in. Neglected my personal space and held my ground until it was my turn.

When the officer asked me what I needed I told him I wasn’t sure… I was just told to come inside. I gave him all the paperwork I had and he asked me to pay 33 Dirham. I told him I had just paid 33 Dirham and showed him the receipt. He advised me that this was different, and that this one was for my travel visa… Ok, whatever, the reality for me is it is less than $10 USD, I can afford that.

Exiting the immigration building and crossing into Oman

As you can probably tell from the photos, the Mezyad Boarder Cross is all under construction. I don’t know if that’s why people claimed this was a pretty easy boarder to cross, or what, but after only about thirty minutes, I was in the country of Oman.

The drive to Dhank was just short of an hour from the border. Because of the thunderstorm from the previous day, the two lane highway into town was narrowed into one lane for much of the drive. Sand-slides and standing water occupied the other lane.

I drove into Dhank and grabbed a cub of Arabian Coffee (it’s becoming my addiction since alcohol is such a chore to get around these parts), and found a nice spot along side a quiet road to stare into the mountainside and enjoy my coffee.

After finishing my coffee, I figured it was time to try the drive back again. If I wanted to return the car and have at least two hours to enjoy some drinks with my New Zealand buddies at the hotel bar on Yas Island, I would need to get movin’.

I did stop to take a few photos on my way out of town.

Ummmm…. Is that why this is such a safe region to travel?

In this region of the Middle East, families often times live in ‘compounds’, which are luxurious living grounds, likely mocked from the original forts built by the Sheikh’s. This is one.

As I drove toward the Oman/UAE border I had to keep changing the radio station. No station was coming in clear except the reading of the Quran, and that was only in Arabic. It was then that I noticed a bluetooth symbol under the radio display. Really!!? I could have been jamming out to my own music this whole time!? While simultaneously driving 120km/hr and fiddling with my phone and the audio display, I managed to hook up to bluetooth and play my favorite playlist I made on Spotify, Turnt Up Ladies (If you have Spotify, feel free to follow that station of mine, it’s the best!).

The drive out of Oman was a little daunting. As I pulled up to the boarder crossing, I encountered the same officer who I had spoken to when I exited.

“Oh, only one hour you spend in Oman!?”, he says to me with a troubled look.

“I was there more than one hour! I took a whole driving tour of Dhank! What a beautiful countryside”, I say with a smile and a hint of over the top enthusiasm in my voice. He stamps a piece of paper and tells me to take it to the next gate.

Pulling up to the border post to exit Oman

When I get to the next tent I have to drive though what appears to be an x-ray machine and then I’m asked to pull over for them to physically inspect my car. Sure… no problem.

The officer asks me for my paperwork, and tells me to pull over into the parking lot and go inside.

Ugh…… again!? Good thing I have nothing better to do… Like drink an ice cold beer with a whisky on the side.

I pull into the parking lot and go inside. There are two ladies sitting at desks at the front and people sitting in chairs all facing these two desks. It reminded me of being at the DMV. I didn’t see anything that suggested I “take a number” or anything, so I walked up to one of the women and asked her what I needed to do.

“Just have a seat, we will call you”, she told me.

They’ll call me? I didn’t give them my name or anything… I guess the other officers must have communicated it with some computer or something… I sat in the back.

Waiting inside the immigration building to enter the UAE

After about fifteen minutes one of the ladies waved me up. She asked me for my passport and the piece of paper I was given at the Oman exit. I gave her the requested items, and she stamped the piece of paper and sent me on my way. One more step until I’m officially back in the UAE and legal for another 30 days!

Hoping to get though this next step without a hold up!

I drove to the next post and presented the officer with my passport and paperwork. He handed me back my passport. I asked him, “I’m good for another 30 days now, right!?”. He looked at me confused. I asked him again. He responded, “I don’t know what you ask me.”…ah, forget it…I’m sure I’m fine, I thought. I drove into the UAE.

As I was driving back I got a sneaky suspicion that something wasn’t right… I pulled out my passport to verify that I got a fresh stamp. I flipped though the pages. I saw my original entrance to the UAE on June 18th. I saw my exit of the UAE on July 20th. I saw my entrance into Oman on the 20th with a Visa giving me 8 days to travel Oman (must have been that 33 Durham I paid…) and I saw my exit of Oman. I didn’t see another stamp showing I had re-entered the UAE!! Ugh!!

I called my brother to tell him I was pretty sure they didn’t stamp my passport back in. He assured me that we would make the necessary phone calls and figure out what I would need to do next. He told me he had heard that sometimes even when the passport doesn’t have a physical stamp that the computer systems are indeed updated correctly.

I then called a friend I met a few weeks prior, who lives in Dubai and works for the Immigration Department. He told me a similar thing and assured me that he would get it resolved.

The rest of the way back to Yas Island was about an hour and 45 minutes. I rocked out to my Turnt Up Ladies radio station the whole way flying down the nearly empty highway going 160km/hr stopping only once to fill up the gas tank.

When I arrived back to the island I returned the car to Edgar and told him about the whole passport stamp fiasco I might be in. He pulled out a special light and scanned though the pages on my passport. Lo and behold, there was the stamp!! It was stamped with a very fainted blue ink that blended in way too well with the background of the pages of my US passport. Phew!!!

Crisis averted, yet again!

So, naturally, after returning the car, I called up the boys to meet for a drink at Stills, the bar attached to the Crown Royal Plaza Hotel.

The boys (Uncle Kelley and Chris) and I had some drinks and celebrated another 30 days!

And we celebrated!

I have a video of Chris dancing under some awning on our way to a neighboring hotel bar. If I knew how to post videos on here, I’d share it! It’s pretty precious.

So here I am again, home again at last!!

Well, at least for another 30 days.

I’ll plan my next visa run in advance… where do I want to go next!!? India? Thailand? Turkey? Philippines?

Be well. Be happy.

Day two – Al Ain, UAE

I woke up on Friday the 19th of July with a loose itinerary planned; Then, I realized it was Friday.

There are a lot of things different here in the Middle East compared to where I grew up in the USA, and one big one is workdays vs weekends. Growing up, the standard work week and school week is Monday thru Friday and the weekend is Saturday and Sunday. Even still, on Saturday’s and Sunday’s most businesses are open.

Here, in the UAE, the work day is Sunday thru Thursday and the weekend is Friday and Saturday, and almost EVERYTHING is either closed or opens late (after 3pm) on Friday’s.

So, I jumped online and double checked my original plan to see if the places I wanted to go would even be open in the morning, and they were not. I reworked my itinerary to make the most of the day by adding in the two places Edgar, the man from the car rental company, told me about. I looked up the locations, wrote down a few basic directions, and headed out the door.

First recommended stop: Jabel Hafeet Mountain.

Jabel Hafeet Mountain is the sole mountain in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and one of the highest in the country. From the apartment I rented, Jabel Hafeet Mountain was about a 18- 20 minute drive to the base, and the drive up the mountain was about another 10-15 minutes. The drive to the top was absolutely beautiful, so I stopped a few times along the way to take a photos.

A Mosque sitting at the base of the beginning of the mountain on the drive to Jabel Hafeet

Jabel Hafeet Mountain Road was built in 1980 and extends for 11.7 km (7.3 mi) up the mountain, rising 1,200 m (3,900 ft). With 60 turns and three lanes (two climbing and one descending), the road has been called the greatest driving road in the world by Edmunds.com. The road scales the mountain and ends at a parking lot with a hotel and a palace belonging to the country’s rulers.

1/2 or so of the way up Jabel Hafeet looking North towards

Jabel Hafeet Mountain top Palace Estates

Desert view from the top of Jabel Hafeet Mountain

View of Mubazzarah Park from about 2/3rd of the way down Jabel Hafeet Mountain

On my way down the mountain I made a few more stops before pulling into Green Mubazzarah which is an oasis park at the base of the mountain.

My sweet little ride that made this entire trip possible, a Ford Figo

Second recommended stop: Green Mubazzarah.

Green Mubazzarah is a desert oasis at the base of Jabel Hafeet where water from deep underground bubbles up creating Mubazzarah Hot Springs. I’m sure this is a highly visited location in cooler months, but here in the middle of the Afternoon in July with 114 degree Fahrenheit weather, there wasn’t a soul in the hot spring and very few people admiring the park at all.

The park is huge, and the entrance to the park is free. I drove all around visiting the hot springs, the local BBQing area, the pond, the historical Mubazzarah Dam, the children’s playground, the “his” and “hers” swimming pools (20 Dirham to swim for one hour, no towel rental), and spent quite some time sitting on a park bench looking at the beautiful scenery with a bag of mixed nuts just wasting the day away.

Green Mubazzarah children’s playground (one of several)

After all, it was now only about 10am on Friday and none of the museums I wanted to go to opened until 3pm.

Before leaving Green Mubazzarah I pulled up to one of many water sources to fill up my water bottle. I carry with me a ‘Purewell Filter Water Bottle, BPA Free, with 4-Stage Intergrated Filter Straw’, so I can get water from anywhere and by the time it hits my lips, it’s safe to drink. This is perfect for camping, hiking and traveling as well as great for day to day use. If you’re interested, you can find one here: https://www.amazon.com/Purewell-Bottles-Integrated-Backpacking-Emergency/dp/B07JLS7VF2

When I walked up to the water source I noticed a swarm of thirsty bees hovering. Because of the heat, I took the risk.. as far as I know, I don’t have any allergies to bee stings, so I went for it.

The water was not cold, but it was much cooler than the air outside so every last sip was delightful!! I filled up my bottle a second time, and hit the road.

Before exiting the park I stopped at the “Waha Al Mubazara Cafeteria” which was really more like a convenient store with mostly just soda, chips and ice cream. I grabbed a small bag of trail mix and walked back out to my car. No sooner did I get into my car a white SUV driven by an Emirate man pulled up (I knew he was a local because he was wearing a Kandura), and he honked his horn about three times. The man from inside the “Cafeteria” came out to his window, took his request, went back inside, and then came back out with the items the man asked for. I was more than surprised to see this happen! In this kinda heat, that is some serious service!!

I drove out of the park and headed to Al Ain Oasis. Al Ain Oasis is one of several oasis’ in the region. This oasis garden embodies a three-tiered agriculture, characterized by ground crops, orchards and Palm groves. This system is vital for the self-sufficiency of the community and for the creation of the ecological micro-climate of the oasis. Despite the heat I opted to walk instead of rent a bicycle.

Single, double and family bicycles for rent. “Buggies” were also available for 20 Durham if you wanted a driver.

I walked through Palm groves, found the underground flowing water paths, and even stopped for an ice cold bottle of water.

One small opening of the natural water flow though Al Ain Oasis

Walls and camera phone timers are your friend when you’re traveling solo!

As I slowly gave myself a self guided tour, I was greeted by one of the five prayer calls of the day. I followed the sounds of the prayer and discovered upon a mosque. Outside the mosque were the hundreds of pairs of shoes piled up belonging to all the men inside. I stopped to observe the ritual before turning my way back toward where I had come from to go sit in my car and escape the heat.

One of several mosques within the walls of Al Ain Oasis during prayer time

While walking out of the Oasis, a car (only locals can drive their cars on the property because there are still families that own homes within it’s walls) pulled up and the man driving the car rolled own his window to talk to me. He was wearing a perfect crisp Kandura (this has become a very attractive quality to me in my 30+ days living in this region) despite the dust of the wind blowing though the Oasis. He asked me if I had seen the water and if I knew where I was going. He told me his mother still lives within the Oasis and offered to show me around. His energy was warm and welcoming, and given different circumstances, I likely would have jumped in his vehicle and gone for the adventure, but I was soaked in my own sweat and feeling pretty hungry, so I declined his offer and in the back of my mind wished I might run into him again before I leave..spoiler… I never did.

I got back to my car and began to head toward Al Ain Palace Museum, but I still had some time to waste before it opened, so I stopped at a huge mall I was driving past. It was called Remal Mall. It was absolutely beautiful inside although most stores were closed. I spoke to a few people who were working in stores that were open, and gathered that the mall was still relatively new so not all the stores were fully moved in yet, but also… it’s Friday. I went to the food court which was located on the 4th floor and there were only three places open to choose from. I opted for the local Arabic spot and housed myself another Chicken Shawarma. This one came with a coke and cost $8 Durham. It was different than the one I got at Volcano in Jimi Mall, although it was also absolutely delicious!

Just after 3pm I headed to Al Ain Palace Museum. When I arrived there the sky was beginning to turn a heavy grey in the distance, and the air smelled like it might rain. I didn’t want to get too excited, but I grabbed a hold of my crystal and wished for rain; rejuvenation.

Al Ain Palace was one of the residences of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Founding Father and first President of the United Arab Emirates. He lived there with his family until 1966 when he moved to Abu Dhabi as the new ruler of the emirate. Al Ain Palace dates back to 1937 and was built in the traditional architectural style of Al Ain. Walking around the museum gave me an amazing glimpse into what life may have been like for the late Sheikh and his family.

*Swimming pool at Al Ain Palace museum. There is a canal that runs along the back side of the property and opens into an identical pool on the other side.*

A model of the Land Rover in which Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nayan used to tour the region to visit the citizens.

One of several reception rooms (majalis) within the Palace grounds

Sheikh Zayed and his wife’s bedroom within Al Ain Palace Museum

A child’s crib hanging in Al Ain Palace Museum

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s own words… What you believe about the Middle East might not be accurate

As I continued to tour the massive grounds the wind picked up and the sand began to whip around hitting my skin like little needles. I decided to have a seat under a large traditional tent set up within the main courtyard and wait out he storm.

After the rain it was time to head to my last destination of the day, Oasr Al Muwaiji.

That quick thunderstorm made my little Ford Figo filthy!!

Qasr Al Muwaiji is a significant and authentic historic earthen building that bears witness to four generations of the ruling Al Nahyan family. From 1946 to around 1960 it was the home and diwan of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and it is the birthplace of the present ruler of Abu Dhabi and the President of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

By the time I arrived at Qasr Al Muwaiji it was just past 5pm and I had been walking in the heat most of the day. I was extremely grateful to discover that this museum is mostly all indoors and air conditioned!! I read though the history of this magical fort and took a self guided tour though the current President of the UAE’s birthplace.

Exhausted from the day, but determined to enjoy one last historical place in Al Ain for the day.

Main reception room on the third floor of Qasr Al Muwaiji- A place to entertain and catch up with loved ones

Taking some time to relax in Qasr Al Muwaiji after a long day in the heat

Just before closing time I finished up my visit to Qasr Al Muwaiji. It was nearly 7 pm and I was exhausted. I debated stopping by a hotel to have a drink before heading back to the apartment, but opted to just go straight back, eat a crappy version of a cup-of-noodle that I knew was on the coffee table, and call it a night.

My next day’s adventure was the big finale…my attempt to cross the Oman border for a fresh stamp in my passport!

Be well. Be happy.

Day One- Al Ain, UAE

I woke up on Thursday the 18th and began to pack a few things I thought would be necessary for my trip. I knew the basics (towel, shower gel, shampoo) were taken care of through my Airbnb accommodation, so I just focused on what clothes I would be most comfortable walking around the extreme desert heat in while also simultaneously being completely covered, and a few basic snacks.

I said goodbye to the kids ad their nanny and walked down the stairs to catch a taxi to the Crown Royal Plaza Hotel on Yas Island where I had booked my rental car. I met Edgar and gave him all the identification he had asked me to bring. Because I do not have a local UAE phone number, I also gave him the name and phone number of my brother. He looked at the name, then looked at me and back down at the name.

“You’re Mr. Andy’s sister?”, he asked me.

“Yes, we have different surnames, but share the same mother.”, I responded.

“Oh, well what did we quote you per day for the car?” he asked.

“178.60 Dirham per day, sir”, I responded.

“Well, I’ll give you a ‘friends and family’ discount for this trip since you’re Mr. Andy’s sister. I’ll give you the car for 157.59 Dirham per day.”

Sweet!! We’re off to a good start already!

Edgar finished up the rental agreement and gave me all the details about the process of crossing the Oman boarder (which we planned for the 20th) He told me what fees to expect and then gave me two recommendations of places to see while I’m there.

“Green Park, it’s called Mubazzarah Park, and Jabel Hafeet Mountain! Make sure you check those places out!” he told me.

I told him I would and then walked outside to inspect the car and begin my journey.

As I drove away from the city of Abu Dhabi and into the desert I saw vast desert. White sand as far as the eye could see. There was hardly any traffic at all and the speed limit hovered from 120km/h to 160km/h. I toggled around with the radio and found plenty of local radio stations that gave me the authentic feel of driving though the middle east. As I got closer to the city of Al Ain, the ground began to change dramatically. What was once vast flat lands of white sand were now a redish brown sand that the wind had formed into several unique sand dunes.

I arrived to Al Ain around noon and since my check-in at my Airbnb wasn’t until 2pm, I decided to go straight to Al Jahili Fort and begin to site see. I parked near a Starbucks Coffee Shop along the border of the Central District Park, went inside for a restroom break and an iced latte, and then walked through the park toward Al Jahili Fort. I knew it was on the premises and figured it wouldn’t be too hard to miss considering everything I had read about it’s massive size.

The park was beautiful. The grass was well maintained and there were several beautiful water fountains to admire during my walk.

Then I saw the fort standing taller than the date palms and trees that surrounded me, and I walked towards it.

Al Jahili Fort was amazing! It’s one of the largest traditional forts in Al Ain. The different elements of its ancient mudbrick fortification provides a strong physical and visual link to important local and regional events in both the nineteeth and twentieth centuries.

Al Jahili Fort is of special significance because it is strongly associated with Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa, also known as Zayed the First, who ruled from 1855 to 1909. The construction of Al Jahili Fort itself is dated to have began in 1891 and completed in 1898. It’s date of completion, 1316 AH, (1898 CE) was inscribed on a wooden panel at the enterance of the fort, which displays the following two verses:

A door of goodness opens in this glorious chapter, Where joy and happiness reside.

The blessings of honour said, ‘Mark this house, A house of high standing built by Zayed bin Khalifa.

The oldest parts of the fort are the multi-tiered round tower and the old fort. These were constructed in size and layout for it’s defensive features. The courtyard and interior walls are dated to have come shortly after and were used to gather people and livestock during raids.

The entire fort was open for exploration, and I was the only person walking around the grounds admiring it. There was also an air conditioned exhibit within the fort that tells the story of Mubarak Bin London (birth name Wilfred Thesiger). This is a permanent exhibition that highlights the story of British explorer Wilfred Thesiger, known in the Arabian Peninsula as Mubarak bin London, who enjoyed an international reputation as an explorer, photographer and writer of travel literature.

The exhibition is filled with photographs taken by Mr. Thesiger as well as a 5-10 minute movie clip in which Mr. Thesiger himself discusses the details and experiences of his journey crossing the Empty Quarter to Abu Dhabi from October 1946 to May 1947. While I sat watching the clip I was offered dates and hot tea. It was a pleasant way to close up my visit to Al Jahili Fort.

Around 2 pm I began to walk back to my car to go check into the Airbnb. As I walked toward the car attempting to pull up the directions, my phone was unable to connect to any kind of signal. I popped back into the Starbucks to grab some water and use their Wifi to pull up the driving directions and was on my way to the apartment.

Al Ain is filled with round abouts instead of traffic lights. While I did find this slightly intimidating at first, the controlled chaos was something I acclimated to very quickly and, frankly, think I prefer over the 4 way traffic stops we are so accustomed to in the US.

I checked in with Elena and Victoria, my Airbnb hosts. They gave me my key and we talked for a little while getting to know each other. Elena is from the Philippines and works at the local university, Victoria is from Malaysia and works in real estate. They have been living in Al Ain for 4 years and have still not been to the places I was planning to visit during my stay.

I decided to lay down and relax for awhile. 2 hours of walking around in 46 c weather (114 f) will really take the energy out of you. Around 4pm I decided to get up and hit the Al Jimi Mall. Elena and Victoria told me there was a place there called Volcano that had really good local Arab food.

After a delicious lunch that cost me 5 AED (1.36 USD), I headed south to the Al Ain Zoo.

I arrived just before 5:30 and was told there was a bird show at 6pm. I entered the zoo and hustled towards the bird house to catch the show. I just knew it would be my chance to see some form of Falconry, and I was not left disappointed!! They had several birds of prey showing their hunting skills! Falcons, Eagles, Owls and Vultures!!

After the show I walked around the zoo admiring as many other animals as I could before the zoo closing time of 8pm. As the sun began to set the winds began to start up giving a slight breeze of relief from the days heat. I decided I needed a drink.

A true rarity! The white tiger was so desired for it’s fur that its species was completely poached out of existence. It is currently 100% extinct from the wild and now only a very few survive in Zoo’s around the world.

I could have hung out with this Penguin all day…

One of the worlds most beautiful creatures with an equally stunning background.

I did a quick search and found a Trader Vic’s close by. Considering my desire to feel anything close to home, I decided to head that way for a taste of something familiar. I had two drinks, enjoyed some live music, and then drove back to my Airbnb accommodation.

I showered off the day’s sweat, and drifted immediately off to sleep excited about the next day’s adventures.

Planning my first Visa run in the UAE.

Leaving for my first solo adventure in the Middle East

Our move from Yas Island to Al Reef was smooth and within only a few days we got the apartment cleaned up, furnished the way we want it, got internet set up and running and the place looking and feeling like our family home.

Never underestimate the power of fresh linens!!

Within a few days of settling in, I began to feel an internal nagging that told me I needed to do a little bit more research on my travel visa status here in the UAE. I had talked to people from other countries about the number of days they were allowed to stay in the country before having to go for a Visa run and the general consensus was 30 days, but for some reason I felt that I had read that I had 90 days (Americans tend to be quite privileged in our allowance of time to travel compared to other countries). By the time I actually got around to looking into it, I had four days before my status here would expire! I had done two visa runs in the past when I was living in Mexico, so the process wasn’t new to me; just the location. It was time to buckle down and do some research. Where would I go!?

I consulted with a few friends I’ve made here who have done plenty of these runs themselves, and decided that since I was limited on my planning time, making plane tickets a little too expensive for my budget, that I would instead look into renting a car and going somewhere that is a reasonable driving distance. I had heard about the city of Al Ain, an Oasis in the desert, and I had wanted to check it out, so I figured, now is the best time to make that trip!

Technically Al Ain is on the border of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the country of Oman. As I began to look up where to stay in Oman, I was coming up mostly empty handed for anything in the city of Al Ain. There were very few hotels on that side of the border to begin with, and the ones that were there were expensive and would require almost an hours drive to all the places I wanted to see in Al Ain. I decided to change my course of action. I would stay in the city of Al Ain on the UAE side, and cross into the country of Oman for a day trip to get my necessary stamp.

I began the hotel search again. In this search I found beautiful resorts with elaborate pools and high-end bars and night clubs. While it all was quite tempting, my pocketbook wasn’t trying to have a fancy vacation, it was trying to get my passport a fresh stamp to allow me another 30 days in the UAE.

So, I signed up for Airbnb.

Okay okay okay…. I know!! I have heard all the bad things too about how Airbnb is taking over cities and making it harder for locals to find homes in these said cities. I also recall being in Nola and reading int he newspaper that they had just made Airbnb illegal in the French Quarter because it had become such a disturbance to the residents of the neighborhood.

I wasn’t keen on supporting their community and network, but I was getting a little desperate and thought it would be a good idea to at least see what they had to offer.

I signed up, typed in Al Ain and the dates of my travel, July 18-July 20; JACKPOT!

I found a studio style room that had a queen size bed, fridge, microwave, work desk, couch and private bathroom in the center of the city hosted by two women who ONLY host solo female travelers and married couples!! Safe, clean, convenient… and cheap!

The front door of the flat I booked in Al Ain, UAE

I booked it.

Then I called up the car rental to arrange for me to pick up a car. That was an entire process on its own because the country of Oman requires special insurance to drive in their country. When it comes to having a rental car, you also need a letter and the registration of the car and all these documents that require extra steps to show that you are, indeed, allowed to drive that car across the border (apparently the cars GPS systems don’t work once they’re crossed into Oman and there were a number of cars “rented” that were never returned to the UAE so most car rental companies here don’t allow you to cross the border).

After about two hours (research and booking combined), my trip was booked to go to Al Ain and I could now breath a little easier and start creating my itinerary for when I get there.

Crisis averted.

Be well. Be happy.