Sharjah

Summer is over, the weather is good and tourists are streaming into the UAE.  And not just into Dubai - last weekend the final race of the Formula 1 season was held in Abu Dhabi, which meant real traffic, hour-long queues for taxis, and strange sightings across the UAE.  In other words, a perfect time to leave town and explore Sharjah.

Sharjah is the emirate directly north of Dubai.  It has taken us anywhere from 15 minutes to two hours to travel between downtown Dubai and the city of Sharjah.  This time we left Abu Dhabi on Friday morning, guaranteeing a relatively traffic-free trip.

Sharjah is the most conservative emirate and is famous for its cultural center.  It has nearly half of all the museums in the UAE and a well-preserved fort.




The Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization had artifacts from the Berlin Museum of Islamic Art when we were there, but we enjoyed the permanent collection, which focuses especially on contributions to science, most of all.

We were most pleasantly surprised by Sharjah's corniche.  Sharjah is built along two bays, and there is a great running and bicycle path along both, as well as on a bridge which connects the two.  We were very, very slightly reminded of the amazing bicycle paths in Stockholm.

The Blue Souq is a pair of beautiful buildings right on the water.  We were eager to be charmed by the inside, but unfortunately it is more mall-y than souq-y.

We enjoyed getting to know one of the other emirates, and may be back for its most famous event, the Festival of Lights.

A fearless expedition to Lulu Island

After nine months of yammering about buying a kayak, we took the plunge, with a used inflatable kayak on Dubizzle (the Craigslist of the middle east, minus the racier sections).  We can't wait to explore all of the mangroves, inlets, and islands suggested by terrific sites like this one.  But we wanted something less ambitious to start with. 

And so we set out for Lulu. Lulu island is a long man-made piece of land directly across from Abu Dhabi's downtown, and is only accessible by boat.  For a few years, there were restaurants and talk of serious development (not a unique story).  But now it lies empty, with big red dunes and rows of palm trees.  

The set-up took a bit longer than expected...

...but eventually we figured things out.

Margaret is ready to launch, and hoping that the thousands of little fish don't nibble her toes before safely in the boat.

After a half hour of rowing (and looking neurotically every time we heard a motor boat) we made it to our destination.

We discovered some creatures hiding under rocks.

And made it back in time for a dip in the gulf!

The Corniche - biking, running, and playing

One of the most wonderful things about our new city is the Corniche, a strip of land along the waterfront that's grassy and beautiful, planted with flowers and trees. Most importantly, there is a continuous path along it that goes, uninterrupted by the busy and occasionally lethal Abu Dhabi traffic, for 5+ miles. And they are beautiful miles.



On Friday night, we rented bikes and biked along the whole thing. (On Saturday, we got braver, and ran the same route.)



Taking breaks occasionally to look at the view, which keeps changing. Here is Nick, with a peculiar kind of hat.



The best and the worst thing about the Corniche at night is that EVERYONE is on it. Nights in Abu Dhabi are particularly beautiful, and near sun down, the Corniche begins to feel like a massive party. Kids are weaving around on their bikes. Ladies are walking together and chatting. People are out variously picnicking, stretching, playing soccer, sitting on benches and gazing at the view, running, and searching fervently for ice cream. In places, it feels like mayhem. But it is a very happy and communal mayhem, and it's nice to be a part of it.