Urban Exploring in the Middle East

My cousin and I hadn't planned anything specific for my second last day in the UAE.  I knew I had wanted to see a bit more of the geography, including their tallest mountain, Jebel Hafeet (jebel is the arabic word for mountain).

 My cousin's boyfriend had a travel book listing a few excursion sort day trips in the area.  We went first to Al Ain, a city within Abu Dhabi to this archaeological garden.  I love seeing pieces of history and archaeology.  I often fantasize about life in other times and places.  Having the opportunity to see remnants of those times is almost an uncanny feeling which helps depict what life may have been like.  I believe my fascination with history and people's lives drove me to my education in psychology.

 These pictures are of an old fort under construction.  We had to do a bit of sneaky climbing to get inside.  Some of the most exciting things and places to see are those which are abandoned, or not made available to the public.  I'd just like to iterate how lucky one is to come across such places and how important it is to be respectful of the place and whomever it may belong, or have belonged to, as well as being mindful of one's own safety.

 We then went to see these old irrigation tunnels in a beautiful desert oasis.  As you can see the UAE has so much more to offer than good shopping and consumerism.  If you ever visit, I urge you to go see some of it's natural beauty and learn a bit about the history.

 We drove past the border of Oman.

 This is the restored and maintained Al Jahili fort in Al Ain.  Inside are many pictures an historic information about how the UAE came about.

 There were a few feral cats living here.

 It looks almost Grecian to me, maybe due to Mediterranean influence?

 At the bottom of Jebel Hafeet are some natural hot springs.  The water is as warm as a hot bath where I had stepped and gets warmer the closer you are to the opening.

What I Wore:
Belt: American Eagle
Shorts: Altered myself
Bracelet: Vendor in Mexico
Anklet: Vendor in Mexico

 Jebel Hafeet is not a large mountain and it's a fairly quick drive up.  We got up at the perfect time to catch the sun set.  It offers a great view of the surrounding landscape.

 We finished the night with some traditional food for take away, including manaeesh, and the best falafel and hummus I've had.  Maneesh is delicious, similar to pizza, with less unnecessary chemicals than you find in North American fast food pizza.  Beginning with rolled out dough and topped with olive oil, cheese and spices.  We also had a lamb one, though I'm not terribly fond of lamb.