Moonwalk

I bet the title of my blog makes you think I am going to write about the passing of Michael Jackson, huh? Actually, I joined the Emirates National History for a "field trip" last night for a moonwalk near the Jazira Oases to the Hayl al Nawafil area in Oman. The Al Ain branch of Emirates National History Group holds educational programming meetings twice a month about the various species of wildlife including lizards, snakes, bugs, and indigenous animals; the archeology, landscape and the general history of the UAE. Every weekend there are "field trips" that usually involve trips to the bordering country of Oman and hikes among the mountains and wadis (wadi is the Arabic word for valley).

I have been meaning to go on one of the filed trips for awhile, but to be honest I wasn't sure what to expect and I wasn't sure what I need to bring. After talking with my Italian and Canadian friends at quiz the other night at the Rugby Club about their adventures on the hikes and asking them about what I would need, I decided to join them for the moonwalk. One essential tool they explained for these hikes are your passport, plenty of water and good hiking shoes. Unfortunately I had left my hiking boots in the states since I had no idea that I could actually hiking here so on our way back from Dubai we stopped at the Dubai Outlet Malls and I got myself a pair of Timberlands on sale and was ready for the new adventure. Tyson was reluctant to go and instead wanted to take care of car issues so I begged a ride with my Canadian friend who had four wheel drive.

The border crossing in Al Ain was nothing like the border crossing Tyson and I experienced further north on our adventure to Fujairah, we simply showed them our visa stamps in the passport and we were off to meet the rest of the group. A group of about 10 of us gathered into four wheel drive vehicles and began the trek to the Jazira area. As we drove along the highway, mountains began to jut out of the landscape, much like what I had seen closer to Fujairah. There were the flattop trees dotting the landscape and many different rock formations that I could still make out in the dimming light. All I could think was how I couldn't wait to come back during the day so I could take pictures!

After several turns we finally made our way over one of the mountains and into the valley. As we bumped and slid along the road I looked over and saw a huge ravine and I finally realized why four wheel drive was so essential. We finally came to a stop and they setup a campfire for people to make dinner and wait for the moon come out. After awhile one of the members of the group called who had been made because of work obligations and the group leader and my ride decided to hike to retrieve her. I asked if I could join them and he warned me that it would be a quick hike but I felt up to the challenge and took off with them. We traversed along a trail muddled with rocks and sand and large formations.

The leader has lived here for 20 years and so he was like a goat on a mountain just breezing over all the natural obstacles. I was determined not to be too slow and so I just prayed that I could keep my balance and not slip because that could mean the end of me if I fell into the ravine. We went down a mountain and then back up and began walking along the edge of a falaj. The falaj is an irrigation system that is a water channel with a cement edge about 12 inches on each side with water running through middle. I couldn't take a picture because it was too dark, so I had to steal one from someone else to explain (mickcanning.com):

Since the moon had not come out yet, we were traveling with flashlights and so I could only see where I was shining my light at my feet so I wouldn't trip. At the moment I was walking along the edge of the Falaj the leader happened to mention that it was a good thing it was dark and I moved my flashlight to notice that on either side of me was a steep ravine, perhaps 20-30 feet deep and the only thing I was balancing on was the edge of the falaj. It's not that I am afraid of heights, but I am afraid of falling so my heart began to race and I had no choice bit to continue because there was nothing to hold on to and if I was going to fall it had better be into the water channel instead of the edge. Luckily we were moving so fast that I had little time to react and I made it safely on our journey. We finally reached our destination and then turned around to traverse it all again. Luckily this time we went back in the ravine so I didn't have to face the falaj again, but I did happen to look up where I had crossed and couldn't believe I actually made it across!

I was so hot and out of breath by the time we reached the rest of the group again after climbing back up the rocky mountain trail that I gulped down water and finally decided to pour water over my head. I was proud of myself for keeping up and not passing out or falling and injuring myself. Even without the sun the temperature was still at least 100. After catching my breath, I went to examine critters where one of the group members had set up a light that was mixed with black light and other light to attract bugs. Finally it was time to begin the hike.

The moon was not cooperating at first, and so we had to use flashlights during the first part of the trek. We went back down the same mountain I just traversed, this time MUCH slower and arrived at the "beach" and then hiked one of the wadi's to a swimming hole. There were small pools of water along the way, and we got to see some wildlife some harmless like frogs, and others like a viper snake. Everyone was gathered around the thing when I asked if they were venomous and a when I was informed they were I decided I was fine to admire it from afar. We arrived at a pool of water surrounded by sheer cliffs and several members jumped in to cool off. I climbed to the top of the cliff to look down on the water hole and I was taken aback by the beauty of the landscape. I felt like I was on another planet with the moon rock like terrain and the moonlight shining off each of the barren mountain peaks. I didn't bring my camera because it was too dark, but I wish I could share the image for everyone to see. Standing in the ravine surrounded by the sheer cliffs and stone ripples I felt very small and vulnerable and realized just how majestic this planet is. I can't wait to go on the field trip tomorrow and take pictures during the day on a water wadi adventure!

If you want to see images of how similar terrain looks during the day, check out Jule's blog: http://juleshikoi.blogspot.com/2009/06/exploring-oman-ii.html

Freedom in an Autocratic Society

There are things that you take for granted when they are just a part of your everyday life. Holidays used to mean just another day off from work and I never gave a lot of thought to what they actually meant. As a child, I had no idea that not everyone celebrated Memorial Day or 4th of July or all the other holidays that were just a part of my growing up. Now that I am all grown up and have been exposed to more of the world, I realize that each country has their own celebration and each holiday has meaning that sometimes gets lost.

Our actual 4th of July was very uneventful because Tyson had to work, although we did get to celebrate Canada Day and US Independence Day earlier in the week. Tyson mentioned to me on the way to our workout that he felt more patriotic this 4th of July being away from the United States and living under another countries laws and rules. There are so many things we take for granted as US citizens because freedom has always existed in our lifetime. This doesn't mean that there aren't a million things that could be fixed or changed in our country, but at least the ideals of freedom are present and fought to be preserved.

In an autocratic society like the UAE, the ruling family is free to make laws and decrees without any checks or balances - basically they make the rules and you play by them. The interesting thing about the UAE is that the beloved ruler Sheikh Zayed who was the President of the UAE from 1971-2004 was a fairly liberal leader who allowed freedom of religion and was tolerant of other cultures. He was the one who had the vision to diversify the UAE away from oil and make the country an expat haven with consumerism, tourism and banking. He was smart enough to realize that in order to keep the people happy and the country thriving he had to share his wealth and give the people of his country basic necessities like free housing and utilities. His son Sheikh Khalifa took over as president following his fathers death and follows a lot of the same ideals as his father.

So what makes the autocratic UAE different from the democratic US? I can only speak from my experience and what others have told me. A common misconception is that I am censored from what happens in the outside world. The truth is that I can access any world news organizations websites, including the ones in the US. CNN International, Fox News and Al Jazeera are on all the cable networks. What is censored is the news coming from the UAE. It is against the law for journalist or anyone for that matter to critize the government or any member of the ruling family. Just last week a newspaper was suspended for 20 days when it published a story accusing the ruling family of Abu Dhabi of doping their race horses. People have been jailed because of what they write in their blogs if it critisizes the government or tries to expose certain practices. The government owned communication company and internet provider, Etisalat regularly blocks websites that they deem “morally harmful” and offensive to local “moral, social and cultural values”. These include any websites with the obvious like porn, but also websites like the photo site Flickr as well as blogs that critisize the UAE or it's practices, any website that talks about rerouting IP adresses, Skype, anti-Islam, and any sites that talk about accusations of human trafficking and so on. The truth is, I am not really inconvienced in my everyday life and it is rare that a website I want to access is blocked. I am thankful that some of my favorite sites that allow me to stay connected to my friends and family such as Blogspot and Facebook are not blocked, but I also know that this can change at anytime.

Another misconception I hear is that people think that I have to wear something that covers my face. The truth is that the Emirati women do wear a black robe (abaya) and head covering (shelah) and some of them cover thier faces and some do not. The men wear a white robe (disha dasha) with a head covering (hijab), but no one living or visiting the country is required to wear anything. I can wear whatever I want, as long as it is respectful and modest. I generally wear a lot of capri pants and short sleeves shirts and avoid shorts or tanktops unless I am in an expat hangout or hotel. There is no law about what you can or can't wear, it is just out of respect for their culture and to avoid being gawked at too much.

One major difference between here and the states is the blatant classism that exists in this country. You are treated differently and given different oppurtunties based on the color of your skin or the country you come from. At the top of the pyramid are UAE nationals, then westerners (UK, USA, Canada), and then down the line. At the bottom are people from Pakistan, India or the Phillipines and they make up the majority of laborers and housekeepers. Advertisements for employment include racial, gender and age preferences and many will ask what your citizenship is, your nationality, your gender, your marital status, how many kids you have and so on and it is perfectly acceptable for them to do so. People are paid different salaries doing the same work depending on where they are from. I am not saying that classism does not exist in the states, but you at least have to work a little harder at it to get away with it.

The one thing I find most amusing about the UAE is that the weather reported by news agencies never seem to match the weather that is seen on personal temperature gauges and thermometers. I have hear that if the weather is over 50 degrees celsius (122 F) all businesses must shut down and no one is allowed to do outside labor and therefore they stop reporting temperatures at 49.9. I haven't confirmed this yet, so it is still a rumor to me, but I have seen outside thermometers at 56 degrees celsius (133 F) and I have hear that in August it will get up to 61 (140+ F). I can't imagine that this would be allowed to continue in the states!

With all that said, my experience so far in the UAE has been a good one and I am learning a lot about different cultures and getting to meet people from all over the world. Just like any other country, there are good things and bad things that I see everyday. I could write novels about social injustices in both countries, but for all the bad there is also good. When it comes down to it, I am lucky to have been able to celebrate both US and Canadian independence with people from all over the world in the Middle East! Although I didn't get to see any fireworks, I did get to make new friends and make the world a little bit smaller!