I've mentioned the little grocery store that's really close to our house, like, really close. The thing was, I didn't have the car. I wasn't really planning on needing to go anywhere today, so Bryn took the car to work. I know what you are thinking - if the grocery store is "like, really close" why on earth do you need a car to get there?!? Well, without a car you have to make a mini-trek into the desert to get there. It doesn't take long, but it certainly isn't walking around the corner!
The Goal.So I put on my tennis shoes (this is not a trek you want to make in flip flops) and set off. After getting out of the complex, I crossed the street onto a little desert patch. It's not huge by any means, but walking in hot, dry sand is a lot of work!
Then comes crossing the "wadi". Wadi is Arabic for valley, or a dry canal or river bed. Al Ain is full of them. Mostly they serve as a place for the water to go when it does rain. Someone told us that there are grand plans to flood all of the wadis in Al Ain so there are rivers running through the city (what a waste of water!). So first you have to climb down into the dried up wadi. It's not difficult if you are wearing appropriate shoes. Then you cross the "river", which looks a lot like a dirt road since the locals like to play with their cars in the wadis. Of course next you have to climb up, out of the wadi. Again, it really isn't that challenging if you are wearing decent shoes. Finally, after crossing another strip of hot sand, you arrive at the Souq Extra shopping center, the home of Spinney's supermarket, a McDonalds, Chinese take out, Baskin Robbins and a La Brioche coffee shop among other things. It is by no means a luxury shopping mall, but it's not a bad place to have just minutes from your house!
After crossing the sand, you crawl down that wall. You can see our complex in the background. The wadi is deep, and unless you are looking down into it you won't see there is someone down there. (One reason I think twice before making this trek on my own)
This is the wadi road...not actually a road, but the locals use it as one for fun. The bridge is the main road.
Another wall to climb...
That's the wall. It is actually really steep, and you really do need decent shoes to avoid slipping!The whole trek only takes about 5 minutes, maybe less. But in the hot desert sun reflecting off of the sand, it's a trip that leaves you a little tired and very, very thirsty!
The funny thing is that it is faster the make the trek by foot than it is to drive! You see, Al Ain is a grid of roads with green medians down the center and lots of round-a-bouts. There are very few places you can get to directly. In most cases, if you want to turn left, you have to drive to the next round-a-bout (which could be a mile down the road or so), make a u-turn and come back. It's not bad, and causes you to think out the routes you want to take and the order you want to make your stops.
Despite having to do a good deal of driving to get places, Al Ain is really nice. It is quiet here. Sure, there are busy times on the roads and at the malls and supermarkets, but if you plan it right, you can have the roads and malls all to yourself. One thing that I particularly like is that the coffee shops and supermarkets in the malls open early, before all the rest of the stores. However, even though everything is closed, you can still wander around the mall and window shop, or have your coffee in a quiet coffee shop. Then, you are the first person there when the stores do open (and you have the best parking spot in the lot!)
Not really related to anything, but that's a picture of my latte at one of the coffee shops in a mall from the other day. I filled up my point card though, so the next one is free!I really can't wait for the heat to fade away a bit more so that we can get out and take pictures of the town and surrounding areas. There are parts of the desert that are really, really pretty, and the sunsets are amazing! One thing I really want to do is go to the top of the mountain in the evening, because I hear the view of the city at night is pretty spectacular. Just something else to look forward to!
