Desert Driving

We were keen to get out into the sand, since there is quite a bit of it out there and we had a brand new second hand Tonka toy to play with. We joined UAE Offroaders, a club that takes trips out into the dunes where you can have a go, make friends, see some great desert scenery and know someone will help tow/dig you out when the sand wins. They're also well structured for teaching the basics of desert driving.

Trip One - Family Day

We met up with the group at Al Faha gas station, 45 minutes towards Abu Dhabi at around 1pm. The group was a mix with Arabs, Indians and Europeans all present with many kids. After the organisers failed to turn up on time we formed a convoy and made our way to the deflation area, ten minutes away. We'd done a bit in the sand in Doha so we were geared up to let the tyres down to 15 PSI, increasing the surface area on the sand and giving more traction. We also raised the flag - we'd read the SHOULD HAVE list on the website and purchased a two cup suction plate, a telescopic fishing rod and a princess pillow case (Matija's choice). Attach the rod to the suction plate, stick the flag on top, erect the flag and suction it onto the side of your Tonka Toy. Instant desert flag - useful when you get bogged at the bottom of a drop - the next guy can see you before he parks on your roof!

We gathered for a quick briefing - follow the car in front, stop if the car behind you stops and leave room for the car in front to tackle obstacles without driving into them. A few radios were handed around and we were into it!

We set of down a rutty road in convoy then branched into the desert, following the other 4WD's. After 5 minutes of relatively easy driving on firm sand we started to get into some decent slopes. It was a lot of fun to sit around and watch vehicles attempt the slope first, applauding when they made it and chuckling when they didn't. There was a lot of radio chatter early on, then a female English voice piped up. "It's really hard to understand you on the radio!"

"That's because we're talking Arabic," was the instant reply. We all cracked up.

Quite a number of vehicles got stuck on the first few obstacles, but the XTonka performed admirably and with plenty of throttle it steamed up the dunes, no worries. We continued through the desert and a couple of times some of the newbies had to be towed out by the Marshals, experienced off-roaders with good vehicles and all the gear. The Jeep Wranglers were popular and capable in the desert, Nissan Patrols were going hard and a few Toyota F1 Cruisers. The Jeep Cherokees were about the smallest vehicles out there with a Jeep Grand Cherokee, a few Toyota Prado's, a Chevy Trailblazer and a few other anonymous American 4WD's.

Had a few stops as it was a family trip. On one of them some Arabic kids pulled out their pet snake, a bit over a metre long, and it was passed around. Just before we left one of the guys picked it up and dropped it on the lap of another guy in a car. Apparently he has a phobia about snakes. He screamed very loud and ran from the vehicle very quickly. The Arabic kids just cracked up!

We followed quite a few cool snaky tracks through some low dunes, tackling them reasonably quickly, which was fun. Matija and Ande had a difference of opinion, Matija was yelling "Go faster Daddy," while Ande was crying, "Be careful, slow down!".

One of the highlights of the afternoon was the drop-offs. The Marshalls led us to some very steep downhills, one guy lines you up at the top and you basically tip over the things and try to keep it nice and slow going down. You need a little momentum so you don't get bellied on the top, but you don't want to get out of control going down either. The scary part is that you can't see over the bonnet until you're actually going down them. Had a bit of fun on one, when we got a bit quick and had a bump over a tuft of grasses at the bottom when we couldn't steer around it.

Later in the evening we got onto a road then branched off for a few drops before a BBQ tea. We had moved closer to the front by then and hit very soft sand coming out of a hollow. Full power, but we bogged down. Luckily there was a slope beside us and with a bit of a push we managed to get the car onto it and drove out of trouble.

There was a bit of a mishap behind us. One vehicle stopped at the bottom of a drop as the car in front was stuck. Another vehicle stopped on the top of a slope looking down on them. Unfortunately it went too far, had to keep going and when it turned on the slope it rolled over and parked on top of the other vehicle. Everyone was belted in, but it made a bit of a mess of the car that rolled and damaged the other vehicle.

We had a bit of dinner while everyone tried to sort it out - lots of talking, gesturing, shouting in Arabic and eventually some action. By the time we had tea and headed home they had both vehicles running and later drove them out. There were supposed to be games and things for the kids but these were cancelled as everyone tried to sort out the wee accident.

We followed a convoy out to the gas station to re-inflate the tyres. Had to wait 45 minutes as we were the last in line. Have since brought an air compressor.

Checked our insurance again and we are definitely covered off-road. Praise Allah!

Trip Two - Sunny afternoon in Al Ain.

This was another family event, starting at the airport, just ten minutes from our door. We deflated and headed out with about 7 other vehicles. Marina was the boss, in a Short Wheel Base 2 door Nissan Patrol. Followed a rutted dirt road where they were installing a gas pipeline and after 14km we diverted onto the dunes. Had a good blast then hit one uphill where heaps of people got stuck and a few needed towing. We were last in line and the sand was completely ploughed up when we got to have a go. Unfortunately we got stuck, backed out, got stuck again, backed down, pioneered another route, nearly made it, then got bellied on top of the dune. We had one wheel in the air and had to be towed back off. Had another crack on virgin sand and make it without a problem. (A tip for sand driving is to wiggle the steering wheel left and right when you're getting bogged, it can save you getting completely stuck).

One of the Marshalls had a big Toyota Tundra ute and while playing at one of the stops he managed to pop a wheel off it's rim (reasonably common problem). He had to jack it up and use a compressor to pop it back on. He had a big high-lift jack but the vehicle slipped sideways in the sand as he jacked it and left a big dent in the side of the vehicle. He also had to visit a tyre shop later and get them to pull the tyre off and empty the sand out.

We had some lovely little snaky dunes, then one of the guys got a rattly CV joint and another had some overheating problems on his week-old second had 4WD (he wasn't impressed). They headed back with a couple of others then the five remaining vehicles (including us) had a go at some pretty big dunes in a fast convoy. It was exhilarating to power around the side of a dune with the tail end stepping out a bit, then burst onto level sand and tackle another slope. We had some great uphills followed by long steep dowhills where you had to get on the gas at the bottom to be able to climb up the next slope. The XTonka is an automatic and as I drive around town I've been manually changing down to 1st or 2nd at lights and speed humps so that I can quickly slip it up a cog or two as we drive off- practice for getting out of the bottom of sand dunes. Great fun and Matija loves to hear the growl of the big V6 as we head off.

Anyway, we finished off and got to the road just as it was getting dark. Missed the All Black Scotland game, but I think it was better to be having some fun ourselves than watching someone else doing it.

PS.

Got stuck in the sand today. I picked up some scrap wood off the side of the road for a bonfire and thought the sand looked okay beside the house and it would be quicker to drop it around the back with the Tonka. It wasn't. A little stony mound was actually a little sandy mound covered in a few stones. I got the Tonka bogged up to the diff and underside and spent the next hour digging sand and deflating tyres. Self-rescued before Ande got home or I had to pick up Matija from school. Hmmm. Silly old me.

Wadis and Mosques

Hey boys and girls,

What have the Fabulous Flying Fords been up to?

Camel market

Visited the camel/livestock market and plant souq over the far side of town behind the Bawadi Mall. There are pens with thousands of goats, sheep, cattle and camels. They're all under cover and tended by a real mix of guys, mostly in robes. When we pulled up to have a look all the guys called out and waved for us to come over for a photo with their camels. It was only later that they asked for money for the privilege of doing so. One of the blokes took my hand (as Arab men do) and walked me back to the car (before asking for some cash for the privilege). Worth it for the photo!

Dragon boating

We both joined the Cognition team and had a couple of weekends dragon boating in Abu Dhabi - first for training, secondly for competition. It's all about teamwork, it was a bit of fun and Matija had a couple of days on the beach. The weather was not ideal though, the temperature was in the high 30's and very humid, making the racing pretty hot and sweaty. We did okay in the racing without setting the world on fire. On competition weekend we stayed at the hotel where the competition was, got a baby sitter and had a great night at the Dragon Boat Beach Party which included a chef-prepared BBQ, music and dancing down by the beach. It was great fun and we got to know some more of the Cognition staff. One of the ladies there subscribed to the National newspaper last week and won an Audi in a draw. Fantastic.

XTonka

Spent a few days in Abu Dhabi after the dragon boating and bought a 4WD. It's a 2008 Nissan Xterra with 110 000 on the clock. We got it off a shady dealer on Airport road and had to work out most of the registration, insurance and stuff ourselves. I made the dealers worker an offer and he said "Okay, you get it for $1000 dirhams less and give me $500." The deal was also complicated as the insurance and ownership had to be in a friends name as we haven't got residency. Everything here is more complicated than it sounds and it was complicated enough already. Needless to stay I spent about 4 days trying to sort it all out before driving the new Tonka Toy home. It's got a stonking 4 litre engine, it's completely sound (had it thoroughly checked out) and very 4WD capable. We're looking forward to some great trips into the desert and Oman.

Deb's Visit

Deb flew out from the UK and stayed with us for a week. She told us she was flying into Al Ain but only found out when she asked that she was flying to Abu Dhabi and bussing to Al Ain (at about 2 in the morning). She's great, looking good and in fine form. We had a fantastic time, visiting the local attractions, cooking up a storm, checking out some wadi's and the beach in Oman (more about those later). It was fabulous to spend some time with her again and Matija loved her time with Aunty Deb.

Abu Dhabi

Ande had a days work in Abu Dhabi so Deb, Matija and I visited the Grand Mosque. Deb had to don an abeya to cover up (not so good in 30 degree heat) and we did the free tour with a gorgeous guide. This is one amazing building, only a couple of years old but done lavishly with no expense spared. There are 9 tonne chandeliers, gold spires, tiles from all parts of the world, mother of pearl from New Zealand, the worlds biggest carpet etc. It is an absolutely breathtaking piece of architecture and well worth the visit. It's also an amazing tribute to Islam. Sorry I haven't included many photos as you really do need to see it in real life to appreciate it.

Oman and the Wadi's

Now we have some decent wheels and our insurance covers Oman we're able to venture over the border. It's a bit of a process getting through the border posts and can be a bit tricky - you need entry and exit visas etc, but at least New Zealanders don't have to pay an entry fee to get into Oman whereas most other countries do. You can cross the border in Al Ain, but there's a 30km no-mans-land before you officially cross into Oman. Anyway Deb and I drove up a skinny little track to a waterfall in a wadi. There were some small clear pools with fish and frogs swimming around and it was lovely and cool in the shade. There was a bit of litter around but that's par for the course around here. We discovered that if you dangle your feet into the pools the fish come and nibble your toes. Deb loved it, although Matija was too scared to try. After the pools we drove up to a plateau with a great outlook. That was a real test for the 4wd, crawling over rocks and bumps in low range. No problem for the mighty Tonka then it was back into 2WD for the trip home. We were actually in the n0-mans-land but we'd got an exit visa from UAE so when we tried to cross back into the UAE they made us drive 30km back to the Oman border to get entry and exit stamps from there. What a pain.

Sohar

On the weekend we all drove through the border again and headed to Sohar, a beach town in Oman. We took a picnic and arrived at a beautiful municipal park right by the beach. There were plenty of local families picnicking and everyone was friendly, they smiled and waved and someone came over to offer Matija some yummy salty sweet biscuits. There were plenty of people on the beach, some fishing, others swimming or riding horses. We went for a swim then found a hotel pool right by the beach with a bar and a phillipino girl-band playing. We settled there for the evening and ended up sharing a room at the hotel. We did have the camping gear in the Tonka but I was outvoted on that one! It was a lovely evening and later on hundreds of kids came out to play beach soccer. Sohar is definitely somewhere that we'll go back to.

Daqeeq

On the way back we'd planned to meet the Emirates Natural History group who were touring a small Omani village in the hills. The group wasn't at the turnoff but we found the village ourselves and met them there a little later. These villages are on old family land where the families come back on weekends but labourers from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka etc. stay the rest of the time, tend the dates and goats and look after things. There are quite intricate falaj (canal irrigation) systems for watering the dates from small pools in the wadis (river valleys in the mountains). There were old stone buildings that were mostly abandoned and newer concrete ones for the Omani families. The power was only connected 1 year ago (no air conditioning before then) and there was one phone for the entire village. After a good look around we headed back to another wadi a few kilometres away. One of the pools ran back up through a narrow canyon, after swimming through that and clambering over rocks we came to a beautiful deep, clear pool in a cavern complete with the beginnings of stalactites. Absolutely gorgeous. After a swim and some lunch we ventured back through the borders to Al Ain.

Temperatures are cooler now - mid thirties in the middle of the day, but it's relatively pleasant being out at night time. We've got a picnic at the park planned this evening and it won't be long before we can do a little bit more outside.

Bye for now

Vince, Ande and Matija.

The Rain in Al Ain.

Hi boys and girls,

welcome to Al Ain. Our wee family have been here for around a month (Ande's been here a few weeks more) and we're settling in.

Where's Al Ain?

On the UAE border with Oman. It's about an hour and a half to Abu Dhabi and an

hour and a quarter to Dubai. It's inland while the better known places are coastal.

Why on earth would anyone want to live there?

Originally the Emirati families would move here over summer to escape the intense humidity on the coast. It gets hotter here, but the heat is dry so it is more bearable. Al Ain is alongside a mountain (Jebel Hafeet) and it is famous for its springs, making it an oases in the desert. Nowdays many Emirati still have summer places (palaces) here, there are camel farms surrounding it (we look out over a camel farm from our windows) and date farms throughout the city. The population is about 700 000, and it's incredibly spread out. The whole city is low-rise, it's quite green and beautiful (it's called the Garden City) and there is a much higher population of Arabs here compared to expats. That's mainly because there is very little gas and oil and not much tourism, the Westerners are mainly working in Education while Indians, Pakistanis, Phillipinos, Sri Lankans etc do the hard work.

Our Place (Te Papa)

We have a big four bedroom villa on the far edge of Al Ain. There's only really a camel farm between us and the airport and we're on the way to Abu Dhabi, which is great because Ande has quite a bit of work there. We share about an acre with another villa. They have a few plants struggling to survive in front of their house. The rest of the acre section is sand and rubble. I kid you not. There is a small supermarket 5mins drive away and a big one 10mins away. It takes about 30 mins to get to Ande's office in town, although she won't be working there that often. We have four bathrooms a seperate kitchen dining and lounge (and another lounge is now Matija's playroom) and about 8 split a/c's although there are usually only six or seven in working order at any time. Temps have been in low to mid 40's in the middle of the day, high 30's at night, but they are gradually cooling. No dishwasher, but the house is great and we're enjoying the space, although we have to yell to find where everyone is. Ande keeps telling me to mention that the house is great. It is very comfortable!

The Neighbours

The house next door has a Cognition couple and the next two houses have Cognition families, although none of them are in Ande's teams, which is good. Amelie and Declan are kiwi kids aged 7 and 4, they live a couple of houses over and they come and visit all the time or Matija goes and hangs out with them. Their parents are good value too. Louis is a 5yr old from South Africa, he has older brothers but he is Declan's mate and comes over sometimes too. It's great. We're loving the chance for Matija to hang out with other kids and it is great for her.

The Job

Ande is one of three School Improvement Leaders looking after 24 teams of 3-7 advisors who are working with the local Emirati Schools. Sexy senior managament! She'll be the guardian angel for 7 teams around Al Ain, keeping them up to speed and up to scratch. Lots of coaching and PD and kicking arse where that fails to make an impression. She was heavily involved in the induction but schools have just re-started so she'll be getting down to b'ness this week. She's also involved in Professional Development for Cognition in the Middle East.

Vince will be writing stuff when he packs Matija off to school (tomorrow)

Matija starts at Sunflower, a nursery/school that caters for 3-6 year olds, tomorrow and she starts once-a-week ballet tomorrow. The school only has 4 teaching hours per day, but there are another couple of optional hours of supervised play. Each class has a teacher and an assistant and there is a maximum of 14 in each class. There is heaps of space, a great covered play area plus an indoor playroom. It just started this year and is being run by an Aussie. Should be great.

Rugby Club?

We joined the Al Ain Amblers Rugby Club. They have a pool, gym, bar and restaurant that's about 10 mins drive away. I've started playing touch rugby on a Thursday night, they have family discount meals that night as well as bouncy castle, touch for the kids and movies for the little ones. It's great - the place was swarming with kids last Thursday and Matija had a ball. Despite the heat the touch was fun. There are Poms, Aussies, South Africans and even a few Americans turned up to have a crack. It was a lot of fun and really family oriented. We're also using the pool and gym during the week so we will be making the most of our membership.

Other stuff.

Been setting up the place, getting a few bits and bobs and making it feel like home. IKEA in Abu Dhabi have some great stuff (thanks Bron), but we've mostly picked up bits and pieces locally. Got a vinyl blow-up pool. They were on special for a coupla hundred bucks and I thought it could go between our villa and the neighbours. Well, I overestimated the gap and underestimate the size of the pool. It now takes up the whole space between villas and is still a bit squashed fitting in there. You can no longer walk between the houses. I thing Doug and Marion (next door) were a bit shocked when they got back from their holiday, but they've been great and once I've got a bit of shade cloth up behind it, it'll be a great place for a few quiets on a sunny afternoon (something to look forward to Deb). There's a filter and pump and we can treat it with chlorine. Just like a real one but a lot quicker to vacuum. The water is up to Matija's chest, she can go diving around I'm thinking of putting a coupla basketball hoops up the side of the buildings to enhance the fun.

The Rain in

Look out for Jonty and Choc in all good bookshops! If they don't have it please ask them to get it in for you. The Chronicles of Stone will also be coming out in October - it was written as one book and thats how it works best - the cover is looking awesome!

Vince.

Matija in May

Hi everyone,

Just catching you up on the latest -

It's getting hot here - around 38 - 40 is a good day. Mid-40's is getting pretty hot. We stick to the indoors (in more ways than one) venture out briefly and hang around at the pool at the Ramada most evenings. Matija has gained so much water confidence lately - floating around, putting her face in, going down the water slide etc. She's loving it and gaining a whole new level of independence.

She has a couple of birthday parties to attend in the next week or two and is also enjoying nursery. She's made some neat friends there, but will only be attending for another month. In some ways it's a shame she'll be going to reception at a 'big kids' school or be back in NZ come September (Summer holidays are in July and August here).

We went to the Marine festival a few weeks ago, watched Flipper in an outdoor theatre, ate local food and saw some pretty cool sand sculptures.

There was a national philharmonic recital that we attended too, with a top international conductor and some amazing live music. Had never been to one before and we both enjoyed a night out. Ande also went to a jazz night with a friend, one of her translators, and saw some top international jazz acts. It's amazing the things they offer here, mostly sponsored and they cost very little money.

Ande also went to a Qatari wedding a week ago. It's a huge event with between 400 -800 women at a flash hotel, dressed in latest designer clothes and heaps of bling - women only, they drop their abeyas - all breasts and bums, the unmarried ones strut their stuff, dancing on a stage with prospective mother-in-laws checking them out for their sons. Flash food and over-the-top decor and they party on till 3am. The man has his own party with the boys, he comes to the girls do with closest male family (all the girls abeya up again), they have a sword dance, he sits on the stage for a while then departs with the bride about an hour later when the women uncover and start dancing again. Most weddings start at about $100 000. A not-to-be-missed event.

Vince is doing an Arabic language class - written and spoken, two evenings a week. That's hard work as the letters and sounds are different, there are 28 of them and each has about seven variations depending on vowel sounds and where it sits in the word, beginning, middle or end. a Great exercise for the mind. All male class and most of the others are engineers from all over the world.

Went to a nice Italian restaurant with Ande's team the other day. Good food, flash service and I was most impressed with the misters/foggers just outside, they blow an extremely fine water mist into the air, it evaporates instantly cooling the air by about 10 degrees without wetting any surfaces. We want one for our apartment!

Ande is still loving work, going well. Just finished one workshop series (great feedback and relationships with local principals) and is starting a new 5-week course for Aspiring Leaders. Working more from home which takes the pressure off and means it's not as tricky getting Matija to nursery and back.

She's also had quite a few clothes made - great fabrics, excellent tailors and very cheap to make fabulous outfits. Plenty of people here have most of their clothes made-to-fit from ballgowns to suits and everything in between.

Thats us for now - having fun, working hard and trying to live in the moment.

love V, Ande and Matija.