Although it was no longer raining when I left Liwa, cloud hung heavily over the entire area… The highway was slick with rain that had fallen earlier that morning…
Under a leaden sky, we left Liwa and rode out towards Madinat Zayed...
In Madinat Zayed, chaos reigned…!! The main road running through the city was flooded in a number of places. Lanes had been closed and traffic was backed up… I had to smile to myself as I rode through a stretch of water that was barely six inches deep…
In countries that are use to rain, this would be deemed a puddle, but here in the U.A.E., the locals see this as a major obstacle to forward motion…
The streets of the city were flooded...!! Weird seeing this in the middle of the desert...!!
A traffic officer tried to get me to take a detour as I approached one intersection that had been reduced to a single lane…
“Go that way,†he said pointing off to my left, “It is dangerous here…!!â€
“It’s just a bit of water…!!†I said… “Its no problem, I will ride through it…!!â€
Only when I was halfway through the “puddleâ€, did I consider that perhaps there was an open manhole or some other form of danger that he had not mentioned…!!
I would have looked a right nana if my front wheel had disappeared into a hole…!!
The weather cleared up a bit as I made my way down the highway, and took the turn off to Al Ain, a few kilometres shy of Abu Dhabi…
Er... Can you be more specific, please...!! Is there a bridge that has washed away, or perhaps camels crossing...?? "Surprises" just isn't enough info for me...!!
Date and fodder farms line the highway to Al Ain, which is the last major town before the Omani Border...
I had already been down this stretch of highway when I rode in from Dubai, and without paying much attention to my surroundings, put my head down and gave the Big Fella “some gasâ€â€¦
I wanted to see if I could get to Al Ain early enough to consider crossing into Oman today, rather than tomorrow morning…
As it turned out, it was a good thing that I decided to wait, as shortly after arriving in Al Ain it began raining again…
At the Al Massa hotel, an Omani registered car pulled up next to me and the driver told me that he had ridden through heavy rain for the last hour…
Things are expensive here in the gulf, and the three star Al Massa was no exception to the rule…
Breakfast and internet were not included in this R700.00 a night establishment, and although the room was comfortable and clean, it was not worth the price…
I considered taking another trip up to Jebel Hafeet, the mountain that looms above the town, but with no break in the wet weather, I chose to stay dry and relax in my room…
The museum and fort in Al Ain...
I spent the evening loading my planned routes through Oman onto my GPS, and psyching myself up for the 500 km ride to Muscat the following day…
Oman would be the 69th country on my tour, and I had heard that it was the best country in the gulf to visit… This was one of the reasons that I had left it for last, before returning to Dubai to fly out of Arabia…
I hoped that all the hype I had heard would prove correct…
Sand has blocked what was once the main entry gate...!!
©GBWT 2011
Hi Ronnie,
do not apologize, it was only rain, not snow.
I have some suggestions what businesses to invest in after finishing your RTW trip:
1) rain realization in deserts
2) skiing resorts in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon
3) drainage systems construction in the booming states of the Gulf
4) consulting/expertise on tailoring-, and upholstering matters
The problem is: your personal presence is a must.
Waiting for the Oman post, good luck, take care
Tibor
Tibor….!! I will need an agent to negotiate working conditions though…!! You have the job…!! Remember we will need plenty of time off for rides to new exotic locations to check on weather conditions etc…!! The Oman post…..!! It’s a great place to visit, to ride and spend time staring at your toes from a horizontal position…!! Take care…!! R.
The floods here in queensland have been real – Our Brisbane river rose by 15m. We are surrounded by much devastation but already working to get back to normal.
You and Tibor…..working together…..I don’t think so. There will be far too much fun and games and not enough work being done with you too! Looking forward to your next post.