My journey across the Middle East began in 2003 when I finished College. For the next 2 years I travelled far and wide in this beautiful, rich and mysterious land.
This series of posts focus on my journey from the UAE to Syria. My intention with this series is to make travel a realistic option and even difficult destinations seem possible.
Just a few short years after I made this trip, it's now 2017 but impossible to visit some of the places I was on my travels.
Tavel when you finish College. Never Stop Exploring!!!
Prejudices
It has never been more true than it is today but even back to Roman times this land was feared and misunderstood. Before my trip there were many things that I did not know or was afraid of. Travel changed that, it changed my perceptions.
Top of the list of things I did not know about was how revered Lebanon was for its food, its bread, its fun and its way of life. The Lebanese diaspora is huge and as an Irish person there is a lot I can relate to with these people. I can relate to how how this homeland is a dream for so may people but I was unprepared for how revered it was. Beirut is the popular culture center of the region. It's a party town and great fun to visit. To be honest I had never even heard of most of the local celebs like Nancy before I went but it turns out they are huge and much more interesting people than many of the celebs I am familiar with like Kanye and Kim. I discovered there was lots I didn't know about this place, I grew up hearing very different stories about Lebanon.
Travel is truly awesome, it breaks down barriers and prejudices. It enriches your life and in many ways and makes you a better and stronger person.
Life after Graduation...
This is the second post in this series. Read the first post Life after graduation...only begins when you leave the country
Why The United Arab Emirates
When your getting to the end of your final exams it's time to start applying for grad school, or intern jobs. I had been inspired the previous summer, by a trip to India where I got my first taste of a real inter cultural travel experience. The food, the smells, the music, the shops, the people, the gestures. Everything was foreign. It was so great.
As the end of college approached I knew I wanted to spend some time travelling. I remember distinctly thinking, "Now, after College, is the time to do the hard to reach places. I will be able to do the easy trips when I am older and have money".
Two possibilities presented themselves; the JET program in Japan and teacher in an international school in the UAE. The application process turned me off the JET program and the opportunity to teach Mathematics (not English) really appealed to me in the UAE. What better opportunity than to combine my two passions at the time, Maths and Travel.
After a brief interview in a Dublin hotel I was offered the UAE job. I had little teaching experience but I was assured that there would be extensive training in advance of the academic year. The job would be in Sharjah, a city next to Dubai in the UAE. I had never heard Sharjah and pretty much all I knew about the job was that I would be living in a compound with other Irish teachers. Dubai had a good reputation so I wasn't that worried about the journey and I was excited to be heading off. I got my Lonelyplanet guide book, sold my japanese guide book and packed my bags.
A Land of Superlatives
The biggest this, the fastest, the longest, the most expensive, the first, the only. These are phrases you hear quite often in the UAE. Since I was there they have built he biggest building in the world but I hope to go back one day and get to the top of it.
History and Culture of the UAE
Until about 40 years ago, society here consisted of nomads moving from place to place in the desert with their herds, peril diving and fishing on the coast and some small scale coastal trade. Discovery of oil changed all this overnight. Due to it's brief developed history there are no great historical buildings but, the Gulf region certainly has a culture unique among the Arab world.
Unfortunately as a foreigner you don't get to experience much this culture in the UAE for several reasons mainly:
- The Emirates is full of foreigners so its hard to meet locals
- In general Emiratis are quite private people very family centric
I would even go so far as to say the legendary Arab charm, that has enthralled Orientalists from Napeolean to Major TE Lawrence, is not to be found in the UAE today. Other places in the Middle East certainly yes, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iran are places where I have personally experienced this legendary hospitality and charm but not in the UAE and certainly not in Dubai.
The UAE
The UAE is made up of 7 Emirates. I was living in the UAE for 10 months so I got to visit them all.
In fact I visited 5 of the 7 in one trip due to a few wrong turns in the car :)
The UAE is not a big country, it has a few cities and a few villages but there is a lot of sand in between. Its population is a few million with less than a million Emirates, most of the population is expatriate.
The Unexpected
I love finding the unexpected when I travel. The UAE is famous for shiny sparkling futuristic buildings. There is not much old or traditional buildings in Dubai but I found some nearby.
A short drive away in the Emirate of Fujairah there is an old fort built of mortar, mud, plaster and mangrove poles. No one knows exactly when it was built, or by whom. I wasn't able to go inside but it has since opened to the public.
Fujairah Fort
Traditional Sports
The traditional sport of the Emirates is Falconry. There are some displays at big events and for tour groups but you are unlikely to come across Falcons in the wild.
Arabian Falcon
Racing
The gulf is also famous for its horses, particularly the Arabian Stallion. Indeed all thoroughbred racehorses in Europe can trace their lineage back to just 3 Stallions imported in the 17th and 18th century to England.
In recent years the Emirs, particular Sheikh Maktoum of Dubai, have invested a lot of money in horses and Dubai is now a world leader in Equestrian pursuits.
There are several racecourses in Dubai and we got to enjoy a few nights at the races. It's a very different experience than in Europe however as gambling is not allowed which I found most unusual.
Camel Racing is also a big sport in the UAE. I wasn't interested in going as I am against the sport. Just google "Camel Racing Child Jockeys" to see why.
Dance and Music
Traditions
There are a lot of traditions, dance and music that unfortunately as a foreigner you don't get much opportunity to experience. This display was part of a school cultural day. I am not sure modern Emiratis would be able to survive for long in the desert without their air-conditioned SUVs but I respect the traditional culture and lifestyle particularly of the older generation who lived hard lives under the hot unforgiving desert sun.
Amazing Landscape
Desert Sands
One of the stand out features of the UAE for me was the colour and texture of the desert sands. They were absolutely mesmerising. I was also surprised at how rich and full of life the desert actually was. There was much more flora and plant life than I expected.
Most of the landscape in the UAE is composed of desert sands but in the east and north there are many rocky valleys known as Wadis. You have to go further into the desert, the great Empty Quarter, or down south of the Arabian peninsula to get the mountains of sand, nevertheless the landscape was impressive.
Modern Dubai
This is the Dubai that you may have been expecting. Tall Shiny Buildings, Shopping Malls, Bars, Cafes, Restaurants, 5 Star Hotels, Beaches. Dubai city is made up of 3 parts:
- Deira is the old part of the city on the east of the creek. This is where the gold souk is and the main port for the small trading boats
- Bur Dubai is the newer downtown area on the west of the creek
- Jumeirah is the beach area west of the city. This is where I would recommend staying if your only here for a few days
Deira Creek Dubai
Dhows at Deira Creek Dubai
A lot of trade happens in Dubai. The UAE is famous for being oil rich. The emirate of Abu Dhabi is the main Emirate in the UAE and is where the majority of the the UAEs oil reserves are. In fact Dubai has little oil and has made its way in the world by being a hub for trade.
Emirates Towers
Life in the UAE
The UAE was the easy travel option for me because it's a really modern country, and familiar in many ways. There are so many westerners here the life experience is very similar to being at home in terms of food, daily interactions, customs etc.
Fairly early on I realised that it was time to enjoy myself while I was here rather than seeking out a cultural experience. It's a great place for outdoor pursuits, everything from Snorkelling, Scuba Diving to extreme sports such as Desert Marathons. You can even go skiing now in an indoor ski slope.
There are such a large number of different communities in the UAE but you tend to spend time with your own groups. I did not like this aspect of the living in Dubai but I made the most of it, I partied hard with the Irish, the English and the South Africans while I was there but I decided to move on at the first opportunity so I could experience traditional societies elsewhere in the Middle east. I was in search of that legendary Arab hospitality.....
The Great Outdoors
Despite the Sun there are so many outdoor activities that you can enjoy here. From November to February the weather is lovely and its the time to be outdoors. It's bar-b-cue season :) For a lot of the year you spend it indoors due to the sun and heat so during this time I embraced getting out for some Vitamin D.
Dune Bashing
Most tourists go dune bashing which is great fun. Everytime someone came to visit we got to do this. This pimped out Jeep had a 6 litre engine, 15 gears and roll cages. Of course it was driven by an expert guide and it was air-conditioned so you didn't have to worry about the desert heat.
Quad Biking
Quad biking in the dunes was great fun but quite dangerous. This is a photo of me just before I rolled the bike.
Sports
I never thought I would get the opportunity to play International GAA but there is a team in several of the cities and countries in the Middle East which play against each other. I played for the Dubai Celts. This is another example of how easy an option travelling to Dubai was for me. I could even play Irish sports. The team was made up of expats, so again another example of how limited your interaction with locals is here but we did have great fun.
GAA trip with Dubai Celts to Bahrain
GAA trip with Dubai Celts to Bahrain
Where to next
Coming close to the end of the year teachers in my school had the option to stay on.
I had done the Dune bashing, seen the "7 Star" Burj Al Arab bought the headscarf. Personally I had gotten what I wanted out of the UAE and I now wanted to see more of the world.
Travel Changes You
Before the year I had never imagined going to Lebanon but the infections spirit of this fun loving people quickly rubbed off and of course it was the natural next step so I applied to transfer to the school in Lebanon.
Change of Plans
Surprise surprise Lebanon had lots of applicants for transfers. The schools were overbooked. No places left. I did get the next best thing though. I was given the option of Damascus. Sure why not it was only 3 hours from Lebanon. I could go and party at the weekends.
Panic Sets in
I felt Syria was the polar opposite from where I was. I could get Kerrygold butter in the local shop in Sharjah for heavens sake. I would be in for a shock when I got to Damascus. On top of that I still couldn't speak any Arabic.
What could I do???
Next Stop Yemen to learn Arabic...
Before we get to Yemen I made a few trips from UAE which I will write about next
- Oman
- Bahrain
- Iran (The highlight)
- India
- Thailand
Top Travel Tip. Use every opportunity to visit places when your abroad. Weekends, holidays. Don't be lazy!!!!!
If you would like to read more about some great experiences I had while I was in the UAE check out my upcoming posts where I will write about my "Experiences in the UAE".
...
After the UAE my journey across the Middle East took me to Yemen, Syria, Lebannon, Jordan and Israel. Follow me so you don't miss out sharing my journey in upcoming posts.
Dubai in a nutshell
I love this photo, I think this pictures sums up Dubai pretty well.
Majnoon is the arabic word for crazy, Dubai has its own brand of crazy. Everything is over the top.
Dubai Majnoon
Thank you for reading this. I write on Steemit about Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Travel and lots of random topics.
All Images are from my personal library.