Dune Bashing

It's a beautiful earth-quake free day here in Eagle, Idaho. I'm having fun remembering our 'dune bashing' just outside of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

36 SUVs all lined up and ready to take to the hills - the hills of sand!

Before we started, our drivers let out some air in the tires.  When I asked George why he said that it is the same reason camels have big wide feet....now we had big wide tires.

Our guide was a new driver.  I just loved that he said his evening prayer before we left.

He was from Pakistan and came to Abu Dhabi 6 months ago to work.  The company also employs several of his brothers and cousins.  I worry about them now since the tourist industry in the UAE has been essentially shut down.

What a fun time!  Racing up the dunes, over the dunes, and down the dunes!

I loved it!

At one point we all stopped for pictures 

You know how photographers talk about the 'golden hour'?  Well this was the golden hour!

I never have considered myself a 'desert person'.  I am more of a mountain lake kind of person but this scenery was dazzling! And as always, it was fun to share it with John and Katherine.

Walking up a hill in that fine sand gave me new respect for the Children of Israel and the family of Lehi, who wandered for years in this type of desert.  It is hard work!  I'm quite sure that I would have been a complainer.

Our young Pakistani driver had a lot of trouble driving.  George and John thought he was burning out the clutch and several times he killed the car and we slid back down the dune.  Finally we got a new driver and, as it turns out,  he is the boss and the 'fix-it' man.  Normally he would be the last man in our caravan, alert to any problems.  And there was a problem! We got to stop and help a car that had gotten stuck and whose tire had come off the rim.

In the back of his car were all the tools needed to fix anything.  This fellow was from Yemen and had 7 children.   He was fun to talk to and he loved my camera.  I think he took something like 50 photos!  And most of them were very good!

Our destination for the night was a Bedouin encampment/tourist spot.

We had a delicious dinner with no camel meat!

I got a henna tattoo, which is something I have always wanted to do but have never wanted to pay for!

The tattoo artist was very fast and did a different design on each woman.  I'm just sorry that I was in quarantine and no one got to see it.

Reclining on pillows and eating on low tables is quite exotic but no easy feat for some of the senior citizens on the trip.  It was a prefect place to listen to Michael Wilcox.

What better place than the Arabian desert to learn about T  H Lawrence, 'Lawrence of Arabia' ( you probably know about him from the movie) and the Muslim leader Saladin who defeated the European crusaders in 1187, which paved the way for Islamic re-conquest of Jerusalem and other Holy Land cities.  During the next crusade he was unable to defeat the armies led by Richard the Lionhearted and lost much of the territory he had conquered but he was able to negotiate a truce that allowed for continued Mulsim control of Jerusalem.  

We ended the evenings entertainment watching a whirling dervish!  Just watching him made me dizzy!

A perfect end to our crazy COVID 19 trip!  

Grand Mosque of Muscat Oman

The fabulously beautiful Grand Mosque in Muscat is named for the much loved Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said who recently passed away after almost 50 years on the throne.  When he decided that his country needed a grand mosque, a competition for the best design was held and work began.  It took more than 6 years to build.

The mosque is built from 300,000 tons of Indian sandstone and features a dome.  There is a main minaret and four flanking minarets.

In order to visit the inside of the mosque, you must adhere to a strict dress code.  Both men and women must be dressed conservatively in long trousers with covered shoulders for the men.  Women must have their head and arms covered and be wearing long pants or floor length skirts. I was wearing a shirt that went almost down to my wrists but our guide said that I would need to wear something else that completely covered  my entire arm down to my wrists.  Thank goodness for a Nike running shirt!

The main prayer room - the one for men that is air-conditioned- is 244 feet by 244 feet and more than 6500 worshippers can be accommodated. If you also allow worshipers in the gardens and courtyards, the total capacity of the mosque is up to 20,000.

Everywhere you look there is beauty.  I can see how men are inspired to think of god in this beautiful building. Men must come to the mosque to pray while women can pray at home.  Women are allowed come to the mosque to pray in the smaller hall but men and women don't pray together.  When asked, our guide said that the separation was simply to keep people from being distracted.

The chandelier above the praying hall is 46 feet tall and was manufactured in Italy.  It used to be the largest in the world until it was replaced by the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi....the one we didn't get to go in because of COVID 19.  This chandelier weighs 8.5 tons, includes 600,000 crystals, 1,122 Halogen bulbs complete with a dimmer system and includes a staircase for maintenance within the chandelier.

The carpet was also the world's largest single piece carpet until it was replaced by ....you guessed it, the Sheikh Zayed Mosque  in Abu Dhabi!  It took 4 years to make, has 28 colors in varying shades, and 1,700,000,000 knots. 

 I wonder how they counted!

Our guide was by far the best guide I've ever had in mosque.  It was easy to see his devotion and love for his religion and I always admire that.  He also explained the difference in prayer styles between the different Muslim sects and demonstrated the ritual washing necessary before prayers and even before touching their sacred book - the Koran.

Koran means to 'recite'. This book which is sacred to 1.5 billion people touches upon all aspects of human existence including matters of doctrine, social organization and even legislation.

Here is our guide showing us the mihrab which is the focal point of a mosque as it shows believers the direction to Mecca which is the direction they must face when praying.  

The outside is quite beautiful as well.  I am an admirer of Islamic architecture since I love domes, tile, and arches!

I like to learn about other religions from someone who:

1. Knows the religion
2. Lives the religion
3. Loves the religion         

Our guide at this mosque did all three!

Quarantine Beach Dreaming

Sitting here in my house on Day 11 of our 14 day Self Quarantine and reminiscing about our warm beach and pool days in Oman and the UAE.

What a way to start the day!  A lecture from Michael Wilcox while sitting on the  beach in Salalah, Oman.

Only our  2 buses of tourists on this beach, also near Salalah.

Don't you LOVE palm trees?

This is an area in Oman that scholars think could well be the Land Boutiful mentioned in the Book of Mormon.  It has a river for a source of fresh water.  And a large protected bay which would have been perfect for building a boat.  Also up until recently, the area was covered by trees which would have been necessary for ship building.

Magnificent cliffs that come right down to the beach.

Bathtub temperature swimming pool in Abu Dhabi

Not my normal 'Beach feet' photo with that Mosque in the background!

We will survive until the end of April.  And we will go to beaches and pools again.  Of that I am confident!

Lessons and Questions from the Book of Job

In Oman we visited the traditional burial spot of the Old Testament Prophet Job.  Job and the other prophets of the Old Testament, as well as Jesus, are considered holy men in Islam.

Michael Wilcox taught us about Job while we all sat outside his tomb.  He asked us to consider a series of questions from the story of Job.

Why do the righteous suffer?

Why do evil people often get away with what they do?

Who is running the world?

Will you still love, honor, serve and believe in God regardless of what happens to you?

If all your supports are pulled away, will you still love God?

When 'life happens' to you, will you continue to live a good life?  Will you continue to have integrity?  Will you keep trusting God?  Will you keep hope alive in your heart?

The ultimate lesson we can learn from the life of Job is this:

I will validate His trust in me, by trusting in Him.

Souk

The sound and smell of the souk can overwhelm even before you enter the narrow hallways.  A Souk is an Arab marketplace or bazaar. 

George and I have experienced quite a few of these labyrinth old shopping malls! My hubby is convinced that Hell will be like a souk.  He is not a fan of the aggressive venders who won't take no for an answer.  Over the years I've gotten pretty good at navigating my way down the narrow rows and avoiding the persistent vendors.

My personal rules for a souk:

• Avoid eye contact with a vendor
• There is NO need to say "No thank you" to each of their pleas to come into their store.
• Don't stop and look at anything unless there is some chance you will actually purchase it
• If they hand you something, don't take it because they are skilled at avoiding taking anything back
• If there is something you want, don't act too excited.  This lessens your bargaining positing
• Offer about 1/2 or less of whatever price they tell you and be prepared to pay a bit more than that
• If you are taking a photo of a person directly, ask first.  

With the recent downturn in tourism, the first souk we visited in Dubai looked like this.

Imagine the excitement that went through the place when 2 buses of American's descended upon them...

I can honestly say that I came away from this one with photos only.

No matter what you think of souks, they are very photographic.

 Can't you just smell those spices?

 Doesn't just looking at this make you want to try your hand at some exotic cooking? 

Our 2nd souk was the Gold Souk and it was a lot more crowded, although I think most of the people were just tourists and not real shoppers.

This is definitely the place to go if you are in the market for something shiny!

 I think I need one of those gold necklaces!

Some people were actually shopping and were being given personal attention by multiple salesmen! I would have gone into this store, had I been really thinking of a purchase.  It was so  inviting.

In Muscat, Oman we went to yet another souk.

The claim to fame of this one is that it is THE place to buy Frankincense and Myrrh. The woody, spicy smell of the frankincense tempted me and I did buy some although I'm going to use it in a display at Christmas.  I understand that it does have medicinal properties and that older Omanis use it to treat various ills, instead of going to the pharmacy.  This older American will continue to go to the pharmacy!

 Frankincense is an aromatic resin that hardens.  Traditionally it can be used to treat arthritis, asthma, stomach problems and even some cancers.  Myrrh is also a resin and can be used to promote the healing of wounds and stop infection.

 I bought some Christmas tree ornaments for a really good price from a man who agreed way too quickly to my price.  He was so unhappy that rather than wrap my ornaments, he just dropped them in bag. 

Another tip for shopping in a souk, have the amount of money that you really want to pay for something in your hand.  They will often take that amount even when it is low.  There must be an Arab equivalent to the saying, 'A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush' because this is usually a successful ploy!

You can find lots of interesting 'stuff' at a souk!

 Naturally my eye went right to the Barça jersey

 One of these cute bags would be perfect for a church bag!  Why didn't I buy one?  I think sometimes it just is sensory overload.  There is so much to look at, that it is difficult to zero in on an item.

 Cutest locks ever....

 I know that some of the things sold in souks are actually 'Made in China' but who cares - it was bought in Dubai or Oman or Egypt or Israel.  Once while sitting on a bus in Jerusalem early in the morning, I noticed a huge truck near the gate to the Arab quarter full of boxes labeled, "Made in China" so I know this is true.