Oman -- Fujairah

Yesterday, we returned to the Emirates palace to have brunch with the CEO of a booming Abu Dhabi Corporation. Friday is the holiest day in the Muslim week, and Friday brunch has become an Emirate tradition. Friends often gather for hours ordering course after course to unwind after the week.

I was excited for yesterday's itinerary because we were leaving the city to head to the Northern Emirates. I really wanted to see the more rural parts of the UAE. After a pretty long but sort of restful bus ride, we arrived first at a Fujairah market and then at an Omani farm.

The market was really fun! I bought two (magic) carpets, and I think I haggled effectively. People were selling all sorts of goods -- lots of camel-oriented knick knacks. If anyone reading this would like a camel for their desk, just let me know.

From the market, we traveled onward to what our Emirate friends called a farm, but what I think may have translated to rural village in English. They may have raised some animals, but I don't think farming was going on. Interestingly, the village was considered part of Oman, but it was completely enclosed within the UAE. I think this was probably a border resolution made to satisfy tribal boundaries, but I'm not sure.

There, we ate vegetable curry, chicken, and dates and sat underneath tents lit by campfires and scented with incense. As we were sitting, we learned that the Emirates believe this border area between the UAE and Oman to be haunted with demons and spirits. We listened to their culture's equivalency of ghost stories and tried to tell our own, but they weren't as scary.

Now we're in Fujairah, which is a northern coast city. Our room looks over the ocean and the complex system of pools that's part of our hotel. It's a little cloudy, but hopefully the sun will come out later before we embark on our desert safari.