A Ramadan Without the Perks

A mosque near our home in Dubai Motor City, the Hassan Abbas Sharbatly Mosque. (How do I even know its name? There’s a thing called Google Maps, you know? Hehe)

Ramadan Kareem everyone. It’s my favourite month of the year, …Ramadan! Except that this year, it’s almost like business as usual. Thanks to my company for asking me to ‘help-out’ at a new project we’ve just obtained, a new bridge across the Dubai Creek. Although, I am not officially in the new project team, ‘helping out’ means I have to comply with the project timings, which means working on Saturdays, and not getting shorter Ramadan working hours. Unless I’m fasting, which I’m not… (Shall I fast?? Since it’s also Lent. Nah, why commit myself to something I don’t think I can keep??) I sure hope my company remembers my ‘sacrifices’.

Meanwhile, here’re photos of some local mosques for the season… May you have a blessed month of reflection and spirituality. Ramadan Mubarak, Selamat Berpuasa…


Another mosque next to our home, the Union Properties Mosque. (Union Properties is the developer of our building and community)


A mosque in Dubai’s Business Bay (the Sheikh Rashid Al Maktoum Mosque according to Google Maps), where I looked at, and drove past, every weekday, for 4 months!


That’s the same mosque viewed from my office, The Opus Tower, aka the office with a view! Too bad, it only lasted 4 months (Nov 2022 – Feb 2023) before we were kicked off to a site office once again…


The same view, on a drizzly night, Bay Avenue, Dubai Business Bay. Yeah, sometimes, when you gotta work at night, you gotta work at night!


Another mosque from work… let’s see Google Maps… there it is! The Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Mosque… (Wow, long name, can’t help it, the royal family is big…), Al Quoz 1, Dubai, 2019. I drove past this mosque every day, for nearly 2 years, while I was in the ITS2020 Project. Witnessed it being built, till it opened to the public


A mosque at the Dubai’s Nursery Area, Warsan 3, where Dubai’s residents shop for plants and garden stuff… the Masjid Amina bint Wahab. This is only but 1 of the many mosques in this area


The Ibn Battuta Gate with a mosque in front (Al Rostamani Mosque), at Jebel Ali. A view from Dubai Festival Plaza


Oh, and this little mosque. This isn’t in Dubai, but in Shawka, our regular campsite, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE


And finally, leaving again (this is the second time I’ve posted photos of this), a photo of one of the more unique looking mosques in Dubai, …Al Salam Masjid in Al Barsha, Dubai, UAE.

That’s it for now mates. Quick post finished. Enjoy your Ramadan!

The Pool That Saved My Life

Plunging into a little water pool won't kill. In fact, it saved my life! Read on to find out...


A rock pool in Wadi Shawka, UAE, Dec 2021

We’ve started camping again. Twice now this year. Both at Wadi Shawka. Wadi Shawka’s about the only place we camp in, for some time now. It’s become our favourite campsite. We’re like locals now at Shawka! But we’re running out of time. Camping season’s real short. January, and sometimes February, is usually too cold, while April would become too hot. Then, we’ll have to wait till the end of Oct for it to cool down again. Plus, this year has been really busy for me at work. I am ‘helping-out’ at a new Project, a bridge connecting an old part of Dubai, i.e. Bur Dubai, to a reclaimed island called Dubai Island (which was originally part of the ambitious Palm Deira development). (All that Palm Deira dream is gone now, scrapped during the 2009 Financial Crisis).

Anyway, back to the story, Wadi Shawka was also the place where I got the biggest fright of my life, on a camping trip. I lost my balance while clambering over some rocks, and fell. Into a wadi pool! (This one, in the photo below).


The pool where I fell, Wadi Shawka. See where Justin was in the photo? That’s where I fell from. Thank You, God for protecting me from harm, and for always looking after us.

Luckily, it was deep. Up to my neck, so I escaped unhurt, thank God. But not without completely destroying my RedMi7 phone, and my boots. I had 2 mobile phones in my pockets, Anu’s Samsung S20+ and my RedMi7. The Samsung S20+ was waterproof (luckily), and it continued to work. Can’t say the same for the RedMi. It just started heating up, with a black screen, and I can’t take out the battery (bcoz the silly phone designers decided that detachable batteries aren’t cool…). Can’t cool it down, can’t switch it off (because I didn’t know how), and then it eventually died, a slow death. RIP RedMi. I nearly lost my designer sunglasses as well. I needed to wade into the pool again, and slowly searched the pool bed with my toes. Yes, I found them, amidst all the pebbles, and God knows what in there! Everything that was leather started rotting, my boots, my belt and my wallet. Managed to somehow saved my belt and wallet, but Anu threw away the boots, since I’ve worn them enough times. She said Paisa Vasool. Bye-bye boots.


There, that’s the boots that I wore. At the top of some hill near our campsite, Wadi Shawka, Ras Al-Khaimah, UAE, Dec 2021

The time I fell into the rock pool, was the 2nd time we visited Wadi Shawka, and the first time we actually spent a night there. We visited Shawka Dam earlier, and discovered that people could actually drive into the wadi, bypassing the dam, thru another route. So, I did my homework, checked out the route, and there we were!


Entering Wadi Shawka! Our first time driving into the wadi! Dec 2021. Gotta hurry up, coz the sun’s setting and we’ve gotta find a place to put up camp!


That’s where we eventually camped, in between 2 trees beside one of the dirt roads. (Our tent was behind the car). It was full of rocks, so we spent a good amount of time clearing out the rocks! See the buildings in the background? It’s the Wander Retreat, some sort of paid campsite, I suppose


This photo is from our 3rd visit to Wadi Shawka, in Feb 2023 (more than a year after our 2nd visit). We camped at a different location, but came back to our old spot just to have a look. The Wander Retreat has wigwams now! Our spot, which we cleaned more than a year back, was still nice and stoneless. See how rocky the surrounding is!


Back to Dec 2021, here was our breakfast. Instant Noodles, the boys’ favourite! This was Justin’s only trip to Wadi Shawka. All the subsequent trips we made, were when Justin was in Singapore… We’ll bring Justin back here one day, since it’s quite fun


A climb up a hill. Near our campsite, good for digestion. Some of the spots down there would eventually be our camping spot. Could see one of them clearly, see the 2 trees just left of the bend on that road? That’d be one of the spots


This was yours truly, at the end of the trip, after the fall. Shaken, but unscathed. Whew! At the Kurtosh Café at Isfini, Dec 2021. We decided to drive out the other way, thru the back of Showka… Is it Shawka, Showka or Showkah? I have no idea, it depends on how people transliterate its Arabic name...


We’re back in Showka! Our 3rd visit to Showka, Feb 2023. But at a different camping spot. This time without Justin (who’s started studying in Singapore)


We camped beside the wadi, a dried-up wadi, by the way, as you can see. The hill on the right of the photo, was where we were, in the photos above in Dec 2021. Our 1st campsite location is behind that hillock, in the middle of the photo


It was full of flowers on our 3rd visit! A delight for the missus! That's one of the reasons why we kept coming back


We’re tackling the wadi again. Rock pool, here we come! We’re taking the high route this time, to bypass the rock pool!


Anu at Wadi Showka, RAK, UAE, Feb 2023. This is the high route, which bypasses the rock pool below (on the left). Ooh.. it's high! But no scare is gonna defeat me, ahem. I’d end up swimming in that same rock pool, eventually, in 2024 (but that’s for another time to tell)


Jayden having a dip in one of the pools in the wadi. No, it’s not the one that I fell in. It’s one higher up, I think the one in the first photo of this post!

See ya! Ramadan Kareem for those fasting! (It's supposed to start tomorrow, let's see... the moon tonight).

The Kid Who Wouldn’t Grow Up

Jayden, 9.5 years old, at Bilad Sayt, Oman

Jayden’s 10 years old, for a few months now (since October). He’s in friggin Year 6 at school! (That’s the equivalent of Standard 6 in Malaysia). He’s basically a senior in his primary school!?! I just can’t imagine it. (Why? Because, he doesn’t act anything like a Standard 6 kid!) OK, he started school a year younger than Justin, and 2 years younger than I did, but that doesn’t mean that he should behave like a baby. Which he does. Which drives us up the wall. Maybe because he’s the youngest. Sigh, when will he grow up?)

Anyway, here’s my annual recap of the kid’s year. It’s only 3 months late, but what the heck. There’re so many photos to look at. Jayden’s 10th year photos coming up. Enjoy.


Jayden, on Diwali, Nov 2023, just a month after his 9th birthday, with his elder brother who was back from Singapore for his winter break, and Dyuti, daughter of Bhavna and Umesh Agarwal, one of our neighbours, in Motor City, at their apartment


Spending the Christmas season of 2023 in Central Asia! Jayden at a restaurant (Bay Town Restaurant) in Dashoguz, Turkmenistan, the hermit state of Central Asia, where internet does not exist… unless you know which wheels to turn…


Let’s have a snowball fight! At Chimgan, Uzbekistan, Dec 2023


Back to school, back home, to Motor City. Here at the Grid Walk of the 24-hour endurance race in the Dubai Autodrome. Revving up, the race’s starting, Let’s go! Jan 2024


Gong Xi Fa Cai! Happy Chinese New Year! At our company’s CNY function at the Burj Park, Dubai Downtown, to welcome in the Year of the Dragon! Feb 2024


It’s picnic season, and his mother is a camping fanatic! On one of the hill trails at our favourite wadi, Wadi Shawka, Ras Al-Khaimah, UAE, Mar 2024


Spring Break! And Ramadan. How nice! A 3-week Spring Break due to spring break combining with the Eid holidays. Here he is, with Mommy at our hotel in Bilad Sayt, Oman, Apr 2024


Baking bread. Rushing to complete his Junior Duke tasks before the deadline. (Junior Duke is an award that helps children develop confidence and competence in life skills). He’s got from October 2023 to do all the tasks, but no, he has to wait till the last minute! That bread turned out pretty nice though. Well done! Apr 2024


Yippee, he got the Junior Duke award! Here with his Koko, who was back from Singapore for his mid-year holidays! No, I don’t have a photo where the award’s the right side up.


Finally, the end of Year 5 and the start of the summer break. Where shall we head to? First stop, Gujarat, India. Here’s Jayden, inside the tallest statue in the world, the Statue of Unity, Jul 2024


Next stop, Malaysia, to visit his grandpa (partially visible) and renew his passport. Having an ice-cream treat at Haagen-Dasz, Penang, Malaysia, Aug 2024. Heck, Malaysia’s a whole lot cheaper than Dubai! Go ahead, eat! I don’t remember how much this was, but I remembered the Krispy Kreme doughnuts in Butterworth were half of the price of its Dubai equivalent! No wonder we become fat every time we visit Malaysia


Continuing in Malaysia, a strawberry farm! In Cameron Highlands. Strawberries are one of his favourite fruits! Lavender Garden, Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia, Aug 2024


A Singapore stopover to visit his Koko, before going back to Dubai. Jayden and Justin at Changi Airport, Singapore, Aug 2024


Back in Dubai, starting Year 6. Here he is, in the old part of Dubai, Bur Dubai where the Hindu Temple used to be, before they shifted to their premises in Jebel Ali. Look how narrow the alleys are. These used to be jam-packed with people (devotees) during the old days when the temple was here. Sep 2024


Finally, Jayden’s 10 Years Old!!! Happy Birthday. We love you. Even if you grow up. We’ll love you more actually. Guaranteed.

The UAE’s Hill Tent City

Good morning, Jebel Jais! Early morning view from our tent, Jebel Jais, Ras Al-Khaimah, UAE, Oct 2020. The view is deceivingly peaceful. But beside and around us were full of tents and cars. People come, people go, throughout the entire friggin night. Bringing their friggin high powered lamps that lit up the hill like a friggin stadium, music system that could wake a friggin village! (And tents aren’t designed to be soundproof! Know what I mean?) What a difficult night!

Camping season starts again! If only I hadn’t had that fistula, we’d be camping already. But, we’ll give this year a miss. Still recovering from that fistulectomy. The surgeon did quite a good job, I’d say. Highly recommended, if you have butthole problems like me. I sure hope it heals before we go on our trip in December.

Anyway, I’m putting some photos of our one camping trip which I swore we’d never do again… Jebel Jais, the UAE’s highest mountain. The mountain becomes a tent city at night, with people from all over the UAE driving up, and putting up their tents on wherever flat place they could find, and making it their hangout for the night. You’re lucky if it’s just for a shisha break, but some people out there have other ideas, like making it into a party hall with music and bright lights. C’mon, you can do that in your friggin home, or a friggin beach, down there! Where you lot belong.


It’s October. It’s a bit cooler. Let’s head to Jebel Jais! (But we would find out soon that we weren’t the only ones having that idea)… Quite a lot of cars, huh? (Note: this was our second camping trip of 2020 by the way. On our first trip, we ended up camping in something of a no man’s land, with no one in sight for miles… (somewhere within the Omani territory of Madha). It was a lil’ scary, but bloody cool. This time we decided to choose a place with ‘more civilization’. Let’s just say we weren’t disappointed…)


Shite! It’s a jam! We’ve not even started going up the hill!?! (You have to remember, this was Oct 2020, the COVID year, where travelling outside the country was next to impossible, unless you’re super-rich and important. Maybe that’s why there’re so many cars… But, Jebel Jais has always been popular with the local crowd, as we found out on our first trip to that area in 2017).


Whew! Luckily, we found a place to put up camp. Somebody was leaving, and we waited for them. That’s how crazy it was. The lights on the hill behind us were from the cars on the road coming up the hill. It’s like we're in the middle of a friggin city!


Good morning! Time to pack up and go. Look at the tents and cars. And some have gone earlier…


No sleep, but still looking fresh, huh? Jebel Jais, Oct 2020. If you look closely, behind us are some string lines across the ravine. I think they’re the ziplines of Jebel Jais, ‘the longest zipline in the world’. They were closed at that time


Let’s explore! Jebel Jais Viewing Deck Park


A view of the other side of the mountain… That’s the Gulf and the port of Khor Khwair, where the cement factories are, Ras Al-Khaimah, UAE


Let’s get down. There’re nicer (meaning less crowded, and shadier) spots at the foot of the hill for picnics


There we are! See, not bad? Somewhere near the foot of Jebel Jais, Wadi Bih, Ras Al-Khaimah


And there’re mountains to explore! See how small Jayden is compared to the massive hill behind!


Looking savvy, even without the sleep! Time to go. We’d better camp below the hill next time.


True enough, we kept our word, this was our camp at Wadi Bih, in December 2023. At the FOOT of Jebel Jais, hehe. So much more peaceful… (I call this place the Valley of Dead Goats. Why? I’ll leave this story for another time to tell, hehe)


And our visit up the mountain in the morning… (with no jam). Gave the kids a treat on the Jais Sledder, so called ‘the region’s longest and highest toboggan ride’! There you go!


Bye-bye Jebel Jais, Ras Al-Khaimah, Dec 2023. The ‘longest zipline in the world’ (i.e. the Jebel Jais Zipline) was operational then. See those spots in the sky? They’re the people who could fork out the hefty price of the tickets for a 3-minutes, 160 km/h zip across the ravine!