Journey across the Hajar

The Al-Hajar Mountains with deep crevasses formed by the occasional rainfall, UAE

Rewinding the clock back three years, this was what we did on the Chinese New Year of the Ox, driving across the Hajar Mountains to the eastern coast of the UAE facing the Arabian Sea (instead of the Persian Gulf where most of the Emirates face). This was pre-Justin times, so we had a little bit of liberty heheh.

This is the complicated part of the UAE, ...when it comes to boundaries and territories. Somehow or rather, something must have attracted the past rulers of the various Emirates and Kingdoms to fight and compete over these areas to the extent that it is now a confusing mix of boundaries and enclaves, so much so that driving from Dubai to Dibba to Fujairah, and back will bring you across so many state borders that you lose count. There is even an enclave belonging to Oman (the neighbouring country) which is completely surrounded by the UAE. Have a look at the map and you’ll see how complicated it is.




Friday Market, in Fujairah territory, marks the entrance to the hills from the deserts of Dubai and Sharjah


Masafi, a town shared between two Emirates (Fujairah and Ras al-Khaimah). This is the typical scenario here. Dibba, on the east coast, is shared between Fujairah, Sharjah and Oman.


The typical landscape in the Hajar Mountains, grit, rocks & bushes


Date palms tucked in the wadi beds. These wadis (temporary streams) formed by flash floods when the rare rainfall occurs caused fatalities every year in the UAE and Oman due to their sudden nature




At the al-Hajar Mountains, between Masafi and Dibba


Khor Fakkan, a sliver of Sharjah beach territory on the east coast, completely surrounded by Fujairah and the sea

Some Festive Flavours for the Dragon New Year

Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore – Gary, Justin & Amrita

Happy Dragon New Year everyone! Hope you had a fanfare of a time! I’ve nothing much to say, but since a picture speaks a thousand words, here’re some err... let’s see 14,000 words to spice up New Year!


At Sentosa, Singapore during last year’s Chinese New Year

As you can see from the rabbit (in the picture above), the hippie-haired Justin and the still youthful appearance of yours truly in the pictures, these are not from this year’s New Year. This year we spent New Year in the cool (or should I say cold, it was bloody winter) and quiet environment of our house in Assam. No big fanfare, only big feasts and superbly fresh and varied vegetables (as compared with what we can get here in Daund) every other meal. And for the entire time (or more rightly since the beginning of Jan), yours truly was down with a cold. Contrary to what some people think and prescribe, whisky doesn’t cure colds, even if you down a whole bottle with your mates in the evening and wake up the next morning not knowing what hit you the day before.

Frankly speaking, the work here is killing. I am putting in at least 12 hours a day, six days a week, and half a day every alternative Sunday! Why do I do it? ...For the thrill? Hell no! ...For the fun? Not in a hundred years! ...To prove my detractors wrong? More like it. ...To prove to myself? Yes, definitely it! But it seems to be going nowhere, so I don’t really know now why the heck we work so hard for??

Anyway, here’re the rest of the 14000 words...


Family picture, Butterworth


Outside our Butterworth house


Anu & Amrita, atop the ferry to Penang


Chinese (Hainanese) Temple, Penang


Kim, Justin & Amrita at the Hainanese Temple


Burmese Temple, Penang


Thai Temple, Penang


Amrita with a Naga at the Thai Temple, ...the most appropriate photo for this New Year of the Dragon’s post. Come to think of it, I can keep it for next year’s New Year of the Snake too, hehehe


With Mom’s family in Butterworth


The Kuala Lumpur side of the family


Anu, within the twin towers, KLCC


Lion dance at Sungei Wang, Kuala Lumpur

A New Year in the Himalayas

The Swayambhunath Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal

Happy New Year folks! May 2012 not be what the Mayans think it would be! May our peaceful existence be allowed to continue for some time to come, may the disasters and economic crises not get any worse than they already are at the moment. May you and your loved ones have peace, love, success and happiness! May our health be in tip-top condition. And May God continue to bless all of us.

And here're some pictures of our last New Year spent on the fringes of the great Himalayas in Nepal. How I wish I can go on a holiday right now, than slog it out at this Project here which seems to be going no where no matter how hard we try...


Going on a walk in Pokhara, Nepal


Anu & Amrita shopping for beads in the streets of Kathmandu


Little monster has his own agenda while mommy's busy


Yours truly, enjoying a Nepali dinner in Kathmandu


Nope, this is not in Nepal, this was our Christmas Eve buffet dinner at Windsor Hotel in Delhi, compliments of Jet Airways for screwing up our flight


Some of the many temples near Kathmandu's Durbar Square


Kathmandu's full of narrow streets dotted with temples, shrines and hidden courtyards, wonderful to wander around and get lost in for someone like yours truly


The pigeon-filled Seto Machindranath Temple in a hidden courtyard in Kathmandu


The Bodhnath Stupa (or Boudha as the locals call it), another famous Buddhist site in Kathmandu


Monks frolicking around Bodhnath


The Durbar Square at Bhaktapur


Patan's Durbar Square at dusk

Justin's First Birthday

Hi! In keeping with tradition of posting events one, two or more years late, here're pictures of our little Justin's first birthday, in Silchar last year. He was supposed to be back here in Pune so that yours truly here could celebrate little Justin's first birthday with him, but thanks to our one and only trusted Air India (which cancelled the flight from Silchar to Kolkata on the day that Anu, Justin & Amrita were supposed to fly), there you have it... a party in Silchar. We have pictures also of his second birthday, I'll post it next year, heheheh.


Justin, 1 year old, on our bed in Silchar


Justin & his presents


Justin & mommy


With his Silchar uncle & aunt

Justin Year 2

Our little monster turned 2 recently. He’s smarter now at dismantling / destroying things, he’s smarter at getting what he wants by being really adorable, when he wants to be, kissing us, when he wants to and showing his sad tearful face, if we scold him. Otherwise, nothing much has changed. He has approximately 11 teeth. We force feed him to ensure his growth matches the other kids of his age (and it seems to be working, but we’re reducing his food portions now since our friend advised that we’re feeding him too much). He doesn’t yet know the meaning of fear, meaning that growling dogs in the dark are nothing but an attraction for his curiosity. He knows that falling and getting himself hurt is painful, but that doesn’t stop him from running clumsily on uneven gravel strewn roads, doesn’t stop him from running round and round in circles until he falls over dizzily, and doesn’t stop him from climbing whatever is climbable for his little hands and legs. He can say a few words now like papa, mumma (for mummy), judtin (for justin), ba (for bye), shoe, oben (for open, used for requesting us to open water bottles, and food containers), heyo (for hello), koung-koung (grandfather), ayi (mother, in the local Marathi language), hawa-hawa (from a popular Hindi song), etc.

Here’re some photos of him of the year and before.


Justin, mid-eastern style, 5.5 months old, Istanbul, Turkey


Justin with Turkish travel agent, Istanbul. Justin’s a hit with the local crowd. Somehow or rather, most Turks, if not all, love small babies


With the fairy chimneys, Cappadocia, Turkey


Picking out a ball, slightly more than a year old, Pune Central Shopping Mall


13 months, Kathmandu, Nepal


13.5 months, Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra, India


Hippie styled baby, Daund


The baby godfather, Scarface, at 19 months, Daund


A picnic in the hills, at our road project stretch, near Ravangaon


Sharing a buffalo, 21 months, Amanora Mall, Pune


Busy on the phone in front of our house, Daund


Botak boy, 21 months old, Phoenix Mall, Pune


Tigger with friend, 22 months


Happy Deepavali!