On Holy Ground

The Baptism Site, Bethany beyond the Jordan, Jordan

OK, an Easter-themed post for a change. This is a first I think. I’ve done loads of posts on Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim and Chinese festivals, and of course Christmas, but never one on Easter. Heck, I usually don’t even know that it’s Easter until someone tells me like, “Hey, did you not go to church on Easter?” “Huh? When was that? Last week?”

The problem with Easter is that it is unpredictable (for me anyway). I have no idea when Easter is (although I am supposed to be Christian). Sometimes it’s in March, sometimes April, how would one know huh? (Except if you go to church regularly, which unfortunately, is not the case here, with yours truly).

Back in Malaysia, I’d have my family to remind me, and since Easter is always on a Sunday, I’d go to church. I always make it a point to go to church on Easter. Hey, I have to at least make that effort twice in a year, right? (Easter and Christmas, ahem). Here, Sunday is a working day (OK, OK, OK, Friday is a public holiday here, and I can actually visit church on Good Friday, but I’d have to know about it in the first place, right?)

Anyway, Easter’s come and gone, and I was on a flight. …I was also on a flight the last 2 Christmases. …Hmmm, it looks like we fly a lot on Christian religious days. (Flying on Christmas day makes sense here in Dubai due to the large number of European/ Western expats going back to their home countries for Christmas and the winter school break. On Christmas day, they would all have gone, so the flights will typically be cheaper! Told ya we’re cheapskates, haha).

Here’re some photos of the Baptism Site, the supposed place where Jesus Christ was baptised by John the Baptist. No, I have no idea how they found the place after 2000+ years. But a lot of people believe it to be genuine, including the Pope. There’re explanations in the place on why it is very likely the baptism site i.e. remains of ancient churches, archaeological finds that matches the descriptions in the Bible, etc… It’d be too long to describe here, besides err I didn’t finish reading the placards. …Hey, I have to look after the kids, OK?


Another view of the Baptism Site


A shelter over the ruins of ancient churches overlooking the Baptism Site


Around the Visitor’s Centre (where the car park and ticket counter are located). All trips are conducted tours. A shuttle bus will pick tourists up from this place and drop them back after the tour. I guess they do that because we’d have to cross military checkpoints to get to the Baptism Site (hey, it’s stone’s throw away from the border with Palestine/ Israel, OK?) The Visitor’s Centre is very popular with the local flies. I dunno what can make so many flies gather in one location. It wasn’t particularly dirty or smelly, I don’t see any livestock around, but the flies absolutely love this place. Maybe they’re a remnant of the 10 plagues of God?!? Watch out for the dustbins!




The River Jordan – East Bank vs West Bank, they’re really that close! We’re on the East Bank. The modern buildings with the flags (of which one of them is the Israeli flag) is on the West Bank.




Justin, by the River Jordan


I can bloody wade across, …if they don’t shoot me first


People on the West Bank, Palestine / Israel








John the Baptist Church, a Greek Orthodox Church beside the Jordan River


A wooden bridge at the Baptism Site

Journey across the Hajar II

Since we’re on the Hajar Mountains topic, I might as well finish this post.


Anu, Karishma & Justin at the Hajar Mountains, Fujairah, Eastern UAE

Last year, we did a repeat trip of what we did in 2008, a journey across the Hajar Mountains, to Dibba, then along the east coast of the UAE down to Fujairah, and back. This time though, we had the kids in tow, and Karishma.

We decided to make this trip because 1. We ran out of places to picnic in Dubai (heck, how many parks do you expect to find in the city? And after a few parks, you’d find them almost the same!?), and 2. We remember how nice the place was, and wanted to show the kids (meaning Justin and Karishma, …Jayden’s too young OK?) our adventures when there were just the two of us.

The place is still nice …but my favourite view of the mountains, the one with the deep cut crevasses, is sadly not as magical as it used to be anymore. This is a classic example of how development (in this case a new road) can destroy natural beauty! Don’t get me wrong, I love roads (I’m a road builder after all) and man-made structures, but not at this expense!!

I’ve reproduced the 2008 picture below (the first time I’ve reproduced a picture from my own blog), and put it together with one we took in 2015. Majestic mountain with deep crevasses and a tinge of green, …now with a scar of a road cutting across! What a waste!




2008 vs 2015 – Hajar Mountains, from the road to Dibba, north of Masafi, Fujairah Emirate, UAE


That blasted new road that destroyed the scenery!


Karishma posing with the rocks…


Getting Justin to stand still for a photo can be quite a feat as you can see


There, finally a family photo


Justin doing a Titanic, or is this a Karate Kid? Check out this 2008 photo of Anu at almost the same place


Plantation inside a wadi! These are still around, luckily (there’s also a 2008 version of this)






At the beach between Dibba and Khor Fakkan, Fujairah Emirate




Scenes from Khor Fakkan Beach (a territory of Sharjah) (and for photos of Jayden in Khor Fakkan, check this out)


Hills on the Sharjah-Kalba Road – We decided to take a new road back this trip. Drove down all the way to Kalba (another territory of Sharjah), and drove on the new road through hills and tunnels back to Dubai. (We used the Fujairah to Sharjah Road in 2008, the Kalba road wasn't built then)

Dubai's Mountain Village

Hatta, UAE – view from the Hatta Hill Park

Hectic times call for drastic measures. Therefore, another short picture post haha.

Here’s where we go for picnics when we get bored with Dubai, the city I mean. Dubai has a little enclave (territory) in the Hajar Mountains far to the east of Dubai proper. I don’t really have time to describe the geography of the Hajar Mountains in relation to the Arabian Peninsula, and so on. Let’s just say it’s a range of mountains which runs along the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula separating the coast of east Arabia (the UAE and Oman) with the desert in the interior. Heck, just Google Map or Wiki it, will ya?

This enclave, Hatta, is about 90+ km from where we stay in Dubai (or about an hour and 15 minutes’ drive). But to get there through the shortest and most direct route, you’ll have to enter Sharjah territory, then Oman (yeah, that’s correct, Oman, the country), then re-enter the UAE into a tiny enclave that belongs to Ajman (another constituent emirate of the UAE), and finally Hatta, part of the emirate of Dubai. Complicated? Well, that’s the way it is here. The UAE’s borders are full of complications. Check out this post.


A picnic in Hatta – at the Hatta Hill Park. We made a couple of trips to Hatta last year, for picnics (obviously) and also to get Jayden’s visa done. Hatta is one of the popular exit points for Dubai visitors to get their visas extended, for those who can get a visa on arrival that is. (Example, Malaysians hehe). Exiting and re-entering is also required for conversion of a Visitor’s Visa to a Resident’s Visa (don’t ask me about how this works, I have completely no idea. If I’ve had some idea, I wouldn’t have blown a couple of thousand bucks on the darn process!)






More pictures from the Hatta Hill Park, UAE

Pictures from the Hatta Heritage Village: -




Those spotlights sure spoil the 'village' effects eh?


Now that’s more like it, an oil lamp


Posing with a dummy in the Hatta Heritage Village – they’ve converted the actual village into some sort of a museum




More dummies!






More scenes from the Hatta Heritage Village, UAE


The Hatta Dam – Was actually trying to get to the Hatta Rock Pools, which are located in Omani territory. Didn’t succeed, stopped by an Oman border guard. Later found out that we had to take a completely different road. Aw, heck, better luck next time.

Here’s another post on Hatta, …our very first visit there, the time we got our aunt’s visa extended in 2009. Justin was less than a month old then!

The Garden of Little Houses

Indonesian House, Mushrif Park, Dubai

Oh, here’s another park in Dubai which we visited recently. How can I miss it out? This park has no beaches. But it makes up for it by being far less crowded (hence far less smoky, from the darned barbecue fires). There’re actually signboards all over the place saying that if you barbecue at non-designated areas, you’ll be fined AED 500 (or was it 1000?), but no one seems to care! Maybe it’s not enforced, or maybe 500 is peanuts for the people here, but I’m not gonna push my luck. I could do a lot of things with friggin 500 dirhams!

And that’s our life here. Pack some food from home (or pack some from the hyper market, or local takeaways …depending on the costs, ahem), drive to a park, then sit around and eat, while the kids run around. Hell, this is the only time of the year where the kids can run around outside, OK?


Thai House


Giant man with baby attacks Arabian House


What’s a windmill doing in Dubai?


English House


Norway House (didn’t know houses look like that in Norway?)

That’s not all. There’s more. If you wanna see them, visit us, haha!




Looking for a picnic spot in Mushrif Park, Dubai