The Western Region - A visit to Great Unknown

A friend of mine decided to rent a car.  You see, since we've been here we have only used taxi and bus service which is getting rather expensive and is a little limiting.  We went to one car rental place and were told that because we did not have a visitor visa and did not yet have a residence visa we were not allowed to rent a car.  But we found that we could rent one from the hotel (legal?  I'm not asking).  So we each pitched in some money and for about $200 dollars plus gas (which is the equivalent of about $1.50 a gallon!) we got our own car for 6 days.  Mike is sort of the chauffeur - he has a great sense of direction.  We've been to Al Ain (Mike and Rebecca and I) to scope out the town and Mike and I to do some cleaning and appliance shopping.  But I digress.  Today's post is all about our visit on Tuesday to Al Gharbia - the western region.  This region is mostly dedicated to oil, so much of the population is ex-pat.

We headed out of town and immediately went into a vast desert with nothing more than power lines and sand (see the above photo).  The first city we hit was Mirfa.  It is a VERY small town with a mosque and a place to buy food and some housing.  The house pictured to the right is one really nice structure we saw in Mirfa.  This is typical of many homes in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, but were not seen as frequently in the Western Region.

Next we went to Ruwais where my friend Shannon will live.  Again, not much more than a shopping center, a rec center, some housing, hotels and a few schools 2 1/2 hours away from Abu Dhabi.  We found where Shannon will be teaching Kindergarten - a nice but small school in town.  Shannon will live with 4 other teachers in a villa so she will have company - I just hope her company is good.  We found - a ways out of town - a beautiful resort hotel on the beach.  I think she needs to join the club to have pool, gym and beach access - a personal getaway for tough times.



Finally we journeyed back towards Abu Dhabi and hit the town of Madinat Zayed where our other friend Daisha will live.  This town was hopping (in comparison) with a mall, and industrial park and LOTS of men.  It was strange to not see women at all.  We Americans (and Mike the Canadian) were of much interest to the people we passed.  We found a Burger Hut and a Pizza King, so we know Daisha will not starve.  Unlike Shannon, Daisha will get her own apartment, but she did not yet know where so we could not visit it.  Again, a lot of SAND!  On our way home we came upon these oil wells - they burn at the top all night and day.

So, as for me, I'm glad to be in Al Ain, but I think the folks placed in the Al Gharbia region will have a much more authentic experience.  Good luck and God bless!