Fujaira emirate

When one thinks of the U.A.E. the picture that arises is that of glittering high rise cities ,true Dubai and Abhu Dhabi are just that ,but there are places in the gulf which do retain thier old world charm and though changed have not completely .

Fujairah one of the seven emirates that form the U.A.E. is full of stark hills and breezy beaches .

More than 200 km from Al Ain ,the SUV that takes us zips the distance in a matter of 2 hrs .

The highways in the U.A.E. are built for making driving a great experience .

Along the way one could see stray camels grazing on the side protected from the road by fences ,the protection is not only for the camel but also the speeding cars which would face disaster if it struck one huge camel .

Birds flew across the road and they too could crash into the windshield at times it seems .

We sped past so many signboards some leading to Oman ,and a friday market which was empty as it wasnt a friday ,small shops selling fresh fruits ,vegetables and pleasant merchants who were willing to bargain was a soothing experience after seeing sterile malls by the dozen ,bargain always kindle some vestigeal instincts in an Indian ,he or she is at home with it and feels the pleasure of shopping lies to an extent in driving a hard bargain .

As it was ramadhan time no eateries were open .

Brown hills that rose on either side of the road were stark with not a leaf on them ,some were huge and primeveal ,palm trees lined the roads and we went through a farm with bales of hay stacked like cylinders probably for camels ,the topic of discussion was on camel meat and I was told that U.A.E. prisons offer camel biriyani as thier sole menu for its unfortunate residents ,( should avoid them if possible )

soon we enetered into Fujaira town ,surprisingly it was quite modern and had a high rising sixty storey tower as its tallest building ,here too were malls and lovely masjids ,we also saw a palace on the way .

soon we left the town and sped to Korfakan beach in Sharjah,the emirates keep butting into each other ,this beach is lovely one with well laid paths ,fine white sand ,and shallow water ideal and safe for the family ,provison was also there for toilets and changing ,huge resorts like Le Meridien and apartment stays were also there for the tourist with all budgets .

the beach sported bareque stands and one could imagine people skewering meats late into the windy nights there .

we then went on to drive between mountains and saw a port into the sea ,fujairah has the advantage of being nearest to the shipping lane among all the emirates .

It is a quaint place and is different from the rest ,an ideal picnic spot for the weekend ,and a great place to reside as cost of living is much less ,it is more comfortable and less crowded too .

If it is beaches in the UAE then it should be Fujaira

Harimohan