On Thursday, I rented a car. Why you may ask? I felt confined. Perhaps if I was only in the area for a week or two, I may not have rented it, but since I will be here for 1.5 months, at the two week mark, I decided to expand my horizons. My other colleagues who have traveled from distant lands to be here - as is the case with myself - suggested that I was crazy to try to drive in such a foreign place. To tell you the truth, this is way outside my comfort zone, especially excursions when I am out by myself, as is the case today. The traffic in the cities is a little hectic and the interchanges are not quite what I am used to, but if you pay attention and know where you are trying to get to, you should be fine. Watch the signs and take your exits. A word of warning, most back streets - between the blocks - are one-way and will sometimes take you in directions you don't want to go. Be patient, don't panic and you will be fine.
But, ask yourself, how foreign is it really. It has only been since 1971 since this land was British ruled. Much of the infrastructure stems from that period of time. UAE is growing by leaps and bounds every year and it's infrastructure and urban development reflects that. They drive on the right side of the road. The speed limit is in KPH, but so are the speedometers, so why worry about conversions. The lane markings are relatively the same and people do use blinkers to change lanes. Just keep in mind ... Some people like to drive fast, just get out of their way and you will be fine.
The UAE is
very open to foreign investment, including money coming in from tourism. As such, they are surprisingly open to Americans and Europeans. I only needed my passport and my US drivers license to rent a car. No international drivers license required. I am told that even the bordering countries (with the exception of Saudi Arabia) are open to crossings by tourists. These countries include Oman, Qatar, Yemen, etc. I hear the coast of the Indian Ocean is quite beautiful. Perhaps a trip on another weekend.
Today, I have driven 45 minutes northeast of Sharjah to a resort named Barracuda. The interesting thing about this resort, besides being on the water and quite temperate with a nice sea breeze, is it has a liquor store. The resort is in the next emirate to the east from Sharjah and so does not observe the same conservative restrictions as Sharjah emirate - namely the sale of alcohol.
This place is hopping. A friend at the office put me on to this place. He said I could sit at the cafe on the water (an inlet off the Persian Gulf), order a beer and some food, and relax. Something I am taking advantage of at this writing. As far as alcohol purchases in the store are concerned, it is accepted that people will come here to buy alcohol and then carry it back to Sharjah - mainly tourists and ex-pats. They put the purchases in opaque-gray bags, so one can carry the purchases into their residences and hotels. Sharjah is strict about alcohol in public, but relaxed on the law of it being consumed behind closed doors.
Anyway, the land is very flat leading down to the gulf and the gulf does not have many waves. It is kinda reminiscent of my recent trip to Lake Ontario. Not very many waves ... Really a lot like a lake.
I guess I'll be driving back now. The sun is going down and I am not sure about driving at night yet. I am told it "could" be dangerous on a weekend since people usually spend the whole day out and are often tired driving home.
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