Last weekend kept us very busy. On Friday morning, I hiked/climbed up a mountain to a secret bat cave and hanging gardens. Friday evening we had a bonfire out in the desert with friends. Saturday I went to Abu Dhabi to watch the brazilian jiu jitsu world cup and snag a few geocaches. Here is a detailed review…
Friday Morning
I got up bright and early around 7am and was out the door by the bottom of the hour. Alanna was nice enough to stay in bed and watch Logan. I met up with two caching neighbor friends – Darrel and Mimi. We headed out and crossed the border into Oman. The drive out took about 15 minutes. We turned off on a gravel road which continued for another 4kms before we were forced to pull over and park. There was a large mountain in front of us, and near the top of it we spotted our destination – The Bat Cave. No, not the one on the outskirts of Gotham. This one had a Geocache inside. We could tell it was going to be a long hike so we set off immediately. The hike/climb was pretty intense. We scrambled over rocks, sticker bushes and loose sand. A few times we literally
had to climb up hand over hand as there was no other way to get where we were going. We made frequent stops to drink water and finally an hour half later, we reached the cave. The views were amazing – inside and out. There was bat quano all over the inside floor of the cave, but the bats themselves seemed to have abandoned the place. We took a good while trying to find the geocache, but it was a fruitless search. Seems to cache was missing from the obvious hole it was placed in. Oh well, the cave itself was well worth the effort.
After a break, we skirted the side of the mountain and climbed down to the hanging gardens. This was another neat spot. There was plants and trees growing out of the side of the mountain, literally “hanging” upside down against the rocks. You could see where water runs down during rainy times to feed to plants. Another hidden gem of Oman. So much more to see there than in the UAE. If you like nature, that is.
We got lost a few times on the hike down, which took another hour and a half. We literally had to dodge falling rocks and help each other down over cliffs. At
one point, we all had to sit down and slide slowly on our butts because the slope was too steep and slippery. We all made it down safely though, just a few scrapes here and there. I really enjoyed the climb. We drove back home and I took a well deserved shower and nap
Friday Night
After getting reenergized, we prepared for out desert bonfire. Alanna I had organized it with a group of friends after we found a nice spot in the desert that was 10 minutes from where we live. We all met outside at 5:45pm to head over. One small problem though – giant sand storm. The wind was blowing the sand all over the place and visibility was terrible. We decided to at least head out to the desert though in hopes that the storm would die down sooner or later. So our little caravan snaked its way along a sandy road
between sand dunes until I decided on a nice spot just off the road. We climbed over a big dune and found a nice little valley behind it. We all sort of waited out the sand storm, covering our faces as best we could. The big dune helped to block the wind and by dark the storm was pretty much done. I worked out a quick fire (newspaper, lighter fluid and really dry wood make that rather easy) and soon enough we were all relaxing and having a good time. Some folks brought food and drinks, full meals to cook as well. It was a fun evening all in all. Some of the folks stayed overnight to camp, but being weary from out last camping adventure, Alanna, Logan and I were very happy to sleep in our comfy beds.
Saturday
Leaving Alanna and Logan behind again, I took off Saturday and headed up to Abu Dhabi to watch the 2010 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World Cup. We got there around 5:00pm and stopped off in a very American bowling alley near the sight to eat, then headed over to the outdoor tennis stadium where the fights were being held. The place was pretty packed – Emiratis on one side, everyone else on the other. Oh and of course the women got a special place all by themselves to sit if they wanted. The fights weren’t all that impressive. I guess I was hoping for more UFC type MMA fighting, but this was only
straight BJJ. There wasn’t even a single tap out. Everyone won by points. There was however this giant woman – she had to be 6’4”, 250lbs and practically all muscles. She literally dominated the poor woman that she was fighting. I think I saw an adams apple. Someone needs to do some testing on that one. Oh, and Sheikh Mohammed was there was well. And by Sheikh Mohammed I mean
HH General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces as well as virtually next in line to President of the United Arab Emirates. Yeah, a big wig. 2nd in command of the country. He didn’t even have bodyguards. Well none that I could see anyway. He is a huge BJJ fan and loves MMA.
I left the event a little early so I could perhaps grab two geocaches on the way home. Just outside the stadium was a part where I found a tiny cache under a park bench. Not more than two blocks away was another tiny cache on the back of a sign in a parking lot. So two quick caches and I was back on my way home.
The Grand Mosque was close by as well. Its probably the coolest looking building here in the UAE. I really want to take a look at it, so the family is going to head up Saturday morning and take a tour. We’re also gonna go bowling at that American-style alley. And we’ll get in some geocaches of course.
Counting down – July 8th – London! July 12th – North Carolina!
