The drive to
JA Hatta Fort Hotel on the outskirts of Dubai will take about 2 hours, and we managed to take a few hand-held videos of the sprawling city of Dubai from the car, catching a glimpse of the magnificent Burj Khalifa gleaming in the distance:
With time to burn until we were able to check-in Ginny and Sern decided to take us to a place nearby that definitely piqued our interest, located in the adjacent Emirate of Fujairah (pronounced Foo-jee-rah).
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| a market for every day, not just Fridays! |
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| refreshing mountain air |
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| large and organised |
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| huge carpets! |
Well, not exactly nearby and not exactly a detour since its about 70 kilometres away from the mountain resort we were headed to but well worth the trip. We immediately fell in love with the rustic and old-world charm of
Masali Friday Market that despite its name actually operates every day.
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| browsing thru the fruit stalls |
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| Sern went a little crazy with the tangerines |
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| since it was CNY eve after all |
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| freshly roasted corn on the cob |
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| of unknown nationality |
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| reflecting our mood for the day |
Huge, beautiful rugs on display but we ended up carting away 5 kilograms worth of tangerines instead. According to Lonely Planet "Masafi is famous for its mineral springs whose water is sold throughout the country". No evidence of that here though?
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| huge rugs on display |
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| all manner of home ware |
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| wished we could bring this home |
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| earthen ware as well |
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| trying out some 'bokeh' shots |
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| and satisfied with the results |
We later stumbled upon a quaint little restaurant called
Layali Al Sham where we decided to have lunch. An authentic local restaurant serving local cuisine at very reasonable prices, it is conveniently located beside a gas station that attracts both customers dining in and taking out. we especially loved the 'sandwiches' and falafeel.
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| beside a gas station |
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| serves both dine-in and take-out |
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| diminutive menu |
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| friendly service |
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| resting my eyes after all that sight-seeing |
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| we didn't know what this was (Ginny said its Fattoush!) |
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| local pickles |
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| and 'sandwiches' |
All tuckered up we continued our road trip from Fujairah back to Dubai. Next stop, JA Hatta Fort Hotel!
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