I went on my first “Girls Road Trip” since moving to Abu Dhabi and it was BRILLIANT! My friends Beth and Sherry drove and Jayne, Joanne and I were happy passengers traveling from Abu Dhabi to Al Ain*, home of Sheikh Zayed, father of the UAE.
*from wiki:
Al Ain (Arabic: العين, al-ʿayn, literally The Spring), also known as the Garden City due to its greenery, is the second largest city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the fourth largest city in the United Arab Emirates. With a population of 568,221 (2010), it is located approximately 160 km east of the capital Abu Dhabi and about 120 km south of Dubai.[1] Al Ain is the birthplace of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first president of the United Arab Emirates, and it has the country’s highest number of Emirati nationals.
Al Ain is located in Abu Dhabi, inland on the border with Oman. The freeways connecting Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai form a geographic triangle in the center of the country, each city being roughly 130 kilometers from the other two.
The drive was comfortable, filled with lively conversations and about 2 hours.
We arrived to tour the Sheikh’s home, an oasis/ date palm farm /irrigation miracle, the Al Ain museum and the view of the city from atop the highest point Jabal Marfeet.
The fun continued during the evening as we ate dinner, got to know each other and played a fun card game. These are extraordinary women from UK, Australia and the US; the English language added to the fun. We ate crisps, wore sunnies, and laughed about nappies. Quite an education!
Our second day was all about the Wadi Adventure water park. (www.wadiadventure.ae) We all experienced some NDBs (never done before), including a ride down white water rapids; surfing in a 90-second increment, man-made lagoon; zoomed down a zip-line high over the river; executed a ropes course ten stories over the ground and a log swing. For six sunny hours we enjoyed the time together. We even witnessed a sand storm that blew through the park!
True friends grace our lives and it is only when you explore the friendships do you realize how important girl-time is. I am most grateful for ALL my girl friends ~ from every place I’ve lived ~ and I treasure the times I spend with them.
Thank you Beth, Sherry, Susie, Joanne and Jayne for the fun and friendship! Sky diving is our next adventure!
Aloha,
Denise