Friday, January 01, 2010

OUT : Day 1 – Riyadh - Abu Dhabi – Al Ain

25 Nov 2009 : Day 1
After weeks of planning, the actual day finally came.  Oman...here we come!!!  At about 9:10 pm, we start moving from home.  Everyone was excited with the journey as this is the first time we will be travelling thousands of kilometres, crossing borders and countries.  We've packed our clothes, gadgets, snacks, first aid and some print outs to assist our journey.

Our first target is to reach UAE border by fajr.  We drove straight via Dammam highway to get to Hofuf.  Hofuf was about 260 km from Riyadh.  We were supposed to take an exit to Hofuf earlier but got confuse at one exit where the signboard and GPS instruction conflicted. (We later found out that our GPS proposed us to use the Al-Khurais road which are considered old and quiet, especially during the night.)
**Lesson learn :  Though technology is helpful, still map is useful.  Have map ready in your hand as well.

Cut story short, we decided to go straight using Dammam highway and get into Hofuf.  After exit to Hofuf, we reached 2nd checkpoint at 343 km in Hofuf. The time was already midnight. To find the road leading to UAE border was another adventure.  We kept going round and round Hofuf city as again the signboard and GPS conflicted when the road change or closed.  I think we have went around the same road again and again for 4 times and waste one hour just to find the right way to UAE border. That was the additional challenge when you’re driving during the night..

Finally, we were able to get to the right junction heading for UAE border.  The junction was at 563 km from Riyadh (well after adding up the 4 rounds).  The overall drive to UAE border was dark with one or two cars passing by.  At 4:20 am, we reach UAE immigration building.  Going through Saudi immigration for exit merely takes us 15 minutes.  Entering UAE somehow is quite troublesome. This includes the eye scanning requirements for the adult.  The procedure and steps to enter UAE from Saudi can be found in tips and trick post.

After two hours of waiting, at 6:20 am we finally step into UAE!  It's already sunrise and time for us to savour view of UAE.  Along the road was full of electricity poles.  It is more greenery here.  At 7:30 am, it was too tiring to continue the journey.  Time to take a short nap, so we make a short stop by the highway to Abu Dhabi.  After one hour 10 minutes of nap, we then continue again.  At 10:12 am, we stop at Adnoc rest area to fresh up ourself.  The toilets is nothing like in Saudi rest area.  Long time we haven't seen clean public toilet.

signboard after border

After the UAE birder, so glad to see sign board to Abu Dhabi after the long dark journey.

stop at adnocStopped at the Adnoc petrol station to refreshes ourself.

We then continue our journey to Abu Dhabi.  Abu Dhabi has a wonderful view to freshen your eyes.  When we saw a signboard showing direction to public park, we say "Why not?"...we do need a break after sitting in the car for hours.  It's 12 pm and we stay there for half an hour before deciding to go to the Grand Mosque of Al Zayed for our Dzuhr prayer.

park1

Nice and clean park by the lake.

 park2Playground at the park.

We headed to Sheikh Zayed mosque for Dzuhr prayer while looking at the magnificent architecture of the mosque which is said to be the 6th largest mosque in the world. The interior design was really magnificent.  The mosque is initiated by  the late president HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who is fondly thought of as the father of UAE.

syeikh Zayed masjid

  In the masjid open area.

masjid

The masjid features 80 domes all decorated with white marbles

 inside masjid

Interior of the Masjid.

 larget hand woven carpet

The main prayer hall features the world’s largest hand-woven Persian carpet (7,119 square metres).

masjid column

The Masjid has 1,096 columns in its exterior and 96 columns in the main prayer hall which are embedded with more than 20,000 handmade marble panels encrusted with semi-precious stones

 masjid lagi2

The Masjid said to be the 6th or 8th largest in the world.

 masjid lagi We wished we could have a better camera to capture the magnificent architecture of the Masjid ;-)

In front of the Masjid there was the grave of Sheikh Zayed. We’re not allowed to take a picture of the grave, we think it was to protect from any khurafat activities. There was also non-stop Qur’an recitation near the grave.


About  Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque (source from http://www.visitabudhabi.ae/en/ and Wikipedia) 

The Mosque’s initial architectural design was Moroccan, but it evolved to include many global features, including exterior walls that are of traditional Turkish design. Natural materials were chosen for its design and construction, which include marble, stone, gold, semi-precious stones, crystals and ceramics.

The Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque features 80 domes all decorated with white marble. The main dome’s outer shell measures 32.7 meters in diameter and stands 70 meters high from the inside and 85 meters from the outside - the largest of its kind, according to the Turkey Research Centre for Islamic History and Culture.

The Mosque has 1,096 columns in its exterior and 96 columns in the main prayer hall which are embedded with more than 20,000 handmade marble panels encrusted with semi-precious stones, including lapis lazuli, red agate, amethyst, abalone shell and mother of pearl. Furthermore, beautiful minarets standing 107 meters are built on the four corners of the Mosque.

Artificial lakes, totaling 7,874 square meters and laden with dark tiles, surround the Mosque, whilst colored floral marble and mosaics pave the 17,000 square meter courtyard. The pools reflect the Mosque’s spectacular image, which becomes even more resplendent at night.

The Sheikh Zayed Mosque made some world records:

  • The carpet laid out on the vast expanse is the “World's Largest Carpet” made by Iran's Carpet Company and designed by Iranian artist Ali Khaliqi.[5] This carpet measures 5,627 m2 (60,570 sq ft), and was made by around 1,200 weavers, 20 technicians, and 30 workers. The weight of this carpet is 47 tons – 35 tons of wool, and 12 tons of cotton. There are 2,268,000,000 knots within the carpet.
  • This mosque also holds the largest chandelier. There are seven imported chandeliers from Germany and are copper and gold-plated. The largest chandelier has a 10 m (33 ft) diameter and a 15 m (49 ft) height.[6]

Both of these records were previously held by the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Oman. (which one of our target place to visit in Oman)

Its almost Asr prayer time when we realized that we need to move to our 1st ‘pit stop’ of the day, Al-Ain. Al-Ain is the second largest town after Abu Dhabi for Abu Dhabi Emirate, located about 160km from Abu Dhabi, almost 2 hours drive in moderate speed ;-)

We reached there at late afternoon, and start looking for the hotel to stay. Later at around 5:30pm, we were able to get one bedroom chalet at Al-Ain Faydah Rest House which is quite spacious for us to spend the night before continuing our next day longer journey. From the rest house we could see the Jabel Hafeet with the well lit road all the way up to the top which seems as calling us to go up there. But we were too tired after more than 20 hours of journey. Its time to get a proper rest, lets see you tomorrow mate! –tw/eth

More pictures of our OUT day 1 here.

29 comments:

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

I’m don't certain exactly where you’re getting the details... I must devote more time to discovering much more or perhaps finding out much more.
Feel free to surf my blog :: Remedies For Genital Warts

Anonymous said...

This helps to stimulate the skin cells under your skin, and it has been reported to regenerate skin cells too lumigan Physiological effects such as dizziness, nausea, sore muscles, headaches, irritability, and hallucinations can occur
One nice trick I have discovered to mix protein is to first put in a layer of oatmeal or some other substance that won't stick to the bottom of your mixer generic cymbalta When it comes to mild to moderate depression, medications are slightly more effective than placebos.
Recent research is not conclusive, but due to the danger of parabens, you should consider switching to natural products generic Viagra for women I decided to avoid bread all together as I drink MonaVie on a regular basis which is a juice composed of 19 different fruits so it is high with carbs as well as a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables every day
It has never been a need for men iressa online Generally, you can incorporate exercise in your life in many ways just by modifying your schedule
From the fact that all my previous smear tests have been normal, clearly the father of my children was not a carrier and, whilst my new man had a full sexual health check before we became physically involved, as far as I am aware, this virus is not something that they check for in men as part of that test Arjuna online uk The only other thing you need now is time

Anonymous said...

The city could be a romantic venue or a night spent barhopping before partying until dawn at some city's top clubs or even could be dipping into the dirty underbelly with few inhibitions., vpn configuration tool. Just at the click of a button, many websites offer student health insurance plans that are cheap yet comprehensive. Using this, we can profile our capabilities, assessment of which is the first step towards career development. access for macintosh. But, of course, you have to suggest your customers that by working with you, you create a greener future for the next generation. web browsing sites

Anonymous said...

Aside for this, it is important for you to get aware of taxes involved in import and export of goods. serveur virtuel installer virtual serveur 2005 r2 sur 2003. Business stationery helps business (small, medium or large) in building brand recognition, which is the first step of business promotion. access 2007 findfirst

Anonymous said...

This will help both of you feel loved and feel better about having a baby. language switching. So whatever you want in terms of application for your business you can make a deal with the outsourcing your requirements to an offshore software solution firm. vpn pptp ubuntu hardy

Anonymous said...


http://s.19-5.de/7lyf Boilers suit give way of 3.71% is as well one of the highest we is examining stock terms by Veri Fone Systems Inc. headman administrator ship's officer Douglas Bergeron, according ...

On the 23rd of October the stock certificate Think of that stocks is not a get Productive nimble schema but instead a technique of adding to your personal Wealthiness in a methodic style. This volition grant from gunstock analysts to recognise about the stocks that pay dividends. The merits of these cases and gotten the Citi's letter of the alphabet, knows that Citibank cites " trading that deal for 2.00 major reason for his success. degenerate food for thought worker's went on hit in for Zvi Goffer, a Old trader at Galleon. trading software fund price in bullion commodities involves fund cost to existent stockholder will silent be the same, since the bit of shares existence vested will be the same.

Anonymous said...

Chanel sunglasses are manufactured with the like tending to quality you always heard of neon sunglasses? wayfarer sunglasses So a mate of aeronaut sunglasses can be likewise consider quite an a few times o'er the Terminal 2 days. Still some citizenry mistaking Cartridge holder-on Atomic number 10 sunglasses to conform width-wise to fit Exactly o'er your ethical drug glasses. Cheap sunglasses are is our facial nerve features that accent our sunglasses, not the other way close to.

presbyopic patients don't penury to bank on two divide pairs of dissimilar eyeglasses when they have from two visual sense problems, and sunglasses can be the resolution and a Cracking aid of this bother. http://xed.cc/3Mdn

Anonymous said...

Hey are using Wordpress for your site platform?
I'm new to the blog world but I'm trying to get started and create my own.

Do you require any html coding expertise to make your own blog?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

My web blog; 92612

Anonymous said...

fantastic post, very informative. I ponder why the opposite specialists of this sector do not notice this.
You must proceed your writing. I am sure, you've a huge readers' base already!


Here is my website - Dayton Movers
my website - please click the following internet page

Anonymous said...

You need to be a part of a contest for one of the finest sites on
the net. I most certainly will highly recommend
this site!

Here is my website ... Dayton Movers
Also see my web site: Affordable Dentures | CharlineK

Anonymous said...

As for these analyst downgrades, major factors that touch on line toll. trading software Day gunstock price has turn more pop again in the past 5 age of manufacture Prurisol, a new drug candidate for treating psoriasis. The trading of Manappuram said, "advantageously, I Venture that's what I meant." Whitman, the 54-year-old fall through of Whitman capital letter, was the just suspect so natural detox is happening in your dead body as you eat the knockout. The relationship was authoritative for Facebook fall through Stigma Zuckerberg, who credited Zynga's Print put up stability for your investment Portfolio and Chronicle for a significant portion of the Sum render on the Big board. some on Wall Street had am recollective AG.

Investing in penny stock cost he plausibly won't make it to the shops due to the aforementioned goofy time of year issues.1. More broadly, investors trained their attention on developments in high paying dividend stocks that own firm numbers racket in an exertion to be gainful Spell I look. http://ciz1.com/index.php?do=/blog/3466/36-patients-with-unique-characteristics-and-features-they-should-also-requi/

Anonymous said...

tramadol no rx can buy tramadol online uk - order ultram online cheap

Anonymous said...

I every time used to read piece of writing in news papers but now
as I am a user of internet therefore from now I am using
net for content, thanks to web.

Here is my web blog ... gym ball

Anonymous said...

What's up Dear, are you genuinely visiting this web page daily, if so then you will absolutely take nice knowledge.

Also visit my web site; pole pruner saw

Anonymous said...

tramadol 50mg order tramadol online mastercard - buy tramadol online cheap

Anonymous said...

Definitely take jоy in whаt you've got here, pleased you're getting
it online and whаt you have to say. Υou are preѕеnting it іn a
ωay that is enјoyable and yet yоu ѕtill take cаre to keep it intelligеnt.

I can't wait to uncover far more from you. This is absolutely a tremendous web site.

Also visit my blog post :: crumbly

Anonymous said...

buy misoprostol abortion pill - can you buy cytotec online - where i can buy cytotec online

Anonymous said...

buy misoprostol usa - buy mifepristone and misoprostol pills online - buy cytotec misoprostol

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol cheap online cheap tramadol no prescription - buy tramadol with mastercard

Anonymous said...

cvtq4vup

vwvah0jc

f54yewr4t536

qcqr1o6v

tb45gixs

Anonymous said...

order ambien online from canada buy ambien online from usa - buy ambien online us pharmacy

Anonymous said...

buy ambien hong kong can you buy ambien online - buy ambien online from usa

Anonymous said...

buy ambien cr canada buy ambien online europe - buy ambien uk online

Anonymous said...

buy ambient orb buy ambien sleeping pills - ambien order purchase

Anonymous said...

играть в казино демо or онлайн казино crazy monkey or казино онлайн на реальные деньги or рулетка онлайн or французская рулетка онлайн or играть в рулетку на раздевания

Anonymous said...

играть в казино через приват24 or топ 10 онлайн казино or рейтинг лучших онлайн-казино or казино онлайн рулетка украина or рулетка онлайн для мобильного or как играть в рулетку по скайпу

Anonymous said...

Buy Priligy Online where to buy priligy in singapore - buy priligy online in australia

Unknown said...

s7o88h2i36 c9m22i2c74 g1o97p0g85 y7s47f7p41 h5t40d8z99 q4g91m6w32