Hatta overnight camping

For a couple of days we were planning a trip to Musandam, but we had to change plans at the last moment because of rough sea conditions. After a 2 hours research by me and Fayyaz on the net sitting in our office we were able to identify a couple of spots on Thursday. After discussion with Harish, Shailesh and Soma we decided to go to Hatta Pools.

We had already purchased camping gears, as we were planning to go to Dibba (Musandam) for the camping. On Thursday me and Harish went to buy the remaining items. We were seven and with the baggage it was difficult to fit in my 7 seater Ford Explorer. To our dismay Soma told us that we could not tie the luggage on roof top as it was illegal in UAE. Me and Harish fit all the baggage in the car to make sure that we will not have last minute surprises. Luckily we were able to fit everything.

Everyone reached my place at around 6 o’ clock. Oh my God! we forgot to take into account that every one will be coming with their personal bags and on the top of it we had to buy water bottles, food items and wood our way to Hatta. Any how, we were able to fit in all. Well something on laps of someone and other under the foot, but we managed.

Soma was carrying the UAE Offroad explorer book with him and my GPS also had the coordinates for the Hatta Pools. We hit the road and started towards Dubai. In 40 minutes we were at ADNOC petrol pump (2nd last from Abu Dhabi) and had some croissants and tea. We continued toward Dubai and took the exit towards E77 and then to E311 (Emirates Road). We followed the sign boards to Hatta and soon reached there taking E44. We had to pass by 3 checkpoints where they checked our passports/National ID Cards. No visa was required though. The view was really great with mountains all around.

The trip was nice and pretty easy. With GPS, sign boards and off road explorer book in Soma’s hand was more than enough what we had. But at the end we got lost. We were not following the GPS and could not continue as per the book’s instructions. Well after asking 2-3 shopkeepers, we were still not able to make it. The main problem was that there were 3-4 Wadi in the nearby areas and no one knew the names of any. I think Hatta Pools is not known by that name by common people. We, at last were able to find the place after taking the advice from a local to whom we had to show the book to explain him the exact place what we were looking for.

Soon we reached the last point of tar road. A big sign board awaited us, mentioning that picnic and camping site was 10 kms away. Oh it was really thrilling to find the sign board. GPS was also pointing to the same way. Man, I was on my first off road drive. The road was quite good (for an off road) and at a speed of around 20-30 kph we reached the destination in about 30 minutes. Some curves and slopes looked really dangerous, but my explorer drove quite well. Nowhere the rpm reached above 3000 even on such steep slopes.

Instead of straight away driving down to the water, we moved up and parked. As we had researched that you should not camp near water or in case it rains, the water may get in the camps. We sat there on the rock for like 1 hour. It was around 12 o clock in the noon. We thought of leaving to the town to buy the things and have our lunch.

Now, I drove a little fast as I realised that it was easier to drive faster on rocky roads as the car slides gliding on smaller bumps. We went to Hatta Forte hotel. We were charged AED 50 each at the gates. The amount was redeemable against any services in the Hotel. There were beautiful peacocks in the resort. We straight away went to the restaurant. The guy at the hotel told us that the buffet was for AED 145 each and we could also opt for ala-carte. As soon as we opted for ala carte, he offered AED 120 for the buffet. We went for buffet. The food was good and suited our Indian taste, almost all the other people in the hotel were westerners. To our surprise, the cooks were also there and helping out in serving. The were insisting on trying dishes and briefing about them. The hotel staff was courteous. After having a filling lunch, we went to Emirates Coop which was exactly opposite the hotel. Bought all the stuff, got some wood from a grocery store and then left for the Hatta pools.

We started putting up our tents. In half an our the tents were up. Our only concern was the strong winds. Most of us changed for going into the water. I immediately rushed to the water with Fayyaz. The water was cold but I took the plunge. It was really great fun. For 15 minutes I was in the water. By the time Shailesh and Harish came there, I was already out and I ran to the camp.

We changed and then started preparing for bonfire. After repeated attempts we were unable to light the woods because of the strong winds and also due to lack of smaller wood pieces. I noticed that the gas lantern which we were using was behaving strange, so I decided to put of the flame and re-ignite it. But to our disappointment, we weren’t able to re-ignite it. By this time Soma was already upset and suggested that we should leave. But we tried to hold on. I changed the filament in the light of Soma’s HTC phone and was successful in lighting the lamp. Then we decided to do some barbeque and therefore started to light the disposable barbeque kit. Soma had a hands on experience with disposable kit and hence we were able to light it in no time. We barbequed chicken and vegetables. Because of the wind it was taking lot of time. Any how we enjoyed the barbeque both because of the hot food and the warmth of the coal.

We were really tired by now and decided to get into our tents but noticed that one of the tents was looking unstable due to the wind. So we parked our car to protect the tent from direct wind blows. We all went in our tents.

I wasn’t able to sleep for like 1 hour due to the flapping of the tent. But at the was able get a find nap. Other tent fell due to the wind in the night but we were able to fix it in ten minutes. We slept quite comfortably and got up at 7 am.

We decided that it was time to pack-up. We rolled up our tents and packed for our journey back home while leaving no opportunity to experiment with new route (Sweihan) and taking pics wherever we found a good site……..It was a memorable trip indeed.

Kush

Will it take an entire generation to kill the corruption bug?

Well there was a time in India when every one wanted to get a government job in India. Getting a clerical job was enough and yes the intention was not to have a job where you could have some earnings above your salary but to have a job with security. I remember my grandmother telling me that in those days people were virtually outcasted if they were taking bribes. Slowly bribery became common and instead of people feeling ashamed they started taking pride in taking bribes. You will be surprised to know that one of my friends casually mentioned that her father was working with Public Works Department and the funding received from the government for the purpose of development was brought to her house in suitcases and then it was distributed to a chain of people. I was a little shocked to see the kind of pride she took in mentioning that. This is not a lone case and bribery is quite rampant across India.

What is the real reason of corruption? Is it just the greed for more wealth? Not truly. If we see the per capita income of Indians, it is too low at present and it was even lower in past. In those days probably everyone wanted to meet their basic needs and improve their standard of living. Income was obviously in line with the country’s state and one could not meet their ends in that income. Human being a resourceful social animal found means to meet their ends (whether legitimate or illegitimate). If we see Indian population, we will find that people who were involved in corruption were mostly in government jobs. Obviously there were lot of other people who were also fuming corruption, but they could have been easily tamed if corruption was not their in enforcement agencies and the judiciary.

Kids of these people are now usually well educated and like any other youth wants to work in private sector. Obviously working in a private environment does not really promote corruption and earnings are too good for them to get infected by corruption bug. Here I am ignoring the fact that private sector also promote corruption in government sector.

The problem still remains that still there is a huge population which has not been able to give what they wanted to their kids and family. They are still waiting to get a taste of government job and recreate the corruption cycle. I agree that what I am saying here does not take into consideration various other factors and this may be generalization of the facts. But still ….

Even if this cycle is not repeated, we need to consider one more factor. Government has to be run by people. People running the government machinery earn peanuts as compared to their requirements. So how they will meet their ends and thirst to live a luxurious life?????????

Lal Chowk – Flag hoisting drama by BJP

Well, we all know that the drama of flag hoisting at Lal Chowk (Srinagar) was nothing but another attempt to create Bawri Masjid II. Probably no one saw it like this. If BJP would have been able to gather mass support which it got on December 6, 1992 BJP would recreated the same history and would have changed the Indian politics once again. Luckily it wasn’t meant to be and the country was saved witnessing mass killings like 1992.
But the big question ?
Well what was wrong in BJP’s demand to hoist the flag at Lal Chowk or any part of India (apart from the BJP’s motive)? Keep aside all the pre-independence issues, if in 60 years we were unable to make such a small population part of India, it is really mind boggling and a matter of concern. Has government done anything to make Kashmiris a part of main stream India. Indian government had been a big advocate of reservation in education and jobs but had they really used it wisely. Why is there no reservation in other states for Kashmiris (or people for any such state which has not been able to develop)? When there was a will we have always found a way. Remember Punjab? It looks like as if it has been ages when militancy was there. But it happened only when there was a political will. Congress has been playing the same game which it is good at. Congress is just dangling the carrot of separate Kashmir (without mentioning it) to the Kashmiris which everyone knows that won’t ever happen. But by maintaining a state of silence, excluding J&K from applicability of any of the laws applicable to other parts of the country ……Congress will end up creating another Punjab or rather Sri Lanka which our future generations will regret.

Subsequent details on License

On the following day, I went back to Emirates Driving School, with all the documents and was able to get myself registered with them after paying AED 850 and standing in the queue for 1 hour. Then I went to the main reception and got my self registered for the theory classes. I got the theory classes for the following week. The classes were for 4 continuous days. There were plenty of options for language and timing.

Classes went fine and after the classes, I got registered for the theory exam. I don’t remember exactly but I think it was like 35 questions out of which 28 marks is required to pass and I scored 30. You can go for written or online exam.

Once I cleared the theory, I was required to register for practical classes as I did not have a driving license from my home country. I was provided an option to give a test on the basis of which I could directly go for lesser number of classes based on driving license. I got the test after a couple of days. They gave me level 3 and 18 classes. I registered for the classes and paid extra AED 400 for getting all the classes schedule at one go at earliest dates. Still it was 1 month after the date of registration. Remember once you have paid extra money at any level you are eligible for fast track registrations.

After the practical classes, I had to register for the road test. Next day morning I went there to get a test date, which was again one month after the date of registration. However, I went to Muroor Driving license department and the officer proponed the date by 15 days.

I also took some classes from a pathan for 7-8 days as I did not want to loose it. I think I was lucky, on the date of exam only 1-2 guys failed of the entire lot of 15-20……Now I have a Driving License and also bought a car 😉

Driving License in Abu Dhabi (day 1)

Posting really after a long time…..

I just changed my job and really got busy in all those regular things like getting relieved from the duties, visa processing etc etc.

Any ways,….now a good thing. I have applied for a driving license. I  believe, people living in middle east understand the importance of having a driving license and off course the pain in getting it.

Well, I applied for the license last week. I was told that for light motor vehicle license you have to reach early in the morning to open your file. Some even suggested to reach there at 4 am. But, I am not that enthusiastic ones. I preferred to reach Emirates Driving School, at Mussafah, at around 6:30 am. I reached the reception, and the one of the helpful security guards directed me towards left side at the end, for opening the file. There, I reached the exit at the side, where I found a queue which was disappearing outside the door. Oh no!! I am late, I thought. But when I peeped outside, only around 15 odd people were standing. I also lined up in the queue. I had already brought all the required documents:

1) Passport copy, with visa page (2 sets)

2) Photographs, in white background  (6 no.)

3) Letter, in the prescribed format, in English and Arabic from my employer

4) Original Passport

The counter for opening the files opened at sharp 7:30 am. In 10 minutes, I was inside the registration room. There was a person on right side counter checking the documents and providing the token number. In 5 minutes my token number flashed. I went to counter number 9.  There was one lady who did my eye test and charged AED 20. I took the receipt and the form and again went to the counter which had issued the token. This time he again gave me a token.

Surprisingly only one counter for registration was open. It took more than hour for my turn. All the guys were Arabs. I went to the counter, he entered the information in the system. This guy wrote something on my form in Arabic and told me to go to Mussafah Police Station. I took the form and went to the Police Station. There also this guy was an Arab, who was not fluent in English. He asked me to go to Muroor Traffic Department. No one told me the reason. I went to Muroor Traffic Department. There also they made me run from one person to other. At last I was asked to meet some Lieutenant. I don’t remember his name now. The issue was that my designation mentioned on the visa was not in there database and they could not enter the info…..ooohhh now can’t they apply common sense and enter the matching designation? Any ways, this guy entered the new designation in their database. By now it was 10 am. So I went back to the office.

British reality TV star Jade Goody dies of cancer

Some people become celebrity very late….as late as their last days…………….. Jade Goody was also one of them. She was never ever a star but she got a lot of sympathy from masses when she was diagnosed cancer. May God help her family……………..

Goody’s decision to die in the public gaze, in order to earn as much money as possible for her two young sons and publicize awareness of cervical cancer, largely restored her popularity.

A file photograph of Jade Goody. (AP File Photo)

More Pictures

Jade Goody, a one-time dental assistant whose final days were as closely chronicled in the media as her appearances on reality television, died of cervical cancer early on Sunday, British media reported. ( Watch )

British reality TV star Jade Goody dies of cancer – UK – World – The Times of India

Jade Goody slipping away, ‘got only hours left’-UK-World-The Times of India

I would have never known who Jade Goody was, had I not read about Shilpa Shetty and Jade Goody’s fight on a live TV show. On and off, now a days when I read about Jade Goody saying goodbye to this world…it feels bad. Not because she is a celebrity, but I do not know why when I read about her approaching end it makes me feel uneasy. It is really hard to imagine how she must be feeling to see death approaching her……the feeling that if she sleeps she may not get up…..it is terrible. Not only her but the feelings would have been same for any other person as well. Heart misses a beat when you read and hear about her planning for her “ Disvedania”. May God help her have an easy and comfortable end and give her family a lot of strength to come out of this……………………………………

Jade Goody slipping away, ‘got only hours left’-UK-World-The Times of India

Cancer-stricken British reality television star Jade Goody is feared to be just hours away from her end as her condition has deteriorated rapidly, a report said quoting a close friend of hers.

"It is now a matter of hours, she has deteriorated dramatically overnight. Jade’s getting weaker and weaker and is looking very pale. Sadly, she is very close to the end," the friend said.

We don’t need your advice: Muslim leader to Musharraf-India

This is highly commendable statement made by the India leader. This makes us feel proud that even with so many differences we are one and no one can divide India further.

We don’t need your advice: Muslim leader to Musharraf-India

"Indian Muslims are capable of solving their problems… We don’t need your advice.. Don’t try to alienate Indian Muslims by your remarks, here or in Pakistan." This blunt message was conveyed to former Pakistan …

Taliban could take over Karachi: Pak media

 

This is one of the most horrifying news off late. Imagine if this happens what will happen to Pakistan? what will happen to the nuclear weapons? what will happen to India? What will happen to this world? I truly agree that although as far as India is concerned diplomatically they should condemn the raise in aid to Pakistan from USA, but as far as the political condition in Pakistan is concerned it is right on part of USA to do so. Lets us hope that Pakistan is able to come out of this crisis or else this world will perish.

Taliban militants have established secret hideouts in Karachi and it ‘could take the city hostage at any point’, according to the Pakistani police.

Slumdog becomes millionaire despite giving wrong answer

Today in the morning I was reading the article on Times of India. Honestly speaking I was also not aware of the correct answer. Forget about the correct answer, I was not even aware of the incorrect answer. But the point is that at least basic facts should be correct. What you say?

 

Slumdog becomes millionaire despite giving wrong answer

The ‘slumdog’ was not entitled to be a ‘millionaire’. Call it his destiny or an oversight by the Oscar-front runner team protagonist Jamal is shown winning Rs 2, 50,000 in the film despite giving a wrong answer.