OUT with all the hustle and bustle！The serene and beautiful city of the UAE—Al Ain

Text and photos by Gim

Just three short days to visit three cities in the UAE and experience three distinct personalities: Dubai, like a young performer making their debut, showing off all their skills just to capture everyone’s attention; Abu Dhabi, wealthy yet reserved, practical without being ostentatious, like a well-off and understated neighbor; and Al Ain, a time capsule that has shut out all distractions and remains untroubled by the world.

At 09:40, I arrived at the Etihad Shuttle pick-up point, only to see the 09:45 bus to Dubai drive away right before my eyes. Dubai? That bus had just left, and the next one to Dubai wasn’t until 13:45. No one was willing to explain why the bus had left early, they just stated the obvious fact I could see for myself. “Can I take this one instead? What time does it leave?” I asked, pointing to the bus nearby that hadn’t started yet. “Of course, it leaves at ten to Al Ain,” came the reply. I handed over my Etihad boarding pass and hopped on board.


Two hours later, I was standing on the streets of Al Ain. Looking at this city, as serene and beautiful as Hualien and Taitung, I felt just as lost as I had in Jakarta three days earlier. Where to go? Just ask Up！No fear here！After some twists and turns, I ended up at the Etihad Airways office in Al Ain, still hoping to get a map. “A map? We don’t have any here.” But the security guard was kind and, in response to my request, recommended some attractions and even wrote down street names and landmarks for me.

I thanked him and stepped out, ready to explore this map-less city！ “Madamn！Wait, Madamn！” The guard called after me, pushing the door open and handing me a bus route map he had apparently dug out from who-knows-where. I was so touched—even though it only had bus routes and stops, it was better than nothing.


Asking for directions isn’t easy. In the midday sun, Al Ain has the leisurely vibe of eastern Taiwan. To ask for directions, the first challenge is actually finding someone walking around. After finally stopping someone, the answer turned out to be “I know where it is. Follow me, my friend！” I didn’t quite understand, but he didn’t elaborate, so I just followed along (does this guy even know how to spell ‘caution’? XD).

The weather was already sweltering, and adding silent awkwardness to the mix would’ve been too much to bear. So I started a conversation. Well, I tried to. Of the three people guiding me, I only managed to talk to one—Aladdin. I wondered if conservative Muslims were hesitant to speak with women outside their family? (They were both walking so fast, as if desperate to get away from me, sob sob sob)

He then answered, “Those two are my cousins. They don’t speak English.” Ah-ha, that explained it！ I felt a wave of relief and was able to let it go (I wonder if Muslims think girls wandering around alone like me are... unsavory? Q?mm)


On the way to the Al Ain National Museum (yep, another museum XD), Aladdin pointed things out: “That big clock we just took a picture of—behind it is the palace of the Abu Dhabi sheikh (it’s like dozens of soccer fields big!)”, “This is Al Jaheli Park”, “That’s ^$%$&%$#@”… He apologized for not being able to give a smooth introduction in English since he’d just arrived in Al Ain himself.

When we were almost at the museum, Aladdin answered a phone call. It turned out those two had sprinted off to scout the way for me. Then came the bad news—the museum was closed today. Oh no！ “So where do you want to go?” he asked. “I don’t know either,” I replied.

No problem！We sat down in the shade of a tree at the midday sunbaked Al Jaheli Park. I pulled out some water and asked if he was thirsty. I had more (Etihad Shuttle gives them out—I’d asked for an extra one, scared of dying of thirst). He said no thanks, then pulled out a cigarette. Oh my God！XD I couldn’t help but ask, “Do Arabs have a special organ to store water, like camels do?” I mimed the shape of a camel’s hump on my back, genuinely wondering if Arabs have different physiology from us！

Then Aladdin shared his own story. He came from Afghanistan to make a living, with elderly parents back home, as the only child in a family. With political instability and a struggling economy, he had no choice but to leave his hometown to send money back home. He rarely gets to go home, having worked in Abu Dhabi and Dubai for several years, and had only been in Al Ain for a few months. He currently did rough manual labor related to metalwork—but wasn’t a miner (he pointed to the injury on his foot). His work for the day was done, so he had time to walk with me.

“How about you? What about you?” Aladdin had heard of Taiwan but didn’t know exactly where it was. I was surprised. Well then, how about a little East Asian geography lesson？XD As for the flag, of course I made good use of the opportunity to show it off！ “I travel with my national flag because Taiwan is always in my heart.”

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Looking at the little note the guard had written, I said it was probably time to head to the Rotana (not yet realizing it was a five-star hotel). Along the way, he said, “If I had my own house, I could invite you over. But it’s a rental.” He pointed to the Rotana Hotel and said he wouldn’t go in. “You know, I don’t have much money.”

Of course, I thought about it—I should buy him a drink. But then I worried he might think I saw myself as a guest… My mind raced with conflicting thoughts, and I swallowed the words. Before leaving, he left me his phone number. “Anytime you need help, you can call me.” I was so touched—I almost cried, and I’m not usually the emotional type… Thank you, my friend. But then I lost my phone at Oktoberfest in Munich, and that was the end of our connection. Truly, it was a fleeting, once-in-a-lifetime encounter…


Stepping into the Rotana Hotel, I found an open café right next to the reception. I ordered a drink to escape the sun. Breathing in the scorching heat, I did nothing but stare blankly, watching the Arabs inside the hotel and thinking about how different their lives were from Aladdin’s… It’s not unusual—this is just life.

Since I was already in Al Ain, I figured I’d buy a magnet and write a postcard to myself. It’s a little ritual I never skip while traveling. The selection at the hotel gift shop wasn’t extensive, but these carvings were kind of interesting, so I went ahead and bought one.


Before checking out, I asked the staff how to get to the place on the magnet. She looked a bit flustered but politely asked me to wait while she went to seek help. The lobby manager, a cheerful man with a belly like a boat, quickly understood the situation. Like pulling a rabbit out of a hat, he produced a map and brochure, glanced at them, and said, “Why you come Al Ain on Monday!! Why did you come to Al Ain on a Monday?” (laughs).

Most attractions are closed on Mondays—argh!! And the scenery on the magnet is actually a piece of public art in a distant square, about a 20–30 minute drive away… So I gave up. Oh well, life is full of surprises. Surprises? = 3=

“Well, but the Rotana Hotel is still open. It’s a beautiful hotel!” “Thanks. Then you can stay here until evening and take a bus back to Abu Dhabi. I’m just kidding, haha!” (Why are you being so silly XD)

As we chatted, I realized he didn’t know about Taiwan. (Not surprising.) I pulled out the page where I communicated with Aladdin (in writing), and said, “Now you know Taiwan!” Now you know about Taiwan, huh? A multi-use item really is great value—awesome!


After leaving the Rotana Hotel, it seemed like the only place to go on a Monday was Bawadi Mall. Having visited Dubai Mall (a place that completely messes with your sense of value), I genuinely felt this one was quite small XD. But that doesn’t change the fact that Abu Dhabi is wealthy.


Live music was just a little bonus, but the elevator surrounded by a waterfall curtain was truly stunning. It was so beautiful that even someone as childish as me couldn’t resist riding it over and over again XD.

When traveling abroad, souvenirs are super duper important!! (Otherwise, how can you face going back home!) After going crazy sampling treats, I bought some Arabic sweets (samadi sweet). Later, when I shared them with friends back in Germany (Bonn and Füssen) and in Taiwan, everyone said they were delicious!

Based on the travel notes from the Arabic sweets factory, these bird’s nests (bottom right) are probably Kunafe wrapped around pistachios drizzled with syrup. Arabs seem to have an oddly strong obsession with pistachios, huh? Also, “samadi” sounds a lot like the Thai greeting “swadi”! * * ' * 1 *  * 5 (swadi) ~ !


Al Ain, in Arabic, means “the eye.” It’s the second-largest city in Abu Dhabi, bordering the Sultanate of Oman. Being an inland city, its landscape is vastly different from the coastal cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Immersed in the serene and lush, laid-back vibe of Al Ain, one might wonder… does time really pass here?


Before I set off, a friend told me, “Wow, you’re going to the desert. Arabs are super hospitable. If you compliment something and say it’s beautiful, they’ll just give it to you. Make sure to praise his big diamonds and gold necklaces!” I laughed off such an exaggerated claim and didn’t take it seriously, but I did make a mental note that Arabs are indeed very hospitable.

In Abu Dhabi and Dubai, I indeed experienced a desert vibe that was entirely different from the island life. The dune bashing wasn’t particularly enjoyable, but it didn’t completely shatter my expectations either. I told myself, it’s just human nature—though I couldn’t help but think, “Does Aladdin really spend all day gazing into a Western mirror, where’s the magic lamp?”

But truly, I’m so grateful. Coincidences formed a circle, and I encountered Aladdin, preserving that small imagination of the sand people being extraordinarily hospitable—even if we’ll never meet again—that too is fate. I can’t forget how, when Aladdin spoke of his hometown, a faint melancholy shimmered in his deep eyes, hidden beneath the long shadows of his thick lashes.

Life is hard.　I know.
 

Time flows, carrying away the years. Bend down gently to pick them up, and do not forget. Who isn’t leaning on the past while gazing into the distance? The traveler’s eyes see the world.

ⅡFragments of Fleeting Time─This is Kim’s blog.