Al - Ain : Kudrat ka Pani

Al - Ain is one of the seven emirates of UAE. One of the most common word that you hear about this city is "Green", although travellers from other parts of the world should understand that the frequent usage of this adjective is in the comparative sense. A quick string "UAE emirates" search on the internet sitting in my balcony (haven for cigarette smokers, Dumb Charades lovers, Maggi devotees, Coffee enthusiasts and for people who have an eye for the naked desert) in the afternoon was enough to convince me about my weekened travel destination. I had accomplished the most important part of the trip plan.

The same day evening about 5 bag packers were set to leave. We could board one of the last few buses (Dubai to Al - Ain) from Dubai bus stand easily. I dozed off in the AC 14 seater vehicle with a 2 hour nap in the itinery. At 9:00 p.m. sharp, I opened my eyes and I saw the biggest kettle ever pouring out water and glittering with the lamp light falling on it. We went around it like any other circle in a junction and we reached Khalifa Street of Al-Ain. I was elated; after all I saw Lebanese restaurants one after the other in a row. I handpicked one influenced by the sumptuous pictures of kababs. It was the day I felt, I wish I could smell! We were awed by the most palatable meat and bread we had ever had. After bidding Good Bye to "Al Kharoof Al Dhahabi Restaurant & Grills", we headed towards Al Massa hotel. We got a King size room easily with no prior bookings. The room actually meant King Size with comfort capacity of 10 people at the most. We spent time watching TV and cracking around.

Next day morning, we had breakfast in a small restaurant nearby. The temperature for the day was 39 degree C. We took a cab and headed towards Jebel Hafeet, a mountain bordering Oman 1240 meters high giving a tantalising view. The cab driver seemed to have a lot of knowledge about the number and different ways of accidents that ever happened on the way to Jebel Hafeet. My friend sitting next to him was quite annoyed at him for his illustruated versions of accident tales. From one point, we were able to see a part of the hill covered with greenery which apparently sourced water from earth a.k.a. "kudrat ka paani". A few minutes later we reached Hotel Mercury, built on Jebel Hafeet surrounded by man made luscious greenery and water. The view of the hill from there was amazing. In about 15 minutes we reached the top of Jebel Hafeet and we were the only 6 people there. We spent about half an hour there till we realised that one of us was dehydrated due to the extreme heat.
We had an awesome buffett lunch in Mercury on our way back. We reached the city at about 3 o clock. We rushed to the palace museum which would close at 5 in the evening. We got a guide immediately when we entered. She was dressed in a burkha and spoke flawless and fluent English like any of us. Her knowledge about the middle east rulers and their family tree was impeccable. She kept us busy for 2 hours explaining to us each and every component of the palace. The focus of the museum seemed preserving the ethnicity of the culture. It was 5 p.m. and time to leave. We then went to the Al ain Oasis, located behind the museum, consisting of huge date farms and a small mosque. We took a cab and went to a small restaurant where we got a small section covered with curtains. We were made to sit on carpets and served tea and snacks. None of us really felt the journey back as we were dead asleep. This trip took place a year back and I have not tasted kudrat ka paani and such lip smacking meat ever since.

Distance from Dubai: 100 km
Travel: Mini vans costing 20 dirhams
Time Taken: 1.45 hrs approx
Budget: 300 dirhams approx