What’s that Smell!?

Living in Al Ain, a city that forms an equilateral triangle with Dubai and Abu Dhabi, makes for traveling to either city a popular weekend getaway.  I have been to Abu Dhabi city only once, for the BETT Middle East conference, but traveling to Dubai is something I have done often.  Spending time in Dubai with my second family, the Jomaa family, have made for some of the best weekends I’ve had here in the UAE and I am so thankful to them for that.

All the traveling to and from Dubai and Al Ain have made for some very interesting and unforgettable moments.  What these experiences all share is the plaguing question that makes me want to scream out… ‘What is that SMELL!?!?!?!”

In truth, it is probably best not to know what is causing the smells and I could spend the next few hundred words here describing to you the things that have caused my sense of smell to attempt suicide, like the rotten smell of fish from the fish market which is so conveniently located behind the bus station.  But instead I’ll just summarize some of these experiences for you.  Like the time I decided to share a taxi instead of taking the bus from Al Ain to Dubai, only be sandwiched in the back of the taxi between 2 large and in charge men who believed taking a shower was an insult to humanity and deodorant was a myth.  The smell was so toxic that I truly believed it was going to cause me to pass right out.  And in reality I was hoping for that, as I held my breath until I became light headed, eagerly awaiting for the lack of oxygen to take me out of the agony.

The bus is another experience that is something I will never forget, but what can one expect for a 20 Dirham bus ride?  Well I’ll tell you what to expect, a bus ride that can’t go faster then 80 km/h on the highway, full of people that are all too close for comfort.  Those bus rides were why the term ‘packed like sardines’ came into existence.  As the bus continued to fill up, I was getting prepared for them to use my lap as an extra seat.  Every row on the bus seats 4 people with absolutely no aisle! One of the seats in each row can be pushed down to reach to the back of the bus; there is no wasted space.  Key for survival, take a window seat, it gives you 2 mm of extra space, and trust me it helps!

Bryan the Camel says…

            No camel rides to Dubai… I’m offended!