Camels to kayaks

There is definitely no lack of things to do here and a second trip would will be needed to fit it all in. Winter is the perfect time to be here since all of the outdoor festivities take place during the cooler months. So in our quest to pack in as much as possible, here is what the last couple days had in store. 

Kayaking through the mangroves was such a perfect chance to catch up while enjoying bird watching and some much needed exercise. There were also guided tours but we opted out so we could do our own thing.

We could see Suze's building in the distance. 

The Qasr Al Festival is a cultural festival focusing on both Abu Dhabi's traditional and modern heritage. The festival was divided into zones and had a variety of programs and activities for young and old. There was everything from rope making, camel rides, traditional souks (markets), animal shows, dancing, boat making and much more.

Traditional song and dance. 

The souks were filled with wonderful fabrics, spices, crafts and more. The entire experience was very authentic including the dressed members of the Gasr Al Hosn Police marching around.  

The Qasr al Hosn Fort still stands as the symbolic birthplace of the emirate. Built in 1761, it was used as a watch tower to defend the only fresh water well in Abu Dhabi. It was later used as a small fort and home to the ruling Sheikh. No longer used as the royal palace, it is open to the public once a year and used for historical, archaeological and architectural research.   

Camel racing is a big sport here and is a must see. Races start very early in the morning and range from 4K to 10K. We ended up being there on practice day but still had a blast watching them (surprisingly) zoom by. Lots of the riders smiled and waved on the way by. The smaller camels have little robotic jockeys with a whip that is controlled by remote. The trainers ride around the paved track during the race and use the remote + honk their own. It is quite the spectacle. There are over 14,000 camels in the UAE that are used as racing camels. It is illegal to bet on the races however the prizes can be anything from money to cars and winning camels can be worth millions.

We later tried to find the second camel racing track and accidentally ended up at the Endurance Cup. This is one of the richest and most prestigious horse racing events in the world. It is a 160 km race that riders have a max of 16 hours to complete. Along with the honor of winning, there are cash prizes for all who compete and 4WD vehicles for the first ten placed winners. Since you cannot see the actual track, lots of people crowded around the screens and jumped into action every time a horse came back from a loop (5 loops total where the riders must come in after each for a vet check and cool down). 

Watching the race.

Al Wathba Wetland Reserve is an area 40K east of the city and was designated as a nature reserve in 1998. It is home to a huge variety of wildlife however we only really came across a some plant species and the flamingos using our handy guidebook. It was interesting even though we ended up getting there mid-day which resulted in a few sunburns.  

The flamingos were easy to spot however you couldn't tell what kind the other 14 potential bird species were.

Labelled only as "parasitic plant".  

What's most impressive is their huge wing span which also happens to be where the most vibrant pink is. 

Red Bull Air Race is an international series of air races in which competitors have to navigate an obstacle course in the fastest time. Pilots fly individually through a slalom course consisting of pylons, known as "Air Gates". We hung out on the beach with all the other spectators to watch the last round of races. It was such a cool thing to watch and it was fun when people burst into cheers for their home-town pilot. Including me cheering on our boy Pete McLeod from Ontario! 

Pictures do not do the speed and stunts justice. 

Having a proud Canadian moment. 

Surprise! I’m in Abu Dhabi!

After a slow few weeks I was feeling the need for a new adventure. Don’t get me wrong. Phnom Penh has really grown on me, but I think it’s safe to say I wasn’t made to live there permanently. I made the last minute decision to hop on a plane to visit my friends Suze and Dave in Abu Dhabi. I have not seen them in 3 years and wanted to take full advantage of essentially having no responsibilities.

I didn’t even have to leave the airport to see how different things are here and I already love being immersed in a completely new culture. I had to keep myself in check so that I wasn’t staring at some of the beautiful outfits and men casually walking around with their falcon on their arm. So here’s to new adventures with old friends! 

Kos Kor Island

I’ve grown to really look forward to our group hikes outside the city. It’s always a great opportunity to take a quiet walk while catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. This week we went to Kos Kor Island which is just south of the city and a short boat ride across the river. This island is one of the lesser known killing fields from the Khmer Rouge. A nearby Pagoda has a memorial stupa that holds the bones that are still found in the area.

After the Khmer Rouge, the city sent the homeless to live on the island. However, when they didn’t want to stay people would try to swim across the river back to Phnom Penh and often drown. Now this island is home to a small population of farmers. One of the girls in our group grew up here and explained how it used to be much more populated however many children have grown up and moved to the city. 

Our boat which was essentially two canoes connected by boards with an engine. 

Farmers field filled with something locals call srom. The only information I got about this was "it's used in cooking".

Clay cooking pots. These will be put out into the sun to dry before they can be sold. 

Closest pagoda to the island. 

Memorial stupa.

This adorable little girl grabbed onto my hand part way through the village and didn't let go for 20 minutes. I sang the alphabet song with her until this little boy selling bracelets chased her off. 

Three great girls from the regular "crew". 

Fish field trip

The day started off with with visiting Watthan Artisians which is wonderful worker-run cooperative of Cambodian artisans with disabilities. They are also the ones who make the leaf boxes that hold the fish. The workers are trained in a variety of trades from silk weaving to woodcarving. There are currently four stores in Phnom Penh and everything is so beautiful that it’s hard not to want to buy everything in sight.

Checking out one of the workshops at Watthan. 

The next stop was a small village an hour outside the city where we sat down with the village chief  who was one of the very first people to receive a Lucky Iron Fish. Through a translator we learned how she became one of the only female chiefs and how the fish has helped her entire family. She was so adorable that I honestly wanted to hug her. However, I held it together and did the customary greeting/farewell but with our hands at eye height to show respect. 

Our lovely host and village chief.

The last leg of the journey involved passing through an area known for it's garment factories. All these unmarked warehouses gave me a bad feeling as I’m well aware most of them likely live up to their bad reputations. At one point it looked like a school had let out for the day, when in fact it was just a huge group of young girls heading home from work.

I was especially looking forward to meeting the family that actually make the fish and was completely blown away watching the process of how these little guys are made.

This furnace was made by one of the family members. It heats up to 1200 degrees celsius and takes 2 hours to melt down the scrap iron. 

They set the fish mold into this box, place a metal rod in the middle, fill it with sand and pound it down.   

He then takes out the rod and lifts up one of the boxes to remove the mold and reveal the hollow imprint. You then flip the box back over and pour liquid iron into the hole at the top. I'm not sure what surprised me more. The fact that the sand stays in the box and gives such detailed print, or that they do all this in bare feet (despite our attempts otherwise). The fish take 1 minute to set, 1 hour to cool and then are chipped off one by one.

The "field" where the magic happens. 

The fish are placed into this mixer with charcoal which is manually spun to shine the fish. 

Voila!

Overall it was a really great day and my heart was filled with love for the all the kind and welcoming people we met. It was also good to see how the fish are not only helping people feel better but giving people jobs and improving their standard of living.