Mountains here are the biggest reminder that I'm not at home. Mountains at home are blue at a distance, full of trees and in the fall the leaves change into a beautiful array of colors. Looking out from my room, I see sandy gray layers of sharp edges coming up from nothing. There are no rolling foothills leading to the mountains, it is completely flat land and then suddenly, there is randomly a mountain. It takes maybe 15 minutes to get into the mountain area, and even between mountains the land is flat, dusty, and lacking foliage. The air is heavy and the sun scorches everything.
But then seeing beyond that, it is striking. The details of each bend and twist of rock, the caves, the layers of rock, the magnificent cliffs and faces are unlike anywhere else. As someone who enjoys mountain and rock climbing, it is a treasure trove. Each direction shows something beautiful, each bend brings an air of mystery beyond it. Then I reached Jebel Jais. Jais is the tallest mountain in the UAE, with views of the gulf and Oman. The temperature dropped as some friends and I drove up to the top on a precarious, half finished dirt road. So far that has been my only trip actually going up in elevation because we drove up the mountain, usually we just went in between mountains, Jais is far away, it took us an hour and a half to reach the top, they said usually it takes longer. Tonight we will go again with my main friend group here. It will be camping out with a BBQ (which to people here just means a cook out). I'm imagining a bonfire half way up the mountain overlooking a vast landscape void of any life. While the air has lots of dust, making it hard to see stars, the stars in the mountains are much more clear, and apparently in the winter the milky way is visible.
But then seeing beyond that, it is striking. The details of each bend and twist of rock, the caves, the layers of rock, the magnificent cliffs and faces are unlike anywhere else. As someone who enjoys mountain and rock climbing, it is a treasure trove. Each direction shows something beautiful, each bend brings an air of mystery beyond it. Then I reached Jebel Jais. Jais is the tallest mountain in the UAE, with views of the gulf and Oman. The temperature dropped as some friends and I drove up to the top on a precarious, half finished dirt road. So far that has been my only trip actually going up in elevation because we drove up the mountain, usually we just went in between mountains, Jais is far away, it took us an hour and a half to reach the top, they said usually it takes longer. Tonight we will go again with my main friend group here. It will be camping out with a BBQ (which to people here just means a cook out). I'm imagining a bonfire half way up the mountain overlooking a vast landscape void of any life. While the air has lots of dust, making it hard to see stars, the stars in the mountains are much more clear, and apparently in the winter the milky way is visible.
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