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The month of Ramadan is half way through and every evening the city seems to be in high spirits. This is better shown than spoken about. So this week we will do a short photo blog and I will try to get as many photos of all the special Ramadan stuff before it ends. This week we look at Al Ain, lets begin.... A usually busy intersection (left) just off Khalifa Street in Al Ain, just before Iftar around 7.13 pm (the time when the roza opens). The same intersection (right) at 10.30 pm.                                                                                The area near NMC hospital and Ayla hotel during Iftar. As the sun goes down these lights resembling a lamp are lit up, adorning the streets of Al Ain. The Lantern are significant of the month of Ramadan.  Below a sign wishing Ramadan Kareem in Al Ain.                                               We move on to the special arrangements made at Bawadi Mall (Al Ain) for the month of Ramadan

The second I lay my eyes on it, I am transported to a another world entirely, the glittering done, along with the reflect of water on intricately engraved marble, is a work of art of a diffrent league altogether. Its one of the things Dubai has that Al Ain does not, the Gurudwara located in Jabel Ali. This  GuruNanak Darbar was opened to the public in January 2012, and has a been a scared spot for devotees ever since. My mum loves all things religious so early Friday morning (it's Friday so by early I mean 11:45 am) we stepped out of the house and made our to well my cousins house and after that tiny pit stop me headed to the Gurudwara which was as enchanting as the first time I stepped in there. For those of who don't know what a Gurudwara is, it's a religious place belonging to the Sikhs, where the Guru Granth Sahib is kept in a oranate pedestal, fashioned like a mini temple within the main prayer room, the gold atop this temple is mostly gold, sometime in colour an

For those of you who are new to UAE, you will see lots of signs of Ramadan Kareem crowding the displays and isles of the supermarkets, pretty lights arranged in the shapes of lanterns and crescent moon line the walkways of malls and streets. Dozens of pamphlets and offer booklets from stores circulating with newspapers or being dropped by the bundles in your building lobby, all carry one sign 'Ramadan Kareem.'  This is a clear indication of the Holy month of Ramadan where the Islamist fast for 30 days from dawn to dusk. During Ramadan, the work hours and stores timings are altered to work around Iftar (the time when the fast is opened). Private and government offices shut by 5 pm, some may closer earlier, where was most restaurants open during Iftar and shut open till 4 am. During Ramadan restaurants only offer take away, dinning options are discontinued until Iftar as a sign of respect to those fasting. During the month of Ramadan in UAE, you are not allowed to eat or drin

In all fairness to my blog, I need to tell you about all things Dubai and Al Ain, including the hospitals. A few days ago my mom suddenly felt really dizzy, so we rushed her to be the emergency room and did every test possible. Luckily they all came back negative, and she's much better now.  The hospital we went to was NMC, in Al Ain. The doctors and nurses on call, we very efficient and helpful. They provided excellent care to my mum and answered all the various, some what panic driven questions we had.  The emergency room is connected by a small passage leading to the reception are adjoining to which is a spacious cafeteria. Being in the hospital for a couple of hours, my hungers pangs had set it. Since all the tests on my mom were done and only few reports were remaining. Since mom was feeling better, she insisted I grab a bite. I headed to the cafeteria and picked up a chicken sandwich. The food here is catered by a restaurant called Food World, located in the town Center area