Amateur Tour Guides « Living the Travel Channel

We served as amateur tour guides for Sharjah International Book Fair visiting authors (Mike, Terri, Sophie, Nicola, Stuart, and Yahia – I hope I got that all right.)

We started with lunch at a Yemeni restaurant.

We shared a large platter of mandi (lamb and rice).

Eating rice with their hands seemed to be a new experience for everyone. It was enjoyed by all and mastered by some.

Then we were off to Fujairah Fort which is open to the public due to the 40th National Day celebrations that started November 11th (with the beginning of the Al Saif sword competitions) and will continue through December 15th. The actual National Day is December 2nd and commemorates the joining of the 7 Emirates into a single country.

It was a real pleasure to get to see the inside of the fort.

Sophie found a place to rest with an inspiring view and took a moment for contemplation.

Below the Fort many traditional activities are on display. This man is making a fishing net by hand.

These men are tying palm leaves together to make a small boat.

Eventually, it will look like this.

Then, of course, we had to squeeze in a visit to the bull butting. This competition is held every Friday afternoon and dates back to the 1600′s.

The dark bull was something to see. He started by kneeling and rubbing his head on the ground and then was up in a flash, catching the other bull by surprise and gaining the advantage.

Unfortunately, time ran out and the authors had to return to Sharjah for the book fair activities. We enjoyed giving them a taste of Fujairah and Emirati culture.