Hatta

On Saturday we drove into the Hatta mountains. Hatta township is approx 120 kms from Dubai and Dubai residents use the coolness of the mountains as an escape from the humidity of the city. Resembles Hanmer in a way as there are hotels that offer spa and resort facilities. As you can see from the pictures Hatta really is a holiday town as it was almost devoid of people. The houses are all relatively new and they have backyards with trees and greenery, which for me was a real first. Hatta used to be a stop over point on the trade route between Oman and Dubai. Oman as a country winds its way up the eastern coast line of the Arabain Pennisula, interwinned by UAE To get to Hatta we left the UAE drove 20 km through Oman and then entered back into the UAE again. There were army officials carrying automatic weapons, standing at the border check points waving cars through, and checking truck papers. We didn't need our passports and weren't charged an entry exit fee. Dotted around on the hill tops were forts which were once used as a protection mechanism, now recreated as a tourist / viewing tower. Also in Hatta is a heritage village that has been semi restored to give a snapshot of times gone by. This particular village is just that, a village inside a fortress. Of course the Sheik or dignitary lived and entertained in rather large buildings while the lesser people lived in smaller huts. Hatta ia also known for its 4 wheel driving around in the wadis and the springs. While keen to see more I didn't think the Nissan was up to a bit of overland off road driving, so nobly restrained myself.