ANCIENT SANDS MODERN VOICES

SHARJAH, THE CULTURAL CAPITAL OF THE UAE, CHARMS WITH ITS COMMITMENT TO HERITAGE AND THE SIMPLICITY OF ITS PEOPLE

- ANINDITA GHOSH

IT WAS ALMOST DINNER TIME WHEN WE returned to the Al Badayer Retreat, our lovely resort on the fringes of the Al Badayer desert in Sharja,h after a day of hectic touring.

It was our third day in the Emirate, and we had spent it immersed in the stark beauty of the ochre dunes at Mleiha in Sharjah's archaeologically rich Central region.

We had driven to the otherworldly Buhais Geological Park, a barren, fossil-rich stretch in the shadow of the limestone Jebel Buhais range, where a series of interconnected space-age pods taught us through interactive displays about the geological origins of this prehistoric region.

We even tried some “dune bashing,” the thrilling high-speed desert adventure made tame by our pleas to the driver to keep it gentle. Our backs ached, we said, and we weren't quite sure how the sudden dips and turns would affect our necks, we argued.

Our driver, a swashbuckling fellow Indian from Kerala, acquiesced reluctantly before throwing all caution to the winds at the final dune with a rakish, “darr ke aage jeet hai!”

Noor (name changed), the cheerful University student and part-time guide who had accompanied us, was very amused at her shaken and stirred but secretly thrilled tour party.

She had kept up the conversation throughout the day, sharing nuggets of information about the attractions we visited and glimpses of her life in the Emirate.

"I don't want to live anywhere but Sharjah," she said when I asked her if she had considered moving abroad for higher studies. "I visited London with my family recently but found it a bit scary. Life is comfortable here, so why would I want to move? Plus, my mom is always there for me." does everything for me here; I don't think I would be able to live alone," she said.