If The First Time Was Not Enough ...
You go a second time, this time, with guys who drive faster than you, in faster cars.
Of course, I am talking once again about Jebel Hafeet.
And I went with these guys, J (aka Dubai182) and K (aka ghoonk).
J drives a Renault Clio Sport.
K drove this monster
Yes, that's a Mitsubishi Evo VIII!!
We met at the Eppco station in front of DIC, and J led us to a way via Jebel Ali through the desert before we hit the Dubai-Al Ain highway (Route E66)
Speed cameras on the Dubai-Al Ain highway were aplenty, and there were a few tricky ones hidden behind plants. You'll know you've ventured into Abu Dhabi territory when the cameras face away from you instead of staring you in the face. The Dubai portion of the highway was desert on both sides. We saw more plants and bushes once we ventured into the Al Ain portion of the highway.
On reaching Al Ain, we followed J, who had the directions. Basically, we followed all the brown coloured "Tourist Attraction" signages. The drive through the town centre was pleasant, with lots of tree and greenery on both sides of the road. There were a lot of roundabouts in Al Ain. I could have sworn they were there to confuse you. By the time we got to the foot of Jebel Hafeet, it was close to 5p.m.
And up we go the winding road, stopping at the first car park to take in the cool air and a bit of the view before making a break for the top of the hill. And there was absolutely no way I was going to catch either J or K. First, I was caught behind a rather slow Camry, and by the time I overtook the Camry, I couldn't even smell the brake dust that those guys left behind!! There was slightly more traffic than the last time I came, so if you want to have the winding road all to yourself, come on an early Friday morning.
We were basking in the cool winter air and the orange setting sun when we reached the top. The car's thermometer showed 17 degree Celsius. And while K and I stood around taking pictures of the surrounding, the view and our cars, J wanted to make his trip worthwhile by going down and coming up again.
Here's J and K posing with their cars before J went off for his 2nd run up Jebel Hafeet.
Here are our cars with Jebel Hafeet in the background.
And our cars with the sunset in the background.
And with the sun finally setting in the horizon, we made our day down Jebel Hafeet on our way home.
Again, i was caught behind this Nissan Tiilda, which I could have sworn, either desceding Jebel Hafeet on 1st gear or with the parking brake on. And there was only 1 section of the downhill where you were allowed to overtake. And by the time I reached the bottom of the hill, the guys were gone again and I had to play catch up. Of course, I was never going to catch them, and at a certain point, I saw a sign that pointed "Dubai" and went that way. No more going through the town centre, no more nice trees and plants, just brightly lit roads and it wasn't too long before I hit the Dubai-Al Ain highway again. I tried contacting the guys on the walkie, but no response, probably out of range.
And 20 minutes later, J zoomed past in his Clio. And 5 minutes later, K zoomed past in his Evo. So, even though I had taken a shorter route out of Al Ain, these guys actually caught up.
I thought I could have taken a shortcut to Sheikh Zayed Road by getting to Bab Al Shams, and from Bab Al Shams to the Autodrome before hitting Umm Suqiem and onto SZR. Turned off the highway at the Bab Al Shams signage, drove for about 5 minutes before hitting an unlit road. I was tempted to go fast, but sometime told me to slow down, and suddenly, I could see no lane dividers and the road ended into the desert sand. I gave myself a reminder to get the headlights adjust so that I could see further out and turned back. Seems like I had to take the route to Nad Al Sheba instead.
And when I finally arrived at Sheikh Zayed Road, and settled down at a restaurant for dinner, after getting lost and all, I called K up. He had finished a car wash and his dinner and was chilling out. Great driving, guys. Let's head for Musandam in Oman!!
More pictures at
Of course, I am talking once again about Jebel Hafeet.
And I went with these guys, J (aka Dubai182) and K (aka ghoonk).
J drives a Renault Clio Sport.
K drove this monster
Yes, that's a Mitsubishi Evo VIII!!
We met at the Eppco station in front of DIC, and J led us to a way via Jebel Ali through the desert before we hit the Dubai-Al Ain highway (Route E66)
Speed cameras on the Dubai-Al Ain highway were aplenty, and there were a few tricky ones hidden behind plants. You'll know you've ventured into Abu Dhabi territory when the cameras face away from you instead of staring you in the face. The Dubai portion of the highway was desert on both sides. We saw more plants and bushes once we ventured into the Al Ain portion of the highway.
On reaching Al Ain, we followed J, who had the directions. Basically, we followed all the brown coloured "Tourist Attraction" signages. The drive through the town centre was pleasant, with lots of tree and greenery on both sides of the road. There were a lot of roundabouts in Al Ain. I could have sworn they were there to confuse you. By the time we got to the foot of Jebel Hafeet, it was close to 5p.m.
And up we go the winding road, stopping at the first car park to take in the cool air and a bit of the view before making a break for the top of the hill. And there was absolutely no way I was going to catch either J or K. First, I was caught behind a rather slow Camry, and by the time I overtook the Camry, I couldn't even smell the brake dust that those guys left behind!! There was slightly more traffic than the last time I came, so if you want to have the winding road all to yourself, come on an early Friday morning.
We were basking in the cool winter air and the orange setting sun when we reached the top. The car's thermometer showed 17 degree Celsius. And while K and I stood around taking pictures of the surrounding, the view and our cars, J wanted to make his trip worthwhile by going down and coming up again.
Here's J and K posing with their cars before J went off for his 2nd run up Jebel Hafeet.
Here are our cars with Jebel Hafeet in the background.
And our cars with the sunset in the background.
And with the sun finally setting in the horizon, we made our day down Jebel Hafeet on our way home.
Again, i was caught behind this Nissan Tiilda, which I could have sworn, either desceding Jebel Hafeet on 1st gear or with the parking brake on. And there was only 1 section of the downhill where you were allowed to overtake. And by the time I reached the bottom of the hill, the guys were gone again and I had to play catch up. Of course, I was never going to catch them, and at a certain point, I saw a sign that pointed "Dubai" and went that way. No more going through the town centre, no more nice trees and plants, just brightly lit roads and it wasn't too long before I hit the Dubai-Al Ain highway again. I tried contacting the guys on the walkie, but no response, probably out of range.
And 20 minutes later, J zoomed past in his Clio. And 5 minutes later, K zoomed past in his Evo. So, even though I had taken a shorter route out of Al Ain, these guys actually caught up.
I thought I could have taken a shortcut to Sheikh Zayed Road by getting to Bab Al Shams, and from Bab Al Shams to the Autodrome before hitting Umm Suqiem and onto SZR. Turned off the highway at the Bab Al Shams signage, drove for about 5 minutes before hitting an unlit road. I was tempted to go fast, but sometime told me to slow down, and suddenly, I could see no lane dividers and the road ended into the desert sand. I gave myself a reminder to get the headlights adjust so that I could see further out and turned back. Seems like I had to take the route to Nad Al Sheba instead.
And when I finally arrived at Sheikh Zayed Road, and settled down at a restaurant for dinner, after getting lost and all, I called K up. He had finished a car wash and his dinner and was chilling out. Great driving, guys. Let's head for Musandam in Oman!!
More pictures at
Labels: al ain, jebel hafeet, Photos
posted by H Who at 11:06 pm
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