High in Hatta

Beyond the mandatory list of things to do — visiting landmarks that flaunt engineering genius and luxury, aerial views of Palm Jumeirah, the laser and light spectacle on the 830 m Burj Khalifa, hop-on-hop-off city tours, Ski Dubai, desert safaris with dune-bashing and belly-dancing in Bedouin tents, the marvels of mall crawls and Dubai Mall, a one-stop entertainment destination replete with designer stores, underwater zoos, ginormous aquariums, dancing fountains, museums, water and marine parks like Atlantis, there is a lot more that Dubai offers. New attractions like The Frame, Ripe Market, The Green Planet and Bollywood Parks have the crowds coming in, though there are still places where one gets a whiff of old Arabia.

. In the port area of Deira, the oldest corner where the story of Dubai as a pearling industry and trade centre began, one can haggle over Turkish plates, Moorish lamps, hookahs, spices, saffron, perfumes and oud (agarwood) essential oil, aptly called ‘liquid gold’. Take an abra (boat) ride to Bur Dubai for just 1 AED (Rs 19) while watching gulls swirling over Dubai Creek (Khor Dubai). Or stroll down the coffee and spice scented lanes of Al Fahidi or Al Bastakiya, the historical mid-19th century quarter that was restored as recently as 2008 with graffiti walls, art galleries and hipster cafes, a fabulous coffee museum, a chic Arabian teahouse, boutique stays and good old Emirati hospitality over cups of qahwa , juicy dates and delicious luquaimat (sweet flour dumplings). Yet, each visit to Dubai unveils a newer facet of the good life.

. Adventurous enclave

. We set off for Hatta, 134 km southeast of Dubai on the Oman border. Images of the swanky city faded off on the hour-long drive making way for red sand dunes and a dry brown monochromatic landscape of the rugged Al Hajar Mountains. ‘Hatta’ announces itself loudly in a Hollywood-sign style, across a hill. Formerly called Hajarain , Hatta is an enclave of Dubai that has become a popular weekend getaway amidst nature and a restored heritage village. With tombstones dating to 3000 BC besides two 18th century military towers and an old Juma Masjid serving as remnants of its history, Hatta was an oasis town of date palms and orange trees. Somewhere in the 1980s, it slowly transformed into a veritable adventure zone. With tracks and trails for biking and hiking in the mountains and boating and kayaking at the dam’s reservoir, Hatta is the ideal choice for families, expats and corporate groups alike.

. We drove up a sharp incline past the mural of UAE’s founding fathers — the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the late Shaikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, painted on the spillway of Hatta Dam. Famous German street artist Case MacLain from Frankfurt was commissioned for this artwork, which is among the world’s largest murals measuring 80m in height and 10m across. It took him two weeks of intense abseiling up and down the spillway with high pigment weather resistant paints to complete the work.

. Kayaking

. Surrounded by endless rows of barren mountains with the glittering teal green waters of the reservoir below, it was obvious why Hatta was such a hit. We picked our tickets and lifejackets at Hatta Kayak, and sank into our canary coloured boat to pedal away watching cormorants swoop in for a dip and emerge with a treat of fish. Fishing and swimming is banned in these waters, so visitors go pedal boating or exhibit their kayaking skills in the calm waters.

. A new Explore Hatta trail takes visitors to a heritage village, honey factory, ancient tombs, duck lake and a camel farm. With ambitious plans of ecotourism and glamping, lux resorts and mountain lodges besides projects to boost culture and crafts of the region, Hatta is on to something big.

. At Café Gazebo in the town we grabbed the Chef’s Special Hajar Mixed Grill overlooking the pool and the jagged Al Hajar range as we dined on lamb cutlet, kofta, shish taouk and arayes (pita stuffed with meat).

. We were lucky to catch a few days of the famous Dubai Food Festival. The 17-day annual food gala has become part of the global gastronomy festival calendar featuring cuisines from across the world. From peacock blue ice candy to pink burgers and charcoal activated ice-cream (with local musicians and cool street magicians thrown in), DFF was rocking.

. The festival witnesses the involvement of Dubai’s top restaurants, artisanal cafes and numerous kiosks including a food truck alley and a carnival atmosphere at public venues like Swyp Beach Canteen.

. As part of Restaurant Week, we got a private Meat Masterclass at The Meat Co. with Chef Andrew Owczarek and tried limited edition tasting menus at the post-modern Indian restaurant Carnival by Tresind and Japanese fine dine restaurant Morimoto.

. The Top 10 Hidden Gems in the city showcased eateries that push the boundaries by offering one-of-a-kind menus and dishes in a unique atmosphere.

. It was nice to see Asian and South Asian eateries dominate the local food scene, besides Yemeni and Lebanese restaurants, though we were pleasantly surprised to see Karnataka’s very own MTR 1924 voted to the list.

High in Hatta

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