Author: (Stein) Runar Bergheim
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Bull Wrestling in Fujairah
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There is something attractive about the prospect of seeing an effeminately adorned Spaniard impaled on the horns of an enraged bull. Beyond that, there is little about ‘ordinary’ bullfighting that appeals to me. But, come to think of it, I’m not too keen on that bullfighting, regardless of who ends up bleeding. I quite like…
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Don’t They Know it’s Friday?
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One of the first issues I came to face when I started working in Arabia was that something was fundamentally wrong with the working week. It ended on Thursday—which was good. But then it started on Sunday—which was less so. Until then, I cannot in good conscience say that I knew what a Sunday morning…
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My Problem with Camels
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Camels and I do not see eye to eye and have mutually agreed that it is for the best that we lead separate lives. The Arabian camel is a single-humped dromedary with a sharp, bony spine that it is exceptionally unpleasant to sit on. That accounts for my position on camels. As for why camels…
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How an Oasis Looks for Real
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I knew how an Oasis looked. I knew because I had seen one in a Donald Duck comic when I was little. And, back then, I didn’t yet suspect the Disney corporation of wilfully distorting children’s minds. An oasis was a small pond of pure, immaculate water in the desert, surrounded by a small number…
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The Mountains of the Emirates
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The most impressive mountains in the Emirates can be found in the north and east. For a time, I had a colleague in Abu Dhabi, who was a self-professed outdoors’ man. I considered myself one, too, but had to concede that I played in the little leagues compared to this gentleman. My colleague, who for…
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The Empty Mountain
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The United Arab Emirates have mountains, too—not merely sand-dunes. These are mostly in the north and the east—but there is one in Abu Dhabi Emirate too. One. That ‘one’, is Jebel Hafeet—the ’empty’ mountain—located on the border between Oman and the United Arab Emirates near Al Ain. Jebel Hafeet, with its 1 249 m.a.s.l, towers…
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The Mighty Rivers of Arabia
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It is a curious feature of humanity that we tend to obsess over what we are missing rather than rejoice at what we have in plenty. Norwegians are obsessed with heat, sunshine and warm water, concepts of which we have only fleeting knowledge. As a nation, we have convinced ourselves that there is such a…
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Cities Growing out of Deserts
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While it is always nature that fascinates me, it would be wrong to forego the cities when talking about the United Arab Emirates. The Emiratis are proud of their cities and with good reason. The impressive cityscape in this photo simply wasn’t there fifty years before. Abu Dhabi was nought but a sandbank with a…
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The Eco-Questionable Delights of Dune Bashing
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When I arrived in the Emirates, I saw the giant desert dunes as surrogates for my beloved Norwegian mountains and was happy. Here I could walk to my heart’s content and enjoy the silence and tranquillity unique to the desert. The Emiratis were also happy about their dunes, but for a different reason; one that…
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The Dunes of the Rub’ al Khali
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Winter, unless it comes with plenty of snow and cold, crisp, sunny days with blue skies, isn’t useful for much. The worst type of winter is the one that offers near-perpetual downpour, grey skies, short days and around-zero temperatures. That, incidentally, is the type of winter we have in Belgium – and indeed in most…
