Have Perut Will Travel...: UAE2020 Day 04: Masali Friday Market

The drive to JA Hatta Fort Hotel on the outskirts of Dubai will take about 2 hours, and we managed to take a few hand-held videos of the sprawling city of Dubai from the car, catching a glimpse of the magnificent Burj Khalifa gleaming in the distance:

With time to burn until we were able to check-in Ginny and Sern decided to take us to a place nearby that definitely piqued our interest, located in the adjacent Emirate of Fujairah (pronounced Foo-jee-rah).

a market for every day, not just Fridays!

refreshing mountain air

large and organised

huge carpets!

Well, not exactly nearby and not exactly a detour since its about 70 kilometres away from the mountain resort we were headed to but well worth the trip. We immediately fell in love with the rustic and old-world charm of Masali Friday Market that despite its name actually operates every day.

browsing thru the fruit stalls

Sern went a little crazy with the tangerines

since it was CNY eve after all

freshly roasted corn on the cob

of unknown nationality

reflecting our mood for the day

Huge, beautiful rugs on display but we ended up carting away 5 kilograms worth of tangerines instead. According to Lonely Planet "Masafi is famous for its mineral springs whose water is sold throughout the country". No evidence of that here though?

huge rugs on display

all manner of home ware

wished we could bring this home

earthen ware as well

trying out some 'bokeh' shots

and satisfied with the results

We later stumbled upon a quaint little restaurant called Layali Al Sham where we decided to have lunch. An authentic local restaurant serving local cuisine at very reasonable prices, it is conveniently located beside a gas station that attracts both customers dining in and taking out. we especially loved the 'sandwiches' and falafeel.