Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Rain, rain, go away, come again another day...

Actually, I like the rain and I wish it would rain during the day so I could enjoy it rather than all night when I'm trying to sleep.
There are some interesting pictures at The National, The Gulf News, the Khaleej Times.

We've had a couple of days of heavy rain, lightning, and thunder - always a strange pleasure in the desert.

It's very strange. Rain days here are like snow days in Vancouver. Nobody knows how to drive. Some drivers, mostly in big SUVs with dark tinted window (read 'local') drive as though nothing has changed. They will drive at 100km per hour through knee-deep water, sending up a 'bow wave' that washes like a tsunami over slower cars or pedestrians, swerving in and out of traffic with total oblivion. Others drive with trepidation through a thin skiff of water that no Vancouverite would even slow down for. Overall, a somewhat unnerving experience.

Today it was beautiful and sunny and about 25C. I went for a drive to Ras Al Khaimah and there were no large puddles anywhere. The traffic was light and the drive pleasant. It was a beautiful day - and getting out of the office on a 'road trip' was excellent.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was wondering if such heavy rains are usual in Sharjah.
winplace25@hotmail.com

The Wanderer said...

For the last couple of years at least, we've had three or four weeks each year when it is pretty wet. There is no drainage so the water has nowhere to go.