Al Ain - The Saga

If you happen to be planing to know more about the city, then I suggest you to look for it on any of the search engines that available on the internet. I have no idea what-so-ever about "Al Ain", but I do know about the people that have lived and shared bitter and sweet things with us back there in Al Ain. The city in the old days is the place where you can find anyone to be your friend but nowadays everything seemed to be "improved" by its own new people.....It's all good memories in our brain about having this kind of unity somewhere which is far out from your homeland...............

The city itself isn't like places we've been, it's not like many other exotic tourist destinations. You will encounter young Arabs driving thier luxurious cars, sand dunes, red sand, camels, and loads of more sand dunes. Apart from camels, sand dunes and Arabs, there was one happy big group family of boys and girls that come from all over the world which is currently endangered.The one and only reason I'm making this Al Ain special page is I want all of you to shout out loud about every little thing you've through when you lived in Al Ain.It doesn't matter how rough or poetic your way of telling me about Al Ain. Here are some opinions about Al Ain from everyone that spent at least 3 years of living in Al Ain. I myself have spent four years in Al Ain, during that four years of living and working there was just a blast and a half, I've got to meet really good mates there. I reckon you get good mates in your homeland but what we've through there in Al Ain is like the other way around. I don't think you will be able to find this sort of thing anywhere else in the world, or even in Al Ain now.....anyway.....I'm happy to be a part of Al Ain people. I still look forward of getting to know Al Ain people that lived in Al Ain before my time in Al Ain. So please to any of you who looks forward to write here, so please e-mail me, I'll post it.

....I hope this Al Ain webpage is not going to be "love and hate" page because of what's currently going on in other Al Ain webpage. There is "three whore of Al Ain and three Al Ain sub whores" which are our own mates. Al Ain is already torn apart, I'm wondering why are we doing this to our beloved Al Ain ??, it's allright that you hated someone when you were living in Al Ain but let's put that aside because we're not together anymore and to get together again is not an easy thing to do, maybe we can plan it but I don't think it will be a real Al Ain meeting, it's most probably going to be just few ( less than 6 or maybe 4 ) of us gather in Al Ain. No one hardly lives there for the moment, let's not spread out the hate and try to forget our bad feelings about the old days, plus this is our one and only thing about Al Ain that we have to be proud of.......The unity, apart from that I don't think that there is more to be proud of. I myself spent more times with eveyone of you than my family (my aunty).

Here's a little thing from Jean "macapenis" Paul VAN DAMME ( uneditted )

was a pure chaos, it's where the the people like me could unwind after a hard day at the office. It was a soap, a drama, a fuckin' drug fest, drink flows like fuckin' water and we all drink it like there was no tomorrow................

Everyone was happy, it was my family. Everyone was close to each other and you will never get that again. I am always wishing that I was 16 year old again. I drank so much that my fuckin' stomach has rooted away and I can't have a fuckin' beer without spending the next morning throwing-up my guts, shittin blood. But it was all fuckin' worth it. I would give anything to just go back for one good fuckin' night in Al Ain with all the fuckin' clowns ( Adrian Dormer ~ big green giant, Salem Dawila ~ fat bitch, David Keegan ~ sheep boy, Andrew Westley ~ baby ). Al Ain was an excellent trip and here is my quote " I HAVE NO PRIDE ".
~ Jay Maca ~

Here's a little thing from Adrian "EXAM MAN" Dormer ( uneditted )

an oasis amidst a sea of sand, a place of a little action where life is taken with ease. The pale yellow streetlight is tinged with orange, the streets are wide and often barren, devoid of cars. The date palms sigh drowsily in the cool morning breeze as the..................

unearthly call of "Fajr" sweeps down upon the slumbering city. This is not our homeland, yet this place shall have a place within our hearts forever. "Mataredh", one of a districts of Al Ain, a great battle was fought, but not many people know this. The one true statement lies on a jagged concrete wall sprayed in red, scrawling and freestyle, "for the men of Mataredh". This place possesses a peace that not many in this world do, the relaxed state of affairs give the inhabitants an air of routine and familiarity. As "Zuhur" is conveyed across the sun beaten sandstone, the people are delved well into their day, the honest strain hard to make a living as the corrupt strain equally as hard to maintain a social position not easily gained. The marketplace is soon packed with a swirl of nationalities, all sweltering in the heat and blistering under the almighty Arabian sun. Soon is "Asr", by now all is winding down for a temporary lapse in activity, meals are prepared by maids as eastern coffee and cigarettes are enjoyed in the luxury of air-conditioned chambers. Public coffee houses are filling up as strange board games are played amongst four and exotic board games appear on the small table. The all-familiar smell of "sheesha" drifts onto the streets attracting the commonfolk and importants alike as the sun sinks lower in the sky, the beginning of an Arabian sunset. "Maghrib" sees the rows of faithful, whether common or rich, honest or cut-throat, sinners, criers, even practisers of the black arts all show their obedience before God, The All Mighty, The All Merciful. Sunset is the favourite time for the "djinn" or it is said. This city of gardens is their ideal home, the trees are their domiciles. Night time brings a comforting darkness and a soft current of deliciously cool air, all is utterly tranquil apart from the evening bustle on the streets. The final call to prayer "Isha" is solemnly undertaken, after this all are at the liberty for the remainder of the day. the nightlife is much the same as the dusk hours and the streets of Al Ain are once again dowsed in wafts of the eeire streetlight. Each night is relatively uneventful, pleasures of the social life prolonge and people eventually tire and wash for sleep. When silence once again engulfs the city and all that is prominent to the ears is the conversations of the trees, the nocturnals emerge in states of disgrace to blissfully frolick the meadows of barren, concrete Muslim world without so much as a sound.
~ Agey ~

Here's a little thing from Patrick "PAKIFRO" Dimmitt ( uneditted )

in a Godforsaken town in the depth of Arabian deserts of The United Arab Emirates. It's not known by many, but those who had the chance to live there experienced one mind bender of a stay. Drinks and parties till dawn..................and then taking one hell of a............

break in the next day just trying to fend off the symptom of the common hangover that we all know and love, ......and then going out and doing it all over again. Ahhh the crazy shit that can happen when mass amount of whiskey (Dimpy's anyone ??) and vodkas are consumed, anything ranging from pissing yourself to nearly drowning in the pool of Hilton after prom. Then there were the journeys home. Many a time I did wander the night-covered streets of Al Ain, dodging the cats in blue in searching of a way home after a long night youthful recklessness. Yeah, Al Ain was divided into eras such as The TOOL era - every party was bumping Aenima and Undertow for majority of the night and we never tired of it. The PHARMACEUTICAL era - with experiments on almost every combination of doctor prescribed mindfucks. The STIGMATA era - struggling musicians in conflict with the choice of practicing or partying. Memories. It's funny how you remember the little stuff like the little "Green Grocery" (Al Ain's personal drug delivery unit) and The Chicken Hut (I know everyone misses that place). As is with life, all the thing eventually come to an end. So, as time progressed Al Ain slowly saw its inhibitants drift away. It was madness those last few months that I was there. Shit was hitting the fan and was affecting everyone. Noohie went down and that was like a stab wound in the gut of our group. Yeah, Al Ain was fucking crazy but I'd do it all over again if I could. **** STIGMATA rocks and JP ought to remove your fucking testicles for not mentioning me you BASTARD.
~ Paddy ~

Here's a little thing from Conrad "BUGS EXPERT" Gillett ( uneditted )

" Party Capital of the known Universe" TM
I have witnessed much of Al Ain history of the past decade (not as much as Goat though!) Undoubtledly there have been several distinc eras, although their boundaries..........

are quite blurred. In the beginning....well, at least of my journey through Al Ain, there were many people. There weren't so many pissups then (back in '91), though a small group of pioneers began the sacred ritual of the "Kitchen Parties" (for complete history see James's website), which eventually spiralled to all out debauchery. From the early evolution of drinking craze, these staples come to mind : Tawam pool parties, Rugby club, The Hash, Tawam booze store, "Hole in the wall" at the Hilton or Intercont.....any portal to bacchanalian fulfilment. My, how resourceful the youth of Al Ain was. Particular parties that deseredly are now coined classics included the Choueifat party in Samantha's circa 1993, where the poor host, having ordered the staff to lock up the booze had not anticipated a group of kids to get trashed at La Bamba's...and then turn up at the party. The results were legendary....and somewhere a video tape exists of my "speech" to the entire hotel. Alas, few now remember that day. Too many are the parties to mention. And what of skateboarding at the Veggie Souk. Who remembers being part of those theatrical productions....solely in the knowledge that a cast party would eventually bring the rewards in liquid form. In more modern times, after I had left Al Ain, but continued to return on regular occassions, a new younger group of people took the batton on the quest for alcohol. this was the era of "Monarch", of donating blood to buy Monarch, of worshipping Monarch !!!!, this was the painful time of much difficulty in entering the Horse & Jockey and other bars. From these years (1995-1999), I have much video evidence. Who will forget Adrian's place, a second home to us all !!!, and ordering "The usual to Reegan's house" from Chicken Hut. Who remembers the STIGMATA gigs in Dubai ?, and of the dismay when "Big Earl and the Rollers" stole the triumph from us. My visits to Al Ain during Christmas and the summer, were always great fun. The classic New Year's eve parties, including the bohemoth that was Adrian's field party. Who remembers watching the world cup in June 1998, as I willed everyone to support Brazil. And even in quite recent times, Goat's birthday night on Easter 2000, was one of the greatest.....although then "Captain Martin's" 10 Dhs. rum was more commonly drunk than Monarch. Yes, Al Ain has to be a singularity. Nowhere else could harbour such a population of miscreants and total pissheads in such a small town and serene desert backdrop.
~ Conrad ~

Here's a little thing from Franck "SUICIDAL FREAK" Lestringant ( uneditted )

so many memories associated with five letters. Al Ain. The place where the restless, the disillusioned and the rebels against the imposed conformity congragated. Al Ain. Where faces passed, sometimes staying, mostly just passing through.........

Al Ain. A staging ground for the harsh realities of the outside. Having spent most of my life there, I have seen it grow and bloom. I have seen the bored try to alleviate the tedium of everyday life. By any means necessary. Anything goes. the alcohol abuse would have stunned most alcoholics. The drug abuse, pharmaceutical or otherwise, would have pleased many a company. the basic fact that we are still alive still amazes me, reinforcing our constitutions beyond any previous human expectations. Those are the first things that come to me whilst looking back. Then there were the people. Faces forever etched into my memories. Faces forever etched into Jebel Hafit. We were there, we added another dimension to the city. Join the dark side....we did and we loved every moment of it. memories ranging from calling Felipe after passing out on the floor due to an experiment that kinda worked. The summer of Salem's Kitchen. the now reformed stoner's spot. the oasis of plenty behind and in Adrian's house. The pubs, Samantha's/Metro....the list goes on. The flashbacks incite other memories to come forward and proclaim themselves. Enough good times were spent amongst friends to hush that hungry need, that feeling of being in limbo that Al Ain invoked me in. The world turned, the seasons came and went. New blood came in and was quickly contaminated, old blood left on a crusade to convert the world. But all good things must come to an end, The warning signs flashed with Jamie. Yet we marched on, hoping that it was a one off. It wasn't. things turned sour, the curtains were ripped apart exposing us to the light of the world. And as in all good horror movies, the villains dissapeared in a flash of smoke. Noohie is one of us and I am looking forward to the day when he can rejoin us. Continuing the horror theme, place for a sequel must be made. The smoke has only dissapated to the corners of the world. We still stay in contact and we still see each other once in a while. What the future holds personally I don't care. I know the people I care about are out there and no matter where I go, that feeling nurtured in Al Ain persist. So...here is to you all, my thanks for helping me stay relatively sane in a place where madness was rife. Here is to Al Ain where we met and lived apart from the zombies.
~ Franckyie ~

Here's a little thing from Harriet " strawb_ari " Tennent ( uneditted )

wasn't fun.let's get this straight. We came there unwillingly, we loathed the school, the people and the confines of the society. Yet we can't let go of the idea that was Al Ain, although few people go back we still cling together somehow bonded by the......

experience. What makes Al Ain different is not the teenage drinking, the rebellion or the people themselves, it was how we got to know those people. When you're thrown togehter with the same group of 20 people for a year non-stop. You get to understand people you might not have bothered with in other situations. I'm not dissing those beautiful Al Ain nights. Without them I don't think I'd be the person I am. I was there for the highs of the Monarch years, but I think it was our claustrophobic, introverted lives in Al Ain and our closeness that made it what it was. Al Ain was everything. To us, our own little world, Al Ain was...the desert heat, the warm sand. Sitting on a roof watching the stars and talking about nothing. Going to the parties (Dawaar Gazzlan please Mr. taxi) the organization of the liquor buyers, the departure, the return, the subsequent Amazing skill of getting everyone pissed from one bottle of vodka. Blossoming teenage love, angst and desire. The backstabbing, the gossip, the exams, Adj's movie collection, throwing up everywhere - anywhere, tequilla, lemons, JP's outhouse, Adrian's field, walking up the path to school seeing everyone, the call to prayer in the evenings, lazing by the pool at the Hilton/Intercont, those crap dance parties where they played rap and we all shuffled in a circle, freezing in class, MONARCH, Thursday detentions, Hardees, Chicken Hut, The Golden Sheep (restaurante unsurpassed!), the Sheesha by the gas station, the one with Sidique, paranoia - shave your head, Jamie's drug bust, Christine's party, the New Years in Adrian's field (burning bushes in triangular star patterns), trainers, cheap cigarettes, losing lighters, the darkness, the space, the open air, the afternoon heat, that smell after it had been raining, trips to the local shops, shawarmas, the H&J, trying to find dresses in BHS, trips to Dubai (buying tapes/CD's), PRESU-fuckin-NIC, coffee and cigarettes, the way out conversations we'd all have lyiing in a big heap on someone's roof, giggling, groundings, blood donations, that night in the Wadi by Leah's house, piss ups at Paul's house. Ellinor's house, Conrad's beetle collection, Goat's parties, the coke machines (honorary mentions to the two in choueifat and the one outside Presunic), Samantha's, that alternative prom party we had at the Hilton one year, inappropriate student-teacher relationship, the endless endless bullshit, Mr. K, the long run of Choueifat Heads/Puppets, the prom of 98, that summer....., that weird mushroom Canadian guy who danced till dawn, Isabell, Joanna McKay!!!!, Salem, Rachelle, Royce, Erin and Crystal, getting off with Franck ! (along with every other girl in Al Ain), James Powell, James Gillett, the almighty Suhrid, his musical genius, long phone calls, gobstopper theory, guitars, Paul Nissan, jamming sessions, that wonderful night where we had headbanged to Offspring's SMASH all night( if there's one record that epitomises AL Ain for me, it's the one), learning to play "Something in the Way, Trebor Mints, paper wars, the pingpong area, the Tree, those games of Tarneeb, Felipe's dodgy deal, Torstein, polyps, Reegan, Avril, Brennan, Kareem, Erin Rigg- witch extroidinaire!, Keiran, Lesley Anne, wine and lambada nights, Sun In, Sian, The ice rink, hard driving, Ice rink hotdogs, Adam, Fun City, Barbeques and girly nights, make up, the Craft, Erin, the cinema, Patrick the penguin, Antti, David Bluff, the new year he got off with Alyson, dawn froma balcony, dawn from a field, sneaking in/out, Rachelle, Royce, Kim, Alexis, the fabulous Kerry Barr, Erica Tinson, Salem, Sim, Zainab, Charlie, David Wagner, Andy Birchall, Max, Jolli/Vibav, Michael, Nicole, Karl, Will Westley, Jenn and Andrew, Panto's, cast parties, Omar and his flash car, Aboody, Adrian's house cat's-BORIS & NIKITA !!!, gigs. dark night and desert suns. ALYSON- my best friend. God, there's so much to say, so many people I haven't named. Al Ain stifled me so badly I couldn't breathe at times, but I grew up there. Thank you so much everyone. Peace be with you.
~ Harrietta ~

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