Safa Park

My new obsession is running in Al Safa Park. I discovered it about 2 weeks ago and I absolutely love it! Running outside again is so nice after doing 45 minute treadmill runs for the last 2.5 months. Al Safa is a huge green park in the middle of Dubai. Something I never imagined would exist in the desert, although not completely surprising for the place that prides itself on superlatives (which may or may not be currently overlooked given the recent debt issues with two of the biggest state-owned companies here)...

The park itself is a square that runs the 1 kilometer from Sheikh Zayed Road to Al Wasl Road and then width-wise about .6 kilometers (which breaks down to 3,418 meters around (3.418 kilometers), or 2 and 1/8 miles around). There is a great running track around the outside, and on the inside there are lots of built-in barbecues, benches, sports fields, a pond, and even 'allegedly' a waterfall (which coincidentally was not turned on the one time I've gone in).. There are also TONS of flowers! Lots of flowering bushes with pink and orange flowers creeping up the wrought iron fence around the perimeter, and there are marigolds planted everywhere! The smell of marigolds fills my nose as I run around, reminding me of planting flowers boxes with my Mom every Memorial Day weekend when I was a kid.

The running track and parking are free and the cost to get in is only AED 3 (about 80 cents or so). I love it so much and I've been going every morning after I drop Jared off at work. It's on the way home and I get there around 7:30am which is perfect because the sun isn't really out yet and the temperature is cool. Surprisingly (or not), there are a lot of people out running and walking around the track at that time.. Lots of women in abayas too and men in dishdasha. Also, lots of little boys in traditional dress as there is an all boys Emirati school on one side.

And the added bonus is that there is an area where they have animals (horses and camels) hanging out to entertain people (with rides, etc.) on the weekends. So, nearly everyday I get to run by this friendly camel as I am completing my daily 6.5 mile run. Most of my run I am able to forget I am in Dubai and pretend I am somewhere much more lovely and lush.. until I get to my friendly camel, who brings me back down to earth and reminds me that, alas, I live in the Middle East. Oh well... at least I am running in shorts and a t-shirt, whereas if I were living in Boston right now I'd probably be wearing a hat and gloves every time I go out the door... So goes life.