Abu Dhabi: Settled on the edges of Shaikh Zayed Road, Ghantoot offers thousands of motorists, especially truck drivers, a safe, refreshing and affordable rest stop to take a break from the monotony of endless highway driving.
Driving trucks for up to 18 hours in a day is challenging for drivers and to keep themselves rejuvenated behind wheels, small breaks with karak tea are essential.
Located on the busy E11, a stretch of highway between Dubai and Abu Dhabi prone to road accidents, Ghantoot provides a safe zone to park, pray, eat and rest for the wary. It has an array of eateries, grocery stores, praying areas and even a vehicle repair outlet.
For convenience, truck drivers, who commute everyday between Dubai and Abu Dhabi or passing through it, consider Ghantoot a haven for them.
Gulf News made the trek to the roadside hideaway to speak with truck drivers and learn their day-to-day experiences and concerns on the motorway.
Pakistani truck driver Zahid Saleem, 47, said, “Every day, we drive for 15 hours but sometimes it reaches up to 18 hours and for such hectic driving, of course, we need breaks to take some rest and then restart our journey. These breaks are very important for our safety and the safety of other road users.”
He thanked authorities for creating the downtime zone and suggested more rest-stop areas should be developed along all highways in the country.
“After long and tiring driving, a brief break is a bounty for us. It keeps our eyes open on the highway,” said Saleem, who has lived in the UAE for 24 years.
At gas stations, drivers are not allowed to stop for more than 15 minutes and they also avoid it because of costlier meals, which don’t suit their tastes, as mostly drivers are from other countries. And, of course, without a cup of karak tea, an essential part of their daily life, they can’t keep going, he said.
Rahmat Ullah, 33, from Pakistan, who just parked his truck in the area, said, “In the road safety point of view, this place is very good and I always make a stop here to have some rest and lunch. Small breaks are very important for us to keep ourselves vigilant on the road.
“Simple mistakes on the road and dozing off behind the wheel not only put our lives in danger but threaten the lives of other road users.
“Whenever we feel tired, we leave the highway and find a safe place here to take some rest.”
Popular with all drivers Ghantoot is popular not only with heavy vehicle drivers, thousands of drivers of small cars also stop here to grab a quick snack with a karak tea.
Restaurants like Ghantoot Royal, Al Miftah, Ghantoot Hill Palace and Al Saha offer Arabic, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Nepalese and Chinese food at affordable rates.
An egg biryani costs Dh12, chicken biryani Dh13 and mutton biryani Dh16, while rolls cost between Dh3 and Dh4 and a cup of karak tea costs Dh1.
Jaan Mohammad, 55, from Pakistan who has lived in the UAE for 40 years, said, “I stopped here for lunch and Dhuhur prayer. I can’t afford meals at Adnoc stations and there are parking problems. Here, I spend only Dh15 for lunch, including Afghan bread.
“We prefer to eat Afghan bread with mutton or chicken curries, and finally a karak tea, which keeps us awake,” said the truck driver who drives for more than 14 hours a day.
A lifeline for drivers during a breakdown
Abu Dhabi: The only vehicle repair outlet in Ghantoot on the Dubai-Abu Dhabi highway has been assisting motorists for more than 20 years in case of a breakdown.
Traffic police also call them to assist motorists at times.
“In case of a vehicle breakdown, we assist motorists when they call us. They know my number and sometimes they visit our shop. Mostly, motorists seek help for flat tyres or spent batteries.
“Sometimes, traffic patrol police also call us to help motorists whose vehicles have broken down on the highway. They have my number,” he said.
The tyre repair outlet remains open until midnight.
“Sometimes, drivers don’t carry spare tyres, so we arrange tyres for them. Sometimes, we travel to Musaffah, which is about 85 kilometres from Ghantoot, to bring suitable tyres.”
The shop mostly provides driver of heavy vehicles a great respite in case of tyre punctures or bursts.
Mohammad Fayyaz, 27, a pickup driver who came for a tyre repair, said, “My vehicle’s tyre went flat on the highway and I don’t have a spare tyre. Here, I will get it fixed and restart my journey after lunch.”
He collects discarded engine oil from Abu Dhabi emirate and delivers it in Dubai everyday.
“We are not allowed to enter the petrol stations so this place is very helpful for us. In case of a tyre puncture, we can’t go to gas stations. We have to call the recovery vehicle service to take us to Musaffah or Al Quoz in Dubai for fixing the problem,” Fayyaz said, who has lived in Dubai for seven years.
