A few items of interest…

We flew over the western end of the Himalayas. Since it was day time, nice weather, and the plane had a camera view on its belly, I was able to capture these interesting (to me) views:

Overall, the flight was pretty smooth, but we hit a couple of pockets of light to moderate turbulence. The last bit—about two hours out of Tokyo–made Emerson air sick (a first… though not unheard of for her on a plane or boat). I’ve been there, and I felt bad for her. But, she’s a trooper.

The food was exceptionally good for Economy class on this flight, especially the breakfast. Unfortunately, due to her illness, Emerson skipped the dinner (as did I out of solidarity, I suppose). So, she and I ended up eating (surprisingly good) Caesar salads from a 7-11 in the middle of night after checking into our hotel.

Immigration, baggage claim, customs, getting cash from the ATM, grabbing a taxi, and checking into the hotel were all pretty standard fare and done easily and efficiently. My sense was that we are off to a good start…

If I’m honest, the experience was both kind of thrilling and mildly terrifying. Camels, as you can see, are in fact very tall animals. They also kind of lumber when they walk… at least that’s the sensation from atop. It’s equally clear that they’re very powerful animals and it’s difficult to not realize (read: dwell on the fact) that you’re only remaining atop of them by their willingness to allow it.

But, really, the most thrilling, terrifying, and unlikely to be forgotten aspect is in mounting and dismounting them. You see, camels don’t stand straight up with all four legs at worth. Instead, they raise their rear end first, lock those legs in place, and then proceed to raise their front legs to the standing position. The process is revered for sitting down. What that means, if you’re already on a camel, is that you’ll be subjected to suddenly sitting at a 45-degree slant while the animal changes position. And that, ladies and gentlemen, will cause ye olde sphincter to tighten mightily in the uninitiated.

Emerson and I were subjected to this procedure on the way up. Libby and Mom had something of a smaller and weaker camel, so they “boarded” via a small flight of stairs. On the way, Libby and Mom did get to experience the reverse process fully, as did I. Emerson, thankfully for her, was just picked up by one of the handlers as I lowered her down from the camel — much easier dismount.

We were all grateful for the experience, but I probably wouldn’t ride a camel again, unless their was some greater purpose — especially since I’m unlikely to ever forget this experience.

After our camel ride, we ate the lovely breakfast at the hotel and then returned to our villa for a final swim in our pool.

I also went on a bike ride around the grounds, which is the other means of wheeled transportation outside of the buggies driven by the staff.

I was able to get a few close-up pictures of the oryx that are on the property:

We checked out of our hotel around noon. The staff was once again very warm and attentive… indeed, a bellhop recognized that the right, front tire of our rental car seemed to be low on air. So, after showing me this issue and asking permission, he took the car and filled up the tire for us. We all care away from the Ritz-Carlton Al Wadi Resort very impressed.

We drove back to Dubai (via the final, unvisited Emirate for Emerson: Um al-Quwain), had a late lunch at the City Centre Deira, and played video games there with Emerson at Magic Planet.

We then drove to our nearby hotel (Marriott Executive Suites Dubai Creek), checked-in, and dropped off our stuff. Mom and Emerson proceeded to our room, and Libby and I went to the airport (also nearby) to return the rental car.

Although, we were only staying in the hotel less than 12 hours, we weren’t wildly impressed. Our washer / dryer was broken (and known to be broken); so, they had to replace it. The air conditioning also didn’t cool well / properly IMHO. We weren’t roasting, but it wasn’t as pleasant as it could have been. Still, it was fine for our purposes as a brief respite close to the airport before leaving for Tokyo in the AM.

Our destination was the Ritz-Carlton Al Wadi Desert Resort, which I picked because we wanted to visit all of the emirates and because it offered villas with private pools (a surprise treat for Emerson, who enjoyed a similar experience in Bali on our last trip around the world). Plus, the rate was rather good as the desert isn’t a wildly popular vacation spot in the summer (surprisingly, right?).

In any case, I did little research and thinking about it beyond that — just a night, who cares?

As it happens, I accidentally picked a gem of a location. Our first sense of that was when we were greeted by camels on the road into the huge resort (over 1,100 acres).

Despite our early arrival, we were given an upgraded villa and able to check-in on arrival. We were whisked in a “buggy” (passenger golf cart) to our accommodations.

First impression: Wow!

Here are a few photos:

We spent the afternoon lounging around the villa, swimming, and enjoying a poolside lunch while watching birds visit the “cement pond” and animals (oryx and gazelle) wander by in the desert just beyond us.

Just before 5:30, we were picked up for the interactive owl and falcon demonstration. This was an included experience put on by the Ritz-Carlton, which enabled us all to learn about and hold the birds, as well as witness a demonstration of falconry.

After the demonstration, we headed to The Farmhouse for dinner. We opted for their “specialty,” which was barbecue, and we went for the shared sampler platter. It was decent enough, but we thought it a little odd (lamb and veal ribs; chicken sausage — no pork in this BBQ) and rather expensive for what it was. Although, it’s the only aspect of the Ritz-Carlton stay that didn’t seem like decent value for the money spent.

Overall, today was a great day and a nice change of pace to the trip.

We started with the mosque (which Libby and I had visited previously), which I think can speak well enough for itself:

What one feels about this or any other religion, it’s difficult to believe the structure is anything but sublime.

Next, we went to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, which we found to be in a kind of deserted (though building) area across from the main city area. There’s an interesting article in the New York Times on the museum that I highly recommend. The collection draws connections between cultures and time periods, and while it’s perhaps guilty of over simplification I think it strikes a cord in a way that’s not been done previously as well in my experience.

From the New York Times article:

The Louvre Abu Dhabi is banking on the theory that pointing out links among a wide variety of cultures will make all art feel more approachable to the global audience it hopes to attract. Once viewers gain the habit of spotting connections, they may come to accept that all cultures are equally valuable and personally relevant. That, at least, seems to be the thinking, and it makes sense.

And, I think it really works — it’s a triumph.

Let me share a few examples…

The common theme of motherhood from Europe, Asia, and Africa:

The direct line between these classical and neoclassical artworks:

The juxtaposition of Judaic, Islamic, and Christian texts and objects:

I could go on. It’s an encyclopedic museum:

But, the collection and exhibition also spoke to a global future and international themes of today:

Plus, the space itself is simply amazing…

The hour-long (or thereabouts) drive back to our hotel was uneventful.

For dinner tonight (since we didn’t want to wait until sunset to eat) we ordered pizza and salad to our suite from a local Italian restaurant called Massimo’s. It was both delicious and reasonably priced.

Dubai has an interesting culture and history to be sure. But, realistically speaking, its primary stock in trade for foreign visitors are its chic malls, gleaming skyscrapers, and hedonistic pleasures (admittedly seemingly something of an contradiction for this conservative Muslim region). So, why fight it? Go to the mall.

We started with the Dubai Mall, which sits next to the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.

The mall–which Libby and I had visited previously–really is immense (indeed it’s the world’s largest mall in terms of gross area) and boasts over 1,200 shops.

These represent brands from all of the globe. What’s particularly unusual is that brands that haven’t migrated to more “obvious” markets (like the UK from the USA) have planted their flag here. One such example hasn’t even made it from Louisiana to central Florida yet, but I was happy to see it anyway, as I haven’t eaten at one regularly since my days at VisonShare in Minneapolis:

Speaking of eating, it’s the holy month of Ramadan in the Muslim world. During this period, able-bodied adults fast (including no drinks) each day between sunrise and sunset. As a result, in the UAE, it’s illegal even for non-Muslims to eat or drink in public during this month. When combined with the extreme heat of summer, we were a bit concerned about how we’d fair. But, we’ve learned there are exceptions to these rules.

For instance, our hotel served daytime meals (such as breakfast and lunch) in a specially designated and hidden from public view restaurant. At the mall, the big food courts and certain restaurants are barricaded off from public view:

Restaurants are also often open for take-out or delivery orders, which you can then consume at home (or otherwise surreptitiously, I suppose). In any case, it wasn’t a problem for us throughout the day, and we actually were grateful to experience this firsthand.

In the afternoon, we moved on to the Mall of the Emirates, which boasted a largely similar array of international brands and boutiques. Its big claim to fame: an indoor ski slope and winter amusement park.

My favorite shop here: an independent outpost of the defunct Borders bookstore chain. Sure, it’s not Borders as we once knew it (though they did have 3 for 2 promotions). But, it’s still keeping the Borders brand alive somewhere, which pleases me almost as much as getting to eat Cane’s fingers and special sauce halfway around the world.

Here are a few more photos of the Emirates mall:

No major purchases for us… just a couple of shirts for Emerson, some Ben’s cookies for Libby, a book or two (or three), and these irresistible outfits for Emerson’s buddies at the Build-A-Bear workshop:

We ate dinner–later than usual for us–at an outpost of Nando’s down on the marina waterfront.

It’s like the Rolls-Royce of planes.

And Emirates is no slouch of an airline either — everyone was impressed by the quality of their cabin, inflight entertainment, food/beverage offerings, and level of service.

We departed from our hotel at 7:30am for our 11:30am flight. We arrived in Dubai on time around 8:30pm local time.

Immigration was a little bit of a zoo due to disorganized queues, but we still managed to get through before our baggage arrived. We also successfully picked up our car at Hertz and drove to our hotel, the Marriott Dubai Harbor Hotel and Suites, where we have a 3 bedroom / 3.5 bath suite with balconies overlooking the Palm Jumeirah and the Persian Gulf (all for an insanely cheap rate of <$250 per night):

As seems to be our custom here upon arrival in Dubai, we usually find ourselves eating out rather late at some fairly typical American chain. This trip’s winner: P.F. Chang’s (which I have to admit tasted “so good” to all of us).

So, here you have it: photos from our March trip to the UAE and Oman…

What’s left to be said? I can’t say this was our ‘best’ trip ever (that place is still held by the 3+ weeks we spent in Europe in 2008). I can’t say that it was the ‘most relaxing’ vacation or the ‘most beautiful’ place we’ve ever visited. So, what can I say?

The trip–aside from the cruise itself, which was basically ‘just another (good) cruise’–greatly exceeded our expectations. Admittedly, we (intentionally) went without a lot of preconceptions or anticipations. We mostly went because we could… because it was different… because it was there. But, we found our experiences in the UAE and Oman to be delightful, from the small (so, this is how a car wash works here) to the sublime (I see why they call this a ‘Grand Mosque’).

We enjoyed getting mistaken for British or German(!) visitors (Americans were few and far in between). We loved our interactions with locals; it was both enlightening and satisfying. Indeed, of all of the trips we’ve taken, this was probably the purest ‘experience’ on a personal level… by that I mean to say, it was a real growth experience.

Let’s be totally honest: before this trip I would have never imagined that some guy walking through an airport in a dishdasha and turban might be a country music fan or hold the Ford Mustang to be his favorite car. It simply would have never occurred to me. Intellectually, I knew that all people were/are unique individuals and most are fundamentally decent. But, I understand that a lot more viscerally now…. that’s pretty awesome.

And, while there are customs and practices that I still find foreign, I think I have an enhanced understanding of those differences and have a greater ability to see ‘both sides’ of the proverbial coin. I’ll have to spend some more time pondering all that I’ve seen and learned. Most importantly, this experience underscores for me that there’s more to learn and that it’s a worthwhile topic of further exploration. My interest in the region and its people is clearly raised…

Finally, we’ve already agreed that we want to go back to the UAE and Oman in the future. In part, it’s just a cool place to visit and a logical stop on a global hop around the world. We’re also interested in reading firsthand the next chapters in these countries’ stories.

Having talked with Libby at length about this trip, I think she shares similar sentiments. It was surprisingly good. Enjoyable and enlightening.

After landing in Atlanta this morning, I checked my email to find a note from Yusef. That was a nice exclamation point to put on the end of this trip. I’m actually hopeful that we’ll meet again some day… either here in the USA or back in his homeland.

We’re now back home and returning to ‘normal’ life.

Until our next adventure…

Our drive back from RAK was fairly uneventful. I did manage to take the slightly more scenic E-11, which hugs the coastline. However, do to the ongoing haze / sandstorm… not a lot was visible. The lack of GPS once again was marginally problematic… I actually almost drove right through Dubai and into Abu Dhabi! Luckily, we figured this out and re-routed ourself back into the center of town.

Having some time to kill, we went back to the shopping district for lunch and to walk around a bit. Then we headed to the airport, refueling and washing (because I think they told me to at Hertz!) the rental car en route. After another “scenic circle” of the airport, we found the rental car drop-off location. Mission accomplished!

The duty free shopping at Dubai’s airport is ok but not great. After the Dubai Mall and hearing stories from folks, we sort of expected more. Fortunately, we had nothing to buy and no room in our little carry-on bags had we wanted to do so! Perhaps smaller suitcases would work for Greece’s austerity plan?

I was tempted by the Millenium Millionaire raffle deal. For $278, you get a 1 in 5000 chance of winning a million dollars. I didn’t buy a ticket, but I think the risk/reward is actually pretty good. I can’t think of too many other ways to turn that little capital (at that level of risk) into $1MM US. Hmmm, maybe next time…

Bye for now… we’re off to our gate!

We then headed to the airport to pick-up our car from Hertz.

Confession time: despite a calm exterior, I developed some mild trepidation about the day’s journey. First, while the trip has generally been hazy due to wind, today we awoke to a fairly significant sandstorm. Visibility wasn’t too bad in Dubai, but I had no idea what conditions we might eventually face. Second, Hertz didn’t have any available GPS units (despite my requesting one). We had a couple of low fidelity maps with us, but Libby’s not much of an experienced navigator. No matter, I could have had Ferdinand Magellan as my navigator — the maps were pretty much useless. So, I made a lot of statements like “which exit should I take from this roundabout? I don’t see a sign.” Who knows!

Thus, I drove from the Dubai Airport to the Hilton Ras Al-Khaimah pretty much by instinct. How’d I do? Well, other than circling the airport once when trying to exit and making a u-turn to take a different route through downtown RAK (which I later learned wasn’t required), I faired very well. Somehow, I lost the E-11 route in Sharjah (which would have been closer to the coast, more scenic, and leisurely), but I managed to easily find and take the E-311 Emirates Road (which is the preferred route according to Google maps anyway). We sped through the desert in our Volvo S60, passing through three new emirates in about an hour (Sharjah, Ajman, and Umm Al Quwain) before arriving in RAK. What a haul of countries! Too bad they all looked (other than Sharjah close to Dubai) nearly indistinguishable. Hopefully, I’ll be able to keep us on the E-11 tomorrow when returning to Dubai, and we’ll see a bit more of each one.

Driving to RAK... that isn't a cloudy sky. That's sand!

Here’s a map that I updated from Google that highlights our route (in yellow) and helps to better show the boundaries (outlined in orange) between the various emirates (circled in red) that we drove through today – from Sharjah, through tiny Ajman, then Umm Al Quwain, and eventually into Ras Al-Khaimah.

Dubai to RAK -- four 'countries' in one day!

The Hilton Ras Al-Khaimah Resort and Spa seems idyllic. We were upgraded to a Junior Suite out in the resort’s villa section, which line a private (suites only) beach that’s shaped like a crescent moon. We have a unit—decorated in a very charming Arabesque style—with a separate living room and master bedroom, as well as a large balcony overlooking the Gulf. We can literally walk down the stairs and right out onto the beach. As I’m writing this post, I’m listening to waves crash along the shore through the open veranda doors, while Libby’s reading from her Kindle on the balcony.

Our villa (#825) at Hilton RAK Resort and Spa

Master bedroom in villa...

View from villa's balcony...

There’s an upscale, beachside bar for drinks and snacks about a hundred yards from our villa, where we had an excellent light lunch and perhaps the best iced coffee of my life (made with coffee flavored ice cream). We strolled around the resort and walked in the (surprisingly chilly) surf. While writing the post, we just had a fruit basket delivered – a welcome for being a HiltonHonors member. I expected the resort to be nice, but this is positively blissful for less than $175/night.

Tonight, we ate at Al Bahar, the resort’s seafood restaurant (one of a half dozen or more choices on the property), up near the hotel’s main saltwater and freshwater pools, which meander through a flower and palm tree filled courtyard. Like the rest of the food we’ve had at the resort, it was surprisingly good. Here’s a photo of my red snapper on a bed of onion and pumpkin:

Yum!

Today’s box score: +4 countries (Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, and Ras Al-Khaimah, UAE)