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.

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)