Basil Bedouin Beach

Posted on August 27, 2015 by TheJessicaness
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view from Oceanic

I have coffee just to help me out of bed at 5:30a after going to bed after 1am. I was told last night that I could snorkel at 7a after breakfast. Reading an old review, the price was 50Dh an hour and now they’re asking 150Dh. Downstairs, I’m told that snorkeling doesn’t start till 8a. I walked over to the office, but they have no signs on their door. The scene was beautiful though and I appreciated the walk on the beach.

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I went to breakfast, though I wasn’t very hungry, it was included in the price of my room. I check out at 7a, not wanting to wait an hour for inshallah, in hopes that I’ll find another place to snorkel and continue on my trip – swing on the beach and go to Fujairah Fort and Museum. I’m about to leave Fujairah and stop at the marina in hopes of finding a snorkeling company.

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Fujairah Museum

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museum display

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Fujairah Fort

The guy in the diving office tells me they only go out on weekends – and probably not in this heat – great. So another guy walks out of the office and invites me in for coffee. We talk – me about the Middle East and him wanting to go to the States and see what he’s read in the history books about the 13 colonies, etc. 

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mosque in the making

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when mountains and mosques disappear

I stayed at least 30 minutes and then some other guys came in with a new club membership. He gave me his card and told me I could bring my husband fishing anytime; that would be great if we lived closer. I drive from city with beach and buildings to road with mountains and tunnels to sand dunes blowing on the street.

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when mountains erode and the wind blows

I stop at Al Showaib Restaurant for meat, paratha, and banana, with a strawberry basil seed drink for takeaway. I use my right hand to eat and my left to wipe sweat. I get to the Al Ain Museum and I’m passing out at 4:30 in their bedouin tent display outside. I find a room at Al Massa Hotel and take an hour nap before dinner at Paco’s in the Hilton.

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Hili Archeological Park

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Al Ain National Museum

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Coffee Corniche Co-Op

Posted on August 26, 2015 by TheJessicaness
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mosque on Shk. Rashid bin Ahmed Al Mu’alla Rd

I’m sitting here regretting not taking notes first thing after the pool. I sat here hungry for three hours being somewhat productive. I set this morning’s alarm for 6:15 but sleep in and shower – it’s 7:40a… and I thought I wrote a note about the bat in the pool. It’s no wonder blogging takes me so long as I have to go through notes, photos, and texts to remember all the details. 

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mini fort

I checked out and didn’t realize they’d kept my passport last night. I drove to Palma, UAQ – the bowling and resort side of the peninsula and didn’t find coffee, but a nice view. I stopped in a market on the way to the cemetery, with a huge wall around it and a security gate, to get some biscuits, date milk, apple fruitz, and a large water – that I didn’t finish today. I tried driving along the coast, but Waze Navigation just wouldn’t let me.

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Palma Beach

I set my next goal for the Ras Al Khaimah National Museum and though most of the doors were locked I found plenty to see inside. I’m surprised I’m not sick from the temperature difference of going in and out of these museums. I stopped at the Corniche before leaving that tip of land – and it’s nice. There’s a special path, a mangrove full of birds, Umm Al Quwain across the water, and a Costa Coffee where I get an iced mocha and cheese-tomato croissant. I wasn’t going to eat any just yet – until she warmed it. 

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beach near Olive Tree Residence, Al Hamra Village

Next was Dhayah Fort, or so I thought, and that I’d be there by 1pm. I made it to Shimal Settlement and passed the turn for Jebel Jais Mountain (tallest in UAE), and returned with some guy following me for 15 km before my stop-and-go annoyed him enough to leave. There’s too many goats and mountains, etc., for me not to photograph them all. The drive is beautiful, even if it’s supposed to be done around sunrise or sunset.

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National Museum of Ras Al Khaimah

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assorted pottery

I’m glad I didn’t though because those crazy turns (that I drove straight through on the way down) would’ve taken a lot longer. I was passed by four cars with Go Pros on and they stopped to take pictures of their cars with the hoods and suicide doors, on one, open. I used the toilet at the ‘top’ (couldn’t actually go because it’s now a blasting area) and was surprised that only in the Middle East will you always find a flush toilet. I’m grateful for the lack of port-a-potties. 

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corniche in Suhaim

I come down at 3:30p and head to Dibba, which will take me an hour, and stop at a Co-Op  to pee. The only thing I have written down for here is to snorkel (because it’s the Indian Ocean/Gulf of Oman), but I can’t find the ocean. I do find their canal pretty though and think about stopping for food. I decide to eat more biscuits on the way to Al Bidya Mosque, knowing I can get there before sunset at 6:40. I arrive with half an hour of daylight left and climb over the short fence to get my hijab out of the car so I can see inside the mosque. 

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along the E11 near Shamal

I do a crap wrap job and it’s off my head as I walk out, but I wrap it around my neck to save time as I climb the stairs to the towers. Not much of a view at the top of them though as the walls are high. I spot a stack of something in the distance and a trail leading to it. I jump the short stone wall and I’m on my way. If I thought I was sweaty on the way there, it seems to be worse on the return – I’m dripping and feel like I’m slipping in my shoes. The view is fantastic.

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near the top of Jebel Jais

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along the E18 near Al Fahlain

I take some pictures with a family in the parking lot, so one of the guys (that had been sitting on the curb the whole time) came over and asked for a picture. I was already in the A/C of the car and wasn’t getting out, so I just smiled. I drove into Al Aqah looking for a hotel while I waited for Le Meridien’s website to load, Booking.com to find something in Khorfakkan, and Waze to find the hotel.

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canal in Dibba Al Hisn

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near Al Aqah

I’m glad I decided on Oceanic in Khorfakkan as the base price was 225 dirham cheaper, and I wasn’t expecting 20% tourist tax, making my tiny room 450Dhs ($122) for the night – Meridien was 600Dhs starting. My room comes with breakfast at 6:30 and beach/pool access, which I take advantage of. I check out the room, get my bag, change into a swimsuit and am poolside 40 minutes later, but go out to the beach to escape the kids.

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female prayer room at Al Bidya Mosque

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Al Bidiyah Fort

I take off my shoes and jump in the surf for a swim from the steps to the rocks, using the work light from the men adding tiles on the wall as my guide. The coral underfoot is beautiful and I look forward to another swim in the morning and possibly a snorkel adventure. I go upstairs, detour to the gym in my suit for a look (not bad), before a shower and putting my sweaty clothes back on for dinner at 8:30. I have three plates of veggies and two plates of cakes, with half a glass of water. 

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Oceanic dinner buffet

I head to the room to relax, and realize I forgot my phone cord in the car – back down I go – and somehow an hour has already passed. I think I’ll do tomorrow’s planning after sunrise and before snorkeling while I eat breakfast.

Posted in Animals, Art, Food, Forts, History, People, Photography, Places, Travel, Water | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Not Falling in Dubai, but Floating in Umm al-Quwain

Posted on August 25, 2015 by TheJessicaness
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Nescafé Classic

I set the alarm for 4:45am and I’m up with the energy of a child, packing up and drinking coffee – that somehow took 30 minutes. I parked under the awning and walked to Skydive Dubai to check in at 5:30, and they don’t bother to weigh me because they’re in a holding pattern due to high winds. I don’t know how I missed the storm brewing through the enthusiasm pumping through my veins as I walked in on the crew eating breakfast, but through the tinted windows the flags are blowing about.

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regular roundabout

At 6:30, the crew gets in their swim gear to go to the dock and practice water landings – we, the worldly tourists, didn’t know this at the moment, but I could tell they weren’t flying today. I got my money refunded at 7am. I wasn’t choosing to wait around till 8:30 for their final no and wasn’t going to reschedule for Sept. 29. I can see why they delay the bad news – who wants to tell a room of 30 people – not today, as has been the update for the last two weeks.

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Coffee Museum

I drove out to Atlantis at 6:30 and managed to take a wrong turn. I parked down the street from the hotel so I could enjoy the walk, but what I wouldn’t enjoy was being hassled for trying to see the garden as the guards thought I posed a threat to the comfort level of their guests – the ones still sleeping. I stop at the Heritage House area (between Bastakiya and Al Fahidi Fort) and don’t worry about parking because I don’t think I’ll be there long. There are empty alleys, closed doors, and courtyards with trees – like the Christ Thorn planted in 1890.

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Blue Souq, Sharjah

Of all the places that would have an open door – the Coffee Museum and shop – with a sign that says: Come in, We’re Awesome. I pass the majlis room to look at the antique sections on the ground floor and learn that, like anything else on this planet, coffee beans come in a hundred varieties. Upstairs there are books about coffee – The Pleasure of Coffee, and Coffee Floats, Tea Sinks; and different grinders like the ceramic wall mill from Germany. I walk past a thatched wall and more tan corridors back to the car.

construction in Dubai

construction in Dubai

Though I’ve been in this area before, and probably for that reason, I think that the Heart of Sharjah (its heritage village) is next door to Dubai’s (which is actually less than 2 km away from the Coffee Museum), but this doesn’t stop me from doing all the extra driving – and making me debate how much caffeine I need. I get to park closer and visit their Islah al-Umm School Museum, established for all education levels in 1935. There are plenty of pens (wooden sticks and ink pots) and Qur’an holders on display.

Al Muntazah St., Sharjah

Al Muntazah St., Sharjah

I wipe the sweat from my forehead for the hundredth time and watch the bus of tourists pull up. I found more closed museums and empty stalls. I get some things are ‘open’ but their timings vary in this heat and though a place may look closed you need to check the door and possibly call someone to open it for you, I don’t feel like waiting while I’m hungry. I go back into the Souq al-Arsa where the shopkeepers are begging for my attention, especially the restaurant, but when I ask for hot food I’m told it’s another hour. I’ll take date milk, basil seed drink, and large water for the road.

Ajman Museum

Ajman Museum

I drive back down south to return to Dubai’s Heritage Village. It was great last time at 8am on a weekend, but the view seems jaded, and hot, and not relaxing at 11am on a weekday. The village and its doors are open, but the only thing I see in this heat is the postcard stand. I realize I can’t judge one visit based on another and will remember those happy morning moments instead of this afternoon drudgery – and I now have more time to enjoy the rest of the country.

Ajman Museum

Ajman Museum

I stop at a mall in Sharjah for a coffee and a veg sandwich, that will be a two-parter for me because I filled up on three packs of biscuits for breakfast. My first site in Ajman will be their museum – the one that used to be a working fort. There’s the ticket window in the sun or the door in the shade where I’ll walk to pay my entrance fee. Guns, beds, Qur’an’s, pottery, jewelry, and fishing equipment – usual display items. Tear gas bombs (made in the U.S. in the description) and firecrackers, rockets, bombs, plastic bullets, and a truncheon used to disperse demonstrators – not usual.

Sheikh Zayed Ajman Mosque

Sheikh Zayed Ajman Mosque

In another display, I find myself grateful that they no longer require a wife to travel as her husband’s property like they did in the 60s. This also answers the “how to see under the burqa” question – they didn’t need to as long as the husband vouched as to which one was his, along with a number of children. Sometimes I debate going to yet another museum, but it’s ones like this that keep me coming back for the art, history, and culture that they portray in a unique way.

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lunch from Rambo

I park by Musalla Souk, less than a kilometer from the museum, and it’s closed. I mean the front door is open, but it looks like the prayer hour has been extended for months. I walk across the street to Rambo at 4pm and order a four-fruit juice and an egg paratha vs. the birthday cake faloodah and hotdog burger on the menu. Joining me for lunch is a table of six Asian women eating fried chicken with hamburger buns and dipping their fries in hummus – and they do get the faloodah for dessert. I wish more restaurants offered this variety of culture.

fishing boats of Umm Al Quwain

fishing boats of Umm Al Quwain

I leave Ajman, the tiny emirate with hard-to-find tourist attractions, to find my way to  Umm Al Quwain Museum 31 km away. It’s in a fort that doesn’t look twenty years old, minus the patchwork that is a restoration of this building put together around 1768 for the local ruler which once was the Al Mualla family. It became a museum in 2000 and averages 120 visitors a day who come to see swords from Yemen and Aleppo, a necklace from Bahrain, and currency from Nicaragua and Indonesia — all gold. Inside these walls are stamps, dishes, and fashion of the Emirates and the regions they traded with from Al-Dour, Iraq to Rome, Italy.

Umm Al Quwain Museum

Umm Al Quwain Museum

The sun is threatening to set when I leave the museum and the timing couldn’t be better. I drive to the beach surrounding me and get the feeling of Beauty and the Beast – from the mansion on my right and the scared crab to remind me of Cogsworth, not from the pile of plastic on my left. As the sky goes from shades of bright orange to bluish-grey I meander the beach looking at the shells, skulls, and seaweed. I linger as the sun disappears to enjoy this peaceful place – and book a night at Hotel Royal Residence Branch down the street.

UAQ Beach sunset

UAQ Beach sunset

It’s two km away and I arrive after 7pm. I check in, find the pool, and return to room 7C to change and grab an embroidered towel. I thought about sheesha because I’ve been craving a smoke all day – and my luck the sheesha guy is also a Marlboro man. After that, I float in one of the two pools on one of their orange rings and watch a bat do touch and goes. I do a lap and climb out. I take a photo of the restaurant menu and though the prices are good I’m not in the mood for a whole chicken and rice.

rocky waters, UAQ

rocky waters, UAQ

I get back to my room at 8:15 and tried checking email but the service is blocked on my mailbox for security. I call the front office at 8:30 for the Palma Cafe timings. I’ll go there in the morning – at least it’s on the tourist list. I check locations for tomorrow in Ras al-Khaimah and message Caleb till he goes to sleep at 10pm. My computer says it’s 11:40 and I’ve been up since before 5am. I close my eyes, having been hungry the whole time, and watch as the room lights up in red, but not overwhelmingly so, and I climb under the fluffy blanket.

evening by the pool

evening by the pool

more pictures from today:

 

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Unique Alone Excursion into the UAE

Posted on August 24, 2015 by TheJessicaness
flydubai - in Bahrain

flydubai – in Bahrain

This trip will be unlike any other I’ve ever taken. My plan is to jump out of a working airplane in the Palm Drop Zone of Skydive Dubai – one of the top five spots (according to some websites). I had to plan this part a month and a half in advance, as people travel the world for these adrenaline rush-type activities. I booked my flight for the night before and a stay in the Pearl Marina nearby, having had a look at Airbnb and not being impressed with the monopoly on certain buildings.

I figured while I was in the country I would drive around and see the other Emirates, having already spent eight days among three (mostly in their capitals), the other four deserve some time. I had a spare set of keys made, as our locks had just been changed as maintenance works their way through the list of things that need fixing, and handed them to a friend. Caleb would be home sometimes, busy from 5am to 8pm making Chief, and I would need someone else around for the times in-between.

Can you find the road? Tip: there's a car on it

Can you find the road? Tip: there’s a car on it

Caleb is able to get a couple of hours off work to drop me to the airport with the plans that I’ll be gone from the 24th to the 29th – back in time to spend my birthday with him – if I want to visit him at work. I wake at 8am and write a letter to the dog-sitters, quite a lengthy one, for the four men who have offered to watch Sparky and Piggy in my absence. I zip up my bag as Caleb walks in the door at 11:10am. I pick-and-choose my outfits to make sure they are modest as I’ve been getting comfortable in Bahrain, but not as much as I was in Amwaj wearing only a short sundress to walk the dogs.

We hang out on the couch for an hour while I have a shake consisting of bee pollen, flax and chia seed, coconut powder, cinnamon, green superfood, cashew and protein powder, coconut water, and rice milk – among varying ingredients – inspired by ‘overnight oats in a jar’ on Pinterest. Sometimes I will add oats, peanut butter, and frozen fruit. Caleb eats from his stash of shawarma (what he plans to eat while I’m away) and then we drive slowly to the airport at 12:30pm.

flydubai - over Dubai

flydubai – over Dubai

He takes the driver seat at 1pm after telling me how jealous he is that I get everything handed to me and really live the Life O’Reilly and wonders how I get upset or need a vacation from the constant one I live in – because I want a different view and other experiences – I need things to blog about (and the dedication to do so). Inside, the Bahrain customs agent notices the foot of extra hair in my passport photo and says I cut it because it’s hot here – yes. I sit near gate 12 for an hour reading while my phone charges, then by gate 11 where I’ll be departing from for 20 or so minutes.

I get up to pee, as I always have to do, but the doors are locked, so I sit behind the guy blocking my window seat. There are so many empty ones that he could easily move and I could sit closer to the front, but don’t. I take a picture for him when we’re descending after trying to show him the house in the desert with the tiny car in the dunes on my phone. We land and the passport line is long, but I’m able to pick the fast lane – retinas scanned, book stamped – done. I’m also lucky to be an adult in a line where a toddler is free to roam and slap other children.

sunset over Dubai

sunset over Dubai

Customs is even faster with nothing to declare, and the agent notices I’m leaving before my birthday, but I’m here to celebrate it. I’m happy that the rental car office is in the same terminal this time – so no pricey cab ride – just the $5 McDs coffee I had before leaving Bahrain and the $7 falafel-cheese wrap from Costa that I will chomp on during the paperwork process. It takes only a few minutes to scan my passport, drivers license, and credit card before they hand me the keys to a 2015 Nissan Micra.  They asked if I wanted the Oman insurance (the reason I chose them) – for only $81 for 7 days (about what I’m paying now), which is better than I thought, but I’ll concentrate my time in the UAE and maybe make it back to Formula Rossa!

fountain and reflection in front of Burj Khalifa

fountain and reflection in front of Burj Khalifa

I turn on Waze – an amazing application in Dubai with 50 users online – and got on the road. I’m hesitant at first as the sun has set, but I’m an adaptable driver, and soon texting, photographing, mapping, switching lanes, and eating – they can’t get me for whatever stains are in the back seat, but the breadcrumbs are all mine. I miss the turn to Dubai Mall, but the app is one step ahead, and I get there easily after a U-turn. I find a spot in cinema parking, on P2 in the C-D area, go downstairs to the fountain level via lift, and walk a partial length of the mall past the Power Rangers Super Megaforce, and by the coffee shop Caleb and I had breakfast at on my way outside.

The area is packed with tourists and regardless of what else people can judge you by – they do more so when you take a selfie. This is the largest dancing fountain set to songs in Swahili, Arabic, and Italian to name a few. The water shoots a measly 500 feet in the air compared to the set of WET Superlights, over 6,000 in total, that can be seen from 20 miles away. The show runs every 30 minutes and I’ve been here for ten. The facts and technology are impressive, but I think it speaks to the child in us as well – it’s lights, water, and music – like a giant snow globe that’s been released – loud, beautiful, and powerful (which might be Dubai’s new slogan).

half the fountain in action

half the fountain in action

I take a video and pictures, and then cast my eyes over the sea of screens to see it for myself. I go inside the Souk Al Bahar. I know what I’m looking for, but somehow can’t seem to pass the yummy nuts shop, Munch & Crunch, without buying something new – and it wasn’t the stuffed dates I was eyeing – though it’s my birthday week, which is enough of an excuse for me. After that expensive charge I keep walking and pass ladies enjoying gelato from the same place Caleb and I got coffees – I’ll be back to order a scoop of forest berries as it feels more like summer than the strawberry cheesecake.

I go upstairs and the kopi luwak café (not its real name) is open. The woman wants $49 for a tiny cup to drink in-house from a three-chamber pot. I knew I’d regret walking away, but I also knew that skydiving was taking precedence over the beginning of this trip. No point in drinking expensive coffee and staying up all night when the excitement alone will do that for me. I tell myself I’ll be back, but it might be another year. I go to the car park near P2 towards C-D where I left the car… didn’t I? I walk around clicking the key and three car wash men start to help. I panic and they tell me to check other levels – different colors and letters. I check P1 and P4, not finding P3 and start to freak out – it’s been 30 minutes.

PBJ meets Fruit by the Foot meets Middle East

PBJ meets Fruit by the Foot meets Middle East

I go back downstairs and am directed to the police station, i.e., security/customer service. I wait in there for 10-15 minutes for a guy on a cart who drives me from P1 to P5 while making small talk to calm me down. He asks about where I was coming from – then he’ll know the direction I took. I can’t believe I forgot that badly – level P5, but I’m so grateful to see the little car after 9:30p – and that I have a passport and athletic shoes to jump with tomorrow. It’s not until I’m stuck in traffic, at a standstill, 3.5 km from my bed for the night that I get out of the car for water. 

I’m by the marina for the night, at the end of the street, and the man at the desk has a sense of humor – giving me a special rate as he charges the rest of the room to my card – and I thought it was pay upon arrival. It’s already 10:30pm and I thought I might have time to walk the marina or go to the beach, but I put my tiny car in the garage and take the lift to the wrong floor. I’m glad to find my room with a large bed and a message from Caleb at the end of his long day.

the sign says it all

the sign says it all

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Drooling to Doha

Posted on April 8, 2015 by TheJessicaness
to the airport in Jordan

to the airport in Jordan

I woke in the middle of the night, which woke Julie, but didn’t keep her from falling back asleep — and back to snoring. I picked up the blanket and moved from the twin beds to the couch with my alarm set for 8 and 8:30 am. I paid attention to the first one and thought maybe Julie would be up, but she’d been on her phone and went to sleep after me. I got up to the second alarm and started packing. We were ready to go by 9 am, said bye to Dana, left some change on her counter and the leftovers in her fridge.

We got to the beautiful field before the airport twenty minutes later. I went up to B-20 something to check in with Qatar Airways and the agent told me they didn’t have a reservation for me on this flight. She said I could call her boss, “but I don’t have signal in the airport…”, or wait on her colleague to do so. If I had called I would have bought a new ticket. The agent noticed that I’d bought my return for May 8th and was able to transfer me to the same flight, same seat, for today for 17 JD. I was more than thrilled.

departures in Amman

departures in Amman

I paid at the airport office, returned the receipt to the agent, and he handed me a ticket at 10:15. I thanked him and got in the queue for passport control. A couple tried to cut four of us in line claiming there were two lines. I corrected them and others were grateful for my actions just as the girl behind me was when an employee tapped on her shoulder to let her wave at family one more time. I smiled into the retina reader and the officer told me to open my eyes wide, 25 minutes later, and I’m on the other side.

With some time to waste I went looking through the Duty Free shop and paid for my purchase in dollars, but still received piastres (Jordanian coins) back. I spent most of the next hour sitting by gate 110 listening to Sri Lankan women speak Arabic. They were kind enough while they sat there, but they got pushy in line. I played a word game, while they finished boarding the flight, in an attempt to stay awake.

arrivals in Doha

arrivals in Doha

I was in the aisle seat in the middle section and an attendant raised my seat back. I lowered it again, put the pillow under my face, and slept. He tried to tell me something about my safety, but having people come by and bump me won’t bother me after we crash and burn if that’s what he expects to happen after take-off.

Once I started drooling I was left alone for the flight. I was sat next to two women, and the one didn’t seem to mind my leaning. I’m grateful. Food was brought and taken away, but I managed to wake enough to grab the bread for later. I woke up as we were descending and put my seat upright. I’d had a good nap to make up for the sleep deprivation in Jordan and was feeling better.

leaving Qatar

leaving Qatar

Doha has a T-Rex in their airport among many other odd statues and displays. I was worried that we would be delayed on this flight. I’d been told to go through security early, skipping the machines, and sat waiting, but as soon as the announcement went through the line was quick. A lady was seated in the middle seat behind her husband and child. When a man took the window she asked me to switch with her. I did, knowing their culture… and it wasn’t like I was giving up a view. I was getting closer to it, which did make it easy to reach my arm over the guy to get a picture of Hawar Island.

I don’t have Snapchat, but I’ve seen people use it. I now star in two videos posted on the app. The lady that I moved seats with recorded me playing peekaboo and ‘punch my hand’ with her son. The screen came down and he pushed it back up until the crew gave up lowering it again. He was great. We took off, juice was served, and the plane was ready to land. As much as I enjoyed Jordan I was happy to be back in Bahrain.

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