Just Another Tuesday

Started out today going to work. Being a holiday I was able to leave after being there for about an hour and a half...rest of the day off. No work Wed. as well. Decided to take a drive and explore. Sorry but photos take so long to upload but I will attach a few to this blog. The countryside is similar to Arizona but as you can imagine much different as far as the other things. Along the way I had to avoid these guys, all over the place! I saw more camels today than I have ever seen in my life. You do not see many of these in AZ. Word to the wise do no hit one of these rascals, it will cost you! You see the all turn into racing camels if you hit them! Goats are cheaper but roam unfettered.

I then found my way back to the main highway and went to Al Hammara. Very nice! This resort/village is undergoing massive construction and is 5 star. Golf course, Restruants, Nite Clubs, etc. big problem here is power...none...villas stand vacant because there is no power...serious issue here. All on generators!

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Take Care
Mike

Another Day

The last few days have been uneventful. On the way back from Dubai I took a exit off the highway and headed across the desert towards the coast. The road was two lane and the scenery was awesome! Sand dunes, desert, same stuff you only see in the movies. Sand was drifting like snow across the highway. the road took me to Al Hammra, a new development that will quite nice. It is almost done and there is another golf course there. Haven't played it yet but plan to.

Didn't do much Sunday, went to work, picked up a few things at the store and went back to the room watched a movie and went to bed.

Monday the temps went down dropped to 87 degrees so I decided to go golfing, hooked with a couple of friends and played. I played with Simon, the teaching pro here and Terry who just got back from Kabul. He had some interesting stories to tell. He said the cost to ride from the airport to the green zone in Kabul can cost $10,000! Security forces outnumber troops over there. My game is getting better. Three pars in a row.

It is quite different playing golf under the lights. The ball duesn't seem to travel as far. The greens are slower because the have a different type of grass. They use this grass because they irrigate with a mixture of saltwater and fresh and the grass is tolerant to this mixture. The course itself is very nice with a lot of traps and waste areas. The fairways are tight but fair.

Thank Allah Ramadan is over!

More on Dubai

I Departed the hotel at about 10AM and decided to go the Shidagha part of town. It is across the creek from Dubai and has a nice riverwalk. Located there is the Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House, the former residence of the Ruler. It was a museum and had different subjects in different rooms. The rooms housed pictures of old Dubai, described the marine lifestyle, stamps and coins and social life. Quite interesting.

The house was built in 1896 and this national treasure does a good job of explaining things.

After visiting the house I went into Old Dubai. Big mistake! Traffic was terrible. I wanted to visit the Gold Souk and take a look around but couldn't find a parking spot! Inching through the city I finally found my way back to RAK. I very interesting trip and will return soon. It is probally best to stick around one area and explore but I accomplished what my intentions were, to get a look around. What a place!

Dubai

For the weekend I decided to visit Dubai. Dubai is only 45 miles south of Ras Al Khaimah. Found a good on-line deal and booked it. After work on Thursday took a nice drive and checked into the hotel. The room was very nice. The hotel would be a five star in the USA. Took a walk around the hotel and discvered that dinner was going to be more costly than what I felt like paying. I grabbed a taxi and took off for the Mall of Emirates.

The mall is awsome! Three floors and huge! The food courts (2) have anything you could want. You can see me at my table at a Chinese restaurant, check out the background! You could spend a week at this place. I walked around and did some window shopping. I will go back again.

Yesterday I spent the entire day driving around and sightseeing. I purchased a couple of good maps before I left RAK and they reall helped me get around. Thirty years ago there was nothing here, Everything here is new. Construction everywhere. The classified ads are full of jobs at great pay. They totally rely on ex-pats to do the majority of the work.

Till the next post take care

RAK Update

Overall impressions: Coming here at the start of Ramadan is very interesting. It is impossible to do anything after 1PM. Everyone parties till 2, getting coffee and tea'd up. Stuff their faces and smoking hookahs.
The hotel I am at has a couple of party tents and the celebration goes on. Every day...till the end of September. I went to the pub at the club.towerlinks.com Met a guy who is the business of shipping armored vehicle and Hum Vees to Afghanistan and Iraq...interesting. Lots of school teachers here, Brits, Ausies, South Africans. Haven't met an American yet! Indians and Pakistanis do all the menial tasks.

This hotel is run by Indians very nice but I talk to fast for them to understand me. Have to repeat myself all the time. Haven't worked yet and will not till Sunday. Thinking about a road trip. Fuharaih I think a trip through the mountains and to the other side of the country. I really want to see the mountains but it is so hazy here. Hot and humid 40C.

I haven't explored the nicer parts of town yet plan to soon. I am not really a mall person but will check it out. I have heard the mall here is really nice. This place is is soooo different. Thinking of of the "Wizard of OZ" I am not in Ohio anymore.

RAK Day one