Sand and Cities :

a very windy and rocky crag we stopped upon. I was only disappointed to see how much garbage there was in the dunes while we drove around. Plastic bottles, plastic bottles, plastic bottles. Not exactly the endless curves of perfect clean sand I had imagined in my mind, although you still get glimpses of that too. Our tour was with Belhasa and you can book with them through your hotel and likely be picked up there too. (180 – 270 AED per person).

MUSANDAM PENNINSULA (OMAN)
An absolute highlight of the trip was going to Musandam, the northernmost tip of the Arabian peninsula, which is actually part of Oman. This area consists of spectacular rocky mountains and crystal clear water inlets, or khors, making it like the Norway of Arabia. A day trip to Khor ash-Sham on a traditional wooden boat, or dhow, is a very worthwhile way to spend a day and comes extremely highly recommended from this happy traveler. Musandam is a fair distance from Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and would make for an exceptionally early morning departure, so a nice option is to head north and stay overnight in the town of Ras al-Kaimah and leave from there. Musandam dhow excursions can be reserved through your hotel who will book it with Musandam Sea Adventure Tourism (www.msaoman.com). From Ras-al-Kaimah or RAK, you’ll be picked up by a friendly driver around 8am. From Dubai or Abu Dhabi, your departure time would likely be 6:30am and 5am respectively, but could also be earlier. All the border fees are included in the price (500 AED) and the driver takes care of all the formalities at the border crossings as well. 

Once in Oman, the 1.5hr drive along the west coast of Musandam from Tibat to Khasab is breath taking. The paved road winds along the coastline hugging the cliffs and offering views out over The Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz towards Iran. After you reach Khasab and board the dhow with your multi-lingual guide, a couple dhow drivers, and some other travelers who are probably European, you set off on the water. Soon we were offered some Arabian coffee, always served with dates. And you could relax on the comfortable cushions beneath the shade of the roof, or in the sun, which certainly didn’t feel as hot in the breeze provided by the boat’s movement. The craggy bare mountains rise up out of the gleaming azure waters. There are a few extremely tiny fishing villages, a gathering of small stone homes only accessible by boat, but otherwise, it feels like there aren’t any other humans for hundreds of miles around. 

The dhow anchors a few places to allow swimming and snorkeling (equipment provided) and several dolphins jumped and played with us alongside the boat as we toured through the inlets. A delicious lunch is served on board, and there was always fresh fruit and beverages available. Nearing the latter part of the day, it seemed as though all the passengers were overcome with the surrounding beauty and peacefulness. Quiet and observing, our dhow passed through the waters, the sun beginning to set, the shadows deepening on the rock faces, and eventually we arrived back in Khasab, where our smiling driver waited for us. 

DUBAI
I think Dubai can be summarized in one word - malls! Never before has one city contained so many malls, which in turn contain a world-record breaking aquarium, indoor skiing, thousands of shops, restaurants, fountains, and over-the-top architecture. You’ll probably see at least one Lamborghini parked outside too. Dubai is consumerism at it’s best.

The malls of Dubai are certainly a place you can go to escape the heat and dust of outside, and of course buy something if you need to (I needed an electrical adapter and had no problem finding exactly what I wanted at the first mall I went to.) The aquarium in Dubai Mall and Ski Dubai in the Mall of the Emirates are something to see, but If you’re used to skiing The Alps or The Rockies, Ski Dubai probably won’t satisfy your shooshing desires. I opted to just watch the skiers and snowboarders through the windows of a delicious Lebanese restaurant called Karam Beirut. Our table was right at the window, and I enjoyed a very fine meal while wondering what it must cost them to keep it cool enough inside to ski.

Karam Beirut
Mall of the Emirates, Dubai
Telephone: 04 341 2202
Price Range: 200 - 350 AED
Cuisine: Arabic, Lebanese
Features: Credit Cards accepted, Friday Brunches 

Beside the Dubai Mall stands the world’s tallest building and free-standing structure, Burj Khalifa. This truly awesome construction has 160 floors and stands at nearly half a mile tall! You ....