Tuesday, August 29, 2006

MOTOSLVR Woman

Have you seen the ad for the new MOTOSLVR?

Friday, August 25, 2006

Smile For The Camera!

He's smiling - not growling. Today Barry and I took a mini tour around Dubai and in Dubai Marina we happened upon a great beach and some camels. Yay, I didn't get spit on! What do you mean? It is much more romantic to ride camels on the beach than horses!

Friday, August 18, 2006

Day Trip To Fujairah



Fujairah ~ Above is an aerial view of the Fujairah area and a collage of pictures from our most recent day trip. Barry and I packed up the car once again and this time headed to the only Eastern Coast Emirate of Fujairah where we found the Hajar Mountains (popular sport – 4x4ing/wadi bashing). The drive took about 1.5 hours and along the way we passed many trucks and the Friday market, which although is dubbed the “Friday Market” it happens everyday. From the main town of Fujairah we visited Khor Fakkan (which is spelt differently everywhere – even within the town). Khor Fakkan is well known for its diving and snorkeling – this is where we toured the local hotels.
Le Meridian Al Aqah Beach Resort: Day pass dhs120 ($36.70 CAD)
Friday day pass 150 (includes lunch) ($45.88 CAD) and the spa is AMAZING.
The Sandy Beach Hotel & Resort: Day pass dhs40 ($12.24 CAD)
The bonus to this hotel is that Snoopy Island is located just of its shore.
Oceanic Hotel: Day pass dhs45 ($13.77 CAD) Not recommended
Conclusion: The Meridian is amazing and is WELL worth a visit but for the budget traveler Sandy Beach Hotel is a deal and Snoopy Island has great snorkeling. At the end of the trip and you've run out of money? We recommend the beach beside Sandy Beach. From there, given you have your own gear, you can swim to Snoopy Island BUT you would have to pack some fresh water to wash the salt off you for the ride home and be flexible and agile enough to change into and out of your suit in the car conspicuously enough as not to get caught with your pants down.
Other highlights:
- Managed to get a picture of a camel on the side of the road;
- They serve up some good chicken in the town of Khor Fakkan;
- The Arabian Sea was warm;
- Loved the palm umbrellas on the beach
- Being on the coast we enjoyed the breezes and the temp was quite comfortable;
- I was surprisingly allowed into the Al Bidyah mosque (apx 1400 years old). Though I was helped into an abaya before entering;
- Stopped at the market on the way home and bought some popcorn at the market; and
- We didn’t get to see it all and we will definitely make another day trip to Fujairah.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Our First UAE Road Trip

Our First UAE Road Trip ~ Barry and I took our Volvo for its first day trip and travelled to Abu Dhabi this weekend (home of the worlds largest flagpole). Abu Dhabi is the largest state within the United Arab Emirates, and the richest, with a population close to 800,000. After taking in the sights and smells of the fish market we were off to sweat at one of the many parks - this is where we decided not to walk the corniche but drive instead. I stepped out of our enclosed air-conditioned haven to take a picture of the corniche and as you can tell, it was very secluded. We had dessert at Emirates Palace and when we went to the mall we realized that's where everyone was. It was around 42 degrees Celsius.