Khor Fakkan
I'm back! I know I've been slacking on posting lately, but this week has been our busiest in terms of our academic component, and after typing papers and doing a ton of readings, the last thing I've wanted to do is write about it!
The best part of the week is that it's over, yay! I still have a research paper, but no more classes until the fall :)
Let's see...to catch up, the last few days have been alternating between very hot and very hot with high humidity. You know it's bad when you walk outside and your sunglasses fog up. I suppose it's just as well that we had class every day this week and homework to keep us busy; 100+ degrees and humid is hardly good activity weather.
Olan bought a rug! We now have three sitting in our room. Hers is a qum (koom), which means it's 100% silk and absolutely beautiful. My Nyeen (sp?) carpets are jealous. The great thing about buying a carpet, or being with someone who does, is that it's not only the carpet you walk away with; it's also the stories that come with it. I'll always remember having the carpets unrolled in front of me (10, 15, 20, 30!), chatting with the owners of the shops, and the bargaining that went on forever, involved consultations with bosses and much fussing, and finally the sale! Everytime I look at my carpet, I'll have all those memories :)
The highlight of the week was our trip to Khor Fakkan, a neighborhood in Sharjah Emirate that sits on the eastern coast of the penninsula and is situated on the Gulf of Oman. Sharjah is distinctive in that it has coastline on two different bodies of water. To get there, we had to drive two hours, first through mostly flat desert land and then through the beautiful mountains of Fujairah, another Emirate. When we arrived, the eight of us were treated to a lunch buffet and the great service provided by the staff at the Oceanic hotel. It was a lovely, bright, warm day, and it didn't take long for us all to jump into the water!
The hotel's beach is located in a little bay, and has beautiful sand, mountains, and clear blue water. We spent some time lounging about and diving around in the warm surf, then decided to head for Shark Island, which belongs to the hotel. Shark Island (thank God I didn't see any!) was the best part of the whole trip, but unfortunately I don't have any pictures because getting to the boat required swimming out quite a ways, and I wouldn't have been able to save my camera from getting wet! The drive over was like an action sequence out of Speed 2; we went crashing over the waves in a tiny speedboat. Matt, Mike and I sat in the front, and it was a blast! There's nothing like being out on the water in a fast boat :)
The island was a small pile of rock not far off the mainland. The hotel had provided us with some snorkeling gear, so those of us willing to brave the water went in search of marine life. Mike was awesome at finding all sorts of fish. Among my favorites were the parrot fish, spiny black sea urchins, angel fish, sea slugs (ew, ew, ew, they were huge!) and a puffer fish. I was actually surprised at how much there was under the water. I think I must have been a fish in a past life, it's not normal for someone to enjoy the water so much...
The trip to Khor Fakkan couldn't have come at a better time. It provided all of us with a much needed break in the middle of a long week, and left us refreshed for the work we had left to do.
Only two and a half days left...I'm pretty worn out, but the goal is to hit as many sites and get out as much as possible before it's back to the USA.
View from lunch.
The best part of the week is that it's over, yay! I still have a research paper, but no more classes until the fall :)
Let's see...to catch up, the last few days have been alternating between very hot and very hot with high humidity. You know it's bad when you walk outside and your sunglasses fog up. I suppose it's just as well that we had class every day this week and homework to keep us busy; 100+ degrees and humid is hardly good activity weather.
Olan bought a rug! We now have three sitting in our room. Hers is a qum (koom), which means it's 100% silk and absolutely beautiful. My Nyeen (sp?) carpets are jealous. The great thing about buying a carpet, or being with someone who does, is that it's not only the carpet you walk away with; it's also the stories that come with it. I'll always remember having the carpets unrolled in front of me (10, 15, 20, 30!), chatting with the owners of the shops, and the bargaining that went on forever, involved consultations with bosses and much fussing, and finally the sale! Everytime I look at my carpet, I'll have all those memories :)
The highlight of the week was our trip to Khor Fakkan, a neighborhood in Sharjah Emirate that sits on the eastern coast of the penninsula and is situated on the Gulf of Oman. Sharjah is distinctive in that it has coastline on two different bodies of water. To get there, we had to drive two hours, first through mostly flat desert land and then through the beautiful mountains of Fujairah, another Emirate. When we arrived, the eight of us were treated to a lunch buffet and the great service provided by the staff at the Oceanic hotel. It was a lovely, bright, warm day, and it didn't take long for us all to jump into the water!
The hotel's beach is located in a little bay, and has beautiful sand, mountains, and clear blue water. We spent some time lounging about and diving around in the warm surf, then decided to head for Shark Island, which belongs to the hotel. Shark Island (thank God I didn't see any!) was the best part of the whole trip, but unfortunately I don't have any pictures because getting to the boat required swimming out quite a ways, and I wouldn't have been able to save my camera from getting wet! The drive over was like an action sequence out of Speed 2; we went crashing over the waves in a tiny speedboat. Matt, Mike and I sat in the front, and it was a blast! There's nothing like being out on the water in a fast boat :)
The island was a small pile of rock not far off the mainland. The hotel had provided us with some snorkeling gear, so those of us willing to brave the water went in search of marine life. Mike was awesome at finding all sorts of fish. Among my favorites were the parrot fish, spiny black sea urchins, angel fish, sea slugs (ew, ew, ew, they were huge!) and a puffer fish. I was actually surprised at how much there was under the water. I think I must have been a fish in a past life, it's not normal for someone to enjoy the water so much...
The trip to Khor Fakkan couldn't have come at a better time. It provided all of us with a much needed break in the middle of a long week, and left us refreshed for the work we had left to do.
Only two and a half days left...I'm pretty worn out, but the goal is to hit as many sites and get out as much as possible before it's back to the USA.
View from lunch.
View from the hotel entrance.
Playing in the Gulf of Oman.
Another shot of the water and great scenery!
Another shot of the water and great scenery!
Just to prove I was actually there.
A shot from the drive home.
The Oceanic hotel, Khor Fakkan.
posted by Kara | 5:46 PM
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