“What’s the worst that can happen?” This was my answer to Lady Adventurer’s complaint that we should upgrade our air to Abu Dhabi. I strongly prefer not to spend large sums of money on only a short period (some number of hours) of relative comfort. We can start with having the middle seat for a twelve and half hour flight to Abu Dhabi from New York / JFK. And then add the crying babies. Did you know that a baby is capable of crying for over half a day without stopping? I believe this only happens when they’re in an airplane, and perhaps when multiple other babies are doing the same thing. These babies were, of course, all within a few feet of us.
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| Our itin |
“T’was built using slave labor, you know.” That’s Lady A.’s telling anyone who would listen about opulent Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Qatar (a stop that was canceled shortly before the cruise began). It’s funny, but no one, including some on board, did seem to want to listen. Not so funnily, we’d heard more and more about this in the weeks leading up to the sailing date. It seems that South Asians, mostly Indians came to these places to work, only to find themselves in terrible living and working conditions, cheated out of some pay, and with their passports confiscated. We know that this is a sensitive subject, but we land squarely on the side of the cheated workers, and not the oil-rich people who take advantage of them. We therefore feel terrible about supporting these inhumane regimes by traveling there. But on the other hand, we had long ago decided that we wanted to see as many corners of the globe as possible, and this part of the Middle East is certainly one of them. We didn’t plan to spend any additional money in these parts, but we do recognize that just by coming here, we’re supporting some atrocities. We’re mostly sorry that there doesn’t seem to be much that we can do to help. Keep in mind that this is no different (in my mind) from visiting a Southern U.S. Plantation that was built by slave labor. All that said, it may be sort of interesting to see and experience some of these new (to us) places.
“We have money we can’t spend, and wine we can’t drink. Two things that never happen at home.” Lady A. got me laughing out loud with this one. Regarding the money, we had already purchased our shore excursions when we learned we had a little more onboard credit for this cruise aboard the Oceania Nautica. Don’t worry; we’ll figure something out. Regarding the wine, we find ourselves with three gifted bottles this time, rather than the usual two. We already get all the wine we want with lunch and dinner. So how to handle those extra three bottles? Check in with me later.
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| Oceania Nautica docked in Khasab |
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| Nice digs. Too bad they're so tiny |
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| Evening on the Oceania Nautica |
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| The ship is decorated for the holidays |
“It’s just a bunch of buildings.” Yeah, they’re sparkling and new, but they’re still just buildings. Abu Dhabi is the largest and richest of the United Arab Emirates. We believe that nearby Dubai, where we wind up in ten days, will be more of the same, but even more in-your-face. I’ll let you know. We opt for the Hop-on, Hop-off bus around Abu Dhabi. As anticipated, see a whole bunch of opulent new buildings and palaces. Please excuse my high level of excitement here. Our most enjoyable time in Abu Dhabi is the walk we did along the city’s Corniche.
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| A walk along the Corniche |
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| Opulent palaces |
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| Ultra-modern architecture |
“If you’re the captain of a Dhow, does that make you a Dowager?” I ask this as we board the Dhow in Khasab, Oman. Khasab is disconnected from the rest of Oman; you'd have to cross parts of the UAE to get from one part to the other. Or go by boat. You know the Strait of Hormuz that separates the Persian Gulf from the Arabian Sea? The tip of the Southern point is Khasab, Oman. The coast here is steep and craggy, the perfect location for a Dhow ride. The locals call the cliff area fjords, but that’s incorrect; fjords are, by definition, formed by glaciers, and there ain't a whole lot of them around here. These cliffs were formed by plate tectonic activity. Our dhow holds about 100 people but there are only about 80 of us today. We have to sit down – way down – on pillows on the floor. It’s fun, unless you happen to be old. Like 95% of us. We enjoy the truly stunning scenery on a relatively cool, 95F day. Due to the extreme heat, there’s little wildlife (in or out of the water), but we spot some dolphins and sharks.
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| Debbie does dhows |
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| Oman's "fjords" |
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| More fjords |
“You can’t walk around the port area, and the shuttle bus only goes to the shopping mall, where there’s nothing else to see.” Such is the information we receive upon arrival to Fujairah, UAE. Since the port area is terribly polluted, busy (with oil tankers), and stiflingly hot, we decline to get off the ship at a port for the very first time ever.
"Oman, what a great place Muscat is." Muscat is the capital and largest city in Oman, and we really do like it. It's built around and in between the dry, rocky hills, adjacent to the Gulf of Oman. Although it's hot once again, the air seems relatively clean and clear. There's actually a smattering of (enjoyable) green areas. It's surprising how much one can miss a color. And as far as we can tell, the natives seem to be friendly. We're doing the Hop-on Hop-off bus once again, and once again, we get off to take a walk along the local Corniche. Altogether, it's a good way to see the city.
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| The Marina in Muscat |
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| Along the Corniche. The tower is a rather large incense burner replica |
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| The Portuguese Fort and the shoreline part of Muscat |
"What do you call a smart person in this country? Bahrainy." I know. I'm probably not the first person to think of this joke. But hey, it's the best I can do here. We visit the Bahrain National Museum, some historical and cultural houses, and we see the modern skyline. For our second day in Bahrain, we spend some time walking around the Manama souq. It's pretty decent, as far as souqs go. Bahrain is yet another oil-rich country. It's a group of islands, connected to each other and to Saudi Arabia by bridges. It's kind've okay.
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| On a boat in the harbor |
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| By the World Trade Center |
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| Bahrain sunset |
"To Sir, with Bani. Yas?" We're in Sir Bani Yas, an island that's part of Abu Dhabi of the UAE. It's quite the beachy kind of place, but there are also bunches of wild animals roaming around. There are oryxes, other antelopes, cheetahs, and hyenas, to name a few. They were brought in, and now the place is a wildlife refuge. Just a beachy one. We walk along the shore in one direction, then the other. We actually spot an Arabian Sand Gazelle on the beach ahead of us. Wildlife. It exists.
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| Sir Bani Yas Beach |
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| Arabian Sand Gazelle |
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| Sir Bani Yas Beach |
"This place is a little bit over the top, wouldn't you say?" I say this to Lady A. as we cruise through Wafi, an Egyptian-themed shopping and entertainment complex here in Dubai. With its statues and hieroglyphics galore, it's more Egyptian than Egypt. The thing is, Wafi is just one minor area within hard-to-believe Dubai. Dubai is indeed more in your face than Abu Dhabi. It's more Vegas than Vegas. Much more. And like Vegas, I don't think I'll feel the need to visit this Emirate (or any of the others) again. Yet it definitely is interesting to see. The Hop-on Hop-off bus is just about all we can take in, but wait, there's more. We take a Dhow cruise along Dubai Creek. It's hot but there are nice sights along the way.
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| Sailing into Dubai early in the morning |
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| About to board the dhow |
"Second prize is TWO days in Dubai." For our second day in Dubai, we get another tour, courtesy of Oceania Cruises. Since our flight isn't till the middle of the night, they've provided this tour, along with some time in a hotel room as part of their transfer package. We're pleased with it.
And we're pleased with the entire trip. But not quite so much that we'd like to come this way again.
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| Atlantis on the Pointe - the Dubai Palm Island |
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| Burj Khalifa - the world's tallest |
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| Dubai at night |
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| Our last dinner on board |
