Back in the U.S.S.R. Wait, no, I mean UAE.

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

While I hardly agree, I’m referring of course to the introduction of Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice“(I say of course, but it’s not like I knew before I looked it up). After successfully penning Sense and Sensibility, she had to start writing again… so, why not commence with that line?

I too need to start writing again; what with being back in the United Arab Emirates and my many loyal followers interested in my whereabouts and doings… all 15 of you (and yes, that includes my family, who are biologically contracted to at least feint interest)…

…. and now that I have gone and compared myself to one of the most widely read and most beloved writers in English literature, the rest of this dribble should no doubt be as worthy as a third elbow and equally disappointing. Nevertheless, here goes… I arrived back in the UAE on a Wednesday night, after leaving the States on a Tuesday afternoon, after finding out I would be doing all of this on a Sunday evening. At the very least, I now do not feel the need to fulfill my daily obligation of answering the query: “Hey! When are you going back to Al Ain?” There just isn’t many things worse than having to answer (or in this case, not be able to answer) the same question over and over by well-meaning friends, family and colleagues. Well, yeah, I guess polio and perhaps being eaten by sharks whilst kite-boarding (sorry Howard Shafer), but I digress. It’s just annoying but you feel bad because everyone means so well. Anyways…

If you have the option to fly over to Dubai, or say Tokyo, Beijing or especially Australia, can I make a pertinent suggestion to you? DO NOT book a coach seat between two people on Delta. You will not sleep, you will not be comfortable and you will not be happy for say… 16 hours straight. There, I said it.

Okay, so most of what I do during the week is not really that exciting, and it definitely does not make for great copy, so instead I’ll do what I usually do and alk about the road-trips we take on the weekends. Larry is back with me over here and we have a presentation to give to a prospective client in the northeastern part of UAE, Ras al-Khaimah (also known as RAK). Therefore we decide to trek north and engage in some regional exploration and research. Oh yeah.

First stop: Hatta Fort Hotel Dubai. The lodge here has garnered a reputation for excellent service and as a tranquil escape from the chaos that is Dubai. Felt like a bit of an oversell to me; I mean, the setting is decent, perched high over the town with a decent view of the Hajar mountain range as a backdrop. The hotel features 80 acres of manicured gardens, quite a lot of turfed areas (the green on grey contrast is striking), and two large pools; one cut into and under a dining facility, the other with a large rock- outcropping serving as the kids slide. However, the most unique feature of the hotel is not the clay pigeon shooting range (okay, that’s pretty cool), it must be the 9 hole “mountain” golf course. The terrain is quite varied with numerous elevation changes… although I couldn’t figure out if the ‘greens’ were rock, sand, clay, or a combination thereof.

Next on the itinerary, Hatta and the wadi pools. My last time here in the UAE, I missed out on a tour of these areas by a week, but Larry really enjoyed it, so we come back. Joining is Carlos from Kobi Karp Architects. If you look at the accompanying map below, you may notice that Al Ain is semi-surrounded by its neighbor to the east, the Sultanate of Oman. So, technically, you have to leave the UAE to get to Hatta, which is in the UAE; this only makes sense if you actually make the journey.

Hatta is somewhat situated between two vertical masses, the Jebel Hafit to the west and the Hajar mountain range to the east. In pretty much every direction, you see unfolding layers of peaks protruding through an abundant atmospheric haze. (Sorry, overdid it on that one). Anyway, all these mountains funnel occasional rainfalls down through a wadi (a valley or mostly-dry riverbed) that during peak storm events creates some serious flooding and some very cool rock formations. The other reason numerous people – local and expatriate alike – trek to this area is the clean and cool pools that from between the rocks. Actually this is the main reason.

Larry and I waste no time climbing to the peaks and jumping off. It’s only about 20 foot (7m) jump, but how often do you get to do this in a vast desert? Check the hand-held video I took with my underwater camera that attaches this blog. Fun. The locals get a kick out of watching us jump, dive and flip off the rocks (okay, perhaps I’m the only one silly and crazy enough to perform the latter two), but I have no doubt they engage in similar behavior as soon as we foreigners are out of eyesight.
We hop back in our always serviceable Toyota Prada and continue due north to RAK. Ras al-Khaimah (Arabic: رأس الخيمة‎, rās al-Khaymah, literally "The Top of the Tent"), formerly known as Julfar, is one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates (UAE); it is located in the northern part of the UAE bordering Oman. If you look at the map above, you’ll see it directly north of Al Ain (spelled Al Ayn on the map). It is an industrial city with many quarries and cement factories, and really until you approach the coast, not very scenic at all. But before arriving at the coast, we stop outside the city at the Al Wadi Banyan Tree Resort and Spa.

Some immediate thoughts come to mind with one glance at the Banyan Tree website: their resorts are located in some of the most striking, faraway and wonderful places around the globe. The images provided showcase their locations, facilities and services that could easily fill those ubiquitous exotic screen savers that your coworkers without fail, love to display (guilty as charged). If it is top notch resort and spa services you seek, and a veritable bounty of eye candy that you covet, these are the places. Of course, the one overriding caveat is that they will most likely consume your entire bonus. Bonuses… remember those things?

Unfortunately the Al Wadi Banyan Tree Resort and Spa, located just 30 or so minutes south of RAK, has just opened, has a way to go, and was experienced on a dreadfully windy day. Although, to be frank, not even the sand in your teeth, detracted from the notion that this particular resort might be the weakest in the Banyan Tree portfolio in regards to appearance, comfort and mystique. This is most likely one of those resorts that looks absolutely stunning on the website and brochures (and it does make for some striking photos), but ultimately fails to live up to its billing and portrayal. The surrounding views aren’t the greatest, there does not exist a tremendous number of things to do, and I cannot imagine ladies getting dressed up for dinner only to be buffeted by swirling winds of sand on your walk from your villa to the dining areas. Nope.

Larry, Carlos and I head back north to the RAK coast, where we actually were earlier in the day, and make our way to the Cove Rotana Ras al-Khaimah. The Cove is comprised of a main hotel, several restaurants and lounges all situated at the top of hill (or more likely a huge stabilized sand dune) overlooking Arabic villas weaved together by a waterway, or aha, cove if you will, and beyond that a vast stretch of beach. This is not an altogether bad idea, and I think executed quite well.

The main resort hotel features a large with infinity edge pool overlooking the cove villas Watch as the next few shots progress through the night. The pool, pooldeck and background take on a completely different atmosphere! Thank you D90 (more on that later) Thus concludes day one of our first road trip, and I must say, it was quite fun. Other than the obvious reasons, the overriding ‘fun’ factor is my new Nikon D90 camera. It simply takes shots I could never quite capture with my traditional point and shoot cameras; particularly in regards to night shots. Thank you Bobby, Blake, Andrew & Marla; your advice was much appreciated. And as always, much more of these pictures can be found on my Facebook page: Middle East Journey Take #5.