Day 122: Dune-bashing in Ras al-Khaimah

Yep! We went dune-bashing in Ras al-Khaimah! What on earth is dune-bashing? An extraordinarily fun version of off-roading done in the desert, that’s what! Kate had the hook-up, and that hook-up was her friend, TJ who is actually a member of the Abu Dhabi Dune-bashing Club! He picked us up, let a lot of air out of his tires, and then took us up and down sand dunes, sometimes stopping right on the cliffs leaving us dangling from our seat-belts and with the same feeling you get when you’re on a roller-coaster dangling high above the ground face-down. That being said, he was a super safe driver, not only did he know exactly what he was doing, he tried to educate us a little about driving and bashing in the desert as we went up and down the dunes. (You rock, TJ!)

After bashing, we went for (Yemeni) Mandi.

This glorious dish is simple, yet fantastic. The chicken is cooked in a stone oven underground and then served on top of a huge pile of rice. The experts (Kate, Andrew, and TJ) told us to get the yogurt. We followed suit, dumping the not so spicy tomato based sauce into the yogurt and then pouring it on the rice or dipping the chicken into it. I’m getting so accustomed to eating with my fingers, I’m not at the moment prepared to use a fork. Good thing, we have a ways to go before I find that I’ll need to use one!

FYI: Andrew and I (being the foodies that we are, er, that Andrew has totally turned me into) are keeping a Pinterest board (Liz and Andrew eat their way around the world) of all of our favorite foods we have tried on the road! We’re trying to include recipes as well so we don’t forget what we loved and have the motivation to make it all when we get back home (you know, wherever home may be in a year)! If you’re feeling adventurous give one of the dishes a whirl- but please let us know how it turned out, as we haven’t had the pleasure of trying these recipes out yet!

Day 121: Dubai

A day in Dubai! I have to admit, it’s not in the running to be my favorite city of the trip. (To be fair, most major cities don’t end up being my favorite places, as I much prefer smaller rural villages and towns.) It felt very sterile. It’s full of complicated roads and buildings that almost feel like they are in the middle of nowhere, mostly because we drove for over an hour through the desert to get there. “The curse of the Emirates is that you can see it, but you can’t figure out how to get there!” Kate said as we drove through the city with the Burj in plain sight, but no clue how to get to it. Comp.li.cated. It was interesting to see, even if it was largely from inside of a car. It’s not a city for backpackers or even budget travelers. It’s a city for tourists who stay at a resort with a fancy room, pools, and who like spending their holiday in a spa or a mall. Perhaps if we were visiting with someone who lived IN Dubai, we would have surely discovered the small nuances that make this city tick, but I might not go back to Dubai to visit Dubai anytime soon. (But to visit Kate, of course!)

I should probably mention that our first stop was to the newly opened Cheesecake Factory for a cheeseburger. My first year abroad, I rolled my eyes at Americans who went to McDonalds for a cheeseburger fix. Since I couldn’t really remember the last time I had a cheeseburger, let alone beef, we both thought it was necessary. It was glorious. I couldn’t even eat half of it, but was ecstatic to have it boxed up for a snack later. And then the new waitress only brought out my dipping sauces to go instead of the half cheeseburger and nearly full order of fries I hadn’t touched! I cringed at the possibility that she misunderstood and threw so much food away. She did. And then looked completely incredulous when we asked where my food was. I avoided eye-contact thinking about how much money I had just spent on a cheeseburger and half of it was thrown out. Kate was in my corner. She was firm and insistent. “Is there anything you can do?” She asked. The new waitress disappeared and came back with her trainer, who reassured me they would make another meal for me to take home. I sighed in relief. Kate explained to both waitresses how we don’t get to eat American food very often. Then Kate explained to us how wasteful Emirates are. I guess it’s a rich thing… But when you’ve been eating $2.00 Southeast Asian noodles or Indian curries for the past four months and spend 10x that to eat a cheeseburger… you have a whole new appreciation for food and how much you’re spending on it.

After the mall, and a view at Ski Dubai (an indoor skiing arena in the middle of the desert. crazy.) we went to ride the abras to the souks on the other side of town. Abras are traditional boats made of wood that are used to get to the souks, or markets in Dubai. It was a quick ride across the canal, but felt like a fun traditional thing to do in Dubai. There isn’t much by way of traditional in the UAE. It’s a pretty closed off society. Emirates keep to themselves, and their tradition, as we learned later is oral. It’s not like you can stroll the streets of Dubai and learn about the desert culture. Andrew and I felt like we were tourists for the first time, instead of travelers, which was odd because there weren’t even many “touristy” things to do, aside from shop in the malls around town!

Walking through the gold souk was super fun. We took turns picking out our favorites. (Andrew will not acknowledge he participated, but I assure you, he did.) I wonder who even wears this much bling at one time! Can you imagine walking into a party, taking off your coat, and revealing one of these?

“So, which side was Tom Cruise on?” I asked Kate when we were standing outside the Burj Khalifa. She fell out of the running to be the best tour guide ever when she admitted to not having watched the latest Mission Impossible movie. (Just kidding, Kate!) We watched a beautiful fountain show outside of the mall and the Burj Khalifa, took some photos, and then headed back to RAK. I might have dropped my camera one too many times, because my lens has started acting up, and I wasn’t able to get the most amazing pictures in such low light. Even if I was able to take the perfect picture, it wouldn’t give it justice. The Burj when standing even 50 meters away looks like it’s going to topple over on top of you because it’s just so. ridiculously. tall.

Fun fact: The Burj Khalifa was supposed to be named The Burj Dubai. (Burj = building) But then Dubai nearly went bankrupt building it and had to borrow money from Abu Dhabi (the capital emirate). Abu Dhabi complied, but with the stipulation that it had to be named after Sheikh Khalifa. This was a bit of a burn because the two emirates have a little bit of a rivalry going on.

Not so fun fact: It costs 100 AED ($27.23) if you book your visit – down to the exact date and time- in advance. It costs 400 AED  ($108.90) if you want immediate entry. Obviously, we didn’t plan a visit “to the top” in advance and it wasn’t worth over two days of our budget to take in the night view of Dubai. If you’re interested though, you can go here for more booking information.

Day 120: One Fish, Two Fish

I wish my New Year’s Day was spent wandering through the fish market in Ras al-Khaimah, but alas, I’m cheating on the blog for the first time because… My real New Year’s Day was spent suffering from the latest round of food poisoning. One last parting gift from India? Undercooked chicken in the desert? Something slipped into my drink when I wasn’t looking at the party? We were all skeptical. Andrew was tempted to take me to the hospital, but I refused. I did, however, accept his charcoal tablets and electrolyte mix. They worked. We picked up the charcoal tablets in India after Andrew was sick, they are officially my new favorite travel staple. I was better by the time everyone else in the house woke up from their afternoon New Years Day naps.

So, this cheating post is from another evening in Ras al-Khaimah. I thought it would be much more enjoyable than watching a video of one of us sick or sleeping again! James, one of Kate’s friends in RAK (short for Ras al-Khaimah) entertained us, and probably those working in the market with a little bit of a tour. Before I moved to Korea, I would get a little squirmish about walking through a fish market. Slippery tentacles especially tended to creep me out. Now, I quite enjoy them. They are much more fun than a sterile American grocery store, and if you’re going to eat meat (or in this case, fish) you should be comfortable with the process. And if you’re not comfortable, as sometimes is the case with myself, you eat more vegetables. It’s a win win!

Day 119: New Year’s Eve in the UAE

New Year’s Eve in the UAE! Kate lives in Ras al-Khaima, one of the seven emirates. It’s name means “Top of the Tent” and offers lots of sand (like many of the emirates do), which made for a perfect party in the desert! We spent the day relaxing at Kate and Andrew’s (yes, another Andrew) apartment, and then caravanned with friends out to a random spot in the desert. Cars were left near the expressway that wouldn’t be able to cross through the desert. Air was let out of tires of the cars which were able to drive on the sand. Tents were set up. Chicken and lamb was roasted. Drinks were shared. Hugs were given at midnight followed by lanterns being set afloat to bring in the new year! Happy 2013!

The night was a lot of fun. It actually reminded me of a field party in Kentucky. Only with sand dunes. And a really diverse group of expats and Emirates. And the obvious, that it wasn’t in Kentucky. The conversations were awesome, everything from what it’s like to travel through India, how the UAE has changed in the past ten years, trying to converse with a man from Bangladesh, who couldn’t speak English, and even a rousing debate about world economics with a currency trader.

This last conversation led to a very important lesson that I had to learn the hard way. In the UAE, women do not initiate conversation with Emirati men. Had I known this, before I went up to an entire group of them to ask their opinion “If they would rather live in China or the USA in the future, which would they choose?” I probably wouldn’t have  had to demand Andrew to change places with me and stand a little closer after one of the Emirati men copped a feel. Seriously, this happened. And it was after I told the Emirati men I was with my husband! – Stop freaking out, we’re not married, we just told everyone in India and the UAE that we were. Furthermore, I was standing right next to Andrew when this happened, but apparently they thought that I was fair game because I initiated conversation with them. Kate later said that the currency trader (an Emirati himself) should have known better than to allow me to approach the men on my own.

When Andrew demanded to know who did it, I told him to let it go. The “it’s your second night in a new country” feeling kicked in, and it wasn’t worth a confrontation. Also, in the midst of that same conversation with the currency trader, he had insisted that women were treated with respect in the UAE, and in Dubai, they were considered equals. I rolled my eyes at him when he said this, and after my bum was grabbed, I wanted to march back up to him and say “If women are treated with respect and considered equal in your country, sir, then why are your Emirati homeboys grabbing my bum after I initiate a conversation about ECONOMICS?”

Unfortunately – coincidentally – the currency trader was no where to be found after he insisted I ask the Emirates their opinion on our economic debate.

It was a lesson learned. an interesting night, and start to the new year!

Day 118: Goodbye, Goa

Andrew and I had a few hours in the morning before we had to head to the airport for our flight out of India and into the U.A.E. We walked down to the beach, ate at our favorite ‘German Bakery’ (ran by a really sweet Nepalese couple), and picked up some Bebinca (a Goan desert we forgot to try together) to taste with Kate when we arrived in the U.A.E.

We were excited to get out of the country and spend New Year’s Eve in the U.A.E. until we arrived to the airport and discovered our first flight was delayed and then we were told we would be able to get on the flight out of Mumbai the following night. As in New Years Eve arriving at the airport. “No, that’s not possible.” Andrew said firmly to the airline clerk. We were told to wait. Andrew was stressed we weren’t going to be able to celebrate New Year’s Eve in the desert. I waited, willing the airline to ‘make it work.’ And then, magically, it did. We were able to get onto the earlier flight to Mumbai, made our flight from there to Dubai, and not only were we reunited with Kate, but Biggie was waiting for us outside of the airport as well!

Biggie is Kate’s adorable dog that stayed with us for a few weeks in Korea when Kate was out of the country. We both got a little attached to him. I really wanted to get a dog in Korea, but Andrew wouldn’t let me. Not really at all, but when I miss my family’s dog, or get frustrated at my lifestyle that doesn’t include a dog of my own, I take it out on Andrew and “blame him” for not letting me have a dog.  This gets him all riled up, because he wants a dog just as much as I do. (Maybe more, but don’t tell him I admitted it!) Alas, He was/is right: Korea’s small apartments, and now, traveling around the world just aren’t conducive to having a dog.  I digress. Point is, we were excited to stay with Kate, and even more excited to stay with Kate AND Biggie!