Monday 24 March 2008

R & R

a little rest & relaxation was in order so off i headed down to the local golf course at the Hilton. However, not being able to belt it everytime i had a go was a little frustrating. i think if anything, it put my blood pressure through the roof!

(p.s. excuse my french!)

Quad Biking made easy

Some while ago now i went out quad biking in the local dunes. its an exhilarating experience of having the freedom to explore the emptiness of the desert and virtually go anywhere you want but something i didnt bank on is how potentially dangerous it can be as well as the fact that i spent a lot of the time bogged down in the sand trying to pull myself out!

loading up...

A nice action shot, i make it look easy dont I!

doing what i do best...getting stuck!


the golden stuff goes on for as far as the eye can see!

...and finally packing up at the end of the day.

Tuesday 18 March 2008

Mussandam here i come!

well actually not quite. north of the UAE is an enclave that belongs to Oman so that the northern most tip of the peninsula (the strait of Hormuz, you may remember it was in the news recntly because of an incident between the american and iranian navy) is actually in Oman. the famous mountain range in the area (mussandam) was to be the destination but after a blowout due to offroading and a 1 hour tyre change (it was midday, very hot and the whole town had shut down) i had to make the best of it and enjoy the local scenary.

on the road to khasab


one of many empty and stunning beaches


riding along the clifftops!

this is a really interesting pic. you cant tell but the edge of the cliff is just at the bottom of the picture then its a one hundred metre sheer drop. there is no way down to the little house and mosque from the clifftop and no road down there either. the only way to get there is by boat.

this place is called khor najd (i think). it is an inlet along the straits of hormuz. it was quite a scary drive along the switch backs down the side of the nountain to get there but very picturesque i am sure you will all agree!

who's that good lookin fella?!


Inspiration!

Most capitals in the middle east and in fact all over the muslim world have one masjid that is the 'piece de resistance' of the thousands of masjids that grace these lands. Whilst passing through Abu Dhabi recently i decided to stop by and see what the all the fuss is about. This is one of very few times since i have been here has something this spectacular blown me away....










And finally, a bit of the Abu Dhabi skyline at dusk...this mix of classical vs. contemporary architecture really does make this a stunning city.

Monday 17 March 2008

now thats what you call a mall !

now i'm not particularly materialistic in nature therefore plugging the ultimate means by which peoples lives become drowned in consumerism may be a little surprising but this is a far cry from beckton retail park and the like!


The Ibn Battuta mall is named after a very famous islamic scholar during the middle ages who is famed for having travlled the whole breadth of the muslim empire which at the time stretched in the west from andalusia (modern day spain) to as far east as the borders of china. he is renowned for his travels (most of which were done on foot) and was essentially the 'marco polo' of his age. the sections in the mall are themed after the different parts of the world he visited. above shows a reconstruction of some of the scientific research that was being conducted by arab scholars at the time.

an exhibit in the 'India' hall

a junk boat in the 'chinese' hall

architecture from the 'north african' section

whilst the above pic is from a different mall (dubai festival mall i think?!) this staircase come post modern water fall is absolutely amazing. unfortunately the picture doesnt do it jusctice. all along the panels you can see water trickling down and as it does so across the green corrugated marble surface, it shimmers and cathces the light...a real work of art!

Bullfighting...Omani style

On my first foray accross the border into Oman i went to a sleepy little village called Sohar, allegedley where the fabled Sinbad the sailor is from. as usual i completely forgot to take piccies of the picturesque village so all i managed where a few pics of the beach (which went on for what seemed like miles!) how do i know it went on for miles...cos i drove on the beach at the water's edge untill i could drive no more!




on the way back home i was drawn to a large gathering of people off the main road. a favourite past time of the locals here is bull fighting. however i bet even they werent prepared for what was about to happen...luckily no one was injured!

somewhere in the mountains...

i cant remember where i was going (or even coming from) but i had to stop and take a video of this vista...stunning!

hey ya'll, wassup?!

assalamu alaikum and wassup ya'll!!!

I know its been a long time since i have written. Honestly the reason why...? you are not gonna believe me but i have genuinely been working so hard that i havent had a spare moment to myself. as i mentioned previously somewhere, i have set this up to mainly post piccies of what i have been upto so heres the latest.

(I say latest however some of these are some months old now and not necessarily in chronological order, enjoy!)