Weekend in RAK

Ras al-Khaimah, aka RAK, sits on the Trucial Sea about 150 miles from Abu Dhabi at almost the northernmost point of the UAE.  Fittingly its name means “Top of the Tent.”  Each Thursday afternoon, RAK is a favorite destination for my young Emirati eager to vacate school.   On a recent Thursday, Alison and I thought we would follow suit to see what all the fuss was about. 

Hilton Ras Al-Khaimah Resort & Spa

The trip north was what one might expect here:  weekend accidents, a bus on fire, stop-and-go traffic between Dubai and Sharjah.  Yes, careful reader, flames completely engulfed a worker bus, which resembled a giant marshmallow roasting on the edge of the road with billowing black smoke filling the late afternoon sky.  Looked like everyone got out alive, at least to us rubberneckers on the other side of the road.   Once in RAK, our KC-built Garmin directed us to a non-existent Hilton Spa and Resort, but Google came to the rescue.   (Thankfully my lovely wife travels with all available technology.) We finally arrived at the real spa as the sun was setting over the Trucial Sea.  Later we enjoyed a seafood meal with prawns and sand lobsters along with a host of Arabic mezzes at one of the resort restaurants. 

Alison outside our villa to take sunset pictures

Sunset over the Trucial Sea

Labyrinthine Pool at night

The Hilton sports a variety of pools: the requisite noisy kiddie pool with squirting fountains, a tranquil adult pool, and a labyrinthine pool with seawater from the gulf.  No pool, however, could compare to the beautiful beach.  Alison waded into the waters, enjoying the waves and collecting bottles and plastic to protect endangered, hawksbill sea turtles.  I held my Fitbit aloft in the water, and invoked the memories of Moses in battle.  Alternately we relaxed and read in comfy beach chairs, enjoying the sun and gentle breezes, which made the 110° F (43° C) heat tolerable.  In the afternoon, we imbibed next to scantily clad Germans (in Speedos and halters in pursuit of “braungebrant”) at an outside cantina.  Steve sampled a fruity mojito while Alison sipped a Planter’s Punch, worthy of her Southern roots.

Alison the environmentalist!

Relaxing and Reading

Cheers!

Seaside cantina

So worth the effort to get there!

After a full day at the resort, we decide to venture out Friday night to THE top restaurant featured in Trip Advisor (TA), an Indian diner begun by a five-star chef from Dubai (One of the surprises we have had here is a growing affinity for spicy Indian food).  Anyway, the dinner began inauspiciously:  we were moved into the “family” room; the oven was out of commission and so the tandoori touted in TA was unavailable.  Instead, we feasted on an Indian version of bruschetta and 2 curries -- prawns masala and chicken masala -- along with endless Indian flat bread.   After the entire meal plus waters and Mountain Dews, we were delighted to see the tab was for 66 dirhams, or about $18. 

With a late checkout and Ramadan not yet starting, we spent another leisurely morning at the beach on Saturday. The afternoon concluded with an uneventful return:  no flaming buses, just interesting desert terrain.  

Modesty even at the beach

Dates are almost ready.

Desert from RAK to Dubai

Spring Break: Malaysia, Indonesia, & Singapore

For our two-week spring break, we sojourned from dry Abu Dhabi eastward to a wet, exotic trifecta:  Maylasia, Indonesia, and Singapore.

On top of Penang Hill: 10,577+ Km from home

After an overnight layover in Singapore, we arrived in Penang, Malaysia.  As a child, I remember Charles Kuralt of CBS news reporting about Vietnam War peace talks from Penang (though I had no idea where it was).  The lovely Alison located the ultimate British colonial haunt in fashionable George Town at the Eastern and Oriental Hotel, or simply the "E & O." Naturalist writers Josef Conrad and Somerset Maugham found inspiration at this Sarky hotel, and so would we.  With a stately echo dome above its entrance, the hotel possesses dark, long-planked mahogany floors, ornate wainscoting, and a superabundance of bulky, 19th-century furniture.  Our latticed windows opened up to the sea.

The elegance of colonial Penang

Island Hospital, Penang

On our first morning, Alison awoke in excruciating pain, and we quickly learned we needed to sample some Malaysian medical tourism (we later learned we were not alone; many nearby Indonesians and Chinese also visit, though mostly for Botox and plastic surgery).  Anyhow, we discovered Alison had suffered a prolapsed disc.  We left the ER $150 poorer, but with enough medication for her the resume our trip.  We were very impressed by the service, care, and attention Alison received.

That afternoon while Alison rested by the pool, I visited the Penang Museum, which highlighted its colonial history.  I especially liked the sprawling opium beds and ornate three-inch shoes (for bound Chinese feet).  Later I walked to a clock tower built in 1900 for Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee; during WWII, a bomb fell near it and now the tower lists a bit to one side.  After a lunch of spicy chilli shrimp, I rode a rickshaw back to the E&O; I hope to be as agile as my driver when I turn eighty.

Steve's Solo Sightseeing

Dining by Hawkers

"Dinner by hawker's" is a popular way of eating in Malaysia.  Throughout our journey we tried several different spots including the famous Gurney Drive and the Red Garden in Penang.   The Gurney Drive area offered fifty-some makeshift hawker stands for us to peruse and choose.  Alison sampled dumpling soup while I stuck with fried prawns and calamari. Due to the abundance of fruit, fresh-squeezed juice is a good choice for beverages to accompany the spicy foods. On the return trip, our driver tried out some conspiracy theories for the missing Malayian Airlines flight 370, including the US government forcing the jet to land at Diego Garcia Airport because it contained Korean-captured US drones en route to China.

On our last full day in Penang, we hired "Sonny" to transport us around "the Pearl of the Orient.” The morning was full of Bhuddas:  sleeping Bhuddas, lotus Bhuddas, Bhuddas from every country across the Orient.  Later, we took a walk in the humid botanical garden and saw our first wild monkeys.  In the afternoon, we divided our time between a funicular tram up Penang Hill and a seven-story pagoda; both sites occasioned some stunning views of the city.

Reclining Buddha - Thai Temple

Thai Buddhist Temple

Hall of International Buddhas

 Prayers at Burmese Buddhist Temple

Buddha at Chinese Temple

Pagoda at Chinese Temple

Making a wish for good health

Botanical Gardens and Penang Hill

The next day we rode the train across the Malaysian countryside on a six-hour trip to the nation’s capital, Kuala Lumpur (at the cost of about $2 an hour).   

Train from Penang to Kuala Lumpor

Arriving in the afternoon, we happened across a fish spa.  Tiny speckled garra rufa fish nibbled on the dry dead skin of our feet.  Perhaps because my lack of pedicures, the fish found my soles tastier than Alison's.

I hope our feet were a tasty treat for the fish!

 

On the morning of the following day, we began with a trip to the top of the fabled Petronas Towers, still the largest twin towers in the world.  

Patronas Towers - Tallest twin towers in the world

Later, we visited a very ornate (though not easily reached) Hindu temple.  Another hawker meal saw Alison sampling spicy chicken satay while I lunched on a barbecued chicken hotdog with long green onion relish.  Later, we toured the National Malaysian Museum, which took a curious anthropological slant before arriving at a disappointing craft exhibit and market.

Hindu Temple - We found it!

Hop On-Hop Off Bus - Good way to experience KL

 The next morning we boarded a local train to the famous Batu Caves.  Beginning at the foot of the caves, we bounded up the 729 steps to the top, which housed an extensive Hindu shrine at the top of the outcropping.  I worried about Alison's back, but she made it up in fine form.

View from train station

That was a lot of steps, but worth it!

Shrine at top of steps

Natural beauty surrounds man-made beauty

Selfie at Batu Caves - tourists!

Monkeys at Batu Caves

Though the steps were steep, the macaque monkeys proved more problematic.  We saw one nimble creature wrestle a water bottle away from a Japanese woman, whose husband futilely gave chase.

Now I have a suitable relationship with primates:  I leave them alone, and they me.  Alison, thinking herself another Dian Fossey, chatted with the monkeys, uttering playful musings, and shared flowers with them.  At one point after snapping a photo of the vista below, she absentmindedly reached for the bannister and knocked a grey beast off his perch.  He leapt back up, growled, and then bared his teeth at her. 

Going up, across, and down

Following this misadventure, we loped across the parking lot to finally locate a cabbie who knew the location of the Forest Reserve Institute of Malaysia (FRIM).  After slathering ourselves with the recommended ne plus ultra bug lotion (in addition to the 2 mosquito bracelets and a mosquito patch), we began a three-hour trek to the top of the world for a canopy walk among the trees.  As we are a litigious society in the US, this walk would never be permitted because of the consistent unsure footing.  I could only hope as much here.  Anyway, the terrain was very uneven, and often rocky.  I had not hiked in this manner since my days four decades previous as an Eagle Scout at Osceloa, Missouri.  Look at the sweaty messes we ended up.

Waterfall to cool us off before the last leg down

Welcome to paradise!

The next day we left early for Lombok,   an Indonesian vacation hotspot a friend of Alison's had recommended over nearby Bali.  The setting was picturesque:  aquamarine water juxtaposed against volcanic-ash, black-sand beaches (a lovely romantic respite after touring and hiking). Recently the Qunci Villas secured a position rated in the Top Ten in a study of 25,000 hotels worldwide.  Not only did we have a beach-front property, but our own private swimming pool.

Romance

Remember the movie South Pacific - That mountain in the background is Bali

Snorkeling

Besides extended time reading, tanning, and sipping fruity drinks, we hired a local fishing boat to take us to some nearby islands (Gillis) for snorkelling.  With our masks facing downward, we spied swimming turtles, giant clams, and a variety of tropical fish and coral.  

Fresh fish lunch with a view

More from Lombok- basalt beaches, beach cafés, and the joy of children frolicking in the surf

Singapore was our final destination.  There, we spent an animal day at the world-renowned Singapore Zoo.  The giant pandas appeared especially playful:  Kai-Kai ate bamboo ravenously while Jia-Jia circled a well-worn path.  Both of us were impressed with the zoo's design:  we found ourselves closer to the animals than we had ever been.  After a dinner of signature Singapore chilli crabs, we boarded a tram for the Night Safari (the only one in the world). At one point, Alison was so near a tapir that she could have touched him (although after her experience with the monkeys, I'm glad she did not).

What an amazing zoo!

Only night safari in the world!

On our last day, we navigated the Singapore subway in order to tour the vaunted National Museum of Singapore, known for its engaging and interactive technologies.  In addition to the new exhibit on the people’s collection, the exhibits on Oriental fashion and film stood out.

Raffles Hotel - Birthplace of the Singapore Sling

We lunched at the Raffles Hotel, a contemporary of the E & O, and birthplace of the Singapore sling.  After a liquid lunch with some Italian appetizers, we left for the Changi Airport, one of the top airports in the world filled with shopping, gardens, two hotels, entertainment for the family, and very efficient signs. There we spent our last Singaporean dollars for a few hours at the Ambassador Lounge, where I showered and Alison caught up on social media before our Etihad flight back to the United Arab Emirates. 
 

Cheers from Singapore

One of the nicest airports in the world

Sunset over Lombok and our holiday