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.
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| 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.
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| Alison outside our villa to take sunset pictures |
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| Sunset over the Trucial Sea |
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| 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.
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| Alison the environmentalist! |
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| Relaxing and Reading |
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| Cheers! |
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| Seaside cantina |
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| 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.
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| Modesty even at the beach |
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| Dates are almost ready. |
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| Desert from RAK to Dubai |
