Mike's Blog | Traveling The Sands of Time

November 13 - Return home

Mon, 14 Nov 2016 10:18:37 -0800

Today we returned home. We had an early start to catch an 8:45am flight (which was delayed 1 hour). As airports go, Dubai is pretty civilized and we got through easily.

The flight was 16 hrs. Emirates is OK as an airline. Nothing special. They got us home.

Overall it was a great trip. We had never been to this part of the World before (except for a brief visit to Muscat) and it proved to be fascinating and different. For those of you who are concerned with safety in the Middle East, Oman and UAE are about as safe and stable as you can imagine. This is strange given their neighbors (like Yemen) but the strict rule of the Sultans / Emirs coupled with vast wealth from oil coupled with a very tolerant form of Islam seems to be a winning combination. We never felt unsafe once although the customs search at the UAE border was a bit tense.

The photography parts, traveling with Chris Rainier, was great. It's always inspirational being around a great photographer and he offered some real help along the way. We'll miss him.

November 12 - Abu Dhabi

Mon, 14 Nov 2016 10:02:46 -0800

Abu Dhabi is about 1 1/2hrs drive from Dubai and is the capital of UAE. We went their with one purpose - to visit the Sheikh Zayed Mosque. It's the largest Mosque in the UAE and the 8th largest in the World. It can hold 41,000 worshipers for prayer. Unlike most Mosques, it is open to non-Muslims (except for Fridays) so It's a must-see if you're in this part of the World. We went early to get there at opening time - 9am, since it gets really busy later on.

You go through some serious security checks to get in and, especially for women, there's a strict dress code - head scarf, long sleeves, no ankles showing, no tattoos, etc., etc. The have a clothing inspection as you go in.

The sight of the Mosque from the outside is breathtaking.

Inside, it's equally spectacular, with the World's largest carpet, woven in a single piece by 1200 Iranian women, in place after the Mosque was built.

After a couple of hours of exploring and taking photos, we returned to Dubai. There were a variety of afternoon activities including skiing. Yes, there's an indoor ski slope in Dubai. Carol and I chose to relax for a couple of hours and get ready to leave the next day.

November 11 - Dubai

Mon, 14 Nov 2016 09:14:14 -0800

Having arrived at Al Maha from the south it felt like it was in the middle of nowhere. In fact, it was only 45min from Dubai to the north so, after checking out, it didn’t take us long to get to the city of Dubai. It was like entering a DisneyLand / Las Vegas World. It was hard to comprehend we were in the same country as the night before.

First stop was the Dubai Mall - the World’s largest shopping mall (12 million sq ft). Fortunately we only got to spend an hour there otherwise serious financial damage would have been done.

Next stop was the Burj Khalifa, the World’s tallest building (2,722 ft). Luckily we had VIP tickets since it was really crowded. We were swiftly transported up to the 158th floor for a nice view of Dubai.

We then set off to explore the old part of Dubai called the Bastakakiya Quarter, a merchant street reminiscent of the early days of Dubai’s International commerce. very multi-cultural - Indian, Pakistani as well as Arab. To cap of the day, we boarded a boat for a dinner cruise around the Marina district of Dubai.

November 10 - Al Maha

Sun, 13 Nov 2016 09:19:29 -0800

Up super-early this morning (6am) for a demonstration of the Bedouin sport of falconry. This has been an integral part of desert life for centuries and and, for us, a great photo op.

The birds, when not flying around, have a little hood put over their head. This puts them into a "happy place" where they become completely passive. Once un-leashed their only interest is in food which the handlers dish out sparingly since, once fed, the birds won't fly anymore.

We had the rest of the day to ourselves which was luxury just to chill out and rest.

That evening there was an optional camel ride followed by a barbecue dinner, Bedouin style, in the desert. I always wanted to get a photo of a camel train through the desert, now was my golden opportunity!

I even managed to persuade Chris to have his photo taken, Lawrence of Arabia style.

And, the Bedouin-style dinner did not disappoint.

The sting of the election was beginning to subside.

November 9 - continued - Al Maha

Sun, 13 Nov 2016 09:00:55 -0800

NGS have this trick that just when the going gets tough (about now), they take you to some fabulous resort for a couple of days of luxury. Well this was the day. We traveled on the bus for a couple of hours and arrived at the Al Maha Resort. Apart from being a luxury hotel, it is a nature reserve populated by Arabian Oryx, Gazelles and other interesting animals. It was clear as we drove through the sand dunes to get there that this would be a very special place. We were escorted to our rooms, individual bungalows with your own private pool. This was our room, overlooking a spectacular view of the sand dunes and desert.

In the late afternoon we piled into 4X4's for a safari of the nature reserve. As safari's go this was quite tame but a great distraction from the trauma of earlier today. We had just arrived on a new planet and it was nice.

In Africa, Gazelles are usually snacks for lions so they herd for protection (see the McDonalds sign on their rear end). Here they are protected so they wander freely on their own.

November 9 - Al Ain

Sun, 13 Nov 2016 08:39:40 -0800

We had a relatively leisurely start today - 10am. Everybody was buried in their cell phones looking at updates on the election. We had a new guide for this part of the tour and, on the bus, everybody largely ignored him. We were to visit the Sheikh Zayed Palace in Al Ain. It seemed like the group were divided into two camps. The first, the anti-Trump camp were getting quite animated and concerned as the outcome unfolded. There was much discussion about armageddon and lot's of discussion about where we'd move to if he actually got in. The other group were very quiet. I'm not sure if they were Trump supporters. If they were, they were wisely keeping their mouth shut. We arrived at the Palace expecting the final result within minutes.

This Palace was the former home of the founder of UAE, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. It was a relatively modest place but gave a good view of what life for him and his family was like (~50 years ago).

Our new guide, Ari, was pressed into service as our new model.

November 8 - continued - Salut, Al Ain

Sun, 13 Nov 2016 00:22:37 -0800

Just so you don't think we're enduring too much hardship, we are traveling in a nice, air-conditioned bus with plenty of room and unlimited bottled water. The mornings are relatively comfortable and warm but as the day wares on, it starts to get really hot (90+) and also quite humid. The locals seem to disappear from view but, of course, we soldier on. Up to this point, we have been traveling north and inland through Oman. The roads are very good and the towns, like Nizwa and Bahla, are quiet and picturesque. This afternoon, it was time to go into "deep Oman". Into the mountains surrounded by landscape that could easily be Mars. Unscheduled, we (National Geographic) had been invited to visit an important archeological site by the government to get a first hand view of a live "dig" that had not yet been made public. The site was at Salut and it was the excavation of an iron-age fort. This was the first time the bus had ventured off on to dirt roads so we bounced along for about an hour before reaching the site. It was hard to miss!

November 8 - Nizwa Fort & Bahla Fort

Sat, 12 Nov 2016 05:07:18 -0800

This morning we visited a couple of forts. The first was Nizwa Fort, a mud brick structure dating back to the 12th century.

While the fort was interesting, the site was mostly a "souk" - selling all kinds of stuff and the fort was this incidental thing in the middle.

The second stop was to Bahla Fort (in Bahla). This is a fine example of a midieval oasis settlement.

As the morning moved on, things started to get busier, with hoards of school kids.

And, of course, another photo op with Malik as model.

November 7 - Birkat Al Mawz, Misfat Al Abrieen

Thu, 10 Nov 2016 02:18:21 -0800

Today we left Muscat. We really enjoyed our stay here. Oman a very safe, rich country where the people are very friendly and welcoming and Muscat is a great model for their capital. I'm impressed they can be part of the 21st Century yet retain most of their traditional way of life. On the other hand, it's a Sultinate which means the Sultan has absolute authority. Since there's no taxes, free education and free medical care, nobody seems to mind. Oil revenues are a wonderful thing.

Fist stop this morning is Birkat Al Mawz, an abandoned (mostly) mud brick village that was typical of Omani life 50 years ago.

We had a tour guide for this part of the trip who we also (reluctantly) convinced to be a photography model.

As well as Carol.

There were many date palms growing outside the village and workers were busy trimming the leaves, tough job, especially in the 90+ heat.

OK, off to check in to our hotel - the Golden Tulip in Nizwa, have lunch, chill out ready to leave again at 2pm.

For some variety, and for good reason, we piled into a convoy of 4X4's (Toyota Land Cruisers, the "must have" transportation for anybody who's anybody in Oman) and headed off to Misfat Al Abrieen, a very picturesque village (mostly populated this time) where we would explore the terraced streets and do a serious photo shoot. From across the valley the village looked spectacular.

November 6 - Wadi Shab, Tiwi, Qantab

Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:44:49 -0800

Ok, we're now getting in to NGS's typical flow - early morning starts! Today it was breakfast at 6am, out the door, on the bus, wheels up by 6:30am. We were off to explore the Oman coast and hike the Wadi Shab Canyon. Basically, a Wadi is a canyon with a river flowing through it. Given that Oman is pretty well all desert, Wadi's stand out because things grow there and locals farm around there. This Wadi, about 2hrs south east of Muscat, is particularly picturesque and has lagoons of crystal clear water where you can swim.

Fist things first:

The hike was about 30 minutes through the canyon to the lagoon where you could swim. In the shade it was quite cool. in the sun you got fried alive. Along the way we began photographing Malik, our tour guide in Oman. He had graciously agreed to be our "model" for the duration so you'll see him pop up in photos as we go along.

Some folks were crazy enough to leap in.

But Carol and I were sensible enough to stay dry.

We then hiked back out of the canyon by which time it was getting seriously hot. We made a brief stop at a local village - Tiwi, took some photos and then went to lunch at Wadi Shab Resort. Calling it a resort was a bit of a stretch but it did have a nice view of the Indian Ocean.

November 5, evening - Qantab

Sun, 06 Nov 2016 18:17:44 -0800

This evening we went to a local fishing village - also the home of our expedition organizer, Maggie Rose, for a traditional Omani meal. Felt like we were in the heart of Omani village culture. The food was great and Carol got "henna'd".

Apology's for the brief entry in the blog. It's been crazy busy and there's been no down time. I'll fill in the details as we go along but bear with me. Tomorrow is a busy day, traveling outside of Oman down the coast to hike a typical "Wadi" followed by more exploring and photographing. The trip is going great so far. More to come.

November 5 - Muscat

Sat, 05 Nov 2016 05:21:27 -0700

Yesterday we traveled from Dubai to Muscat and landed mid-afternoon. That evening we met up with Chris and some of the group for dinner. Nice chance to get to know the other folks we'll be traveling with. So far so good!

Today we were up early (7am departure) to visit Muscat. We started the day at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, suitably attired in "conservative" dress code. This is a spectacular mosque. Huge and not too busy at 8am. Chris had laid on a photo shoot with models and we had our first opportunity to do some real photography.

Later we went to the Souk - the local market for, basically, everything. Again, a great photo op.

Interestingly, Prince Charles and Camilla were staying at the same hotel as ourselves and we also seemed to be trailing them in the various visits to the sights of Muscat. We thought the red carpet outside the national Museum was for us but were sadly disappointed it had been removed by the time we got there.

This evening is the welcome dinner. Likely to be lively and fun.

November 4 - Dubai

Thu, 03 Nov 2016 20:32:29 -0700

Ok, we made it to Dubai. Arrived last night. 16hrs on a plane isn't so bad if you can sleep for 6 hrs. Nice airport, through in a breeze and off to our hotel - the Ritz Carlton.

This is what we look like with 11 hours jet lag:

Dubai is pretty spectacular as a city, especially at night. So, we're looking forward to returning at the end of our trip. Meanwhile, eager to get on tour destination - Muscat.

November 1 - First Post

Sat, 29 Oct 2016 17:37:54 -0700

Welcome to my blog for the National Geographic Sands of Time Expedition. We depart on November 2nd so I thought I'd kick things off and let you know what Carol and I will be up to during the next couple of weeks, or so. This trip is a bit different from the others we have taken. It’s shorter, for a start - just 8 days not counting travel. It’s also billed as a photography trip although I’m still not sure what that means since there hasn’t been much information on that part. A big draw for us is to travel with Chris Rainier, the expedition leader. With Chris’s help, we’ll be capturing images of the local culture, the people, the scenery and hopefully telling stories about this unique region of the World. While we have been to Muscat before, this will be the first time we get to explore the Arab World in detail. I encourage you to read Chris's brief bio on this site’s home page and also to check out Chris’s web site - http://www.chrisrainier.com. I think you’ll get a sense of why we are so excited to be traveling with him (again).