It had only been 36 hours since I landed from Dubai when I took off again this morning! After a quick prayer asking for a safe trip (welcome to Saudi Arabian Airlines!) we were off to Riyadh, to accompany my friend Dominique to the French Embassy.
It was a very quick trip but we managed to visit Riyadh's main landmark: the Kingdom Tower. We went up to the skybridge situated on the 99th floor to get a good view onto the 5.3 million inhabitants capital.
Just a week before going away for spring break, we had a quick getaway in the Emirates, where my parents came for vacation. We went to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and crossed the emirates of Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah to enter the northern Oman exclave of Musandam.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi
Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi
Yas Hotel, Abu Dhabi
Dinner cruises and water taxis on Dubai Creek
On the way to the Hajjar Mountains
A goat farm in the middle of nowhere, Oman, Musandam
Hajjar Mountains, Oman, Musandam
Hajjar Mountains, Oman, Musandam
Getting ready for a picnic at the top
Hajjar Mountains, Oman, Musandam
Hajjar Mountains, Oman, Musandam
Hajjar Mountains, Oman, Musandam
Friday market in Dibba
Friday market in Dibba
Camelicious: a camel farm producing camel milk products (including chocolate!)
Feeding the camels
Camel farm
Camel farm
Getting a henna tattoo at Souk Madinat Jumeirah
Burj Al Arab in the background
Burj Khalifa (828 m)
Dubai Fountain show
Dubai Fountain show seen from above (124th floor - 452 m)
Richard dreaming about his next car...
Spice souk, Dubai
Spice souk, Dubai
Have a great weekend, I hope the pictures make you feel like travelling to the region!
This sandstorm season seems not to have an end this year. We're dreaming about the days when it will be warm enough to go to the beach, and when our houses stop getting dirty overnight!
Yesterday we got caught in a sandstorm in Al-Khobar, and we had to drive back to Al-Jubail. Here are a couple of pictures; if you think the pictures are blurry, it's not (only) due to the poor photographer, but to the sandstorm, which makes the air look foggy. Only, the air is much dirtier than fog, and it irritates the throat and the eyes. (By the way, drinking milk proves to help a lot against that. That is, against the throat irritation; for the eyes, I haven't heard of any remedy other than eyedrops)
A passerby covering his mouth from the sand
Al Khobar
Al Khobar
Al Khobar
Arriving in Al Jubail
That's what our porch looks like after every sandstorm
This morning, it still wasn't over (again, sorry about the poor photo quality, it was taken from the bus on the way to the Arabic class)
If the title didn't ring a bell, here's a hint (and I'm seriously thinking about recording an adaptation):
All you need is good company, which we definitely had! Additionnally, you may want:
An appetizer buffet: nacho chips, guacamole, ceviche, an easy but delicious dip (frijoles + sour cream + cheddar cheese)
A great co-host who can do corn tortillas the Mexican way
For main course, tacos with different fillings: chicken, atropellado (dry meat in tomato sauce),
rajas con queso
Nice chit-chat, interesting stories to share
A salsa teacher who gets everybody dancing
And to finish, a selection of Nutella cheesecake, biscocho and pastel de tres leches
And that's how we spend great times over here! I haven't been very active around here, we haven't done so much lately, but we have a couple of great trips coming up! I'll keep you posted!
