Sunday, December 17, 2023

Day 12: The 37 Degree Climb

We decided that before we headed south to Dubai, we needed to try to go up the Jebel al Harim mountain range which is at 7,000 ft.  We had heard that it was a beautiful road going straight up the very steep mountains around Khasab ... but we were not prepared for what we found.

We had heard it was paved ... but it wasn't ... we had heard that it was steep ... but not like this ... a 37 degree climb on dirt through switchbacks ... our motorcycles rear tires were having a hard time getting traction even in Enduro mode ... making a switchback turn while going up at this steep angle was definitely not for the faint hearted ... the scenery and the mountains were as expected ... unique, beautiful, and awe inspiring.  After a while we decided we gave it a try and turned around and headed back to Khasab and on to Dubai.

The ride to Dubai was uneventful and peaceful ... the border crossing was also easy ... knowing that we were reaching the end of our ride ... all in one piece ... made the ride thoroughly enjoyable ... seeing the sights ... no need to take any more pictures ... just absorbing it all ... the towns, the beaches, the sea, the dunes, the camels, the people.  All was good with the world.

Dubai ts a big city ... way bigger than I thought ... lots of suburbs, highways, buildings and industrial activity.  Traffic is heavy as we approached the city ... stoplights take forever, which make progress once in the city, slow.  Our hotel is in a great location ... one block from the ocean surrounded by a nice beach walk and lots of cool restaurants.

Andy and I decided to have lunch at a great seafood restaurant next to our hotels by the beach where we met Maria and Sergei from Russia.  We shared a table with them because getting a table for 4 was faster than waiting for 2 tables for 2.  Maria and Sergei left Russian one week before the war started and never went back ... they loved it down here.  Sergei is in software development and Maria does marketing and event planning.

Derek and I went to do the touristy thing and headed to the Burj Khalifa to see what the fuzz was all about ... a 150+ story building ... so we got the VIP ticket and headed to the observation deck on floor 148 ... Wow!  Bought some souvenirs, had a cappuccino while sitting at the lounge at the very top and watched the city light below.  An enjoyable visit after all.

At sunset, we all headed to the Dubai sour's ... they are big, interesting, colorful ... my Uber driver explained that most shop owners are Indian, most drivers are Pakistani, most service workers are from a number of Stan republics (the host at our hotel is from Kyrgyzstan), Philippines and Nepal ... but, at the end of the day, we have met people from all over the world working here ... a truly international city.

The souqs in Dubai are big and are located round the Dubai Creek in central Dubai ... we had to take a small colorful boat taxi to go visit the other side.  A great night in the middle of Middle East life ... gold shops, spice shops, souvenir shops, people, children, lights, smells ... a nice way to end the day.

Tomorrow, we will return our motorcycles, go visit a beach or two and head to the airport to take our flight back home.

The 37-degree steep climbs up the mountains in Musandam, Oman ... on dirt!

Back to the UAE

My friend Sauda from Uganda taking picture of the flags in my jacket to show her kids

Driving through some of the Dubai suburbs

Our place for lunch ... fresh seafood in front of the ocean ... a winning combination

We shared a table with Maria and Sergei to be able to be seated sooner ... great stories

One of the many marinas in Dubai

Wow ... this is indeed big when you are standing at the base

Architectural marvels everywhere you look ... al built by EMAAR ... the Dubai construction conglomerate

A bit busy ... but impressive

Wow!  The view of the city from the top of the Burj Khalifa

At floor 148

There are UAE flags everywhere in this country ... buildings, houses, businesses ... big, small

A big of one of the souq's in Dubai

A typical spice shop

The view of the city from the Dubai Creek

The parking piers for the water taxis to take across to the creek to the other markets

On the colorful water taxi crossing the creek

Even bigger boats plow these waters

Andy getting a trim at the souq

An amazing gold store in the Gold Souq of Dubai

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