In October John and I made our way to the eastern emirate of Fujairah, around 2 hours away by car. The drive was very scenic... through the desert and then the mountains until we wound up at the coast of the UAE, overlooking the Gulf of Oman.
We stayed at a place called Sandy Beach Hotel in Al Aqah. Going to Fujairah was like visiting another country. It was so different from the fancy skyscrapers of Dubai and Abu Dhabi - much more quiet! Sandy Beach was a nice place with a great view of a large rock formation in the water called Snoopy Island (because it looks like Snoopy laying down). At Snoopy Island there was some decent snorkelling, with a bunch of colourful fish and some coral. Some people have seen turtles and sharks around there, but we didn't spend that much time exploring the waters there. After going to Sipadan in Borneo, one of the best places in the world for viewing sea life, we're semi-retired from snorkelling and diving. It was nice to just swim around and relax at the beach there!
One thing we noticed while we were at Sandy Beach was that there were a number of people pitching tents on the public beach on the other side of the hotel's property. It would be great to go back here and try camping next time!
After our weekend trip to Fujairah, we realized that now we have been to all seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates... Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, and now Fujairah! I haven't been to all the Canadian provinces (John has!) but have now toured the whole UAE. Even though the UAE is much, MUCH smaller than Canada I feel like I've accomplished something. Now I just need to hit up Manitoba and Saskatchewan to say that I've been to all 10 Canadian provinces! :)
We stayed at a place called Sandy Beach Hotel in Al Aqah. Going to Fujairah was like visiting another country. It was so different from the fancy skyscrapers of Dubai and Abu Dhabi - much more quiet! Sandy Beach was a nice place with a great view of a large rock formation in the water called Snoopy Island (because it looks like Snoopy laying down). At Snoopy Island there was some decent snorkelling, with a bunch of colourful fish and some coral. Some people have seen turtles and sharks around there, but we didn't spend that much time exploring the waters there. After going to Sipadan in Borneo, one of the best places in the world for viewing sea life, we're semi-retired from snorkelling and diving. It was nice to just swim around and relax at the beach there!
One thing we noticed while we were at Sandy Beach was that there were a number of people pitching tents on the public beach on the other side of the hotel's property. It would be great to go back here and try camping next time!
After our weekend trip to Fujairah, we realized that now we have been to all seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates... Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, and now Fujairah! I haven't been to all the Canadian provinces (John has!) but have now toured the whole UAE. Even though the UAE is much, MUCH smaller than Canada I feel like I've accomplished something. Now I just need to hit up Manitoba and Saskatchewan to say that I've been to all 10 Canadian provinces! :)
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