RAZ AL KHAYMAH!

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the travel blog webiste is severely lacking in place names for this fine middle eastern country known as the United Arab Emirates but I am in the place that I name in my title:RAK as the locals call it.
After spending 2 boring days in Bangkok sleeping and watching a James Bond marathon I got up yesterday and was delighted to think that I was heading to the airport. After a gong show that involved me not being able to get a shuttle from the street I was staying on, having to double back because I forgot my 1000 baht deposit at my guesthouse and dodging tuktuk drivers I made it to the shuttle stand that sits on the street. As I got there an English man came up to me and asked me if I wanted to share a taxi to the airport for only 50 baht more (which is just less than $1.50) than the shuttle. Agreed! and thankful to have a more comfortable ride leaving when I wanted to and getting me there a helluva lot faster.
I got to fly out of the new airport which is actually not that nice, sorry Thailand. It's nicer than the old one (think brown and lots of it, low ceilings, etc) but still... maybe it's cuz Vancouver and Hong Kong have such nice ones that I compare it to. Anyways, did not get the window seat and the large headed man next to me blocked the entire thing as we circled Dubai for over an hour waiting to land, me twitching and fiddling with anticipation. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, Anna's boyfriend Troy had almost given up on me and was planning on leaving without me! I found this out later, not from Troy on the drive to RAK but from Anna hours later when she finished pantomime rehearsal.
The passport control dude was really friendly, the most I've ever had at an airport, asking me small talk questions and laughing with me and stuff, a far cry from American passport control I tell ya.
so what else...? I haven't gotten used to seeing the women in national dress yet, they stare at me, I stare at them, it works really well. The ones who show their faces are easier to adjust to but then there's ones that wear something vaugely resembling a muzzle that startle the eye a little. Most of the men I've seen have been wearing the white robes and headdress, but some don't and loads of the kids don't either.
It's so great to see Anna again, it seems like she's really liking her job (I have to say nice things cuz she might eventually be reading this..!haha!) and loving being back where she went to high school again. Today for lunch we're going to her all time favourite restaurant in the world and probably will go there for dinner too, Al Sahari baby! This weekend is the huge rugby 7s tournament in Dubai so we're all going if we can get passes, which we will, inshallah. Also Troy told me that there's really good diving nearby and my heart lept when he said we could go and that he knows people that run a dive shop that can probably give us a good deal! more diving! hurrah! feeding the addiction!
alright well I think that's all for now, not much has happened but I'm in a new country which is always news in itself, don't you agree?
much love
Alexis

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Comments

[anonymous]

We've been watching this spot hoping you made it OK. Was that an old man in the window seat? Cathy Jones was at Farquhar on Sat and she said to find out how old men are, you just cut their heads open and count the rings. Ba da boom. RAK the casbah!