the interesting landscape here

i should have mentioned that masafi is toward the east coast of the U.A.E. we are all the way north on the arabian sea (we in the US call it the persian gulf), but the country also splits oman into a piece on top of the arabian peninsula and stretches out to the gulf of oman (indian ocean).

friends of friends of friends that i talked to before we decided to consider moving here told me that ras al khaimah is very green. i was never sure if that meant environmentally friendly or green in vegetation. after moving here, i know the answer was the vegetation (also because there is still a lot of progress to be made on the environmental front). 

we live down the road from a huge lush golf course and are just minutes from beautiful beaches. on the way to masafi and the emirate of fujeirah, we saw even more greenery. what was more interesting was how the scenery changed on our short (45 minute) journey east. in the emirate of ras al khaimah, there is tons of grass, trees, plants, palm trees, etc. as you move out past digdagga (apparently the home of tons of camels, some of which we saw cruising around free range, and camel racing - we'll report back eventually) and the rak airport, the green changes a bit to desert sand peppered with small scratchy-looking bushes and small trees that are sort of broccoli-esque or bushes on steroids. that then changes to craggy rocks and small rocky mountains. 

from masafi to dibba (on the east coast), we drove through the mountain region. some of the roads were very steep and really showed off the peaks and valleys and canyons. daniel (serge's boss) called it "the grand canyon" of the U.A.E. it was also especially interesting because of the colors of the rock - ranging from a grayish brownish dirt color to a rusty reddish brown. a few of those scraggly looking bushes here and there, otherwise just rock. 

then, just on the other side of the mountain was the indian ocean. we had a really lovely lunch at the JAL hotel (japan airlines). a very pretty hotel on the inside and very accommodating for the kids. we sat on the upstairs balcony overlooking the sea, pool and beach. had a nice seared tuna over ratatouille and socca, followed by grouper with mussels, cockles, string beans, fresh herbs and a light cream sauce. 

of course, lunch would not be complete without serge taking a tour of the kitchen and pastry facilities. thanks to him, we got a few bags of their in house chocolate, which was very nice of them. (swiss international chocolates is better, and i'm not just biased, even though i am, of course.)

the kids had a blast and daniel's kids want to go back a.s.a.p. julian is still a bit young to partake in everything they had to offer, but it was nice to see. that, and he played in the fountain in the lobby with the other kids (and got soaking wet) AND most of all, was fascinated by the automatic doors. (he ran in and out and in and out laughing all the way.)

and the funny part - everyone thinks that because we are in the u.a.e., it doesn't get cold here. i have to say, i was chilly out on the deck. could have used a sweater because we were not in the sun. the weather is REALLY nice this time of year. too cold for me to go swimming. 

look at that, i'm here 1 week and already act like a local.