Madrid and Tenerife (Canary Islands)

Heading home for the summer from the UAE, we took a short side trip to the Canary Islands. On the way, we stopped off in Madrid.  We enjoyed our short time in Madrid.  We saw the Palacio de Cibeles and walked for ages, just admiring all the architectural detail.  Then we found a little outdoor cafe and had some tapas.

Palacio de Cibeles

Details of ceiling

Sidewalk Cafe--one of hundreds!

First sighting of Tenerife as we flew in

Tenerife is in the chain of the Canary Islands.  These are located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 kilometers west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. 

One of the most interesting places on the island is Mount Teide, located in the Teide National Park, a World Heritage Site since 2007.  Mount Teide is the third largest volcano in the world and is the highest mountain in Spain at 3, 718 meters.  In 2010, Teide became the most visited National Park in Europe and the second worldwide!!

You can just see the skylift heading up the right side of Mount Teide.

Heather points back down to where we first entered the park in our car.

Skylift

We enjoyed our pool each day and the different beaches.

Some of the BLUEST water we have ever seen!

Sitting by the pool looking up at the mountains in the distance.

Eating out

Visiting the Monkey Club after hitting the casino.  Heather and I made about 90 Euros at the slots!  Kim made some....and then lost it!  :)

Los Abrigos:  we ate out and enjoyed a lovely view of the topless women sunbathing.....

Sunrise over the water with Montana Roja (Red Mountain)

After not driving for a solid year, I was elected to do the driving in Spain.  When we arrived to get our car, I found out it was a stick-shift!  I drove up and down the hills (to the highest point in Spain), and as you can see, I did an awesome job parallel parking.

Khasab, Oman خصب‎

Yea--another holiday!!  We headed to Khasab, Oman for our 3-day weekend.  This holiday was in celebration of Al Isra Wal Miraj, the ascension of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to Heaven.  The Isra and Miraj are the two parts of a Night Journey that Muhammad took around the year 621.  In the journey, Muhammad travels on a mythological steed Buraq (provided by the Archangel Gabriel) to a mosque (thought to be in Jerusalem) where he leads other prophets in prayer. He then ascends to Heaven where he speaks to God, who gives Muhammad instructions to take back to the faithful on Earth about the number of times to offer prayers each day.  The actual holiday was on Wednesday, but they gave us Thursday off to make a long weekend!!  In the map below, you can see Khasab in red at the top.

Khasab is the capital of the Musandam peninsula and is called the "Norway of Arabia." (Remember the "fjords" I wrote about from Dibba, Oman?)  The Khasab Fort was built by the Portuguese in the 1600's. It has a natural harbor which protects it from the rough seas.  Khasab was a supply point for dates and water for Portuguese ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.

You can see how close we were to Iran--only 68 nautical miles!!

Khasab has an interesting trading position because it is just across the strait from Iran. Iranians import sheep and goats into the local port, and then the animals are sent to the UAE and Saudi Arabia in trucks. Heading back to Iran, the boats are loaded up with electronic items and American cigarettes.  They have to get to Khasab after sunrise and leave before sunset because of Omani immigration laws. Since the trading is illegal, they have to avoid the Islamic Republic's coastguard and all the other ships in the busy waters of the Strait of Hormuz. It's very dangerous because the boats are loaded down and they have to pass through the trading routes of ships.

For this trip, we went to Abu Dhabi to hitch a ride with Heather and Cory, since we had to cross the border into Oman.  They already have insurance, so it saved us some money....not to mention it is so much more fun to get lost or face the border guards with back-up--ha-ha!!  The whole trip, including the border crossing, took about 4.5 hours, so it is definitely better to do this on a 3-day weekend!

Looking across the bay at the hotel

The first day, Cory got to go scuba diving.  He's been wanting to dive since he got here, and we were excited he finally got to go.  I tried to imagine how beautiful it must have been as he described it to us.  Heather, Kim, and I went snorkeling around the rocks near our hotel.  The fish were varied, but the coral was mostly dead.  We definitely plan to get certified to scuba dive!!!

Rocks down below our hotel...and the lonely little tree...

Getting ready to snorkel

Later that day, we rode down to the town and saw Khasab Castle.  On the way, we saw men marching with flags, but by the time we turned around to see what was happening, they had dispersed.  We thought it might be a protest march, but then decided it was more likely a religious tribute to Muhammad (since it was the holiday).

Khasab Castle with a dhow in front

That night after dinner, we decided to check out the Shisha Bar.  We discovered a great spot at the top of the hill overlooking the hotel and the bay below. 

Deck overlooking the bay

We sat outside and tried Strawberry Mint Shisha (I didn't inhale--ha-ha!!)

Kim took to this pretty quickly...hmmmm.....

My first attempt at smoking shisha....flavored....

Sunset over the Bay

The next day we signed up to go on another dhow cruise for better snorkeling.  We learned our lesson last time getting to the boat late, so this time we were the first on and had the pick of the seats.  We also took Dizzinil for seasickness...just in case!

Looking back at Khasab Castle as we head out into the deep water

We had a trio of boats, and this boat was in the lead.  This picture gives a good look at the rocks nearby.

Some of the first dolphins we spotted.  We saw them off and on during the day.  Later that night, we saw more dolphins while we were in our room, looking out the patio doors.  We saw sea turtles in the seas around our hotel also!

Trio of Dolphins

The dolphins were such fun to watch!  They followed our boat for a while, answering to the claps and whistles of the crew.  They would swim from one side to the other, leaping into the air.

Our first stop: Telegraph Island--(Buildings date from 1864)--Linked India and England for communication.  They built out on the island for security from the warring Arabic tribes.

Small village nestled in the foothills.  There are electric lines, but no roads leading in or out, so all access is by boat.

Cory asked if we could dive into the water.  The man says, "No Dive."  Cory hears, "DIVE!"  And....he's off!!

Snorkeling around Telegraph Island

Looking down from the dhow at the fish in the water.  It was so clear you could see a long way down!

You could climb the steps up Telegraph Island.  Kim thought you could also jump off!  He received emergency care from the Advanced Care (Tackle Box) First-Aid Kit:  ha-ha!!!

We saw many living areas built along the rock edges.  These people subsist on fishing.

This was definitely the land of cormorants.  They were huddled on the rocks around every curve.  This beach was covered with them.

Cormorants crouched on the rocks

Early morning fog on the day we had to leave

Bukha Castle (on our way home)
It was open, so we decided to explore the inside. 

On top of the castle

Climbing up the ladders inside the watch tower

Goats in a cave on the side of the road...enjoying their freedom

Sadly, goats on the back of a truck bound for the UAE.  These are the goats I referred to at the beginning of the blog....

Streetside cafe near Ras Al Khaimah on our way home.  Can't you picture the ambiance as you sit by the highway to enjoy the sights and sounds?!!

Camel Transportation
Sometimes they are in small white pick-up trucks with no sides!

Now, our next adventure is HOME to the U.S.A.!  Can't wait to see family and friends!!!!