December 5 - Khor al Fakkan, United Arab Emirates

Here we are at this enclave of the Emirate Sharjah on the coast of the Arabian Peninsula facing the Gulf of Oman.  That sounds confusing, doesn’t it?  Perhaps an explanation of what the United Arab Emirates are (or is it is???) would help. The UAE, as its more simply called, is a federation of seven emirates on the eastern side of the Arabian Peninsula. Each of the  emirates has a ruler who is an absolute monarch. The seven emirs form a Federal Supreme Council.  For a period of time after the discovery of oil in the area and before 1971, the various emirs had formed a loose federation but had treaties with the British to protect them. In 1971 Great Britain ended the relationship and the UAE was formed. Originally Bahrain and Qatar were intended to be part of the group, but they decided to go their separate ways.

Khor al Fakkan, which means Creek of Two Jaws, is in a unique position; it’s an enclave of one emirate (Sharjah) surrounded by the Emirate of Fujairah.  It’s near the northernmost tip of the Arabian Peninsula on the Gulf of Oman (part of the Indian Ocean) and close to the Strait of Hormuz, the place where Iran frequently harasses shipping going in and out of the Persian Gulf.  Khor al Fakkan is one of only three deep water ports in the UAE so it is an important container port.  We came here because several of our other ports were canceled due to events in Israel and Gaza, and we are evidently the first cruise ship to stop here.

We took a shuttle bus into the city which has a population of about 45,000 and doesn’t look anything like the other cities I’ve been to in the UAE like Dubai and Abu Dhabi.  There are no massively tall buildings, but I have a feeling that in 20 years it might grow into something like them because there were signs of construction all around.   The ruler of this emirate is a more traditional Muslim than some of the other emirs so you do see more women dressed in traditional dress than I remember seeing in Dubai. The shuttle dropped us off at a place that I can best describe as a department store.  We walked around and looked at some of the things there but weren’t tempted to buy anything.  Some of the clothing for women was actually pretty but I couldn’t really picture the caftans and outfits with embroidered harem pants on me  or fitting in at Harris Teeter or Costco.

Downtown Khor al Fakkan

It's hard to make out but the little shuttle bus had fringe hanging everywhere including along the dashboard

We didn’t stay long and came back to the ship after an hour or so. A few people we know went on a tour which took them to a fort and a ride along the shore.  As with all the places around here the mountains surrounding the city are rocky with little vegetation but picturesque in their rugged way. There were a lot of roundabouts with flowers on the way into town and some palm trees but not much else in the way of color.

Sailing away just after sunset. The mountains look just as gray in daylight, just a lighter shade

I forgot to mention that yesterday while we were ashore in Muscat, some elves found the Encore.  When we came back, the railings on the main staircase were festooned with garlands and the entrances to all the bars and restaurants have Christmas trees with golden  wrapped presents beneath them.

A little of the elves handiwork

When we got back to our cabins last night our prize was there. Sadly it wasn’t a free cruise but rather a bunch of Seabourn logo swag like a ballcap, adapter plug and deck of cards.  So much for winning at trivia.  (It was great fun and that’s why we played!)

Tomorrow is the last day before it’s time to go home and we’ll be in another of the emirates.  On the one hand it’s always a little bit of a downer when they start leaving luggage tags and disembarkation instructions in the cabin and you realize that it’s going to be time to say goodbye to new, and old, friends.  On the other I have to admit that I’m looking forward to going home to my own bed and my own pretty quiet and peaceful life. The late night activities are wearing me down. And despite the fact that the food has been quite good (I've had enough of it for sure), I'm looking forward to food that doesn't  come with "sauce this" or "a la that."