What’s been going on in the world of Tonya, you ask? Well, let’s see… In November I took a trip to the Musandam Peninsula of Oman where the terrain is refreshingly three-dimensional, the food is cheap, and the people are amazingly friendly. A group of colleagues and myself took a chartered dhow out around the peninsula where we wove our way through rocky islands, were chased by dolphins, and snorkeled with purple and yellow-striped fish. Only a two and half-hour drive from Sharjah, I definitely plan to visit the area and the people of Oman again I the future.
Sharjah. Unlike Dubai, Sharjah is a backwards, ugly and unglamorous city full of old
buildings, chaos and perpetual traffic jams. Despite this, I have been trying to explore the emirate I call home and take advantage of some of the textures it has to offer. The dhows are a point of intrigue for me –particularly because they represent one of the few traditional crafts of this region that has survived the onslaught of globalization—and I find that when I go out to shoot pictures that I am naturally drawn to their forms and to the bustle of the shipping industry that surrounds them. 
To the North of Sharjah is the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah where the terrain is similar to that of Oman: Rocky mountains pushed up against the blue ocean. For an “out-doorsy” person such as myself who is living in a flat, inaccessible, super-car-culture-driven place, RAK is a real godsend. I bought a Jeep and the official “UAE Off-Road Guidebook” and went off in search of a hike called Stairway to Heaven. Well, I’m not sure if we were ever on the trail described in the book, but my colleague and I did find lots of rocks, mountain goats, and a German and Austrian duo also trying to follow the cryptic directions described in the guidebook. It was a strenuous hike, traversing through a wadi (dry riverbed) of boulders and scrambling across loose, dry (sharp as the dickens) rock, but the views made it all worthwhile. Plus it gave me one of the few opportunities I will have to properly break in my new hiking boots before my upcoming trek up Kilimanjaro. (Be sure to check back at the end of January for excerpts for what I imagine will be an adventure-filled trip: Kenya and Tanzania from 21 Dec. to 18 Jan.!)
To see all of my cool, new photos please check go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rustythumb/
Once again, I recommend viewing the sets on the right to avoid photo overload. I would love to hear your comments, so please feel free to drop me a line!
Until later,
-T
