NOV 17, 16 .. RAS AL KHAIMAH .. A WALK (PT 3 / 3)

I  began today looking out my window at the below scene. Yes, sort of sad to say, there is some air pollution here this morning. Dust in the air coupled with moisture from the Arabian Gulf is a challenge. It comes and it goes throughout the day. It can be quite significant in the very early morning just after sunrise.

Thanks to my walk last Tuesday, I clearly understand what the above buildings look like, up-close-and-personal. To snap the below photos, and ‘get to know’ these buildings that I gaze out upon, is one of the primary reasons that I took the long walk that I am chronicling in this set of three Posts. A second reason was to find and see the Arabian Gulf.

Being close to them, I can clearly see the eight buildings in this group.

Now, having seen them up close on my long walk, when I look out at them from afar, I fully understand what I am seeing.

In the above photo, you can see some of the air pollution I mentioned above.

Onward! Let’s get to today’s Post.

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I know some of my most interested followers are not on line daily so just in case you have not yet read ..

RAS AL KHAIMAH .. A WALK (PTs 1 / 3 and 2 / 3) published NOV 15 & 16 ..

Why don’t you scroll down and read the two of them before you read this PT 3 / 3.

In case you are a casual reader, the below map will pretty much bring you up to date about my 6-hr walk around Ras Al Khaimah last Tuesday the 15th. Ras Al Khaimah is often called RAK by the locals here and throughout the United Arab Emirates. If you have read PTs 1 and 2, the below map will refresh your memory about the details of my walk.

In the map above, the center balloon (at the bottom) is my hotel. PT 1 /3 shows my walk from my hotel to the left balloon. PT 2 / 3 shows my walk from the left balloon up Al Qasim Corniche Road to its intersection with Al Hisn Road and then across Al Hisn Road to the right balloon. Today, in PT 3 / 3, I will show you the walk from the right balloon back to my hotel.

The below photos were taken at the location of the right balloon (in both the above and below maps). I was beside the bridge that crosses over to an island. You can see the bridge on the left side of the below photos. One cannot walk across the bridge. There is no pedestrian traffic allowed. If I could have, I would have, walked over the bridge to get right up to the Twin Blue Towers you see below.

I would have loved to get over to the island and really get close to what I am calling my Twin Blue Towers. No foot traffic is allowed on the bridge.

In the below map, the right (top) balloon shows where I was standing to shoot the above photos. Today’s Part 3 / 3 takes you from the top balloon to my hotel (the bottom balloon).

I am positive that not one single person reading this Post will realize that it has taken me one full hour and a half or more to get to this point. Getting the maps correct, finding the photos in my library, uploading some new photos, it takes me time. Now is not the time to lose your nerve Captain.

In the below map, I want to call your attention to the jogging trails.

This entire area, all the way from the bridge to the mosque, is an absolutely incredible green belt.

The jogging trail is located between two other walkways. One walkway is beside the water. The other walkway is beside the main road.

Keep in mind, using the + and the – buttons at the lower right of the maps, you can zoom in, and you can zoom out, and you can put your cursor onto the map and move the map around to explore it.

The below photo shows you both walkways. On the left is the walkway beside the main road. On the right is the walkway beside the water. In the center is the green strip. The jogging trail is not visible in the below photo.

This Post is rapidly becoming an art NOT a science. I decided to show you the special, resilient surfaced, jogging trail now because you just looked at them in the map above. The jogging trail is really nice.

T  h  e    j o g g i n g   t r a i l   i s   r  e  a  l  l  y   n  i  c  e !

The above photo shows you the Eastern terminus of the jogging trail.

The above and below photos show you how the jogging trail winds around between the water walkway and the roadside walkway. The designers wanted the joggers to have an interesting trail and not a straight line trail.

The below photo shows the jogging trail (see the red surface at the very bottom of the photo) and just past it, the walkway right beside the water. You are seeing the backside of the bench seats on the water walkway.

Another look at the jogging trail.  Yes it it OK to look at the buildings too.

I was very interested in the below sign. I did not have time today to check it out however. Here in the Arabic world the ladies are more active than one in the West may think. Well! Here in the United Arab Emirates I will say.

Now, I am going to focus upon ..

The walkway that runs beside the water.

The below photo is at the East end of the corniche walking area.

If, while standing looking-up the above walkway, you were to turn around 180-degrees, behind you is the end of / or the beginning of the walkway beside the water. I will call the below two photos its Eastern terminus.

You can sit down and collapse. You can sit down and contemplate your long walk to the West. The bridge is up behind you.

The walkway beside the water is nice isn’t it!

It is really nice isn’t it!

Patti, just your kind of walkway! Lots and LOTS of places to sit and rest.

“Cap! I don’t think that I have ever-in-my-life seen so many places to sit and rest as you are showing here.”  / signed /  Patti

Now, having shown you a lot of photos of the walkway itself, I am going to show you photos that I snapped as I walked along the waterside walkway.

I am not able to see the above cluster of buildings from my hotel room window.

Nice scene. Hello Twin Blue Towers. Yes! Yes indeed! You are beautiful!

Get with me here. Focus. To the right of the flagpole, way out yonder in the far distance, to the left of the mosque, is my hotel on the skyline! You don’t think my 6-hour walk was a monster for me? Think again.

Below, to refresh your memory, is a photo of what my hotel looks like.

Back to my walk beside the water.

More, ever more, benches for you to sit upon Patti.

It is just so very pleasant along the water.

Water?

Patti liked the below photo of the water I took of the Arabian Gulf.

Below are two photos of the water that I am walking beside in these photos.

Basically the identical view BUT with two different camera light exposures.

That will do it for photos along the water.

Now, I am going to focus upon ..

The walkway that runs beside the road.

Below is the, straight as an arrow, walkway beside the main road. In the first photo below, way over to the far left, across the green park strip, you see the backs of the benches of the walkway beside the water. Now I will be showing you views taken from the roadside walkway.

On a clear day you could see forever up the roadside walkway. Do you see why I had my hands full with my 6-hour day of walking last Tuesday!?

At one and the same time, as I was walking, I was taking photos along both the water and the road. Back and forth between the two I was going.

By the way! As I am showing you photos of the roadside walkway, it is quite OK for you to ‘oogle’ at the scenery beside the walkway.

What we have here, is an absolutely, phenomenally beautiful, walk they call a corniche here in the Middle East. True! It is a mis-use of the French word corniche but what can I say?

It is hard to see, but if you really look closely to the left of the red and white curb below, you can see the red jogging trail.

Below you can clearly see the waterside (right) walkway and the roadside (left) walkway and the green park strip between the two of them.

Below is a close look at the above light tan building.

Below is a close up look at the sign. Smiling to myself!

You can see the beautiful flowers below are on the roadside walkway. There are many such potted plants.

There are several cafes on the walkway.

‘Zilla was concerned about the fact I passed up a restaurant that was full back in PT 2 / 2. You are 100% correct ‘Zilla. I was tired and fatigued and I DID, see below my man, stop to eat and relax.

You can sit outside (above) or you can sit inside (below).

The below photo shows the cafe is right in the heart of things downtown.

They have a full, and I mean a FULL, menu.

In the lower left above is a Zinger Crispy Club Sandwich that I ordered and that I enjoyed below.

I really REALLY enjoyed the Corniche Cafe.

I did not, I repeat, I did NOT eat with the Colonel but he sure was present.

I did however, pay a visit to Baskin Robbins.

And I did, stop into Costa Coffee, to just cool off and relax some more.

Why, I wonder, do I get treated this way?

Well! I am going to say ..

That is That for my 6-hour walk last Tuesday the 15th of November 2016 here in Ras Al Khaimah.

Smiles and Joy .. Cap

And now?

THE REST OF THE STORY.

Thanking You Again Mister Paul Harvey for your life!

By the time I got to this above part of my 6-hour walk last Tuesday, the walk along the Corniche, I was pretty well dead-on-my-feet. It was about all that I could do to limp (and I mean LIMP ) back to my hotel.

However, as I walked along I noticed the below venues.

So today, this very day, Thursday the 17th, guess what I did?

Yes! I rented myself some ‘wheels’ and spent another few hours out and about photographing more of the Ras Al Khaimah Cornische.

Still, just like I am doing above, Smiling .. Cap

If any of you think that this Post is finished you are sadly mistaken. It is done. That is correct. It is indeed DONE. However it is NOT finished. I have many more photos that I did not get posted here.

To quote one of my all time favorite books, TYPE ‘A’ BEHAVIOR AND YOUR HEART, life itself is an UN-finishedness.

• ← NOV 16, 16 .. RAS AL KHAIMAH .. A WALK (PT 2 / 3)
• NOV 18, 16 .. DINNER HERE IN RAS AL KHAIMAH →