Hidden Gems - Suwaidi Pearl Farm Ras Al Khaimah

Another UAE adventure led me to the Suwaidi Pearl farm in Ras Al Khaimah. Definitely worth the 90min trip from Dubai, exploring the local mangrove area, seeing a camel farm on the beach, and finally the floating pearl farm.

Visited the Suwaidi Pearl Farm in Al Rams. First, you take a boat through the mangroves around the small harbour.

Serene waters await.

The gorgeous Hajar mountain backdrop.

The camel farm on the beach makes for unusal sights.

But I guess camels also need the occasional beach day.

More serenity. The waters were calm this morning.

As you move deeper into the waters, you might spot some Flamingo in the distance.

We got lucky and spotted some baby camels.

Moving them along the beach back to the farm.

Comorants near the shore.

Bird toilet.

You're not alone.

The floating Pontoon of the Suwaidi Pearl Farm is your destination after the mangrove tour.

The team takes time to explain the history and process of traditional Pearl farming in the UAE.

It was a tough job, with up to 100 dives a day of up to 3 minutes each, for 4 months without interruption.

You get to pick your own Oyster, and with some luck will find a pearl. The chances are 60% for the aquacultuered versions, whereas a natural one only occurs in 1 out of 100.

We found one indeed.

But they had more.

Moments of Maldives

10 years after my first trip to the world's lowest country, I was lucky enough to go back to the Maldives. It's definitely a unique place on earth and one that suffers heavily from the downsides of civilization. Go, explore and come back with a more conscious mind.

 

Bliss - for now.

Given that the island is close the most populated areas of the country, there is a noticeable presence of plastics and garbage in the water. Seeing this in such an environment does make you think twice about that plastic bottle.

The last sunset

Keeping the option to come back open...

Rainbow

It rains frequently - usually only for an hour or so until the sun comes out again. Makes for frequent rainbows.

Glass Kayak

Not a bad way to see the reef without getting (too) wet.

Found it

I feel much wiser.

Path to Knowledge

Result on the next image.

After sunset

Wish we had more of those colors in the skies of Dubai.

Roofs

Exterior shot of the aforemented restaurant.

Light & Lamps

Loved the architecture of the main restaurant "Samsara".

Moonrise

In the interest of full disclosure, this is a blend of two images, it's nearly impossible to get the moon and the rest of the photo evenly exposed otherwise.

Just hanging

A flying fox. Definitely on the weirder side of the animal spectrum.

Sunset

A layer of haze just above the horizon meant I didn't get to capture a real sunset. Second best thing.

Garden Lizard

From what I gather, this is a male, indicated by the bright red throat during breeding season.

Home Sweet Home

I wish.

Supermoon

Not really what it's made out to be, a few % larger and brighter than normal.

Fisheye

Testing the new Olympus Zuiko 8mm F1.8 Fisheye. Gorgeous sense for this setting.

Feeding Time

They should up every afternoon for their daily feeding.

Stingray

These guys actually look quite mean, notice the eyes.

Ray vs Murray Eel

Neither seemed particularly bothered.

On the lookout

For dolphins!

Not the sun

Just a bright moon. Supermoon, as they call it...

Waterside Living

The water villas on the western tip of the island.

Moonlight Home

The full moon allowed for interesting shots in the middle of the night.

Playful

First time I saw them in the wild (not counting the one fin I saw back in Oman). You can definitely feel their curiosity and intelligence.

Yellow Submarine

Red one actually. And semi-sub only.

Reef Tips

The tip of one of the many reefs surrounding the island, adorned by an heroine (?) and some kind of ship wreck.

Mass Housing

Not a bad location though.

Exploring

Had to get up at sunrise to spot these guys so close to the shore.

Eagle Ray

Incredibly elegant creatures.

Secluded.

These 7 villas can only be accessed by boat.

Roaming the Beaches

...were these Blacktip Sharks, but only if you got up early enough.

Underwater World

Parrot and Butterfly fish.

Reef Live

Guy on the right seems shocked by my presence.

Unicorn Fish

Yep, that's their name. Shot with iPhone.

Water Living

View over the water villas on the west side.

Reef

Swimming over the reef and arriving at the steep decline into the dark blue sea is fascinating.

The other side

The western side of the island with three more restaurants. Also notice the staff accommodation in the centre (with a football field!) and the faint rainbow on the right.

Island Features

The dive centre on the left, MU restaurant on the right and the jetty in the middle.

Bolifushi Island

The island of Jumeirah Vittaveli seen from the east side shortly after sunrise.

Sunset Flights

This time of the year wasn't great for sunsets or sunrises for that matter - still a great place for a drone.

Tajikistan - Journey into the Unknown

 

For Eid Al Adha, we took a 2 day trip to Tajikistan, which is only a 3h flight from Dubai. Admittedly I knew next to nothing about the country, starting with the name of its capital - Dushanbe. We spent one day in said city, and a second day driving into the Fann Mountains to Iskanderkul, a beautiful lake. Definitely worth exploring, beautiful nature and a new culture.

Hotel Room

...with traditional floor seating.

Breakfast

... and filled with food the next morning - like magic!

The Highlights

This sign seems to highlight all the major things to do in Dushanbe - we saw 3 of the 5!

Dushanbe Plaza

The tallest buildings in Dushanbe, completed in 2011, standing at 92m tall. Interesting architecture.

Rudaki Avenue

The main avenue through the city.

25

It was the country's 25th national day on the 9th of September, celebrating the independence from the Soviet union.

Statue of Ismoil Somoni

The founder of the nation in the 9th century. Legend has it (our tour guide) that the Stalin statue that used to be on this spot has been moved somewhere outside the city - that would be an interesting sight.

Multitalent

Chef, Salesman and DJ all in one!

Racecours

The local horse race course.

Water Melons!

We figured this one out as well. Turns out, Tajikistan has a national holiday called Melon Day, in part celebrates as seen here.

Safety First

He did leave a small hole!

Theme Park Tajikistan Style

Found a small theme park on the shores of the Komsomolsee. Rides not recommended.

Komsomolsee & Navruz Palace

"Kohi Navruz" was originally built as a tea house and then turned into a palace for weddings and state events. Photos of its interior later...

Preparing Fireworks

Fully compliant with all safety laws. Probably because there are none.

Kohi Navruz

The building has 12 unusual halls, each of which with a unique style.

The Waiting Room

We got to see 5 of the rooms - this was the waiting room for official guests.

Banquet Hall

All the wood ornaments on the walls and ceilings are hand carved.

Ceiling

The wooden ceiling with its chandeliers.

Dignitaries

This room is only for official state events.

Wood Carvings

One of the many doors and their incredible woodwork.

Ornamentation

Everything was hand made by local craftsmen.

Conference Room

For international state events - you can see the translator boxes next to the back door.

Conference Room Ceiling

Energy saving lightbulbs in the chandelier!

Smaller Conference Room

I can't recall all the names of the rooms. This one was full of precious stone walls from materials of the country.

Smaller Conference Room

While not my type of interior, these rooms and the tour were truly impressive and worth seeing.

Wedding Hall

The last of the rooms was available for rent to the public and mainly used for weddings.

Stage Area

This is the stage area of the hall - normally people here will be dressed a bit fancier I suppose!

Ceiling Detail

The painted ceiling took several months to complete.

Tour Guide

Quick stop at the local BBQ place with the hotel's receptionist who gave us a city tour on his day off.

Green Bazaar

The Bazaar of the city was huge - it had a whole area just for bread.

Spices

Spice Mountains.

Shop for Everything

No particular concept behind this stand from what I can tell.

Bread Making

Pretty amazing when fresh and warm.

National Dress

The day to day outfit for woman is this kind of matching colourful combination of trousers and dresses.

Child Work

A lot of children helped out on the local market. 70% of the population is under the age of 30.

Drink Stands

Not sure I'd try this.

St. Nicholas Orthodox Church

98% of the country is Muslim.

Ayni Opera and Ballet Theatre

A concert for the National Day on the main square in front of the theatre.

Balcony Nights

Taking in the city atmosphere.

My kind of high heels!

Shoes that tell a story.

Cinderella's Carriage

Not quite sure how this fits in.

Wedding Style

The national dress.

Bliss

The population was generally friendly and receptive to tourists.

Museum

Each of the doors led to a small room with artefacts from the history of the fortress.

Fortress Walls

The Hisor Fortress from the 16th century. Also includes a school, mosque and mausoleum.

Taking a Break

From the day to day hardships of life.

Hisor Fortress

The amazing view from the top of the remaining main fortress wall.

Souvenir Shop

A local woman in front of her shop.

Into the Mountains

On the second day we drove north towards the Fann Mountains, on the way to Lake Iskanderkul.

Waterfalls

We found a few waterfalls along the M34 road.

Varzob River

The Varzob River flowing along the road almost the entire way.

Mountain Villages

Many of these villages are still very traditional.

Tunnel of Death

Our way took us trough some pretty scary spots, such as the Anzob Tunnel or "Tunnel of Death" - 20 minutes of pure darkness, inches between you and cars in the opposite direction, no emergency exits, no ventilation. Not fun after having seen a pretty bad accident in one of the previous tunnels.

Fans Mountains

While we didn't make it above 3000m, the highest peak of this range stands at almost 5500m.

Scenery

Beautiful spots all around.

Iskander Darya

The outflowing river of the Iskanderkul lies in some of the most amazing nature I've ever seen.

Turquoise

The colour of the river is amazing.

Looking East

The river meets with the Yaghnob River.

Selfie

Obligatory.

Iskanderkul

Named after Alexander the Great.

Red Mountains

The colour of the mountain ranges against the turquoise lake was truly stunning.

Cloudy

Wasn't perfectly lucky with the weather - the high mountains mean there are always clouds caught up and blocking the sun from shining onto the lake.

Downstream

We took a walk from the lake downstream to find a waterfall I had read about.

Waterfall

This gorgeous fall was quite impressive. Our guide didn't seem to concerned about his life (also evident by the fact he never wore a seatbelt).

Viewing Platform

With slight hesitation I went onto the rusty viewing platform to stand over the falls. Worth it.

Tajik engineering.

Functional.

River Life

Notice the bridge leading to the small island in the river. There are also remnants of a small cable car spanning the river to transport goods.

Old Settlements

People still live in these houses today. Took this from the car, but I like the result with the blurry foreground.

Just Chilling

Village Stop

On the way back we stopped in a small village for bread and drinks. Life seems calm.