Day 58, Sunday - RAK & Sharjah

The road outside of the Sharjah Ladies Club

We drove down to Sharjah today (and now I know I have at least driven through all of the emirates) to go to the Sharjah Ladies Club. Why? Well, for a massage of course.

This is only the second time I have ever been to a spa and the first which had a pool in soak in. I came out feeling pretty relaxed. :)

We sat at the club’s restaurant for lunch, which overlooks the Arabian Gulf:

Ladies, I highly recommend this place. Sorry fellas.

I spent part of the afternoon looking up video clips of classic American movies/tv shows to show Asma, mainly Oklahoma, My Fair Lady, and I Love Lucy.

And now for a few items which are of common use here which I feel are rather underutilized at home.

1. Spoons – where we often use forks, people here tend to use spoons. Turns out that they are a more utilitarian utensil than I had given them credit for and are great for more than just soups and puddings. Eating rice with a spoon is actually a lot easier than using a fork.

2. Facial Tissues – here they are used more like napkins. There is at least one box in any given room and they are used all of the time for wiping off your hands, which also makes them a replacement for paper towels and are a cleaner option than the front of your jeans.

3. Flip-flops – okay, so this one is more of an individual thing because it is usually too cold for me to wear flip-flops at home, but I wear them almost all of the time here.

Now for something not used here very much: hair conditioner. I have noticed, through conversation and observation within the houses I have stayed in, that people only use hair conditioner occasionally here. I asked Asma about it and she said that it is because they believe it makes your hair fall out. I personally don’t buy it, but I think it is something that the hair-care companies should be aware of. And if it is true, I guess the rest of us should be aware of it too.



The tea set I use every day here in RAK. :)