The Persian Gulf

Land and Cruise trip

We enjoyed several days in Abu Dhabi and Dubai before boarding the Italian MSC ship for a cruise around the Arabian Gulf. Our initial cruise ship (P & O cruises) was cancelled due to the tensions with Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. We visited the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, seeing very opulent palaces and mosques, Forts, the F1 tracks in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, Miracle Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Aqurium and Zoo, souks, as well as other sites and museums including the Louvre and Emirates Auto Museum. We ascended the tall Burj Khalifa for excellent views of Dubai and we visited the historic oasis town of Al Ain. Scenery varied from deserts to the stunning mountains and fjords of the Musandam peninsula in Oman. Following the cruise, we spent 3 nights on Sir Bani Yas Island at Al Sahel safari villas where we woke to the sight of the peacocks and gazelles roaming infront of our lodge.

United Arab Emirates

Founded by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in 1971, the UAE brought together 7 Emirates.

UAE Pearl Diving

Dating back more than 7000 years there is documented evidence of UAE pearls to have travelled as far as Rome, Venice, India and Sri Lanka. Some have shown up in Viking possessions in Scandinavia. Well before the money from oil, money was made from pearl diving which offered work to many local Emiratis. UAE families can trace their fortunes back to the historic pearl diving of their forefathers.