Later that eveningour first theatre show. The whole ship seemed a little subdued. We arrived only five minutes before the curtain raised and we were still spoilt for choice as to where to sit. What a difference a cruise makes. On our last trip, people were turning up an hour before the show to ensure they got a seat and now its a case of:
Khor Fakkan – the city time forgotor at least the city Chris forgot as I was ready to move on to Muscat until I read my notes!!
A day at sea, our first of five during this trip. MSC is not as prolific as some in holding trivia sessions. It depends where the ship is – in the Med, for example, you are unlikely to encounter any quizzes. However, in the Arabian Gulf, we have never been disappointed. We headed down to Le Cabaret, a midships lounge on deck 6. As we entered the room, we both heard another familiar voice, coincidentally also talking to our English hostess (who was German!!) This time,
though, it didnt have an East Lancashire twang. In fact, the twang wasnt British sounding at all but carried a distinctive Antipodean inflection, raising a tone at the end of each sentence!!
Unlike the meeting with Beryl and Brian several days ago, this was totally coincidental. We met Anne two years ago on a cruise together around Asia. She is from Adelaide and is a solo traveller. Then, she asked if she could join our team. Now it was our turn to repay the compliment.
It was just like old times. We won this trivia by netting a perfect score – 15/15. The next highest score was eight. There were only seven or eight team playing and we received a pleasant round of applause for our, what was to a routine victory. Would they still be clapping in a few days time?? I wonder!!
Khor Fakkan is a city in the United Arab Emirates that lies on the Red Sea, approximately 30 miles from the Omani border. The unusual
thing is that it is an enclave within the UAE. There are seven Emirates in the UAE including Sharjah and Fujairah. Khor Fakkan remains part of Sharjah surrounded by the Emirate of Fujairah. Its like saying if Yorkshire won the War of the Roses: ‘Were taking Wigan, as well but you can keep the rest of Lancashire!!
Khor Fakkan, despite being a city, is, by UK standards no more than a small town and by US standards nothing more than a sleepy hamlet!! From the sun deck, on board the MSC Lirica, you could see the main Mosque towering above the rest of the buildings in the city/town/hamlet*. Despite its reputation as a port, Khor Fakkan is not without its own charm. This was obviously written by someone from Khor Fakkan!! Its name translates to: ‘Creek of the Two Jaws reflecting its setting in a picturesque bay flanked on either side by two headlands.
On leaving the ship we followed a marked path several hundred yards to the port gate. A few taxis were waiting but did not seem that bothered in touting for business. As we passed one of the taxis, I felt
like saying to the driver, who was more interested in devouring some sort of hybrid thing, than a potential fare, Go on then. Ask me??! Immediately outside the port gate overlooking the harbour is what could only be described as 30 metre slag heap. That is until I googled it. This was Al Adwani Tower. It used to act as a lighthouse for ships. The original tower, which was built in the 15th century, was located on a mountain (I think they mean mound!!) overlooking the historical Khor Fakkan Port. It remained standing until 1985, when it was destroyed along with the mountain! Sheikh Sultan ordered the reconstruction of the tower, and the major challenge of the reconstruction project was to find its original location. If it was only destroyed in 1985, people must have very short memories or else a terrible sense of direction!! The Local Government of Khor Fakkan aimed to accurately locate the mountain, by looking at old maps of the region and demolished buildings in the area, to find the towers unique location.
