This started off back in early June and we were discussing the details about going on a nice long bike and we were discussing the locations and honestly UAE was a nice location to start with. I didn’t want to rent a bike and do a tour, I wanted to ride on my bike on a trip not another bike. There were about six of us as I mentioned in the other post but by the time it came to commit only four could commit from the six, and it was a solid number so we went ahead with the idea. All the major planning and details were being discussed over the few months but the major travel arrangements didn’t happen except until the first week of October, I probably should have started it earlier since everything would get booked up on Eid and I thought we were going to go to odd places and there would be availability but I was very wrong, we hit German tourist territory with about 3/4 of all the locations we went to.

Bike Travel Preparation

• We did as much research as humanely possible.
• Luckily there are a lot British nuts in UAE who ride so we found a substantial amount of youtube videos for the areas we were heading towards so we knew what we were in for
• Tristar serviced our machines and got them prepped by checking every nut and bolt on our bikes
• I got a Garmin Nuvi 1490 LMT with updated Middle East Maps from Seas & Deserts
• Mapped everything on Google Maps including stops and made sure we were on track to the nice curvy roads

Setting Up The GPS

• I got the Ram Mount for the Garmin Nuvi 1490LMT
• Installed the Garmin Battery Cable thanks to Tristar
• The GPS wasn’t budging in speeds upwards of 240 kph so it was perfect
• I transferred our routes through a program called Tyre which you can download here
• I double checked our route on the Garmin Device and modified it slightly since it wasn’t 100% as we wanted

We got information from Tristar on which shipping company to use and we also checked a few others. We decided to have our bikes shipped to Dubai and start from there, we didn’t want ride from Kuwait to UAE because I heard that Saudi is a very boring straight line, no curves so it would be tiring and no reason to ride it. After a little research and a few quotes we went with Al Sawan shipping since they have had experience shipping motorcycles to Europe and other locations in the Middle East for other riders. They got our bikes to Dubai within 5 days ready in a storage facility, so picked them up from Dubai Green Park Community on Wednesday morning and road back to Dubai. It felt like we were the wild pack and about to embark on an insane adventure.

This is the route we took:

• Day 1 – Dubai to Ras Al Khaymah
• Day 2 – Ras Al Khaymah to Khasab, Oman to Ras Al Khaymah (Curvy Road)
• Day 3 – Ras Al Khaymah to Fujeirah (Curvy Road)
• Day 3 – After we got to the Hotel we took a ride from Fujeirah to Kalba then Hatta and Back (Very Curvy Roads)
• Day 4 – Fujeirah to Al Ain (Again Very Curvy Roads through Kalba and Hatta)
• Day 5 – Al Ain to Dubai (Straight Line & Boring)

We had to pack 7 days worth of clothing into a small tail pack on the back of the Diavel, and I carried a back pack which was a bit uncomfortable and not a smart idea. I brought a laptop and a few things which didn’t require and taking up space. So on the travel days I was in a bit of an uncomfortable position. I didn’t know the exact routes and the GPS gave us about 90% of the right routes, the thing is I double checked it as much as possible.

I had my GoPro Hero2 attached to my Helmet and switched it on during the curves which was a lot of fun. The one thing I just had to keep in mind was to switch it off at border crossings, but we had a few incidents at security checkpoints where the camera was running but I didn’t know they were there and they asked about it if it was running. So I just had to keep it in mind during our trip since we had a few places that we crossed that I put the GoPro away.

There were three parts to the ride that I loved, Khasab Oman, a beautiful two lane road by the coast head from Ras Al Khaymah to Khasab. It was thrilling to ride and felt brand new, I wish to ride again soon, we just didn’t have the chance to fully enjoy it. Then there were the curves just before Fujeirah, it was just over the top, high speed curves and then some tight curves up in the mountains, I was excited while riding, I haven’t seen roads like that in my life.

When we got to Dibba Al Fujeirah after the first set of curves we were riding by the coast with some very beautiful roads passing by the Gas Storage Facility in Fujeirah before getting to our hotel. It was fun and Fujeirah had the most modern mall, I think it was called City Centre, very nicely done. We dropped our things and went riding to Kalba since it was only 15 KM away and then continued another 60 KM to Hatta which we went through the infamous tunnel, I loved hearing from my screaming exhaust and I think so did the people outside the tunnel. The Diavel really is another name for Devil because that’s what it sounded like screaming through. We found a few Wadi’s which we stopped by, it really was a fun adventure, and took some pictures there as well. Then we rode back to the hotel and decided to turn in after getting some coffee. The one thing I have to say is that you can find a Starbucks in every location, I was shocked, they are everywhere.

Next day we headed out for our longest ride over 230 KM and surprisingly we only had to fill once even with the Monster riding with us. We hit the fun curvy part on the way to Hatta and through the tunnels, its such an amazing road. Then when we came close to the Oman border the roads became straight and it got a bit boring, so it was a little over an hour of straight highway, and as we got close to Al Ain the roads were turning into a major highway, four lanes on each side. When you get into Al Ain it is a beautiful area with lots of vegetation, and it feels like the old Sharjah that I remember from the 90s. And one thing for sure is that it was extremely clean, every road so clean, in UAE & Oman.

Throughout our ride we only got caught in traffic during the evening in Dubai as we were leaving. The best times to leave are early morning so you can enjoy your day where ever you are going. Everyone gives us way, about 90% of people on the road were nice to us or indifferent. The other 10% are a bit crazy but compared to Kuwait it’s a walk in the park. We spent most of our day riding and when the sun sets we are back at the hotel, getting a bite to eat and passing out to walk up at the crack of dawn when possible.

Our Hotels:

• Palace Old Town – 1 Night
• Hilton Ras Al Khaymah – 2 Nights
• Nour Arjan Rotana Fujeirah – 1 Night
• Mercure Grand Jebel Hafeet – 1 Night
• Palace Old Town – 1 Night

Since the moment the GPS was switched on we travelled a total of 1402 kilometers all over the UAE and a bit of Oman on Day 2 & Day 4. It was a hell of a trip and to top it off we went wakeboarding in Dubai Marina which was a lot of fun. I only got upstaged by my young cousin and I was falling face flat into the water, but I enjoyed it. The ride to Dubai was exhausting because it started getting a bit hotter then we expected and it was all a straight line, it was very boring, so hitting the water right away was exactly what was needed. This was probably one of the best rides I have been on and the roads in the UAE are better then any road I have seen in the UK or all of the West Coast of the US. The Diavel and Monster S4RS were more then capable for a very long trip and taking roads of every kind and I’m hoping to do something like this again and soon.

This will probably be one of the most intense rides I will ever take, we have been planning this for over three months, but the real planning started about a month back. We got our bikes prepped, we were initially supposed to be 6 guys but due to work conflicts we dropped down to 4 guys on this little adventure.

The Machines On This Trip

• 1 Diavel Carbon
• 2 Diavels
• 1 Monster SR2

I have done some long distance traveling before but not in the Middle East so this is going to be a new one. We are as preparred as can be at this point. I mapped out everything on Google Maps and ported it to my Garmin Device which is mounted to the left side of my handle bar. I mapped out our routes exactly, calculated what we needed and the distances between stops and the gas stations in the vicinity and some areas don’t have gas stations so we needed to plan for that.

I have to thank Tristar for all their support in setting this up. We know its the beginning of riding season but they took our bikes serviced them, and even recommended changes for a long trip. I got a rear bag mounted to the back of the Diavel which doesn’t look too bad in my Opinion. I changed out my rear tire since it was a little abused so I had to ride it out a bit before taking it to UAE. They also recommended a transportation company for us since we didn’t want to ride through Saudi, so they were very helpful getting this trip off the ground.

Right now all our bikes are waiting for us in a storage area close to Jebel Ali. We get there, we ride them to Dubai and then the 1000 KM+ adventure begins.

Barcelona is one of the city’s that I really want to visit but haven’t had the chance yet. Pau Garcia Laita made this extremely cool tilt-shift video of Spain’s second largest city, it honestly looks like toys from this point of view. I need to learn how to make Tilt-shift videos.

One of the things that I love to do while I travel is going to Comedy Clubs whenever I have the chance. This time around while I was in San Francisco one of the shows was Chris Kattan and I got excited since I remembered him from his days in Saturday Night Live, the guy was hilarious. Plus he was in the Night At The Roxbury with Will Ferrel, one of the ridiculous movies that I still love.

So the idea of seeing Chris Kattan live was exciting and I was very looking forward to it. Of course when you have a big star comedian usually there are one or two other people who are just good comedians but not that known, the main act is usually last but this time around he was first.

I thought I was going to get some funny sketches from SNL and some funny personal experiences and how he delivers it on TV. But I was honestly very disappointed in the guy, he just kept babling on and not really getting any punch lines in. I know there are different styles of comedy & stand-up and I’m honestly very flexible but in his case he just seemed unprepared for it and was winging it on stage. He didn’t even make the effort to remember the guy’s who are performing with him on stage, and it turns out they were 10 times better. The only reason he got a 1 out of 5 is because the other guys did great while he completely bombed the act.

Rating:

Going on a break every once in a while is always important to do. I was pretty much offline in a lot of forms, stopped my Blackberry for about a month, barely checked twitter every 4 to 5 days. Didn’t post for about two weeks which was driving me nuts since I had a lot to say. The only real place I was putting a few things up was on Instagram and I wasn’t on that 100%.

When on vacation I wanted to enjoy my vacation, and thankfully I managed to go to a lot of events that were very fun and I got a lot of Riding in during this vacation. One speeding ticket in California over a 30 day period is impressive for me, and it wasn’t too bad.

I tried watching as many movies as possible, some were fantastic and some were disappointing but it was a lot of fun. Now I’m back and playing catch up, and my Google Reader is going to blow! lol

At the beginning of July I had a quick business trip to London and one of the usual stops other then the Harrods Pizzeria is the Waterstones bookstore in Piccadly. There is always something different about bookstores, there is a personal touch and you get introduced to books that you would never think of taking a look at online.

The best part of the bookstore are the personal reviews of the staffers, a lot of these people work there because they like it and they give you a personal opinion on these books. It gives me a chance to checkout books that I would never think of picking up and that is how I discovered a few of my favorites authors.

A usual my favorite section is the Fantasy & Science Fiction section on the first floor but I decided to check out all the other sections before heading there so I start from the Fifth Floor and clear each floor before heading to the next one. Usually I end up spending about 15 mins per section, and then about two hours in the Fantasy & Science Fiction section. This time around there were more Vampire & Zombie books then usual and I picked up a few that seemed interesting, I chose a few different books and the usual. I said I would only get two books but ended up getting five with me.

After Futoor on Wednesday I got text messages stating that another Kuwait Airways Plane had an emergency landing in Jeddah right after take off and Emergency Oxygen Masks were deployed in the plane. This is the second incident in the last month of a plane having a major mechanical failure, the one before this is when the engines went out on the plane but luckily the pilots knew how to handle the planes and themselves in these emergency situations. One thing that is or was good about Kuwait Airways is that they really trained their pilots, they are probably the best in the region if not the world but I don’t know how of those pilots are left because they are picked up by Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, and even GulfAir with better salaries and benefits.

Our national carrier was the pride of the country, landing points in every major airport across the world, in 2012 it isn’t even a shadow of what it used to be. Kuwait Airways have 15 aircrafts in their fleet and of them 5 have been grounded as of the last two to three weeks, the Airbus A310s & A300s. I don’t even know if they have anymore spare parts to fix these planes and get them airborne let alone safe.

In 2006 Kuwait Airways placed an order for 17 to 19 New Aircrafts, a combination of Airbus 320s & Boeing 787 Dreamliners which was approved by the Council of Ministers. The amount totaled $3 Billion and right after that was blocked by Parliament which they stated at the point would privatize Kuwait Airways giving the New Investors the choice of Aircraft, its now 2012 and still no steps have gone forward in the privatization direction. They were supposed to receive a third of their fleet by 2010 and the rest by the beginning of 2014 since they whole fleet had to be replaced because of their age. I think based on recent events their age is showing and its not a good sign.

Lets not even discuss the level of service or rudeness of the staff, that’s a whole different post but sometimes I can’t blame them because the people who are getting on the plane are even ruder. Kuwaitis act very badly on Kuwait Airways and get away with it, but they wouldn’t even think of trying that on any other airline because they know they would get kicked off. The staff feels like they are falling apart as well, even though there are still some good people there, they are the minority these days.

I believe in a National Carrier but in this case the risk of taking Kuwait Airways is not a risk I am willing to take. I wouldn’t even pay for a ticket on Kuwait Airways in the first place, I have flown Kuwait Airways twice in the past 10 years and both times have been a disaster of an experience but now its getting dangerous to fly on them.

Even if they wanted to get new planes there are three possible ways, they would lease it from one of these Plane Dealers at a very high rate to get it as early as possible, and even if they did they would get it before 2014. They can buy it from Boeing or Airbus but that won’t be available except until 2016 and even if someone cancels there order they would have to check if Kuwait Airways have the same plane requirements to see if they match so that they could get it sooner, or they just move up a bit in the que. In any case it doesn’t look like they can even get new planes any time soon.

There has to be less politics in Kuwait Airways and they need to clean it up, I don’t know how much longer it can survive limping from year to year.

Check out the video below: The 787 Dreamliner is a plane took time to come market while Boeing worked out all the kinks in it, but it has been worth it, its a wider plane with a higher ceiling making it more comfortable for people to fly in. It also has a steep take off and is a very dynamic plane which is very maneuverable, check out the video below at an airshow in the UK where Boeing showcases the new Qatar Airways 787 Dreamliner.

One of my favorite places to eat while in London and it has its own sort of fame over the years and some people would wait over two hours just to get a seat when its really crowded. When I got in line there were a lot of people ahead of me, but luckily I was on my own and I told the Italian Maitredee and he had a seat ready to go.

It was my last day in London, my flight is later at night, I finished up most of my errands and I was going to stuff myself silly on this food before taking off. I love the smell of the place and they made it bigger then it used to be but the service is still good, and they have tables now but I only love eating at the counter.

I didn’t even need to look at the menu, I ordered four things:

• Roca Salad
• Margarita Pizza
• Lasagna
• Coke with Ice & Lemon

I didn’t leave a bite on the plate when I was done, and I had a huge smile on my face. Honestly the food tasted better then I expected, I always think that over the years it wouldn’t maintain their level but somehow they got even better. Of course at the time in the beginning of July the place was packed with people from the GCC (Mostly Saudi, Emirates, and Qatar). I just came for the meal and it was worth it, even right at this moment I’m thinking about that Pizza and Lasagna.

Pop Culture Central of Europe, the best place for any Geek/Nerd to visit while in London, I visit there on every trip I take to London and there is always something different to see or something that really excites me. Movie memorabilia of every kind, Comics, games and anime collectibles that you only see online, every Star Wars & Harry Potter fan would go nuts there. Still I never get tired of it, I could spend hours there, there is always something that I want to purchase but these days I am lacking space so I always choose items that fit or that make me think “MUST HAVE IT”

One section that people forget about is there HUGE comic and graphic novel collection down stairs, I picked up all of the novels by the comedian Kevin Smith, read a few pages and they are pretty funny and he is a funny guy so decided to take all his books. Then there is the Transformers section which have all the stuff dating back to the 80s up to the new things from IDW in 2012. They sold some fake weaponry which looked really cool but I didn’t want to risk taking that on a plane with me. When walking around upstairs I honestly don’t know what to pick up, I tell myself not to go overboard, I never have enough space in my bags but then I don’t reason well with myself and pick up a few things that I end up walking out with a smile, if your wondering what they are its the items in the last picture in this post.

I was in London for about 6 days, first day meetings, then Saturday and Sunday off, then nonstop meetings until the hour I leave. As I woke up I got a tweet from my fellow nerd @Qatami that the London Film & Comic Con is going on right now, it was 9:30 am when I got the Tweet. By 9:36 am I showered, changed, and already was in a cab to Olympia halls for an event that I didn’t know was going and was extatic to attend.

As I drove in there was a ridiculously long line, at least 1.5 kilos going around the building at around 10am, I knew it was the right line because half of the people in line were in costume, so I walked all the way back and waited, I thought it was just a ridiculously long line, but turns out it wasn’t open yet to the general public, just the gold ticket holders who bought their tickets earlier. So when they opened the line started flowing and about 20 mins later I was inside, and the first thing in front of me was the beautiful Batmobile from the 1989 Batman with Michael Keaton.

As I started walking I had no plan was so ever and didn’t know anything that was going on, I opened up the map and read Artist’s corner so that’s where I love going, not including the toys. I went with a certain amount of cash which disappeared within three hours and I was planning to spend the whole day there. There was just too much for my nerdery to resist, art work, models, one of pieces, and so much more to see. I was literally overwhelmed, I was smiling so much it gave me headache, I tried walking around in a systematic fashion but sometimes I would lose myself when I see some cool stuff and can’t help but head in that direction.

I picked up as much Transformers, DC Comics, and Marvel Art Work that I could put together from some amazing Artists and some of them are one pieces that I love. I don’t even know where I want to put them, in vault or a vacuum sealed room to just look at them and enjoy them. I really don’t know what to do, and honestly it wasn’t enough time to go and talk to these people. Some of them are really nice guys and very easy to talk to, laid back, and I know half of them by heart and other I recognized from the Marvel, IDW, and DC comics that I read. I think they thought I was nuts but they were really nice about it. I even met some amazing actors who were really really nice and cool to talk to like: Kevin Sorbo (Hercules, Andromeda), Holly Marie Combs (Charmed, Pretty Little Liars), Alec Baldwin (Chuck, Serenity, Stargate SG-1, Firefly, & Independence Day), Robert Maschio (Dr Todd from Scrubs (The High Fiving Guy)), and Al Leong (Big Trouble Little China, Die Hard, & Lethal Weapon). Seriously they were all very nice and I chatted with them for a bit, felt a surreal because some of them were in character which was cool.

It was a hell of an event and I could keep on going about how fantastic it is, but every Film & Comic nut has to go once in their life time. This experience has taught me that I have to to go San Diego Comic Con which is taking place right now. There are just some things in life that every man must do, and the San Diego Comic Con is the biggest thing for every nerd, the largest Pop Culture event in the world, so many gathered in one place.