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NQTabroad
Joined: 17 Feb 2009
Posts: 20
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 Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 4:41 pm Post subject: Ras Al Khaimah |
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Hello all,
I have worked in Al Ain in the UAE in 2007 and I am thinking about returning for more 
I worked as in the International School of Choueifat. I then returned to England, got my PGCE and have worked 2 years in an English school.
For all the bad things people say about Choueifat I certainly found it less stressful than teaching in England.  That said I d rather not go back there.
I am looking at everywhere in the UAE except Dubai. I loved Al Ain and if the opportunity arose at AAESS I d be there in a flash.
I ve started to have a look at Ras Al Khaimah. It looks very pretty on Google images and it seems to be rather small and quiet. I loved Al Ain because it was small, quiet and more Arabic than the rest of the Emirates. Plus I could always go to Dubai or Abu Dhabi when I needed a bit more excitement.
I d love to know peoples opinions of Ras Al Khaimah. From what I heard its quite touristy and popular for scuba diving.
What are the schools like? What is the repuatation of the British school? I couldn t find much online.
This site was really great before I went to Al Ain and I found out so much before I went.
Any replies would be much appreciated |
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elmoro
Joined: 12 Feb 2010
Posts: 58
Location: The Emerald City
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 1:35 am Post subject: |
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i lived in rak about two years ago and i actually liked it. unlike fujairah, i didn't find myself having to travel to sharjah/dubai for quality groceries. everything i needed was there, and now that they have finished some of those big projects, i'm sure the quality of life is better. only reason i left is because my employer ceased to exist.
elmoro |
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Sheikh N Bake
Joined: 26 Apr 2007
Posts: 1307
Location: Dis ting of ours
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 11:35 am Post subject: |
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RAK is not pretty. Half of it is passable and the other half is a scraggly, dusty, hideous mess, clogged with big belching truck convoys. Looks like a frontier town in Tajikistan. I was also amazed how pis*-poor the local Carrefour was compared to Dubai's similar stores, when you consider the excellent expressway making Dubai a mere 50 minutes away by car. They can't even manage a decent truck load of groceries an hour outside Dubai. Surly, indolent Arabs from Syria or wherever at the deli counter--sometimes a Pakistani who literally didn't know the difference between red cheddar and Gouda cheese! Tried to tell me they're the same! If this qualifies as quality shopping... well, enjoy.
The corniche abode I had was horrible because of the noise especially at night.
I left in 2007. Who knows, maybe it's all a paradise now. |
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elmoro
Joined: 12 Feb 2010
Posts: 58
Location: The Emerald City
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 1:37 pm Post subject: |
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yeah, it's not a pretty town at all, but since you SnB left, they finished the hamra mall which has a spinney's and the safeer mall which has a safeer market. there are more housing options now, and yes, the corniche is a terrible place to live because of the traffic and noise.
yes, the trucks are annoying and unavoidable. |
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Sheikh N Bake
Joined: 26 Apr 2007
Posts: 1307
Location: Dis ting of ours
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 2:39 pm Post subject: |
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| Good that there are two good, new supermarkets and apparently another mall. That'll show Carrefour. |
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tmac-100
Joined: 23 Nov 2006
Posts: 137
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| Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 4:24 pm Post subject: |
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| Sheikh N Bake wrote: |
| Good that there are two good, new supermarkets and apparently another mall. That'll show Carrefour. |
Yes, it has shown Carrefour that if you give DECENT products at DECENT prices they will come (aka If you build it they will come) I understand that Carrefour was quite BUSY this week end - in spite of Spinneys and other markets. IMHO, Spinneys charges MORE for the same items that Carrefour carries. What may I ask is the benefit to that? Same quality but higher price! Duuuhhh  That said, expats in the UAE are cost-conscious and quality-conscious and vote with their feet.... So, a LOT come to Carrefour, the OLD STANDBY
As an aside, I wonder which shopping mall you can get to in Dubai in 50 minutes - especially when stuck in a 2 hour long traffic jam between the E88 exit and the National Paints flyover.
Seriously, S&B, you have been away from the UAE for a while - you state you left in 2007 - and are OUT OF TOUCH with the UAE - but not out of spleen and venom. Get a grip on the UAE and COME BACK (if your attitude can handle it) for the ADVENTURE, and benefits. Otherwise ... SU with your out-of-date pontifications  |
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helenl
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Posts: 1202
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| Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 4:45 pm Post subject: |
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| Carrefour has certainly improved in variety and choice over the past 5 years. However, Spinney's still carries some items I can't get elsewhere, and some of their smaller stores are more convenient to pop in and out of for a few small items. |
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elmoro
Joined: 12 Feb 2010
Posts: 58
Location: The Emerald City
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| Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 4:47 pm Post subject: |
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there is an e66 exit on emirates road that will allow you to bypass that national paints mess. i wish i remembered the exit number, but i can tell you that it is a fly over somewhere passed the first gas station on emirates once you leave rak. this road will take you behind academic city, so you can get to mirdif cc, dfc, arabian ranches, dubai mall, and other places in no time and with no traffic. just look for e66 (dubai bypass).
elmoro |
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tmac-100
Joined: 23 Nov 2006
Posts: 137
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| Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 5:37 pm Post subject: |
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| elmoro wrote: |
there is an e66 exit on emirates road that will allow you to bypass that national paints mess. i wish i remembered the exit number, but i can tell you that it is a fly over somewhere passed the first gas station on emirates once you leave rak. this road will take you behind academic city, so you can get to mirdif cc, dfc, arabian ranches, dubai mall, and other places in no time and with no traffic. just look for e66 (dubai bypass).
elmoro |
Yes, my friends tell me you can take E611 and avoid the NP mess - BUT, it still takes a LOT more than 50 minutes to get to a decent Spinneys or *** shopping mall from RAK. THAT is what they say. S&B can come here and find out himself |
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Sheikh N Bake
Joined: 26 Apr 2007
Posts: 1307
Location: Dis ting of ours
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| Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 4:19 pm Post subject: |
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WTF is it with you and your Spinneys and Carrefour? Rational people don't extend supermarket-related tirades. Who cares? As for the 50 minutes, it is INDEED a 50-minute drive to Abu Hail Road in Dubai from RAK, assuming reasonable traffic. And yes, there IS a Carrefour just a little bit farther, near that Sharjah-side Corniche (forgot the name of it).
Besides, what on earth does the 50 minutes have to do with ANYTHING? My point--apparently difficult to understand--was that RAK is a short distance from Dubai and therefore the world's second-largest retail chain ought to have been able to stock their RAK store to minimal standards! Certainly the no. 1 chain, Walmart, does not allow some store in Kadiddlehopper, Oklahoma to stock half the variety one would find in, say, Houston.
Last edited by Sheikh N Bake on Wed Jan 12, 2011 12:21 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 4:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Sheikh N Bake wrote: |
| Certainly the no. 1 chain, Walmart, does not allow some store in Kadiddlehopper, Oklahoma to stock half the variety one would find in, say, Houston. |
Welllll not quite true. Our Wal-Mart Super Center is not as well stocked as that in suburban Phoenix. It was for the first few months it opened... two years later, not so much. Now there are often large swathes of empty shelves... which the local store blames on "corporate." Supply is not keeping up with demand at all.
But we are lots more off the beaten path than RAK.
VS |
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