The United Arab Emirates have no shortage of desert fortresses, most of which are recently renovated and designed to cater for the huge swath of tourists who visit every year. But for those with a more intrepid spirit, seeking an alternative to the pomp of the major emirate cities, the abandoned fort of Mezyad may be just the thing.
While its creators are unknown, Mezyad is thought to have been built during the 19th century, but very little of its origin story survives. According to a report by Gulf News, at various points in its history it has doubled as a police station, been used as a border post, and was also occupied by a British paramilitary group, the Trucial Oman Scouts, during the 1950s.
The fortress shows signs of restoration, but in recent years it has been neglected and deeply undervalued despite its hugely dramatic appeal at the base of the grand Jebel Hafeet. Its camouflaged mud walls and backdrop of cool palm trees only add to its picturesque value.
Unfortunately the fort is only viewable from the outside as the entrance is heavily padlocked but its secluded location gives it a sense of historic exoticism as you wander around the lonely grounds. Mezyad has all the charm to indeed be the basis of a tale straight out of 1001 Arabian Nights, but with new tourist developments encroaching on the site, who knows whether it will manage to retain that enigmatic quality for much longer.
Inside the Bow Flats Natural area, just off the Trans-Canada Highway is a large tunnel carved into the north facing slope of Mt. McGillivray's solid limestone.
The tunnel leads into the mountain to two chambers roughly 80 feet x 25 feet. Many people say the Canadian Government tunneled into the mountain as a plan to build a bunker that would house officials in case of a nuclear event during the Cold War.
As it turns out those theorists are not too far from the mark. The shallow caves were actually constructed by a private company, Rocky Mountain Vaults and Archives, with the intent of holding only documents... in the beginning. Rocky Mountain Vaults and Archives obtained licenses to begin constructing the vault in 1969, though it is suspected that they had started tunneling before then. The company had planned to store the countries "most important documents" to keep them safe in the even of nuclear fallout. The vault would be climate-controlled and protected from all elements and dangers. "Built for maximum protection... against any form of destructive vice, from mildew to hydrogen bomb." The original plans for the facility called for a system of impenetrable chambers and vaults built right into the mountain, which could THEORETICALLY have served as a redoubt for government officials in the case of an apocalypse. Regardless, what would undoubtedly have been the largest secure file storage vault of that time fell short on financing early in construction and the company went bankrupt. The project was abandoned and left as it was, only a fraction of the planned size of the original ambitious idea.
Today the vault caves are still empty and have become favorite spots for amateur hikers and cavers who can explore the unguarded chambers without hopping so much as a fence.
Kudos to United for the most honest "aircraft" type I've ever seen listed for a flight (thanks to reader Thomas for sending this screenshot along):
Now if only all airlines were this honest!
The post Your Flight Is Operated By What?! appeared first on One Mile at a Time.
This isn’t a post about the best value for a cell phone, and in fact I’m not suggesting that the cell phone I just upgraded to (a Samsung Galaxy S5 replacing my S3 that after more than two years stopped charging properly and unfortunately it wasn’t the battery). Instead, it’s a post about how to […]
The post A Simple Lesson on How Not to Get Taken When Making Big Purchases appeared first on View from the Wing.
One of the big downsides to redeeming miles for travel on British Airways is the fuel surcharges they impose. These surcharges apply regardless of whether you're booking an award ticket through British Airways' own Executive Club program, or through one of their partner airlines.
For example, the roundtrip fuel surcharges for business class between San Francisco and London are ~$904.
That doesn't even include any of the other taxes and fees. These are only made worse by the UK Air Passenger Duty (APD), which applies for tickets that have travel originating in the UK.
The post Reduce British Airways Fuel Surcharges appeared first on One Mile at a Time.
I got notice of updated terms from Amazon Payments by email today. Amazon Payments will stop allowing person-to-person transfers after October 12. The email said, Additionally, we have updated the terms and conditions of our User Agreement (https://payments.amazon.com/help/Personal-Accounts/User-Agreement-Policies/User-Agreement) that apply to your use of the products and services provided by Amazon Payments. Our updated User […]
The post The End of Amazon Payments: No More Sending Other People Money Effective October 13 appeared first on View from the Wing.
