Whew....what a wild last month it has been! I've been avoiding this to some degree since I was missing home terribly. It was like I missed the family soooo much, missed my old school soooo much, and just the normal life we had!!!! Well aside from working the two jobs. Anyway....so finally I uploaded all these photos.
This blogging business is extremely time consuming. And as technology would have, I could only upload like 5 pics at a time. Count how many pics there are in this post and you can sympathize with me I'm sure! At least try. I was getting tired of hearing, "update the blog!" or "When are you going to update this blog - I just keep reading about the wedding!" YADDA YADDA YADDA!
Here it goes!
We had an awesome time with our family visiting. My parents, sister, and Jennifer's mother came to visit! We took advantage of having a babysitter the night we went to pick up the family and got to Abu Dhabi early and had dinner with a Janae. We enjoyed some good Mexican food! It is nice catching up with new friends we've made since this whole journey began almost a year ago!
Once we picked up the family we just headed home because afterall they did just fly like 15 hours to get here and we got back to Al Ain around 1am. The funniest thing was listening to the parents and mother-in-law say the flight was not that bad and then my sister say, "I don't know what place you guys were on but flying is bad enough and this long, no it was bad. I'll only do this once!" HA HA HA!
Once we toured our villa then it was bed time. The next morning we made sure we
woke everyone up at 8:30 because we know you have to stick to the schedule if you don't want jet lag kicking your butt! So we woke up, figured out how 8 folks in one villa will shower and get ready. It all worked out. We planned to just hang around Al Ain and do the grocery store (since it's cool to see all the different things in a new country!) and we ate lunch at my favorite place - the Ghandor Bakery. We, well most of us, enjoyed some zaatar and pizza. That night I made some great roast with mashed potatoes. Yummy! We finished it was the best buttery pound cake ever! We added some candles since it was our Happy Birthday Frannie cake!
Our first day of a full rest was busy! We headed to Abu Dhabi (sans kids of course!) to tour the amazing Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. If you want to know more specifics about the mosque - browse through one of our August blogs and see all the details! I am still amazed by this mosque. What was even more neat was touring it now that we've lived here and are more familiar with Islam and their cultural traditions and such. What was totally new was the crazy number of tourists there! And how strict they were about taking photos. Once we were leaving the mosque we saw some sort of worker or whoever, an Emraiti, telling folks no pics if the woman was not covered with her abaya(the black robe) and sheyla(head covering). He went as far as to take their camera and delete the photos they took. There was an Asian man getting ready to take a photo, and he pushed the camera (which pushed the mans face back) and said NO PHOTOS! Whew...it was exciting though!
After the Grand Mosque we headed into the downtown area of Abu Dhabi to eat lunch at the Lebanese Flower! We hadn't been yet but were excited to try it! Well I know I was. All my mother wanted was some kibbeh! The others I think were just hoping they had chicken they recognized. And they did! I ventured out and ordered some grilled pigeon. Why not! It tasted just like chicken. It was like eating a drumstick. All dark meat! After lunch we drove around the city and pulled into the Emirates Palace Hotel thinking we might get a chance to see something. There were no tours since they were fully booked. Didn't stop us though! We pulled in and stopped at the first gate and asked if we can go in and he said only to this fountain and turn around. Of course we didn't stop. Well we did stop to take a photo and then kept driving in our minivan up to the valet with all the fancy cars! We went in and checked out this 7 star hotel and had drinks and afternoon desserts! Felt like royalty. Until we waiting for the valet to bring Khalifa the Kia around to us! But all in all - we enjoyed our day in Abu Dhabi. But the best was yet to come!
This is - BY FAR - one of the best pics I've taken! My favorite! Wallah!
Deep in thought!!!
Kibbeh. What are those maggot looking things? Well supposedly they are pine nuts. But still reminded me of maggots. And this actually was good. It reminded me of like a taco flavored hush puppy!
My awesome grilled pigeon!
Emirates Palace Hotel
We spent Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in Dubai. We all loaded up and stopped for breakfast at La Brioche. It was very good! And of course on the way had to stop at a camel farm! A trip with the Verows isn't official until you stop at a camel farm. And not just ANY camel farm. A new camel farm! We stop and of course they invite you up to take photos and such. These men were very nice. My botchy Arabic wasn't much for conversation but we got some really cool photos. And they even attempted to convince Jennifer and her mom to get on the camel. Didn't happen though. At some point the oldest man came up to my father and I and asked for some money. And of course we gave him some. When the money came out, more came over! It was like dropping fish food in a fish tank! But we gave them what we thought was enough and they really did seem appreciative too! So we headed off to Dubai. We drove through the city and showed what we knew. Then took the hour long tour to find out hotel! And as luck would have it, the rooms were not ready. So we hung out and had some drinks and snacks while we waited! Finally we all got rooms and situated. This night we had reservations to eat dinner at the Rivington Grill. It was British food - but the more important reason for eating here was because of their view of the Dubai fountain at the Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall. SPECTACULAR! It was amazing! Well the two or three fountain shows we did see. Then there was nothing. We were not sure why but could see a concert in the distance. After enjoying great food we headed across the water to Dubai Mall. And then it all let loose! The fountain was back on and fireworks were exploding too! In the water AND off Dubai Mall. It was cool to watch. The older folks wanted to check out the Gold souq so we did dessert and enjoyed some more fountain shows. The place was packed!
Day 2 of Dubai was a busy one! We did the Big Bus Tour of Dubai. It was great sitting in the AC bus (since it was already hot here!) and learning all about Dubai. We could get off when we wanted and see what we wanted! We check out Atlantis - The Palm. We also took a dhow cruise (dhow - is a wooden boat) down the Dubai Creek and learned more about the history of Dubai. Then we toured the original Sheikh's (the Dubai Sheikh) home. Looked at all kinds of old photographs, money, and artifacts. We walked more than we wanted! Once we finally got back and rested for a bit we (minus my mom and dad) headed to Mall of the Emirates for dinner and to check out Ski Dubai. We walked around and checked it out! Then we taxi'ed back to Dubai Mall to take the long ride to the observation deck of the Burj Khalifa! This was awesome! You go through this hallway to the building and up a few escalators and then up to the 124th floor! YIKES! And it only takes 1 minute to get to the top! WOW! When we walk out on the deck - it is glasses in with holes in various areas where you can actually stick your camera (or your head I suppose!) out and get some really awesome night photos! Then there is a section indoors with a gift shop. How many people can say they went to the top! We can!!!
Our last day in Dubai was chill. We took the kids to Jumeria Beach while my sister enjoyed a quiet room and the older folks went to another gold souq to shop for jewelry! We enjoyed the water and sand. Well until Caralyn got stung by a jelly fish. But she handled it well. Luckily it must have been small. Then we headed back to Al Ain!
If you know my father - he never can just be calm and normal. He has to pet and irritate this camel after he was already making all kinds of noises. I explained to the worker at the farm that he was MAJNOON! Majnoon is Arabic for CRAZY!
As we were leaving the camel farm - this one came running over behind the mama. We were not sure what to expect. But some of us were nervous because neither camel was in any type of fence and their feet were not tied.
When was the last time the four of us took a photo together! It's been a long time! And now we have one taken in DUBAI! Love it!
Love this photo!
Three generations.
The touristy Burj Khalifa pic!
Souq Al Bahar - we ate dinner on the 2nd level! Awesome view!
The Jumeria Mosque
The dhow cruise on the Dubai Creek
I was fascinated by these towers coming out of some of the buildings. These were originally built on buildings back in the day before AC. The air would come down the openings in these and then circulate through the rooms.
Ski Dubai
Awesome Dubai fountains!
This was a mural showing come cultural aspects of the UAE! We saw this on the way to the Burj Khalifa.
View from the 124th floor!!!
Pic of a pic! I know it's not the best quality - but still a cute pic!
Grandma and PePe at the Old Souq. Hilarious story - we took two taxi's to the Old Souq. We couldn't find Jenn, her mom, and the kids when we got there. So we waited and waited and of course Jenn never has her cell phone with her. They borrowed someones phone and we then realized they were across the creek at what someone told them it was the Old Souq. We did our separate shopping and met back up at the hotel.
The jellyfish marks...nothing too major!
Now this is where the REAL FUN started!
We decided to go ice skating Friday before we headed to Global Village. Only me, the kids, and my dad skated! We had a good time. Cole and Pepe (my dad) only lasted like 30 minutes! Of course Caralyn and I lasted the whole time! That afternoon we had a sitter coming and we headed off to Global Village. We were right on schedule to be there when they opened! Well at one point I was telling my sister the road must have issues because the steering wheel was vibrating all sort of crazy. Then BOOM - a blow out! Smoke and all sort of debris was flying from behind the car! Luckily we were in the right lane and I was able to control the wheel and not hit anyone. After sometime and a taxi driver helping we found out the jack we had didn't work since it was missing some parts and the spare tire is not the right size. And of course this can't happen with just us - our family is with us. So I sent everyone on with the taxi driver and my sister and I waited for help. We were not sure what this help was whether it be a tow truck, police, or whoever. A Dubai police office pulls up and takes us to a tire place which was at the exit we were at! This was my first time in the back of a police car! And not just any police car - the Dubai police. Check that off my bucket list! Finally we got a new tire and the police man was helping us with his jack, which didn't work. So he flagged someone down and it took 1 hand motion for someone to stop. He fixed us up and we were good to go! We headed back to the tire shop to check the air pressure and then to Global Village. What a day!
Frannie @ Global Village
It was my first time in the back of a police car.
And it was my sister's first time too.
Well in the back of a DUBAI police car.
Not sure most people who had back surgery (less than a year ago too!) would go ice skating.
After the ever so eventful blow out in Dubai - we were up for even more excitement! We booked a dessert safari. A desert safari is where you load up with other people into Land Cruisers and go up and down sand dunes. We stopped twice to take photos and then enjoyed some Arabic food with some Turkish dancing and a belly dancer. There were also camel rides! We had a blast! After the 2nd or 3rd time we were going sideways down the dunes I was thinking we made a bad choice coming on this! But it was great. Everyone enjoyed it and it's one of those once-in-a-lifetime things too!
Taking pictures while riding up and down dunes is difficult.
This was camel ride #1 - but after this she was ready for another ride!
Cool Pic!
After being so busy being tourist for a week we were adventurous and travelled to Muscat, Oman for two days! Muscat is about 3 1/2 to 4 hours from Al Ain. So we headed there on Sunday and stayed one night. Crossing the border was pretty painless. The real fun came 3 hours into the journey! The kids were in the back playing on their iPads with Jennifer and Frannie and the older three folks were sleeping. I was getting bored and thought I'd listen to a CD. Well the radio didn't turn on. Then I realized our car was no longer beeping when we hit 120 km. And I figured something was weird but what was I going to do at that point. Well we approached another roundabout and the car was doing some interesting jerking and then it just died. As we're going to through a roundabout the car died. Awesome! Right away my mother-in-law says, "Oh, God!" I thought - that's right. She asks what happened and I wasn't even sure what to say. Then my father is behind me attempting to clarify what "died" meant I guess with all his questions. I'm like - HELLO - it died and we're pulling over. Not sure what else to say. So we pull off, and I get out and ask a taxi driver for help, he goes and gets a mechanic to happens to be right near us at his shop. Brings him over, and puts in a new battery and I think it was not the right size or whatever. The taxi driver tows us with a rope to this guys shop. He does some checking and says he thinks the alternator is bad. He says he can rebuild it in 2-3 hours. So it's like we go in repeat mode and I think my sister will stay with me and the rest will taxi to Muscat at the hotel and inshallah we'll meet up. Well they decide to wait it out and so we hang out. It wasn't miserable or anything. And after the first 30 minutes we just laugh about it and crack up. And then after the 2 hour mark of waiting folks are frustrated, hot, and ready to get to the hotel. The trip to Oman wasn't to hang out at the mechanic. Finally once he rebuilds the alternator (for $122USD - talk about awesome price!) we are back in the game! We finally get to Muscat like
8 hours after we left Al Ain. We check in the hotel and eat dinner. At dinner we start talking about our vehicle dysfunction and we are all cracking up laughing about it all. All you can do is laugh! So we decided that the next day we'd check out Muttra - the oldest souq, so they say, in the world. It was cool. Then we just drove to the beach (we had great taxi drivers too! They were so social and fun!) checked it out and back to the hotel. Ate lunch at Friday's and headed home. So while Muscat is definitely a place I'll go back to, we didn't get to see as much!
Then the last day before my parents and sister left, we just went to the mall, bought some souvenirs, and chilled out. We did go to the top of the mountain for dinner. Nothing spectacular, but the views going up were great. I think the jury was out on the way up as to whether Khalifa and Kia would make it, but it did.
First Shell I've seen in this region.
The Tulip Inn was a great hotel!
Our taxi driver Anasi.
At the mall the kids played games and did some rides. Well not just kids...
Jebel Hafeet - the mountain in Al Ain
Saying goodbye to family is never fun. It always brings me back to the days when I was a kid and we'd visit family in New England and when we'd leave, I'd always be soooooo sad and wonder why we live so far away from family! But here we are living 8200 miles away. And I remember my grandmother always crying when we'd leave. Now I have taken on her role. But I remind myself it's not permanent!
The day my folks and sister left, we headed back to Dubai to enjoy Aquaventure - the water park. We stayed at a hotel apt near Mall of the Emirates and just had lunch at the mall and played games with the kids. Then we just grabbed some Subway and went swimming. We spent the day at Aquaventure and had a great time. Well until Cole and Jennifer flipped over in the raft and the lifeguard did the full on rescue whistle blowing and jumped in to get him. But all in all we had a good time - saw some freaks - and enjoyed the water.
We never really heard the call to prayer at the mall but saw this reminder!
We ran into one of Cole's classmates (or we call her the girlfriend) in Dubai!
Cole had to ride next to her!
View of Ski Dubai from the hotel pool.
This is pic of the year. Who wears a pad with a bikini. She does!
Camel training at the race track.
Easter Sunday!
We enjoyed Easter service at Church with Jennifer's mom. Then there we were again - saying goodbye. I hate it. I hate it, hate it, hate it! That is when my homesickness took over me for a several days. I was a mess. I was ready to come home and get back to our normal life. But it has since subsided and we're back in the UAE game counting the days until school is out. Well not until it's out - more like - when the kids quit coming. They supposedly just stop coming to school when June starts.
Easter was fun with the kids - we did some egg hunts and dyed eggs too!
Moments like these keep us going!
Caralyn started a basketball league too. She loves it!
She's getting pretty good!
Last weekend we did something new! We booked a dhow cruise. There were three families and Angela! We left at 6am and drove to Dubai to get on what we call a chicken bus! They drove us two hours to Dibba, Oman. There we climbed over four dhow boats to get to ours. They took us to some random beach that is basically at the end of the mountains. We waited for 45 minutes while they put 15 or so folks into this shady boat to bring us to the beach. It was there we realized they didn't even have enough life jackets for us all! That's a cool feeling! The beach reminded me of Galveston because you couldn't even see your feet about a foot into the water. And even funnier - there were wild goats roaming the beaches getting into peoples food! Then we got back on the dhow boat and had a sketchy lunch that wasn't cooked on our boat but brought out from somewhere on the boat. Then the ride back to the dock was reminded of the Deadliest Catch guys. Well not that severe but we were sure we might not make it! There were folks throwing up from the crazy rocking. But we survived and made it back! We all had a good time and now we crack up at the fun trip and the crazy parts of it!
When we came back to the dock, there was like a fish market thing happening. There was fish all laid out - shark, sword fish and all.
Getting off the dhow boat was even more interesting.
We had to cross 7 boats to get to land. So much fun!
Other than that - we're just chugging along with our school year. We have a busy month planned with some trips to Dubai. Oh - and today Caralyn lost another tooth. Cole will be irritated that she gets to go shopping and he doesn't. Oh well. Life happens!
Hopefully it won't be another month until I write again....INSHALLAH!
Stay Tuned...
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