Arriving in Dubai was simple and amazingly hassle-free. The airport was spacious and going through passport control, collecting our luggage and getting on our way was amazingly simple. I expected to see people covered in abayas (women) and dishdashas (men) everywhere, but there were many more people dressed as we were.
R, our friend for many years and our host for the week (along with his family), met us at the airport and drove us to his house. We decided that my husband and the luggage would ride in one taxi and the rest of us would ride with R. Just before heading for the taxi, my husband grabbed my hand and gave me a quick kiss. I bristled, as I had heard that public displays of affection were forbidden. I know it was just habit for him, but it made me a bit nervous for a minute. Then he was off.
We made our way to the car and because it was dark, we couldn’t see much as we drove through, but what we did see plenty of buildings and caught a glimpse of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. (We have plans to visit that on Saturday.)
R was a great tour guide, pointing that out, as well as giving us a brief history (The country is only 39 years old, just one of the reasons the roads are immaculate.) We drove by the mall where we will be snow skiing on Monday. (We can show up in shorts and flip-flops and be completely suited up and ready to go!)
It didn’t take long for us to arrive on Palm Jumeirah Island, where R and his family lives. Their house is on one of the fronds of the island, right along the beach, and complete with a pool, trampoline and 9 bathrooms! Our guests get such a kick out of the opulence of their own home, recognizing that they a living in sort of a fantasy land. They explained that their younger daughter used to ride her scooter from one end of the house to another until they asked her to stop.
The kids love staying at a house where other kids live and our daughter is in heaven with all the Barbies, Hello Kitty, art supplies and more. The boys don’t mind the Wii and comfy chairs, either. This might be the best ‘hotel’ we’ve ever stayed in!
When we got here, we let the kids stay up awhile and, once it was time to sleep, it took some settling to get them to sleep. I’m not sure if that was jet-lag or excitement, though.
In the middle of the night one of our sons recited his 3 multiplication table. I wondered what else I would learn sleeping in the same room as him for a week!
Today they slept until about 11, so I’m hoping we’ll be somewhat acclimated to the time soon.
***Break***
We have just returned from a bit of sightseeing.
We took a taxi to the Jumeirah Beach Residences and wandered around outside of the stores and down to the beach for awhile. I didn’t feel as different as I expected to feel. Most of the people around us spoke with British accents and wore clothes very similar to us. The stores we passed were stores I have visited here at home or in Scotland. There were a few images that were new to me, though. And walking without holding my husband’s hand felt strange to me.
We stopped to get coffee at a familiar spot.
Our host glanced at a lady in an abaya outside of Starbucks and explained that women who are covered often express their individuality with shoes, handbags and sunglasses. Of course I wanted to take a picture to show you, but I didn’t think that would be appropriate. Just imagine a very classy-looking 26 year-old with beautiful accessories.. just covered up.
After that we visited the Gold and Diamond Park, a mall of jewelry store upon jewelry store and had lunch at More. The menu at More was plentiful and the portions were hearty. Three of us split a massive pot of delicious tomato soup and my daughter had a Green Fairy to drink. (A smoothie of pineapple and mint.) There were sandwiches, pastas, heavier meals and even breakfast items to order all day.
We did visit two jewelry stores and, even though the prices were fantastic, we still left empty-handed. (I’m really not much of a jewelry girl, even if it was fun to look.)
We took a train to get closer back to the Palm Island and, while we were waiting on our train, I noticed a sign for a women and children car. We were a group of mixed company, so we boarded the next car, which was mostly men.
Now we are back at our friend’s house relaxing before dinner with another family we know from our travels to Scotland from years passed. The guys are watching Scottish soccer and we are snacking on chips and queso. Where am I again?
I had to laugh when I found out we would be having fajitas.
But there isn’t any humidity, so I cannot be at home.
**This post was recorded last week. We are now back home. More stories tomorrow!**
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