Ten Days in Dubai

First of all, this trip was all about the boys. Our goal was to say YES to as much as possible instead of the NO they tend to get.

Camels, carrot sticks, and movies got us through the 10 hour drive. Bathrooms: not as scary as I thought they'd be... a pleasant surprise. However, the handicap ramps into the bathrooms... those were scary! They were so steep the boys thought they were slides.

 

Our final destination was the Jumeirah Beach Hotel.

There was a bit of a mix up with our accommodations. Apparently Graham counts as a person, which requires a bed, even though it was just a port-a-crib. Our choices: either pay for two rooms (not in our budget), find a new place to stay (too late at night and too long of a vacation for last minute arrangements), or cough it up and take the suite (with a bit of a discount). We chose the last option.

The boys relaxing in the room...

while we enjoyed the balcony...

with amazing views of a downtown. From here you can't tell, but all of those buildings are under construction. What you can't see is the skyline of cranes. They were EVERYWHERE! We had been told that there is a crane shortage in the world because of Dubai. That is not a joke.

The tall building in the middle, when completed, will be the tallest building in the world. We read about some guy who wants to do a balancing act on top of it after completion.

Our other view was of this...

the Burj Al Arab. On our first attempt to visit it we had to turn around because we didn't have on the proper attire. Later Chris was able to take a short tour and said it was impressive.

Our first morning we chose breakfast in bed.

Now that we were living the "good life", breakfast was free in several of the hotel restaurants, including room service.

We mis-ordered the first time, and instead of ordering five different things for each person, they sent us five of everything we ordered. We were soooooo glad that it was on the house when we saw the bill... five bowls of Cocoa Krispy is $25.00, and that's just for starters.

One of the first orders of business was to use the bidet, of course.

Rubber Ducky needed a bath.

Sometimes saying "yes" is harder than you think... such as when your children want to go out looking like complete idi- I mean tourists.

We spent as much time as possible at the Wild Wadi, a water park adjacent to the hotel. As hotel guests, we could come and go as we pleased.

We did so often, sometimes for the whole day and sometimes for just the morning or the late afternoon. Other days we visited some of the hotel pools.

Here Ethan is having a SpongeBob moment.

Zach impressed us with his courage. He was just tall enough to ride the slides... depending on the life guard. Finally we got him a wristband stating he was tall enough so we didn't have to listen to the complaints after waiting in the queue just to be turned away at the last moment.

Once he was given the all clear, he rode ALL the rides, including the Ultra Wedgie or Jumeirah Sceirah, the tallest and fastest speed slide outside North America. It is a 33m plunge at a speed of 80kph, and gives you a sense of weightlessness. All he felt was his head being knocked around and his swim trunks being pulled up to his neck.

Ethan and I had just walked away the base when Zach came zooming down followed by Chris. I would have been stunned to see it. I had no idea that he would ride it. I am pretty sure if he had known what he was getting into he would have passed right by.

This man was amazing....he played and played and saved our kids from drowning in fun. Our Alaskan skin escaped sun burn by wearing surf tops. But by the end of the trip we were all looking a little darker, especially Ethan. We kept thinking he looked dirty and needed a bath until we realized he had a nice tan starting. My boys have never been tan before so this was new for us.

Zach gave the Atlantis water park lifeguards something to do after they insisted he ride a wave machine by himself. They said it wasn't safe for Ethan and Chris and Zach to ride together. He was very brave as the wave knocked him out of the tube. He said he didn't panic because as he was falling out he saw the lifeguard and knew he would jump in to help.

The boys explored Sinbad's Kids' Club.

Zach and Ethan were old enough to be alone left for blocks of time.

Chris and I took advantage of that by taking turns getting massages. Mine was wonderful but an hour was not long enough. Chris kept telling his guy to lighten up but he wouldn't. Chris was super sore afterward and the next day had bruises all over his back.

Ethan wore the cowboy gear every time we weren't headed for the water. Everyone just loved it. The hotel staff couldn't get enough of him and were disappointed if he showed up without it.

Before dinner the boys played a game of chess...

it reminded me of the giant chess game in the first Harry Potter book.

After a few moves it was...

almost as dangerous!

At night the hotels sparkle with shining, flashing lights that change color.

This boy sparkled and shined the whole time.

We then went to dinner at the Go West Cafe where Ethan's horse Chico was patiently waiting.

A day didn't go by that someone suggested we take our little cowboy there.

On one of our 100 degree days we opted for indoor adventures at the Mall of the Emirates. We watched skiers and sledders having adventures in 32 degree weather.

Then Ethan wanted to do something that sounded like "cow whooping". What he was really saying was "Caribbean". He wanted to ride the pirate ship with Zach as his matey. Mom was the parrot... he always makes me the parrot.

Although there were several "Arabian Adventure Excursions" offered in the area, this was the closest we got to a camel on this trip. Well, except for the one that decided to cross the rode in front of us during our first morning drive.

Next was a mom day, not that I got to be by myself. Instead we went to see some things I was interested in checking out. We headed downtown and crossed Dubai Creek...

in a traditional wooden Arabic Dhow (a water taxi).

It cost very little to cross this busy waterway where merchants have traded for centuries.

This mix of traditional boats and modern buildings make up today's international Dubai.

After the hot cruise we stopped for some refreshments-- delicious and freshly squeezed watermelon juice. It was delightful and refreshing.

I tried the fresh coconut which was disappointingly not refreshing or tasty.

But it does make a great picture. I didn't have to wear my Abaya.

Then it was on to tour the spice and gold souks.

Here a man was having Ethan smell some tea rose.

I expected these cool streets to be filled with spices and antiques and then be followed by streets and streets of gold shops. Instead, there were only about three streets of spice shops and after you saw one they were all the same. I did score some Saffron because it was super inexpensive compared to the usual $20- $30 for a pinch.

The gold shops were dripping with gorgeous and gaudy designs. Chris was glad I have my fill of Silpada jewelry and didn't need to purchase me anything. The boys REALLY (like total meltdown really) wanted a kite at one of the Souks, and when we acquiesced, they could hardly wait to get back and try it out.

As the sun set behind the Al Arab I got a little run around time with the big boys and Chris got to be behind the camera with Graham.

When I told a friend about our next adventure she said it was on her "bucket list". We rubbed...

kissed... (well, almost. Ethan drew a firm line at this)

danced...

and played with the Atlantis Hotel dolphins.

We took turns with Graham and went in different groups.

We had a fabulous time.

During my time off I had to shoot pictures on the beach, nurse Graham, and keep Ethan occupied and happy. This was the solution.

Our Dolphin pass included entrance to the Atlantis water park, where rides take you through massive aquarium tanks. After our fun in the sun we lounged on huge bean bag chairs while viewing the cityscape.

Our last stop that day was the Atlantis aquarium inside the hotel.

Occasionally, we had an addition to our group. His name? Jack-- he's a very dear friend of Zach's.

Two seperate evenings were spent at the incredible Dubai Mall. One was to meet friends for dinner and the other...

was to visit a children's festival complete with a fire breather and...

...water shows.

We had one last indoor morning with more rides.

Zach kept getting himself stuck and didn't seem to mind when someone jumped in to help him.

We saw the movie Monsters vs Aliens. It was a special treat because there are only three movie theaters in Saudi. They exist only on Aramco camps and ours was being renovated until yesterday.

Ten full days and we didn't do it all. We will definitely go back in a few years.

At the border we were asked if we had any whisky. Of course not, but is whisky the only thing they care about? What about wine coolers, beer, and bacon? Friends advised us against taping pork products to our bodies and then wearing the Abaya because you will get fined-- as their close but not-so-smart friend did. Our trip home was uneventful until we saw the lights of Udhailiyah in the distance. We were 15 minutes away from our soft beds when...

we had a blow out. Chris was well on his way to getting it fixed when these nice students pulled over to help. It was a very dark road with steady traffic, but it was also a good wide road with a big shoulder on it. If it was going to happen it was a good spot. I was praying fervently that nothing would happen to Chris while changing the tire. Other than bug bites and frustration, he was fine.

The boys hardly knew there was a problem as they were in the movie zone. After about an hour Zach said, "Hey, why are we stopped?"

As we pulled into the final Aramco Security gate, one of the guards said, "Oh, that was you pulled over with the flat tire. I didn't stop because, well, you know it was dark and..."

Yeah, thanks buddy. We didn't expect help, but he should have kept it to himself that he saw us and CHOSE NOT TO STOP.