Why Dubai?

BECAUSE....

We had a four day weekend.
We had a company holiday and added one vacation day that made a perfect weekend get away.

Wild Wadi = Wild Times.
Like when my friend Karen & I got trapped in a pitch black water slide tube because some genius kids thought it would be funny to jump off their tubes and cause a huge dangerous pile up. I was so grateful that Zach was not with me during this stressful and panicked situation.

We had a free stay on the amazing harbor with Marriott Points.
Our family is too big for one room hotel stays in the Middle East causing us to stay in suites. Suites in Dubai = Big $$$$$. Thanks to the points we had an amazing view, lots of space, and two TV's, full kitchen, and nanny quarters....now we just gotta get that nanny.

It's only an 8 hour drive away.
With a DVD player and plenty of snacks the trip was a breeze going. Coming back it was a bit more difficult because the signage to Saudi is well...there isn't any. With so many roads under construction the GPS is not accurate.

There is stuff for everyone not just the big boys.
I'm convinced Zach dreams about this place he just can't get enough of it. Even Graham had a good time.

It's nice to get back to the real world as much as possible.
Dubai has so much European influence you just don't feel like your in the same Middle East we are used to and they have an amazing Churrascaria called Pachanga.
There are new things to try.
Zach watched the wake boarders the first day and by the second was convinced he had to try it.
You can show how brave you are.
We thought he would chicken out at the last minute but there was no hesitation.
There is unassisted..
wake boarding to be done.
He was amazing! He did a fantastic job.
No Pain No Gain...
he said it didn't hurt at all as he wiped out and the surf took him back.
Fathers and Sons need bonding moments.
Or better yet...
sometimes Dads get schooled by their sons.
Chris said Zach made it look so easy and did way better than he did.
There is snow to sled on in the middle of the desert.
This trip the boys did venture into the ski park while Graham and I shopped. Next time we might even do skiing lessons.

You get to hang out with....
...one of your best friends in exotic places.
Our friends from UDH were there as well and we spent almost the entire time together. J is 3 1/2 months younger than Ethan but about 6" taller. His dad is around 6'5".


It was so much fun to vacation with another family that has kids the same age. They entertained each other and we had adult conversation as well.

Ethan really loved having a playmate.
You get to pose for mommy.
He may not like strangers taking his picture but he loves to pose and smile for me.
You get to see GIANT sea life up close and personal.
Graham loved the aquarium at the Dubai Mall he kept pointing and saying WHOA, WOW, & COOL to all the stuff.
You get to see sharks hand fed.
You can go to the movies.
We have a theater here on camp and even though it's been redone recently it isn't that great. So we made an extra effort to see "How To TrainA Dragon" in 3D and we the parents loved it as much as the kids.

You get lots of family time.
As vacations go sometimes we have too much of the kids as you keep a crazy schedule and we all get cranky after a full day of activities.
You get to see the tallest building in the world.
We ran out of time this trip but next time we'll go up.
And last but not least there is a bike shop there but more about that later.
There are so many things to do besides just relax we can see many more trips to Dubai in our future.