Friday, June 27, 2014

Last Day in Dubai

Isaiah slept until noon, we ate lunch, and then went to the pool for the day. Dax had to get some work done, so we didn't mind HAVING to go to the pool. We had a special treat today! We got to spend some time with friend and colleague, Laura Lukens. I can't think of a better place to visit her!  :) Dax came down to the pool after he finished up his work. We had a lovely family evening at the pool. Now to finish up laundry and repack! We fly back to London tomorrow. It will take some time to adjust to our small quarters for the remainder of our trip. 


Great photo of Laura. So glad we were able to meet up in Dubai!





Hopefully tomorrow will be a smooth travel day! 



Thursday, June 26, 2014

Day in the Desert

We survived the desert and had an incredible day! Dune bashing is a blast. We knew we were safe because we had a roll bar and "oh sh**" handles. Our driver, Mohammed, rocked! Our videos and pictures don't do it justice. 


Isaiah and Mohammed



Waiting for our caravan.



Isaiah is not bored waiting. He apparently enjoys running up sand dunes.



Looking by my feet. New screen saver?



Waiting a bit longer. 



Glad we were first and had to wait for our caravan. Isaiah had a blast.



We highly recommend dune bashing. Just make sure you have a great driver. We had to stop a couple of times to let the engines cool. They pop the hoods and add water and stuff.



I know it is difficult to tell what this is. I'm pretty sure we were nearing a 2 wheel balancing routine on our down side and sand was flipping up by my window (upside) as our driver managed to keep us upright. Isaiah said, "Now this is some drifting!" 



Crazy steep stuff!



Okay, so our driver walked us into our "camp" and led us to our "table"--we sat on these huge hard pillows which were on rugs. Quite comfortable. While hanging out we had a snack. 
This guy was making, hmmm...don't know what they are called. He just said they were chickpeas smashed up with some garlic and salt, then fried. DELICIOUS!


Here's a close up.



My friend, Rita, told me I had to try these. She grew up in Saudi Arabia (I think that's correct). 
I love SHAWARMAS!



Close up of the chickpeas and shawarma. I can't tell you how many we ate. And yes, Isaiah ate it, too!



I can't believe I didn't take any general photos of our "camp"-- but hey, at least you can see our table cloth here!



Smokin'--we didn't do this.



A falcon.



He was brave. That falcon did NOT look friendly!



Isaiah and his camel.



Video of Isaiah and his camel.



This was not Isaiah's camel, but he was so cute--just had to take his photo.



This guy was busy cooking lots of other food for our main dinner.




Self-explanatory pictures.  





My FIRST plate.



The following pictures are for Christine and all those friends out there who know how picky I am and still love me. Well guess what! I ate new foods tonight. Here you go!


















Fish.



Chicken. 



Chicken kabobs.



Lamb.



Why didn't I put names on all the food photos? I don't know what they are. I'm fine with not knowing what I ate tonight. If I can stand the smell of it, it's okay. Progress!

A dear friend/colleague flew in tonight from Bahrain. Can't wait to visit with you tomorrow, Laura Lukens, pool side! 

Recovery Day in Dubai

Well, even after 4 and 7 hour naps we had no problem sleeping in this morning. 
I'm telling you--this place is definitely the most comfortable of all.
We walked to the store to get some groceries and then Dax went to work while Isaiah and I hit the pool. Oh, and I forgot to put this picture on the last post--this was before our late night dinner. 



Walking back from the store.



Looking out front to the left.



Looking out front directly ahead.



Looking out front to the right.




How about this for a high dive? Looking over one of our patios.



Same view at night--just couldn't get it rotated properly on this blog.



Looking out the kitchen/dining room side of our place.



Same view at night.



Happy fish!



More pool photos.



He is certainly comfortable here. 



So, Isaiah spends a lot of time looking out at our view. My goodness gracious, he spotted a Ferrari from the 24th floor. You would have thought he won the lottery. 
See that yellow one? Sorry for the bad photos--we took these through the window. 






Tomorrow we head to the desert.