Keeping it Local

Over the past four weeks, we have done our best to experience a few of Dubai's happenings. With the holidays approaching, we are deferring our travel schedule for Christmas and New Year’s. Worry not, thanks to Rachel's creativity & resourcefulness, we had plenty on our plates to keep us entertained.

We are fortunate to trade our ice scrapers, long-johns, and fires in the fireplace for a moderate "winter" climate here. For that, we are thankful! In fact, many outdoor events and activities sprout up this time of the year, as the temperatures become bearable.

On Thursday evenings, the Meydan Hotel (which has a race track) hosts a series of races featuring horses from around the world. We think it's Dubai's best kept secret, as we had the place mostly to ourselves. With free admission and the chance to bet while the house pays your tab, how can you go wrong? Sticking with the clean living lifestyle, there is no gambling here, so, you pick your favorites - if they win the house pays you!

From horses, we shift to camels. Camels smell bad, look weird, and walk awkwardly. All this considered, one recently sold for $2.72 Million USD. Intrigued, we rode a camel... together..for 30 seconds (long enough for Rachel to get our pic.) Our camel probably cost $2.72 USD.

And, not only did we ride a camel, we spent the night in the desert. Rachel planned this excursion with good motives - a peaceful night to reflect on what it was like for Jesus to spend 40 nights in the desert. However, our experience turned out to be quite different. We did get to drive through the desert with great explanation of how the "Bedouins" live there. We saw a falcon show and learned the importance of the falcon to the Arabic culture. We tasted camel meat for the first time - tastes like a chewy, but good pot roast, and Rachel even got a henna tattoo (maybe her favorite part).

When it came to the sleeping arrangements, we followed the guide to one long tent with blankets hanging in between 3 full size mattresses on the floor, we were to share the space with three other couples... not exactly what we expected. However, we all made the best of the situation and stayed up late having some fascinating conversations with our mates from around the world: Irish, Signaporean, British/Ukrainian, Egyptian/Canadian and us... You can only imagine.

The past four weeks have taught us that Dubai has a lot to offer (more than cheap horse races and expensive camels.) Every weekend we found ourselves with plenty to keep us busy. While we missed thanksgiving in America, we were able to enjoy a traditional meal, followed by a concert with our friends on the Palm Island.

Merry Christmas and we'll catch y'all in the new year!

Meydan Racetrack - Horse Races

Meydan Racetrack - Horse Races



1950s Land Rover for the Desert Safari



Henna Tattoo (Dad won't like this one, sorry Sherrif)



Sunset Falcon Show
Traditionally, bedouins captured falcons and trained them to hunt. Today, they are used for sport and can be seen traveling in their own first-class seat throughout the Middle East.

Our quaint sleeping space

We celebrated our 6 month anniversary with a delicious meal at the Red Grill.

Rugby 7s Game - Go USA! No, they didn't win.. but it was fun to cheer them on.

You can even get a traditional Thanksgiving meal in Dubai!



We attended a concert on Thanksgiving  which had acts from all over the world perform.
Of course, this was Rachel's favorite - Flamenco dancing.

Miracle Garden - Dubai
More than 45 Million blooming flowers in stunning designs, shapes and structures.
Miracle Garden currently holds the Guiness Book of World Records for the longest wall of flowers.

We have been extrmely blessed to spend some great fellowship with Will and Laura (our friends from Dallas) while in Dubai. God is good and always provides!

"This Will Change Your Life"

This will change your life... a phrase we often repeated over the past few weeks. Specifically on a food excursion we took just 15 minutes from our hotel - more about that a bit later.

 

As we enter the 6th week of our stay, we have begun to step outside your typical tourist spots and attempt to walk in the shoes of the locals.  Most notably was our visit to Bur Dubai (Old Dubai). Filled with gold, spice, and textile souks (markets), we found this area a great escape from the glitz of the downtown area. Bur Dubai - where a water taxi will run you $0.25 and a knock-off Michael Kors handbag sets you back $40.83. Luke will be making a return visit to finish his Christmas shopping.

 



Our second trip to Bur Dubai was to induldge in a 5-hour food marathon. We were fortunate to snag a reservation with the highly sought after Arva Ahmed who runs Frying Pan Adventures (www.fryingpanadventrures.com). Arva facilitated a dinner party featuring 6 establishments which represented cuisines throughout the Middle East. The food was out of this world, and this experience will change your life. No really, it will - learning about the Falafel War between Lebanon and Isreal (is real, by the way), eating a full meal with your hands for the first time since a toddler, and the effect eating for 5 hours can have on your digestive system. Anyway, our thanks to Arva for opening our eyes to "old" Dubai and filling our stomachs with the best the region has to offer.

 

We see the UAE as a melting pot of sorts. A place that has it all, let us explain... during our visit to Abu Dhabi we took a $1.50 metro about 10 miles out of town to a bus which we took 80 miles for $6. When fuel runs about...we don't know what fuel cost here. A simple google search didn't reveal the answer and we have not visited a gas station, but we are guessing about $0.30-$0.50 a liter. This makes transportation inexpensive. This also makes Luke not miss the Dallas Tolls. All that to say this: you can travel 90 miles for $7.50 to visit an ATM which dispenses gold (picture evidence below) - the least expensive piece ran $650... the best of both worlds. Also in Abu Dhabi is a magnificent structure - the Grand Mosque. More details on this below - just an unreal site that symbolizes the commitment of the Muslims.

 

Speaking of "unreal," a little R&R in the Maldives will change your life. We would tell you more about it, but we heard it is snowing back home. Never kick a man while he is down.

 



Abra (traditional wooden boat) ride in the Dubai Creek
 

Textile Souk

Spice on Spice on Spice



Gold in the front, knock-off handbags in the back



Guiness Book of World Records - Largest Gold Ring


 



The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque - Abu Dhabi
8th Largest Mosque in the World, large enough to accomodate 40,000 worshipers.

 

The largest hand woven carpet in the World, located in the main prayer hall; woven by 1,200 Iranian women.
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque - Abu Dhabi



Rachel was required to wear the abaya covering in the mosque. This picture came right after Luke got scolded by security that he could not put his arm around his wife for a picture.
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque - Abu Dhabi

 

Gold Gold Gold... buildings here.
 

ATM machines here... the World's first Gold ATM machine.
...That's right, you get pieces of Gold when you insert your debit card.. no cash here.
Emirates Palace - Abu Dhabi

 

Frying Pan Food Tour
Kunafa (Arabic cheese pie with kataifi noodle pastry on top) with the chef.



Syrian Booza Icre Cream: Pistachio-covered, pounded ice cream made with mastic, creating an elastic texture.. you eat it with a fork!!   

Traditional Emirate Meal
Chicken Machboos, Lentil Soup, Lamb Curry
Per the Emirate custom, as they did not have silveware in the desert, we ate rice and lamb with our fingers... we are in no hurry to do it again!

 



Taj Exotica Resort - Maldives

One of Rachel's top bucket list activities was to stay in an over the water villa and jump into the ocean from the deck.
Done!

 

A picture of a picture... that's how we roll.



Hi, Mom!

Thanks to modern day aero-space technology, we made it. And, we made it in style - thanks to you, Emirates Airlines. Emirates just rolled out the A380 on the DFW-DXB route.

This double-decker has more bells and whistles than your average villa. Ornamental waterfall at the staircase entrance, a mini-bar at your seat, an adult sized bar in the rear, and the latest from Hollywood and Bollywood on your personal 19 inch screen. Rachel thought she might just take up residence.

So far, things are off to a pretty solid start.

Our first impressions of Dubai:

Rachel: Crowded - we went to the mall* on a Thursday night**, it was a bit overwhelming.
Luke: Clean - as a self-diagnosed germaphobe, you could eat off the floors of the metro.

*The Mall - due to high temperatures, people hang here and the stores stay open until at least midnight. Malls have grocery stores, movie theaters, many restaurants, etc.
**Thursday night - the start to the weekend as Friday and Saturday are the weekend.

Overall, folks here are friendly - a melting pot of friendliness. Only 15% of the people here are Nationals. According to our search on Wikipedia the major segments of the population are: Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshis, Filipinos, with a side of Brits, Aussies, and Americans.

We are excited about what is to come, via our planned calendar or otherwise.

Below are pictures and captions of happenings around the city during our first two weeks and our weekend visit to Jordan.

We are all settled in to our "new home."

Burj Khalifa - Luke's view when he walks home each night.

Dubai Mall Aquarium

Our visit to the man-made Palm Island.

We enjoyed an authentic Egyptian meal with our new friends Dina and the Zoghby family.

Wild Wadi Waterpark - Only real tourists pay money for the the Dr. Fish experience.

Madaba, Jordan: This mosaic is the oldest surviving map of the Holy Land-located in the Church of St. George.
 (6th Century)

Mount Nebo, Jordan
 Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole land... then the Lord said to him, "This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ' I will give it to your descendants.' I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it." (Deuteronomy 34)

Bethany, Jordan - The Baptism Site of Jesus
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. (Matthew 3:13)

Bethany, Jordan - Jordan River
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:16-17)

Dead Sea, Jordan - We were amazed with the beauty of the Dead Sea. The high salt content allows you to float the moment you immerse yourself in the water. It was an incredible experience. Named the Dead Sea because nothing can live in it...it is also not a usable sea for travel or commerce as the salt corrodes all materials.

Marriott at the Dead Sea

Dead Sea - Jordan

Petra, Jordan - One of the New 7 Wonders of the World.

Petra, Jordan - Standing in front of the Treasury, with a camel.. whaat???

Petra, Jordan - Getting some serious air outside the coliseum.

Najeeb - Our wonderful driver for the weekend in Jordan. This picture was taken after we had our Turkish Baths and ate delicious Jordanian cuisine called Mansaf.