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!
