Our first visitors!

Thank you Kayleigh for photos and blogging with me, a shared effort.
































visitors! Kayleigh and Rob are finally here, a late night dash to the airport, a good nights sleep and off we go.....We are four months into our journey and we have our first visitors! Kayleigh and Rob are finally here, a late night dash to the airport, a good nights sleep and off we go...

So much to do and see, so little time, but we did manage to cram it all in. We started with a 6am bus ride into Dubai to start the day with a cultural tour in the Bastakiya district. A step back in time to the original "old city" - a glimpse of the way things were. The beautiful neighborhood on the bustling Dubai creek, now restored, includes a heritage village, museums, galleries, restaurants and traditional markets. It was a wonderful place to visit, however the heat is enough to keep anyone from exploring for too long. One hour walking through it was plenty. Following our walk, we enjoyed a traditional breakfast with a lecture, wonderfully informative. Kayleigh chose to be our model for the traditional Muslim clothing demonstration and donned her first abaya. Only about 115 degrees and very humid that day for the kids first walkabout. Spend 3 hours taking in the Dubai Mall. It's so huge and beautiful it has one of the largest indoor aquariums-amazing. We spent our evening at the Burj Khalifa at 6pm to insure a beautiful sunset atop the tallest building in the world-160 floors, and only a "1" minute elevator ride. OMG breathtaking. Spent an hour just taking it all in, grabbed a frozen yogurt and came outside just in time to watch the Vegas Bellagio – style water fountain show put to music at the base of the tower.

After a much-needed night’s sleep we took the Dubai ferry through the canal out into the Arabian Sea, around Palm Island, past the Atlantis Hotel, and near the Burj Al Arab. The boat trip, not only was wonderfully refreshing, but also provided a new and striking view of the well-known sites that are rarey seen at that angle. We then took the above ground train to the Ibn Battuta Mall, a beautifully themed mall (the world’s largest - themed that is) and small museum, named for and designed to celebrate the travels of the famous Arabic explorer from 1325-1369. Known as one of the greatest travelers of all time, he traveled more than 75,000 miles. And that’s before trains, planes, and buses! Each area of the mall is decorated and themed for a different part of the world that he visited along his travels. We stepped through India, China, Persia, Egypt, Tunisia, and Andalusia. Time for a taxi back home to Mark, dinner and more sleep, for tomorrow we dune bash!

What a great time out in the Desert - we rode camels, and horses, bashed a few dunes, tried our skills at dune surfing and Rob was even pulled behind a Land cruiser...this would never happen back in the states. We watched a falcon hunting demonstration and even got to hold the little hunter. We watched the sun set gracefully over the sandy wakes from atop the tallest dune in the area. As it dropped behind the hills, the sand beneath our feet gently lowered to a barefoot-manageable temperature. We enjoyed a lovely dinner in the oasis-style compound set up in the sea of endless sand. In this tiny spot among the never-ending brown, we had shade, water, electricity, and comfort. How people were able to survive for hundreds of years in the desert began to become clearer in our minds as we took in the incredible experience. To finish the night we shared tea, brewed and concocted over an open fire, and star gazed on the sand into the endless black abyss above. There is absolutely nothing like it.

Late to bed early to rise again, this time heading out to the Mangroves for kayaking. Very hot today, and our guide said we missed the dolphins by one day.....huge bummer. That was Rob and my first kayak adventure; I think we did quite well. We had a really great guide from Mexico, who went to college in Vancouver BC. He is very familiar with Bellingham, so it was kinda cool to talk about our neck of the woods. He's a lawyer who followed is wife here for a teaching job, and now calls the Mangroves "his office" - not a bad way to make a living.

We spent one full day with my friend Karen who drove us everywhere. We started out with a private tour at the Wildlife Center, a rescue sanctuary for sick, neglected and orphaned exotic and endangered species found here in the UAE. They house over 100 large cats, including 40 cheetahs alone; plus deer (definitely were not made for hot weather), crocodiles, tortoises, goats, and baboons. A beautiful place ran by beautiful people. My question is WHY do people think they can own these amazing creatures?

We had lunch and 24K gold coffee at the Emirates Palace Hotel (http://www.emiratespalace.com/en/home/index.htm?item_id=119102&details=1&offer=1). It’s almost out of place looking in the city filled with tall buildings. Outside, sheikhs and other royalty have their own special private driveway that passes over the grounds (which we drove under, lost for parking). The entrance, flanked by large ground fountains and beautiful flowers is certainly something worth taking in. It a shame it’s so hot you practically have to sprint up the stairs to reach the air conditioned lobby entrance. This place was over the top…to the max. Everywhere you looked, something sparkled, reflected, and/or shined. Karen told us as we began looking around that someone told her “if it looks like gold, it is.” We enjoyed a wonderful lunch, which broke the bank a bit, but was so tasty and delicious! Unfortunately we had to pack it in and leave rather quickly in order to catch our tour of the falcon hospital (http://www.falconhospital.com/web/default.aspx). They showed us around and even let us watch how they replace the birds’ tail feathers on a live one with molted feathers from others; and how they sharpen and grind down their beaks to make eating easier. They call the treatment a manipedi. They even demonstrated how they eat. It’s so fast my camera couldn’t even catch the action. You can actually hear the bones of their meal break beneath the extreme power of their beak. Gross yet impressive!

We had a lazy day the next day to catch our breath, just visiting a couple malls, but the next day we rushed off in the morning to see the Grand Mosque for their first time. At first the guard wouldn’t let us in with our skirts even though they covered our knees. Luckily his friend told him off and directed us where to get our abiyas and headscarves. We barely caught a tour in time, and it ended up being a group’s private tour, but they happily accepted us to join. The mosque cannot be described with words. Although some that come to mind are: phenomenal, extraordinary, and other synonyms of those words. It’s designed to be what heaven is said to look like. Even the carpet is breathtaking. It’s actually the largest carpet in the world, weighing over 25 tons. We spent the rest of the day being pretty lazy, but the kids made fabulous fondue to have with dinner.

We were lucky to have Kayleigh here for her 24 Birthday! Mark had to work all day so the three of us spent the morning at the beach, nearly the only ones there. It was their first dip into the Arabian Sea, and it’s nearly just as hot as the temperature outside. We left early afternoon to get henna tatoos. She got an amazing one of a peacock on her shoulder blade that draped down her arm. It is as beautiful as she is! We ended up at a restaurant and walked the marina before returning home.

Their last day was spent packing up, meeting Mark for lunch, dipping in the pool, and enjoying a movie or two. Their flight didn’t leave until 2:30 am so we enjoyed dinner together and waited around for a long time before they caught a cab to the airport. They had an amazing time. It went so fast and was packed with so many fantastic experiences and adventures. Kayleigh hopes to return maybe as soon as January! It would be great to see the difference in the seasons at that time of the year. Mark was sad that he only got one weekend to share with the kids!

On to the next blog!

A day in Abu Dhabi

Gail's new BFF Karen Carpenter (I'm not making that up) and her husband Dan picked us up yesterday at 11:30 for our big day 'o fun. We started with lunch at a little Vietnamese place. I had duck something, and while it did taste good, I struggled with it a little after finding bones in the duck meat.

We headed out to the Sportsman's Expo at the convention center after lunch. The first cool thing is that they only charged 10 dirham a person to get in about ($2.70usd). Not like in the U.S. where they gouge you for $20 or $30 just to get into the show.

We started with the weaponry exhibit. All kinds of hand guns, rifles, swords and knives. Some very old, and some cutting edge stuff. I'm not a big "gun" guy, but had to get a picture with the very cool rifle you see. The wood stock was amazing. It surprised me that I could walk over and pick up almost any gun or rifle. I got this "We're not in Kansas" feeling as I watched 10 and 11 year old kids pull the rifles off the displays and check them out.

The convention layout was much different than what we're used to in the states. Rather than cram every possible sq. inch was displays, this was very open and easy to get around to see the displays. The dune buggy that Gail is standing with has a V8 engine, and I'm told it gets about 8 miles per gallon while in the desert! Good thing we're sitting on top of a lot of oil here.

They also had RV's, camping equipment and all kinds of random stuff for sale. But the coolest thing by far were the falcons! At first I thought they were there as a display. Gail and I talked to the Emirati that was there and he informed us they were indeed for sale. There were many locals looking to pick up a new bird. I asked how much, and was shocked when he told me 100,000 dirham! That is $27,000usd! They are amazing, but DAMN! I didn't buy one this time, but I did get four of the little helmet blinders that you see on their heads. They are very kewl little bird hats.

The guy was really nice and showed us how to pet them. I wanted to hold one with the leather glove, but you really need to know what you're doing when they start flapping all over. The picture of Gail is priceless! Our friend offered to get a picture with both of us, and right before she snapped it the falcon threw a little tantrum and hit Gail's head with it's wing. Her second bird attack this month! She barely escaped with her eyes intact when a psycho cockatoo backed her down in Australia.

The other thing that is specific to this region is the Saluki dogs that were used for hunting in the desert for generations. Gail got a picture of the puppies. They are very cute. They are very thin and light so they are able run on the sand.

The Saluki is a slim, greyhound-like dog. The head is long and narrow, moderately wide between the ears, tapering gradually toward the nose with a slight stop. The nose is black or liver in color. The teeth meet in a level bite. The large oval eyes are dark to hazel in color. The long, mobile ears are hanging down close to the head. The neck is long and the chest is deep and narrow. The front legs are straight. The feet are thickly haired between the toes for protection from rough terrain. The long tail is carried low, well feathered with hair. The coat is short with long silky feathering on the ears and tail. A rarer, coarser, smooth variety with no feathering also occurs. Coat colors include white, cream, fawn, golden, red, grizzle and tan, black and tan tricolor of white, black and tan. They have an unusual gait when they are at top speed: all four of their legs are in the air at the same time.

The Saluki is the royal dog of Egypt, and perhaps one of the oldest domesticated dogs known to man. They were named after the Arabian city "Saluki" in the Middle East, which no longer exists today. Their bodies were often found mummified along side the bodies of the Pharaohs themselves, and their pictures appear in ancient Egyptian tombs dating from 2100 BC. The Muslims considered them a sacred gift of Allah, and they were never sold but only offered as gifts of friendship or honor. Salukis with a patch of white in the middle of the forehead are thought by Bedouin tribes to have "the kiss of Allah" and are regarded as special. Incredibly fast even over rough terrain, this desert sight hunter was used by the Arabs to hunt gazelle, the fastest of the antelopes, along with fox, jackal, and hare. They have also been successful as racing dogs. The Saluki was recognized by the AKC in 1929.

There is a little copy and paste action for you.

After a rough day of walking through exhibits, we headed up to the Aloft Restaurant for sundowners. It's a pretty swank open air rooftop units about 13 stories up, and has amazing views. Thank you Karen and Dan for introducing us to that! Wish it was closer to home. I enjoyed a variety of sushi (my first since arriving to the desert) and the others had various small bites. The beer was cold and the sunset was fantastic. The funky building in the picture is actually offset, it's not an optical illusion. The Carpenters dropped us off around 9, just in time to get settled in for Survivor! What a nice day.

Today (Saturday) Gail and I headed to the beach. We hadn't been since before Ramadan, since you can't have water in public, so it was great to get back and bob around in the Arabian Gulf. Back in the apartment chillin' now. I think I'll go across the street and get some vegetables and fruit.

Kayleigh and Rob will be here in two days! Our first visitors. So excited to show them the area.

That's all for now folks.....keep reading the blog, and feel free to post comments and questions. Oh, and Patricia, thanks for the birthday present! You rock!

Australia

We are gonna let these pictures tell the story.

So it’s wedding day at Hunter Valley and it’s pouring rain! But, I need to jump back in time to the start of our trip.

Our flight was delayed leaving Abu Dhabi by a couple hours. Seems there was some issues getting out of Beruit. So our 10pm flight didn’t leave until almost midnight. When we checked in we tried to get an upgrade to business class. They weren’t able to do that, but they did move us up to the front of general seating. Unfortunately, that’s where they put all the young couples with children….yes, we had four kids under two in the row in front of us….for 14 hours!

After takeoff they actually served dinner! Gail and I both fell asleep and missed dinner. Other than the screaming kids, the flight was good and we got into Sydney around 7pm and our hotel just before 9pm.

We hit the ground running the first morning. It was just Gail and I so we wanted to see as much as possible. We had purchased a pass that got us access to the aquarium, the top of Sydney tower, the Wildlife World and a hop on, hop off pass for the harbor ferries. We hopped off at a place called Watson Harbor-Dawson Bay. We hiked up over the hill and was staring at the open ocean. The Waves were crashing on the sandstone cliffs. It was very cool!

Sydney is a beautiful city! With over 70 harbors and beaches, national parks and gardens, there is always something to see and do. They built up Darling Harbor area for the 2000 Olympics, it is a great place to chill. It’s very expensive though!

That night Rob and Kayleigh got in. It was great to see them and we went out for a pint to celebrate. In the morning the rest of the family showed up and we were off site seeing for the rest of the day. The Botanical gardens are beautiful, everything getting ready to bloom, bats hanging in the trees, and the Cockatoo that roam freely. Gail was even stocked and given a little love bite from one aggressive/loving cockatoo. The Sydney Opera house and the Harbor bridge are an amazing sight to see, never thought I would see in person.

The next morning we packed up and headed to Manly Beach, which is a very cool little community that’s a 30 minute ferry ride from Sydney. It was a great place to walk around and shop, and had an awesome beach! Cody, Adam and Ryan rented surf boards and gave that a shot.

The next morning we headed up to wine country. The drive was around 2 ½ hours and was beautiful. The vegetation is so different here from what we our used to. Hunter Valley is beautiful! Vineyards everywhere! We’ve spent the last four days tasting wine, eating cheese and visiting with the family. We even found a little time for jogging (1st outside run since april or may)so cool. No shortage of Kangaroos here! once you start looking, you can find them in most fields, even had a couple right outside our bungalow in the rain, they were a highlight for me.

Monday, we did some winery walking and stopped at 3 beautiful vineyards for some tasting, and of course we bought several.

On Tuesday we all packed up and headed to Newcastle. We spent the day playing on the beach and body surfing. A game of American Football broke out, and I’m happy to say that there were no serious injuries.

Wednesday the family split and Adams family went up north further to Juliette's family ranch to do wedding stuff. So the 6 of crammed into our purple ford falcon and went on a Winery tour at Tyrrell's Wines, one of the oldest family owned since 1858. Very fun and informative, and yes we bought wine! Managed to stop at a few more and found one that made chocolate, yummy.

On Thursday we rented tandem bikes and did a big loop of the area with Rob and Kayleigh. Stopped at a couple more, had a light lunch, tasted a little, and yes bought more wine. Bummer that it’s raining now. We were hoping to get a morning ride in, no such luck.

At last, it's wedding time, the rain clouds parted about 2:30 for the 3:00 arrival of the bride. What a beautiful wedding, with a reception following in the Hunter Valley Gardens. The bride and groom looked amazing, such a lovely couple. We are so happy we were able to come and share in their special day. Cody was a best man, and of course looked very dapper! Hard to believe with all the pictures we took, we actually missed a true bride/groom photo. No worries, our Niece Nichole and her husband Jordan did the photography and I'm sure they will be great.

Saying goodbye to the family once again, just as hard, not really sure when we will be seeing most of them again. Kayleigh and Rob joined us for a cold and windy day at Bondi Beach, I'm sure I'd have loved it had I not been freezing...only about 52 today. Off to the airport early to drop the kids as they head north to Brisbane, and we wait 4 hours for our 14+flight home.

Long and uneventful, that was our flight, now safe and sound back home in the desert at 7am, 95degrees never felt so good.

gooday