The holiday at the end of Ramadan is called Eid al Fitr (just commonly called Eid around here - not to be confused with another Eid that happens in November). Since many people have been fasting from dawn to dusk for 30 days and this holiday marks the end of that fasting, you can imagine that a lot of people have reason to celebrate. Even though I wasn't fasting, I was *really* ready for Ramadan to end, too, so I was ready to celebrate, too!
We debated on whether to take a trip or not (still have a few boxes around here!) and if so, where to go. I originally thought we would go to Al Ain (a desert oasis about 90 miles from here). It can be hotter in the desert but there is no humidity so I thought it might feel cooler. But people warned us that it was still quite hot there.
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| View from our balcany |
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Another view from our balcony. You can see the
Atlantis hotel in far background. That is a nice seafood
restaurant on the pier (no kids under 10 for dinner!) -
so we didn't eat there. |
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| Nighttime view of Burj from the abra |
Some of Jake's coworkers were really raving about a hotel in Dubai so we made a snap decision and booked it just a couple of days before leaving. I am so glad we did. We had such an amazing weekend (since 1/2 the country is traveling for that holiday, it was no bargain but worth it, I think). We stayed at a Jumeirah Resort hotel called the Mina al Salam. It overlooks that famous sail shaped hotel called the Burj al Arab (not to be confused with the tallest building in the world (also in Dubai) called the Burj al Kalifa (formerly known as the Burj al Dubai but renamed for the Abu Dhabi president after Abu Dhabi bailed out Dubai from some of its credit woes). I had seen pictures of this hotel before (probably many of you have to) but it was just absolutely stunning in person. What an interesting design. We weren't able to go in even though it was part of the property we were on. It requires a reservation even to get a cup of coffee over there! All the suites are two-stories (and must be quite large) and have a private butler for each suite. The big circle on top is a helicopter landing pad. The "wing" sticking out on the back is a restaurant.
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| Waiting at the abra station to take the boat to dinner. |
This hotel (where we stayed - not the Burj!) was fantastic. It has a modern souk (marketplace) attached that it designed to look like an old-fashioned outdoor one (no one wants to be shopping outside in this heat!). It was also connected to the souk and another hotel through a series of canals. Boats, called abras, were like little taxis that took us all over. Taking a boat through the canals with palm trees lit up along the way and a view of the Burj al Arab was such a relaxing and unique way to go out to dinner.
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Regan made it to her knees, too
(also took a small wipe-out
first) |
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Made it to my knees only
after a small wipe-out (luckily
Jake didn't take a picture
of that!) |
This hotel is also next door to the Wild Wadi Waterpark. Now I haven't been to a waterpark since Wild River Country opened in Little Rock when I was in junior high (or so), so my experience with waterparks is quite limited. But, wow, we had a wonderful time! Regan and I even took little body board surfing lessons. Jake tried the more advanced surfing place (which doesn't include a lesson). His water went much faster and you didn't get a second chance after the wipe-out. Here is on a great start!
We also spent a good bit of time at the beach. The water was a little too warm to be "refreshing" but it wasn't as warm as a bathtub or anything. Regan and Jane loved the waves. Meredith tolerated them but likes playing in the sand.
The only downside to our trip was the little Anna struggled with a fever off and on. We tried to keep her from being around other kids but just kind of drug her along with us. I think it was Roseola as she broke out in a rash two days after we got back. But she's bounced back just fine.
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Each night a towel was folded in the
shape of a sea animal. The girls
loved this! |
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