Pictures

http://gallery.me.com/tcreger/100575
http://gallery.me.com/tcreger/100582

a few too many pictures, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Desert Safari!!

Day 7, 15th November

My last day, can't believe it, time does fly when you are having fun! And what fun it has been. I have to give Dan and Lisa a Gigantic thank you for their overwhelming hospitality, you are the best. I had tons of fun with your friends too.

Dan had to work a 1/2 day, so Lisa and I hit the pool. It was a really nice facility, this is the one I skipped to go to the beach, luckily, I got my second chance. We spent a couple of hours relaxing and having a nice lunch. This time, I just had an appetizer, feeling like keeping it light. There were 6 fried pieces that resembled footballs (American football) and they had delicious minced lamb and I think some onions. Quiet a creative little thing. For breakfast, I had eaten a previously melted, squished, dark chocolate Toblerone bar; no worse then donuts, haha! I was saving my appetite for dinner.

For my last hurrah here, we've planned a desert safari! I have to say, I can't remember the last time I had this much fun in a 4 wheel drive SUV. We met up with some people that work with Dan at the local grocery store, or the grocery store combined with a department store that was thrown into a Sam's club, is how Dan described it to me. It was pretty insane! Anywho, I digress. 6 people and our crazy driver pile into a Lexis SUV and head to the dessert. The first event of our evening, Sand Dune Crashing.
OH MY GOD... is all there is to say about it. It was a kick in the pants. There were a couple of moments that I really could have thought that we were on the verge on rolling the vehicle. At times the car was going downhill, sideways and then suddenly, we were steered the opposite direction. Or other times, when we see the vehicle in front of us just drop away, showing off its undercarriage. We were bounced and thrown side to side and pushed back into our seats. I can try to explain that it is similar to a roller coaster ride. These vehicles can go straight up the dune and all sorts of other directions. I don't think anything I tell you will give you any depth into the thrill. It was phenomenal!!! We even had to stop once to let the caravan of vehicles cool off. We also had to help tow another vehicle out of an area, at the top of a dune, that got itself high centered. Insane! The pictures I got don't do any justice to the details either. They are cool, but they just can't paint the picture.

After dune crashing, which I have to say, I could have done for hours on end, we made it to our dinner spot. It was a big area, that looked like a little village. There, we could ride camel, ATVs and try out dune boarding. Afterwards was a buffet dinner of middle eastern food. I did ride the camel and I got a henna tattoo on my hand, it's really pretty. I shied away from the dune surfing after I watched someone slide down the dune and I was sure that I would have sand in places that not even the sun shines on, haha. Due to the holiday of Eid, there was no drinking on this safari, nor belly dancing for entertainment, but that was okay, it was a fabulous end to my trip, none the less. Lastly, an after dinner shisha and the ride back to the city.

Wow, what a week! I think all three of us are whipped out. My flight was at 2AM, so once we got back to the house, I showered, packed and headed out. Now I have 2 flights and 24 hours till I'm home. I always welcome the comfort of my bed, but I think I'll dream about this week for a long time.

Thank you for following along on my adventures! Keep an eye out for a blog to pop in January about my trip to Panama!

Cheers friends! Love, Tess

Race day!!!!

Day 6 - 14th November

Exciting day for me, it's race day! One of the best things about this race though, it starts at 5PM, giving me time to do other things during the day. I plan to leave for the track around 1PM, to catch some of the pre-race festivities. So to fill the morning, Lisa starts by making me eggs in a pita, how awesome is that! It's like a breakfast burrito, but in a pita, I might have to start making these at home.

Once we were dressed and I was ready to go straight to the race, we went shopping. Lisa took me to a really cute Souk in an area called, Between the Bridges. It's a new twist to the traditional souk. Indoors and air conditioned. One thing I've noticed, each day it has gotten increasingly hotter, so A/C is appreciated. I would guess there was a small cold front that moved across the area, but it's obvious the temps are MUCH cooler than in the summer; am grateful for that! We wandered around all the fabulous shops; these are the times I'm glad I'm not a big jewelry fanatic, this place would be dangerous. I found some really cool souvenirs and we spent some extra time in a tapestry/carpet store. I was really impressed by one carpet they had, it was silk and kashmir, hand knotted, 2500 knots per inch (of something like an inch) and reminded me so much of a rug that is one of my dear friends houses, that I adore. It was a prayer rug, the size of something you would put in front of a door; price, 8000 dirhams, that roughly $2200! WOWSERS! I settled on a magnificent tapestry, sized a bit larger then a standard coffee table. Plus a couple of pillow covers. We then walked around the outside of the hotel that the souk was in and saw some fantastic views of the Mosque.

1 PM quickly approached and I was dropped off at the shuttle coach to the track. I know that there are may be only a hand full of people that would have any interest in me going on and on about the race, so I'll space the rest of you the details. But the race was phenomenal, the driver I was cheering for won and I had a marvelous time.

After the race was a concert by the artist, Prince! I met up with Dan, Lisa and JC for another fun filled evening with awesome music. Prince put on a fantastic show and we were all thrilled to have been there, and for the most part, it was free!!! I had talked to some girls that weren't going to the concert and they gave up their ticket, so my friends could join me. Then Dan's boss gave him 2 tickets! It was an amazing night. We then hung out, ate Burger King and got to bed around 3AM, again! Good times!

Hangover and Qualifying...

Day 5, 13th November

As you can guess, if we were up until 2:30 AM, we were in no mood or condition for getting out of bed and seeing more of the city. The house stated to move a little around 11 or so. I had been up a for a short time, trying to post to this silly thing, the day 4 post was lost once and the computer was giving me trouble. So we all a leisurely morning, even the dog wasn't interested in getting out of bed. I was pleasantly surprised though that I didn't really have a headache or stomach issues from drinking, just the 1st few times I got up, I felt like I was still drunk.

Lisa made an excellent choice and stayed in bed for a while longer, she has been fighting off a sinus infection too. So Dan and I made a feeble attempt at going out into the world to see a few more things. On the list, the carpet souk, Emirates Palace and the mall for some spices, not to mention maybe some lunch. We started with a quick drive to a nearby beach spot that Dan had been meaning to check out, but hadn't had a chance to. Then chose to attempt to drive across the city to the carpet suke. Due to additional race traffic and just everyday traffic in that area in general, we spent a great amount of time trying to get there. After a couple of frustrating navigational issues, we gave up. We then ended up in a really congested area of town that took us an excessive amount of time to get back across town to visit the palace (hotel really). So far, we had lost about 2 hours, kinda funny really. The Emirates Palace Hotel is all that you would expect a palace to be. It supposedly has the largest dome in the world, or at least in the UAE and it has gold and other fine stones everywhere. We even got to see an ATM that dispenses gold bars and coins, amazing. It also included grand staircases, gorgeous views of the city and sea and a restroom you could live in.

We wandered around in the Palace for a while and realized we were both starving. We had had a feast of humus and garlic sauce at around the 2:30 AM time frame, so we were around 12 hours with no food. Next stop, food, but not before we get some cash. This made us decide that lunch was going to be in the mall. Found a great Asian fusion place, had a magnificent noodle bowl and caught myself from nearly passing out from low blood sugar, not literally, but yikes. I could hardly even tell the waited what I wanted, when he spoke it sounded like the parents on the Peanuts cartoons.

By this time, nearly another 2 hours had passed, I needed to get on the shuttle to the track to catch qualifying. Dan has pointed out to me that there is some kind of vortex here that sucks time away from you, it had worked it's magic several times already. Made it on time, or within a couple of minutes and watched the cars speed by and clock their times. I loved it, can't wait for the race. The sound of these cars is indescribable, there is nothing that can explain how loud they are or the feel from them.

Tonight there was another concert by Linkin Park, but we all decided that it was to be a quiet evening. So I made my way back to the park and ride, Dan picked me up and after a shower, we were off to a place called "Relax Bar"; and we did. Joined by their friend JC, it was quiet and peaceful sitting outside on patio overlooking the city. A great ending to a great day.

Dubai

Day 4, 12th November

Off to Dubai today, but not before another fabulous breakfast, courtesy of Dan! We also decided that we would make a quick stop at the F1 track to pick up my tickets on the way out. Although, Dan tells me that you quickly learn in Abu Dhabi, things here are either really easy or unreasonably difficult, no in between. The track is located on an island and the area is well laid out and easy to navigate. However, once there, we found that there was not a ticket office at the tack, we had to go to Etihad Airways headquarters. The island was roughly 30 mins from Abu Dhabi and we had passed the headquarters on the way there. Dan and Lisa were super awesome about figuring out a quick way to get back and we found the tickets pretty quickly. With tickets in hand, we were back on the road and headed out of town.

Dubai is around an hour drive Abu Dhabi and the scenery between them is stale. Reminds me of Kansas, although the brown dirt you see here is sand. A small rain storm greeted us along the way, it had been 220 days since the last rain in the UAE. The roadways aren't build with any drainage system, so flooding could be an issue, causing drivers to turn on their hazards, slow down and annoy everyone who knows how to drive in the rain. Luckily it was a small storm and there wasn't an issue.

The skyscrapers of Dubai pop up quickly on the horizon and the names of the highways change to the name of the current Sheikh of the Emirate. So many beautiful skyscrapers and many more in the process of becoming something magnificent. The options of what to do and see in Dubai are overwhelming and we resign to the fact that we won't get to everything. The first stop is the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. We missed our chance to make reservations 48 hours ahead, to take the 2 minute ride up to the 140th floor, for a view of the city. Lisa tells me that you most of what you see is construction and only on a clear day would you get to see Palm Island. Today was not a clear day, overcast from the rain and the cost for this attraction on last minute, is 400 dirhams, that's roughly $111; absurd! So I snapped some shots of it and we headed into the mall at the base of the building for some lunch. Dan and Lisa took the opportunity to have some food from home, Taco Bell and I chose Indian cuisine. Smoked Buttered Chicken with some Nan, yummy!

On the way into the city we drove by the mall that houses Ski Dubai, but with time restraints, we didn't go back to see it. The second stop was along the beach of the Persian Sea, or the Arabian Sea as they call it here. This stop was for the benefit of getting pictures of the Burj Al Arab. It's shaped as a ship's sail, it's beautiful, of course, what isn't here? It was a brief stop and we walked on the sand and got our feet wet a little.
Afterwards, we drove onto Palm Island, no picture of the island itself, since we didn't go to any other building, but it was still interesting. The 2nd Atlantis resort is here in Dubai, driving onto the island gave us a chance to drive past it. I loved the Atlantis in the Bahamas and can only imagine this one would be just as spectacular.

This was the conclusion on the trip, but it was fascinating to here about what other buildings and facilities that are going to be built here and in 10 years, this city will be even more amazing.

I was dropped off at the track whilst heading back to Abu Dhabi and I got to see F1 practice and get my track swag. The track is gorgeous and my seats are amazing, I can see nearly 1/2 the track and about 7 turns, I'm very excited for Sunday. The facilities at the track are great, every seat is covered, but the only way to get from one area to the other is to leave and reenter. This means going through security screenings and if you brought a beverage out with you, it must be consumed before you reenter. I guess security may not have been fantastic last year, so they overcompensated. It's also disorganized when asking directions, at one point I was directed to walk over a bridge to the Yas Marina Hotel that was the restricted area for the rich and famous at the track. I then had to walk back. All in all, I ended up walking about 3 miles in flip flops to get to the Kanye West concert, one of the evening events provided to the fans. At this point was I was hot, tired, sticky and grumpy, not really interested in the concert, but I was meeting my cousins there and I couldn't stop now. I was also annoyed that I had to check my bag into a holding area because I had my big camera with me, grr. So once I found my cousins, we found their friends and hit the beer line. You were allowed to buy as many as you want and they gave a special price for 4 packs, sweet! After slamming 2 beers, the day behind me slipped away and I relaxed into a good time. The concert was great, actually, and Dan & Lisa's friends are great.

The after party was a little crazy. We ended up, after a LONG drawn out process of getting to the Marina club and somehow getting into a very uptight, exclusive bar, wearing our flip flops and shorts; not meeting the dress code there at all. It wasn't comfortable for many of us, so the group of about 8 to 10 people, decided to leave quickly and go to a hotel bar across the street from the track. Beer number 5 (4 1/2 really) and I was done; everyone was done after the last drink there. So after an expensive taxi ride with a bitterly angry driver, we were back home 2:30 AM and ready to pass out.

Beach day

Day 3 - 11th November

Hanging out a bit in the morning, since I did so much yesterday, doesn’t leave me a ton of options for today. Dan suggested maybe the beach or the pool at the nearby hotel. Here, instead of paying for a health club membership, locals pay the hotels for memberships. It makes a lot of sense, since they have so many luxury hotels, with fantastic facilities. Yet after spending some time typing my Blog and hanging out with their dog named Captain, I decided to head to the beach. I had noticed from the bus tour that there was an area that was set up for the celebrating the F1 race; called F1 FANZONE and it happened to be on the beach, perfect.

I grabbed a taxi and was there in 15 mins. The driving here is insane and I don’t think I would ever want to even attempt trying to maneuver it. The beach was nice and quiet and the water was beautiful and warm, ah the beauty of a really hot climate. Although it is still only in the mid 80’s, I’m loving it. I had forgotten the sun block offered to me by Lisa and I had to pick up a cheap towel, for I forgot to ask them which ones I could use. Made my way to a little shop, only place on the beach that sold this stuff, and found that even in a store like this, you can haggle the prices. Plus he gave me back the wrong change when I paid him, so it was even less then what we settled on. I didn’t notice until later when I went to pay for a snack that he did this, I probably would have corrected him in the moment.

The public beach I was on had a lot of pasty white people, from far off colder climates, mostly Europe and Australia, from the sounds of it; which makes more sense for their whiteness, Australians are coming out of winter. I did my best to position myself around some of the other females and try to blend in. I also did my best to not show as much as I would at home, so I left the bikini and brought a 2 piece suit that looked like a one piece. The top looked like a flowing shirt and the bottoms were similar to cheerleader shorts, a little skirt. I think it helped a little bit, but I was stilled ogled at and flirted with.

I stayed out for about 2 hours and enjoyed the sea breeze, it was delightful. When finished, I had called Lisa to ask for a ride back, so while I waited, I had snack and sat on a deck, under and umbrella overlooking the sea. The color is brilliant, I nearly fell asleep from the sereneness . By the way, the fan zone was closed up until later in the evening, Abu Dhabi was presenting a concert to the public that night in light of the race.

Lisa decided that we needed to hit a grocery store while on our way home, for a little lunch of left overs from the Lebanese place. This was one of the placed I really did want visit, it’s interesting to me to see what is offered and how it’s laid out. The best part of the store was a “Pork Section - No Muslims Allowed”; hilarious. And if you want pork, you pay for it too, pricey stuff. The rest of the store was nice and they imported a lot of things from the USA and you paid much higher prices for them as well. But all in all, it was an average store, but they sell humus by the pound/scoop, wonderful!

After a quick lunch, Lisa and I decided today was the perfect day for a nap. When Dan came home a little later, the house was silent and full of sleepers, of course including Captain. Since lunch was a bit late, we also decided that going out to dinner wasn’t necessary. We did, however, have plans to go back down to the beach to catch a concert by the English Beat. So after the evening freshen up, we grabbed a taxi and hit the beach. How fantastic it was to hang out on the beach, 70 degree weather and listen to a cool band, I loved it. The crowd was interesting because there are no other events like this during the year and the young people were very excited. The security at the event were a little unorganized and we had a hard time just trying to find a way to exit the barricades before the rest of the concert let out. We stopped for dinner at a little stand for some Shawarmas. They are the Arabic version of tacos, sort of. These were made with chicken, mayo, Lebanese pickles and an occasional French fry, wrapped in a pita bread or Arabic bread; darn delicious. Finally, we went through the F1 FanZone. It was fun, venders and activities for kids, mostly hype for the race. The fun part for us was going into the area designed to show off Ferrari World, an attraction built near the F1 circuit. We stood in a wind tunnel, raced remote control F1 cars and sat in a F1 simulator and pretended to race, we all had a good time.

Bus ride, sunburn and the Mosque

Day 2 - 10th November

Slept well and woke to an amazing breakfast burrito, made for me by the fabulous, Cousin Dan! Along with some coffee and advice on what to do for the day and how to get around. Suggestions for hitting the city were either: attempt to get to the huge mosque nearby before 10am for a guided tour, OR head across town and jump on one the double decker city tour bus. Since I kinda messed around on the internet a little bit after Dan left, I decided that the best option was to head for the bus.

Got a taxi and hit the city. The temps have cooled off to a marvelous mid 80’s range and there was a little bit of cloud cover. Sunscreen still a necessity here though. I got on the bus around 11 am and rode almost the entire tour around the city before taking a brief break and strolled down a walkway near the water. The city is amazing and the architecture is stunning. I’m in love with all the skyscrapers, the detail that is put into each building is incredible. You certainly can tell that they spare no expense to made them unique and inspirational. Construction is everywhere.



Afterwards, I finished the tour and had lunch in the mall, where the bus tours start and finish. Lunch was a Turkey wrap, in Arabian bread, gorgeous red tomatoes, crisp lettuce, sweet little pickles and delicious white cheese, yumm. But, after checking out the mall a tiny bit, I decided it was time to head back to the house. But not before I made one last ride on the tour bus and got off at the mosque. Since Dan and Lisa live close to the mosque, I determined it would cost less to get a taxi from there or I would call and ask if one of them could pick me up. I had about an hour before Lisa would be home from work and it would give me an opportunity to take some pictures before I went back to the mosque for the tour tomorrow. Much to my surprise, upon arrival at the mosque, I found out there was a guided tour at 5pm! I walked around for about an hour and a half, snapping pictures of the incredible detail inside the building, almost overwhelming. The tour was rushed, due to the timing of the 4th prayer of the day, but the information was still interesting and I enjoyed it. It is the 3rd largest mosque in the world and the largest outside of Saudi Arabia. The architecture was inspired by the Taj Mahal, in India, some other buildings in Morocco and by the word Heaven. The Arabic word for heaven, literal translation is garden, hence, the interior of the mosque is draped in floral motifs, made from many different types and colors of marble and precious stones. It truly is breathtaking. Also on the floor, is the largest Persian rug in the world; took 1200 Iranian women 2 years to hand stitch it, it’s unbelievable. There are no pictures of statues inside the mosque, this is their belief that God is the creator and we are not to attempt to create our version or idea of what God may look like. The main wall inside is covered in flowers with 5 pedals, standing for the 5 pillars of prayer in the Muslim culture. Also the reason for 5 prayers each day. While in the courtyard, I heard the call to prayer quiet loudly, it was beautiful. It plays out twice, once to announce that prayer will begin soon and second to announce prayer has begun. All over the city are loud speakers atop buildings and poles to announce the “call to prayer”. This has been the most moving cultural experience I think I have ever had. The tour ended at dusk and all the lights came on illuminating the large domes and walkways, incredible.

Dan came and picked me up and the evening began with quickly freshening up and heading to a Lebanese restaurant; the food here has been fabulous. We had a mixed grill, kebobs and veggies, beef, chicken and lamb. Phenomenal humus and the garlic sauce was to die for! We also have a little more shisha. A quiet hit the table after the meal and we were all ready to just hit the bed instead of the town. But not before a little dessert. Lebanese bakery; melted cheese, fried noodles and sprinkle of ground pistachio nuts and a drizzle of honey, WOW! We could hardly fit the dessert in our stomachs, but it was well worth the push.

Finally, after a night cap of some more Sailor Jerry’s Rum, with one of Dan & Lisa’s friends, we all called it a night. What an incredible day!