Abu Dhabi - mosque and dates and ...

Robyn and I returned to Dubai, checked into a new hotel w/ a demon washer/dryer...it eats and mangles clothes....and began the week with a tour of Abu Dhabi, home of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. This white marble marvel took 11 yrs to build, holds the world’s largest carpet (and probably heaviest at 35 tons!)..whose top was shaved to reduce weight so it could be transported, Swarovski crystal chandeliers (the main one has a concealed ladder inside for 1 person to be able to clean it), beautiful tile and inlaid marble designs, and holds 41,000 worshippers. It is amazing and suppose to be stunning at night. 

Dates are a huge part of the culture, and we went to a date market. There are approximately 100 varieties, and I’ve tried lots. There are dates at each meal and also offered to guests along with Arabic coffee when you enter public museums. Entire stores are dedicated to dates plain or filled with nuts or coated in chocolate. They are graded based on color, size, thickness, softness and sweetness. Sounds like grading diamonds! 

Tuesday morning was breakfast at the Burj Khalifa - tallest building-2,722 ft and highest restaurant on the 122nd floor in the world! Michael and I had “ The Decadent Breakfast”-crepes filled with veal bacon, spinach, and Camembert cheese, a basket of delicious croissants and muffins, a multi- tiered platter of fruit, cheeses, and meat....and the list goes on.  It was amazing food and service with a price tag to match, but it was an experience on Michael’s bucket list. Thanks, Mom...cross that one off!

The Burj Khalifa is almost twice as tall as the Empire State Building, has 163 floors, 57 elevators which take 77 seconds to reach the observation deck on the 125 floor, and takes 36 window washers 3-4 months to completely clean the exterior! Robyn and I had visited earlier, and to me, you don’t feel so high until you compare the other buildings around you. The Dubai Fountains are below-Awwwww...only the 2nd highest-choreographed fountains to various music and shooting into the air every 30 minutes during the evenings. A new addition is a light show interspersed with the fountains on the building itself.  We ate dinner on a patio nearby to see the shows in-between getting wet from the mist and spray! 

 Robyn and I have also walked around the Dubai Mall-largest in the world where even the doors to individual stores are tall. It’s four floors of every store imaginable including a 2-story aquarium where divers pull advertising banners like airplanes at the beach! We spent time in the old original section of Dubai called Deira where souks or markets are filled with textiles, spices, and gold. The merchants are very aggressive trying to entice you into their shops. I engaged in some bargaining...which is expected...buying some tea, dates, and spices for 80 DH, but he started at 535 DH. That is a difference of $20 vs $134! 

For you history buffs: Marriages...and the culture...are based on Sharia Law. A man may have 4 wives as long as he can support them and their families. Marriage contracts are written and the majority of marriages are arranged but some are based on love. If an Emirati female marries a foreigner, she loses her citizenship. If a husband dies, his wife...or wives...inherit his estate and this is usually stipulated in the marriage contract. There is a marriage fund where an Emirati male receives 45,000 DH and a females receives 75,000 but only for their 1st marriage.

There are some interesting words and phrases here: hypermarket for supermarket, diversion for detour, comforter for AC, and “people of determination” for diabilities. Love that last one! 

Some observations: 

*Robyn says the metro stations look like slugs! Now we just call them the slug stations! 

*Work week is Sunday-Thursday and weekends are Friday and Saturday. Fridays are their most religious day and metro stations...don’t know what else...don’t open on Fridays until 10:00. 

*Friday brunch, like Sunday lunch, is a big event here with all-you-can eat and drink meals lasting 4-12 hours! I was suppose to go with Michael, but he had to work. Thank you, Lord, for saving me! 

*Boxes of tissues are on tables in restaurants as napkins. Can’t explain that one.

Oman - Land of mountains and dhow boats and ...

I arrived in Oman with Michael and traveling companion, Robyn, and her brother and sister-in-law, Chip & Kathy Chappell. Chip had suggested that we visit more of the area than the big cities when Robyn and I were planning our trip. We booked 2 nights at a resort in Khasab, the northern part of Oman, but found out at 3:30 the day before departure from Williamsburg that the border visa requirements were changing,  and we might have to cancel. Fortunately we were able to get visas within 24 hours which prevented the hassles we saw other tourists experiencing. 

 Oman is divided into sections surrounded by the UAE. Khasab, a port city located on a northern peninsula where fishing has been the primary industry, has been called the “Norway of Arabia” due to fjord-like coves and mountainous landscape. It’s totally different from the glitz and bustle we left behind in Dubai; a time to relax and enjoy each other’s company as we explored. Michael and I were upgraded to a suite with wrap-around balcony. After this, I need to start staying in nicer hotels! 

 Dinner was in town at an Iranian restaurant, the “Wadi Qada” or as we called it, the Wadi Coti.  I could have ordered an entire lamb...market price!...but instead Michael and I shared a seafood platter - spiced red fish baked whole...I had to examine his face...chucks of grouper and shrimp all coated with fragment seasonings and accompanied by rice. We also shared a corn and vegetable soup which tasted of fresh corn, vegetables and ? mint. They add acid to their soups so a squeeze of lime enhanced the flavor; a trick I plan to carry home. Dinner concluded with the owner preparing tea for us in a bronze samovar. 

 Michael & I worked out in the AM-my personal trainer-then headed to the breakfast buffet before our mountain tour w/ Robyn. Our first stop at a local park was filled with goats grazing...goats are wandering everywhere in this area...and young boys playing soccer. Michael joined them for a little juggling, passing and 6 against 1. They loved keeping the ball away as Michael chased it! 

Our guide turned onto a narrow dirt road which switch-backed upward with perilous drops. Praying not to encounter rockslides nor earthquakes...Michael mentioned that one...we stopped several times for scenic photo-ops and to admire the stark beauty. Amazingly there were goats at the top-1600 meters-which ate our banana peels and sipped Pepsi....the guide’s idea, not mine! 

The afternoon was spent on a dhow boat - a traditional Arabic wooden sailing vessel with long flat hulls traditionally used for trade...now outfitted with cushions to recline and cruise into the fjords while dolphins chased us. Our private tour-we were blessed!...included the 5 of us and time spent snorkeling....some fish and lots of sea urchins. I wanted to take some back for the hotel chef to prepare a dish with the urchin’s edible part, a delicacy. Just found out the umm are the urchin’s gonads! Sorry I missed that! 

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Arabic food has been interesting-no pork but turkey/chicken sausages and bacon, and a multitude of dishes I cannot pronounce influenced by Indian, Pakistani, and Indonesian flavors. No strong spices but unusual tastes, mild heat and I’ve sampled lots- some with better results than others. 

 The UAE (United Arab Emirates) were formed in 1971 after British rule ended and Sheikh Zayed of Abu Dhabi formed a coalition of 7 separate Emirates each ruled by different sheikhs. Each emirate still has a ruling family, but a government of 40 members...8 each from Dubai & Abu Dhabi, 6 each from Sharjah and Ras-a-Kaima, and 4 each from the remaining ones...make all the decisions and policies. The residents seem to admire and respect the rulers seeing them driving themselves...no entourage...and being out and about in the community. 

 More history for anyone interested: Dhabi’s economy was based on fishing and pearl diving before Japan discovered the technique of cultured pearls. After this, Dubai became a trading center encouraging imports and exports with no tariffs. Abu Dhabi is the largest Emirate and the wealthiest with the majority of oil reserves which were discovered in 1966. It is also the capital of the UAE while Dhabi is the financial, commercial and trade center. Sharjah, the 3rd largest city, is the cultural center where Robyn’s brother is a professor at a local university. 

UAE’s currency is the dirham (DH) pronounced “Durham” and 1 US dollar equals 3.65 dirham. In Oman, a rial equals 2.5 dollars which is confusing because in one country you multiply and another you divide to find an equivalent to dollars. You better be good at math! 

Eight million people live in Dubai but only 20% are Emiratis. The other 80% are foreigners with 50% Indian followed by natives of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Langa. Only 0.3% are from the USA! Foreigners can NEVER become citizens; although, we did have one guide who said the ruler may occasionally grant a special request. Foreigners also cannot own a business by themselves. They must have an Emirati partner who owes 51% even if they don’t contribute any funds.  Emeratis are given a free house, utilities, healthcare, education, and large sums of money (about $100,000 DH or $35,000) several times a year for living expenses. 

 Observations: 

*Water is provided free in the room and during tours, but you must pay for it in restaurants. 

*Arabic is written and read right to left so when tour guides schedule a pick-up time in English they may write it, “14:45-14:15”. Go with the flow. *Have not seen a single nail salon which are prolific in the US. As a Muslim country, women are modestly dressed and I haven’t seen any polish. Many women are fully covered in black cotten abayas with their faces or perhaps only their eyes showing. Heaven help them in this heat! Men traditionally wear white cotten robes. 

*Dry heat is blazing hot! Dhabi is also humid since it is located on the Arabian Gulf. Don’t call this body of water what we learned in school-Persian Gulf-since a newspaper writer did and she was thrown into jail for disrespect. There is a constant haze in the area which guides say is due to the humidity and not smog. 

*The falcon is the national bird. They are very valuable, have their own IDs, and travel in their own seat on planes-unless they are flying private. They also have their own hospitals where transplants are performed. 

*Camels are also highly prized and they also have their own separate hospitals. Don’t know if transplants are performed there! 

*I don’t mean to mislead anyone with the title of this blog. When you are young, 60 seems so old. However, when you are in the middle of it, it doesn’t seem old except in the knees! 

 Oman was a wonderful interlude to refresh and enjoy each other’s company. Michael will head back to work, and Robyn and I have multiple tours scheduled. I’ll see Michael for an occasional meal and then spend our last day together before Robyn and I continue our journeys,

Dubai - City of glamour & glitz & ....

Was it only 9 days ago that I left the USA for the glamour & glitz of Dubai? Little sleep & even less for my traveling companion, Robyn, preceded our adventure. Months of planning, last minute safoos, and hours of agony over tight luggage restrictions (Africa not Dubai) finally resulted in a 4 AM departure from Williamsburg for Dulles airport in DC. I THOUGHT I had only forgotten 1 item...no problem but along the way there are still things I cannot find...either left behind or buried deeply in detailed packing. 

 The 13 hour flight passed quickly with 4 movies & meeting my seat row mate from India or at least that is where I am assuming she was from with her traditional Indian clothing. Our “conversations” started when she didn’t know how to unlock her seatbelt and later to adjust her seat. It seems simple to most of us, but when I realized she was struggling I got up both times...we had an empty seat between us...and helped. We smiled and nodded. When her special order dinner arrived before mine, she started handing me food; I think she thought I wasn’t getting anything! I tried to decline, “No, thank you“, but she kept insisting. More smiles & lots of head nodding. 

 As the hours passed, she began to talk to me, but bless her heart, it was not English. It didn’t seem to faze her when I said, “I don’t understand”. She continued sharing more food with me and lots of conversation while I smiled and nodded and said, “Yes”. I don’t have the foggiest what we talked about but smiles and courtesy go a long ways! She gave me a big hug when the flight was over and I smiled, hugged her and nodded some more. International diplomacy! 

 We checked into our hotel - Holiday Inn Express, and like many foreign countries, I’m always amazed to see the same brands...McDonald’s, KFC, Hardee’s, Starbucks, Pizza Hut, 5 Guys, Dunkin Donuts...that we see everyday in America including an ad for Disney on Ice! The list is endless, and you might think you were home except each sign and menu are in English and Arabic! We headed to my youngest son’s office; I haven’t seen Michael except through FaceTime since he left the U.S. in August 2017. 

 I brought peanuts from Virginia for his office.  March is National Peanut Month in America, and although his office devoured two tins in one day, Michael “forgot” to tell them of the holiday. Go figure! 

 The Big Bus tour consumed our first two days in Dubai. Not only was it a great way to get a feel for Dubai, it also offered a convenient place to snooze right in the middle of traffic! Ahhh... jet lag! 

 The architectural delights of this modern city which is only 46 years old are amazing. Michael said at one time 25% of the worlds’ cranes were in Dubai! Over 30 skyscrapers were built in 10 years and the construction and cranes are everywhere today! Not only is the city bustling...with traffic to match...but each building’s design competes to be bigger and better and more unique. There are lots of angles with curved steel and glass, spires and towers, spikes and exo-skeltons, a building shaped like a boat sail, and even one which looks like Noah’s ark has landed on top! 

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Dubai rose from the desert and has a plethora of landscapes and date palms - which produces the national fruit - but no large green space like Central Park in NYC. Desalination plants provide 98.8% of Dubai’s water. Over 50,000 workers labor at night to keep the city clean. And I guarantee that the Dubai police force, most of which don’t wear uniforms, drive the nicest and most expensive police cars in the world...BMW’s, Porsche’s, and Lamborghinies! 

Here are some of my observations so far: 

*No Gideon Bible in the hotel room but it does come equipped with a prayer rug. Muslims are called to prayer 5x/day through the numerous mosques. As a Christian, it’s a good reminder that we are to be continually in prayer ourselves. 

 *The UAE has the most superlatives of biggest and most expensive I’ve encountered. Examples are: tallest building in the world -Burj Khalifa (and they are building a taller one opening 2020!), highest restaurant-Burj Khalifa, largest mall in the world - Dubai Mall (and they are building a bigger one), most expensive cocktail and most expensive hotel room, tallest hotel,  only 7-star hotel - Al Arab, fastest roller coaster, longest road without a curve or round-about- Sheihk Zayed, largest amusement park indoors opening summer 2018, most expensive Christmas tree (Yes, Muslims love Christmas traditions but only the commercial part) decorated with 11 million dollars in jewelry! Don’t you wish you were invited to that party! 

 *Cars AND helicopters are available through Uber! 

 *Dubai also has the world’s most expensive license plate. Single digit plates are only given to the ruling family; we saw E 9 today. Two digits signify a ruler’s extended family while multi-millionaires have a triple digit plate.  Millionaires have 4 digits and regular folks have 5 digit plates. 

 *There are water spray hoses in all the restrooms to wash yourself after you go. Toilets also have a small and a large flush depending....well, you get the idea. 

 *There are ATM machines here that dispense gold bars. Put in how much you want and out it pops! 

 *The National sport is camel racing. They outlawed child jockeys and now robots ride the camels with whips all controlled by owners speeding along beside the track in cars. 

 

Robyn and I have had multiple tech problems since arriving...phone, camera, iPad, email.  Michael helped and now I will see if this works.  Note to self...bring a tech expert on future travels!