Random thoughts:
It's amazing to me how pristine the robes are that the Emirati men wear. If I had on a white robe, it would be filthy by the end of the day. For these guys, that's not the case.
When I stopped by the little restaurant at the bus station yesterday, all of the guys were eating with their hands, breaking a flat bread and scooping their food up with that. Somehow that made it look more appetizing. I was a chicken though and requested a fork.
The cost to travel to Dubai was just over $4 for a two hour bus ride. To return it would have cost just over $5. Not sure why, but the cost coming from Dubai is more. I opted for a taxi instead and that was just over $17. In the cab, the trip was reduced to just over one hour. Like I said yesterday, I'm looking forward to having my own wheels.
Side note - Abu Dhabi is like a strong big brother. He's the seat of the ruling power for the country and he has the largest land mass and population, but Dubai is like his glamourous little sister. Flashy, extreme and ready to party at the drop of a hat.
Side note 2 - Forgot to include pictures of the indoor ski slope and school bus, so here you go.
I'm returning to the ADEC office this morning to see what's happening.
Good news! My papers were ready and I was sent off to get my fingerprints. I tried to hail a cab, but couldn't get the guys to understand where I needed to go. No problem, it was just three blocks as I understood the directions. Well . . . the blocks must be measured by camel steps. They're more than twice the length of our longest country blocks. So I got my exercise in for the day. Thankfully, things were easy once I got there. Again, getting preferential treatment for being a woman. The papers were then returned to the original guy, who will send them off to immigration for my permanent visa to be processed.
It's fascinating to observe the way things get done here. Someone I met said that multitasking is not a part of the culture. So, even though I dropped off my paperwork well before the end of day, nothing more will happen until tomorrow. That's OK though. It just leaves time for more adventures.
One more piece of business before the fun begins - figuring out how to mail something from here. (Contrary to the natives, I can and do multitask). I was dropped off at the Main Post Office. What a busy place that was! Again, it was wonderful being a woman. The line for the guys was out the door. I walked right in with a ticket to wait for my number to appear on a screen. I noticed though that folks were not honoring the ticket system, but were just bum rushing the counter. No problem. This is where going to a black school came in handy. I know how to bum rush with the best of them, learning it 35 years ago as a freshmen at FAMU. Who knew how helpful that skill would be later in life.
It cost 3 dirhams (82 cents) to send a post card and 100 dirhams ($27) to send a package to my granddaughter Zadie. It's scheduled to arrive in three days. It's my test package. I also mailed a test postcard to see how long that takes to arrive. I was limited in weight to how much I could send, but I saw folks mailing huge packages. I'll have to inquire as to how that is done.
Business is over, now it's off to a desert safari!
I was picked up at about 3:00pm from the hotel. The driver and I got acquainted before he picked up three more passengers from a hotel on the way to the desert. I think they were related - Mom, Dad and an adult daughter. They were from India and so was the driver, so they quickly got acquainted.
This attraction was advertised as an exciting time of dune bashing, camel riding, sand skiing, BBQ dinner, belly dancing and shisha smoking. It didn't disappoint. There were 10 carloads of folks headed to the camp where the main festivities would be held. We met up at a rest stop and everyone got out and stretched their legs. This is about 45 minutes from Abu Dhabi proper.
Once we started again, the ride was exhilarating! When we got in the desert, all of the drivers let air out of the tires (17lbs each) so that the tires would have more traction. We were driving through literally mountains of sand; gunning the car to get up the huge hills, and slowing down because you're going down a mountain . . . straight down!
After my first up and down, I had had enough, but we did this for at least another hour. Imagine, a caravan of ten white Toyota Land Cruisers, going up and down the dunes. Some of the down hill runs had to be taken sideways so as not to flip the car. Some of the hills had really sharp turns when you got to the top, but you couldn't prepare for it because you couldn't see it coming. Our car got stuck at the top of a hill. The other passengers and I held our breath as the drivers tethered our car to another and pulled us to safety. WHEW!
Every 15-20 minutes of so we would stop to make sure all the cars were still together. Honestly, it felt like we were making figure eights in the sand. I thought we were going in circles. At each stop the drivers lifted the hoods of the cars to cool them off. Those babies were working overtime.
The sand was very, very fine. When you walked in it was ankle deep, at least, making walking in it difficult at best. I understand the term "quicksand" so much better now.
On one of the stops, someone lost their lunch, so their trip through the dunes was cut short. They went directly to the camp. When the rest of us arrived, there were folks sand skiing, which consisted of brave souls taking snowboard-looking ramps, going to the top of the hill closest to camp, and skiing down. There were also three-wheeled off-road motor bikes for rent, but thankfully no one was foolish enough to attempt riding under these conditions.
My favorite part was the camel riding. What fun that was! There were two camels tethered together and they each had a two-person saddle, so four rode at a time. Once the line was way down, I hopped on for a ride. The camels were in a sitting position for you to get on and they got on their knees first, then they got up all the way. Same thing going down - they kneeled and then sat for you to get off. I could have rode my guy all day!
The camp was enclosed in a u-shape and was right on the other side of the wall from the camel rides. There was a large stage/dance floor in the middle, with rows of tables all around the stage. We sat on pillows. Most of the guys was playing some silly game in the sand that looked like a variation of tug-of-war. The ladies took turns getting henna tattoos. Yes, I said I'd never get a tattoo. That's why you should never say never. I agreed because this kind washes off in a week or so. It's on the inside of my arm, so it's harmless. No one will see it because of the long sleeves I'll be wearing.
This was followed by a great meal. I was invited to sit with three nursing professors - one was from Santa Monica, CA, the other Pittsburgh, PA and the third was from Oman. They had been presenting at a conference in Oman and decided to add a few days of fun to their plans. It was these ladies who introduced me to shisha smoking, from the tall decorative vase looking thing with a quilted pipe coming out of it. I don't smoke, so it was an interesting experience. I'm not worried about having the need to break open one of those packs of cigarettes that are in my room any time soon.
As folks were smoking the pipes, (I have pictures of me partaking but they're not internet ready, and quite frankly, never will be), the belly dancer was doing her thing. She was really good. She invited guys to join her and she gave lessons to a group of brave women.
Then the stage was a free-for-all. Traditional music was mixed with stuff you'd hear on the radio in the US. There were traditional dancers that was really fun to see. I've included two videos. The picture is not great in either, but I hope you can hear the music. The next one is guys dancing to funky music. The stage lights will go out in the second one, but I wanted you to hear the music.
By this time it's dark, and they turn out the lights for us to look at the stars. Absolutely beautiful! It all ended with another thrilling ride though the dunes as we made our way to paved roads. I have never appreciated paved roads more in my life!
And that was my desert safari adventure!
It's amazing to me how pristine the robes are that the Emirati men wear. If I had on a white robe, it would be filthy by the end of the day. For these guys, that's not the case.
When I stopped by the little restaurant at the bus station yesterday, all of the guys were eating with their hands, breaking a flat bread and scooping their food up with that. Somehow that made it look more appetizing. I was a chicken though and requested a fork.
The cost to travel to Dubai was just over $4 for a two hour bus ride. To return it would have cost just over $5. Not sure why, but the cost coming from Dubai is more. I opted for a taxi instead and that was just over $17. In the cab, the trip was reduced to just over one hour. Like I said yesterday, I'm looking forward to having my own wheels.
Side note - Abu Dhabi is like a strong big brother. He's the seat of the ruling power for the country and he has the largest land mass and population, but Dubai is like his glamourous little sister. Flashy, extreme and ready to party at the drop of a hat.
Side note 2 - Forgot to include pictures of the indoor ski slope and school bus, so here you go.
 |
| Dubai Mall Ski Slope |
 |
| Abu Dhabi School Bus |
 |
| Front end of Abu Dhabi School Bus |
Good news! My papers were ready and I was sent off to get my fingerprints. I tried to hail a cab, but couldn't get the guys to understand where I needed to go. No problem, it was just three blocks as I understood the directions. Well . . . the blocks must be measured by camel steps. They're more than twice the length of our longest country blocks. So I got my exercise in for the day. Thankfully, things were easy once I got there. Again, getting preferential treatment for being a woman. The papers were then returned to the original guy, who will send them off to immigration for my permanent visa to be processed.
It's fascinating to observe the way things get done here. Someone I met said that multitasking is not a part of the culture. So, even though I dropped off my paperwork well before the end of day, nothing more will happen until tomorrow. That's OK though. It just leaves time for more adventures.
One more piece of business before the fun begins - figuring out how to mail something from here. (Contrary to the natives, I can and do multitask). I was dropped off at the Main Post Office. What a busy place that was! Again, it was wonderful being a woman. The line for the guys was out the door. I walked right in with a ticket to wait for my number to appear on a screen. I noticed though that folks were not honoring the ticket system, but were just bum rushing the counter. No problem. This is where going to a black school came in handy. I know how to bum rush with the best of them, learning it 35 years ago as a freshmen at FAMU. Who knew how helpful that skill would be later in life.
It cost 3 dirhams (82 cents) to send a post card and 100 dirhams ($27) to send a package to my granddaughter Zadie. It's scheduled to arrive in three days. It's my test package. I also mailed a test postcard to see how long that takes to arrive. I was limited in weight to how much I could send, but I saw folks mailing huge packages. I'll have to inquire as to how that is done.
Business is over, now it's off to a desert safari!
I was picked up at about 3:00pm from the hotel. The driver and I got acquainted before he picked up three more passengers from a hotel on the way to the desert. I think they were related - Mom, Dad and an adult daughter. They were from India and so was the driver, so they quickly got acquainted.
This attraction was advertised as an exciting time of dune bashing, camel riding, sand skiing, BBQ dinner, belly dancing and shisha smoking. It didn't disappoint. There were 10 carloads of folks headed to the camp where the main festivities would be held. We met up at a rest stop and everyone got out and stretched their legs. This is about 45 minutes from Abu Dhabi proper.
 |
| Me on the Desert Safari |
Once we started again, the ride was exhilarating! When we got in the desert, all of the drivers let air out of the tires (17lbs each) so that the tires would have more traction. We were driving through literally mountains of sand; gunning the car to get up the huge hills, and slowing down because you're going down a mountain . . . straight down!
 |
| Car going downhill |
After my first up and down, I had had enough, but we did this for at least another hour. Imagine, a caravan of ten white Toyota Land Cruisers, going up and down the dunes. Some of the down hill runs had to be taken sideways so as not to flip the car. Some of the hills had really sharp turns when you got to the top, but you couldn't prepare for it because you couldn't see it coming. Our car got stuck at the top of a hill. The other passengers and I held our breath as the drivers tethered our car to another and pulled us to safety. WHEW!
Every 15-20 minutes of so we would stop to make sure all the cars were still together. Honestly, it felt like we were making figure eights in the sand. I thought we were going in circles. At each stop the drivers lifted the hoods of the cars to cool them off. Those babies were working overtime.
 |
| Guys in red shirts are the drivers |
The sand was very, very fine. When you walked in it was ankle deep, at least, making walking in it difficult at best. I understand the term "quicksand" so much better now.
 |
| The caravan of cars |
My favorite part was the camel riding. What fun that was! There were two camels tethered together and they each had a two-person saddle, so four rode at a time. Once the line was way down, I hopped on for a ride. The camels were in a sitting position for you to get on and they got on their knees first, then they got up all the way. Same thing going down - they kneeled and then sat for you to get off. I could have rode my guy all day!
 |
| Me on a camel ride! |
 |
| Camels are tethered |
 |
| Henna tattoo |
This was followed by a great meal. I was invited to sit with three nursing professors - one was from Santa Monica, CA, the other Pittsburgh, PA and the third was from Oman. They had been presenting at a conference in Oman and decided to add a few days of fun to their plans. It was these ladies who introduced me to shisha smoking, from the tall decorative vase looking thing with a quilted pipe coming out of it. I don't smoke, so it was an interesting experience. I'm not worried about having the need to break open one of those packs of cigarettes that are in my room any time soon.
 |
| New friends |
As folks were smoking the pipes, (I have pictures of me partaking but they're not internet ready, and quite frankly, never will be), the belly dancer was doing her thing. She was really good. She invited guys to join her and she gave lessons to a group of brave women.
 |
| Belly dancer |
Then the stage was a free-for-all. Traditional music was mixed with stuff you'd hear on the radio in the US. There were traditional dancers that was really fun to see. I've included two videos. The picture is not great in either, but I hope you can hear the music. The next one is guys dancing to funky music. The stage lights will go out in the second one, but I wanted you to hear the music.
By this time it's dark, and they turn out the lights for us to look at the stars. Absolutely beautiful! It all ended with another thrilling ride though the dunes as we made our way to paved roads. I have never appreciated paved roads more in my life!
 |
| Sunset on the desert |
And that was my desert safari adventure!
My goodness!!! Smoking, tattos...What's next???
ReplyDeleteWhat an experience!!
I'm with Deb - I can't wait to hear what is next and I want to see those pictures!
ReplyDelete