After Dewey's marathon of basketball, we headed to Dubai around noon. We picked up monkey, baby, Piglet, and blanket at the roach motel before heading to our lodging for Sunday and Monday nights. It took a while to find the items so we had to rush a bit more than we had hoped. We checked into the Winchester Hotel Apartments (when I booked it I felt it was safe, you know, being an English named place and all), and immediately walked to Spinneys, the place where we were to meet the van to carry us away on our desert safari. We met Cathy, her girls and friends of theirs from the UK.
We really have not done anything very touristy since arriving in the UAE, but I can no longer say that. We first drove and drove forever. Once we did finally arrive at the dunes we waited for a bit for our turn to go dune bashing. Boy was that worth the wait.
The kids, my parents, Stuart and I all rode in the same vehicle. I video taped the first 5 minutes and then gave it up. I thought I was going to barf! It was like Disney's Indiana Jones ride on crack. It was so much fun! Millie was about over it by minute number 9 of the 15 minute ride. When she started to panic a bit, Jack was super helpful by saying,'I think she's going to be sick!' And then Millie started saying,'I'm going to be sick! I'm going to be sick!' Fortunately we were able to keep things under control, although she broke out in tears just as we finished our ride.
We got out of the SUV and saw a walled off area with pillows and tables set up around a stage. Outside there were people riding quad bikes and camels. Of course we got in on the camel rides.
Oh, and we've decided this may be our new wardrobe from now on. Kidding!
After the camel ride we were served some somosas and onion barji (not sure of the spelling, but delish all the same). There was some entertainment (I use that term loosely) and then the main meal was served buffet style. I was escorted to the front of the line because I had a baby, but then felt guilty for 'cutting' and leaving the rest of the family in the back, so I returned to my original place in line. The food was not stellar, but the ambiance was amazing and just what you would expect as a tourist in the Middle East. There was a magician, dancers (belly, fire, and spinners of sort), and a bit of a skit.
We returned from the safari the same way we came but with less bashing. The driver dropped us off where he picked us up. Fortunate for us, it was in front of a McDonalds, so Pop treated us to some ice cream. If anyone knows my dad, they know he is addicted to ice cream. Sadly, ice cream is really expensive here so we don't buy much of it. I can only assume he is having major withdraws. We will need to make sure we visit Baskin Robbins more often while they are here.
We crashed when we got back to the hotel, knowing we had to be up and out by 7:30 am in order to be at the Burj Khalifa by 8:45 am, our scheduled time to go to the 124th floor lookout platform.
Stuart's alarm went off at 5:15 am, clearly his school days alarm. In spite of the early start and late night before, we made it to our appointment. The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world and took 6 years from the beginning of construction to the opening of the tours. It's something you just have to do if you are ever in Dubai. You could see all around the city. But there was a bit of dust in the air so it was a bit difficult to see the man made island that holds Atlantis. When I booked it on line there were only 2 time slots left. I was glad I chose the early one because by the time we got down from the top there was a huge crowd.
We walked around the mall and went to the Dubai Aquarium in the middle of the Dubai Mall. We had been there way back in October when we first came to visit the city. Jack and Millie fed the fish this time, which was a fun experience for them.
We had lunch at an enormous food court and then headed to Garrett's popcorn shop. It's the best popcorn ever, based out of Chicago. So glad I have found it just an hour and a half up the road from my home. Yum!
We were going to hit the Mall of the Emirates, the place with the ski slope, but were all a bit wiped and decided to come back to the hotel, have a swim, and order food in.
The food we got was nothing like what the pictures looked like so after trying to muddle our way through the disappointing nuriousment, Dad and Stuart headed to Spinneys to get some ice cream. The world seemed normal again.
We woke up on Tuesday morning and headed to the Big Bus Tour. We decided to do the opposite ride of what Gina and I did the previous week. We first went on the red line, which took us around to the Dhow cruise and then on to the Dubai Old Souq. This was where I bought my pillows the week before. My mom and I bartered for some lovely Pashminas and got a pretty good deal. However, I think the guy who sold them to us was pretty irrated that we were not willing to go any higher than what we did. Oh well, he'll find another sucker around the corner.
More of the Souq was open this day then when I had gone the week before. We walked around for a while and then the hunger bug hit. Although we were meant to go on the blue line as well as the red line, by the time we got around the red line we were pretty wiped and also very hungry.
So instead of the blue line, we headed to Burjuman Mall for a burger, bottomless fries and free soda. The service was incredible and we were given complementary ice cream cones. Everyone was pleased.
We got home around 5 pm, started laundry, fed the kids, and chilled for the rest of the evening.
On Wednesday we woke up and laundry was on the 'to do' list. I must have done 6 loads of laundry, including all the bed sheets. Again, I am thankful for a tumble dryer. Stuart, Pop, and Jack went golfing in the morning, while Gammie, Millie and I went to refuel with groceries. We had to prepare for our next three day outing to Fujairah, one of the 7 Emirates.
Millie napped in the afternoon and in the evening we went to the Rugby Club for the pub quiz and a curry buffet. We actually got third place and won a meal for 2 at the club. It was fun but we didn't get home and to bed until almost 11.
Everyone slept in a bit on Thursday morning so we didn't head to Fujairah until just before noon. We were going to stop at a market just west of Fujairah City, but once we passed by it we decided to just take pictures out the window if the car. We didn't have room for any treasures anyway. 
The road to Fujairah proved to be very different as far as the terrain was concerned. It reminded us of traveling to and from Tucson or even San Diego. We saw camels, date farms, and many mosques. 
Once we arrived in Fujairah City we stopped at the local mall and had a late lunch. We then continued on to the hotel to check in. This hotel has the Rotana name attached to it which means it is owned by one of the Sheikhs and should be reall nice. It did not disappoint. This is by far the nicest hotel we have stayed in on our journeys so far.
We regrouped in the hotel rooms and then decided to just jaunt out to the seafront and see what we could see with the small amount of daylight left. We discovered this town is not a beach town except for the resorts who have private beaches. As we were driving along the Indian Ocean we saw fisherman pulling in their nets.
We drove on and discovered the oil barrels that help to make this country all its money.
After this little drive we decided to try to find the Al Hayl Palace. We had copied off some 'places to see' from the Internet and this palace was one of them. When we got close to the palace we realized it was just beyond a little village and it didn't look promising.
We arrived and it looked locked up. However, there was a man who was standing just to the left of the palace waving us vet. We drove around the 'palace' and then turned around, because there was no other choice. We decided to park and when we got out of the car we knew the man who wavedus over would expect a tip for his services. We later found out his name was Abdullah and he was from Bangladesh. And boy what a pleasant surprise he was. I don't normally include so many pictures of one place, but he insisted on taking a lot and they were really great.
Al Hayl Palace formed a large residential complex that consisted of reception halls, meeting halls, bedrooms, stores, and kitchens, all surrounded by solid walls that had holes in them to throw small and large weapons through. On the inside the walls would have been decorated beautifully. The palace contained a hall located outside the complex that was less formal and most likely used as a waiting area for visitors to drink coffee while meeting Sheikhs.
As we were led through these different halls, Abdullah described each one. We had our own personal tour guide. It was amazing and he knew just where to get the best pictures. Needless to say, this was a pleasant surprise and we tipped him well. It was amazing!
The entrance to the old palace. 
We climbed up into the second level of one of the bedrooms. The second level was where they would sleep in the summer because it was cooler. The stairs were terribly varied in height so while climbing down I pulled my thigh muscle. Stop laughing! This was not a place that would be seen anywhere in the states, or if it was, every area would be roped off and no one would be permitted to enter. As we always say 'welcome to the UAE'. Anything goes.
Do you know why it looks like there was about a 10 foot drop behind Jack? Because there was! No safety rails here.
This was a keyhole window that looked outside from the guest bedroom.
This was at the very top of the palace grounds.
Here is Abdullah with the kids. He was so nice to them and Millie, especially, took to him immediately.
On the way back from the hotel we decided to drive by the Fujairah Fort. We had read that it was lit up at night and was quite a sight. I'm not sure if I would have described it that way.
When we returned to our hotel we went to the pool to see how late they were open. Unfortunately we missed our swim that evening and Jack nearly fell apart. After telling him that I wasn't in charge of when they opened and closed the pool, and promising we would go first thing the following morning when they opened, I think he settled down and was able to cope.
The kids showered and ate a nutritious meal of Nutella sandwiches, carrots and hummus, yogurt, milk, and Fritos. Then Jack played Old Maid with Grammie and Pop. They brought this game for him and have played it about 100 times in the last two weeks. Jack has been schooled on the strategy of getting rid of the Maid. Sadly, he doesn't execute it well. He sticks the Maid up higher than the rest of the cards and then swears to whoever is picking from him that it is not the Maid. Naturally Grammie and Pop know his trick and sometimes play into it. When either of them pick the Old Maid he falls out laughing and pointing. It is the funniest thing I think he has ever done. Grammie and Pop laugh so hard they often shed tears. He's a funny kid!
Old Maid ended, the kids went to bed, as did Grammie and Pop, and Stuart and I ordered room service. A successful day, all in all.
The kids slept a little later than normal. They were both on cushions from the sofa in our room and Grammie and Pop's room. Jack was on the sofa and Millie was on cushions on the floor. Just after 6 am Millie started crying so I got up, put her in our bed, and decided since we would not all fit in the bed, I would sleep on her little bed. I am sure it was quite the sight.
When Jack woke up he told me he dreamed that he had gone to the pool to swim but broke his goggles. He then reminded me I promised him we could go to the pool that morning. We got our suits on, leaving Stuart and Millie in bed, and went to fetch Grammie and Pop for some pool time. I actually swam with Jack, while Grammie and Pop sat on lawn chairs and watched. It was chillier than I like, but I coped for the short time we were there.
When we returned to the room Stuart and Millie were up and we all got ready to go out for the day. We initially thought we would eat at the hotel buffet for breakfast, but once we were there we decided against it. We arrived at 10 am and the buffet was finishing at half 10. It looked as if it had already been wiped clean. They had run out of some items and it didn't look worth the money so we decided to leave. As we were walking out I let the hostess know that we were leaving. The manager of the restaurant just apologized all over himself, asking if we wanted him to send breakfast up to our room. We assured him that it was fine and we would come back the following morning. Instead, we ended up going to a different mall and eating in the food court. Sadly, the only place open was KFC. Yahoo!
We headed toward Dibba, which is a port town shared by two of the seven Emirates, Sharjah and Fujairah, and the country of Oman. There turned out not to be too much to do except take pictures and take in the scenery. Actually that was good enough for us.
We did stop along a beach so that we could take some pictures and stick our toes in the sand and in the Indian Ocean. The kids played on the swings for a bit and then we were on the road again.
We drove by some amazing looking resorts but unlike other places we have seen, these resorts did not look welcoming to on-lookers. They were tucked away and looked as if getting in would be more trouble than it was worth. We did see the town of Dibba long enough to get out, go to the bathroom, and assess that it was too hot to be walking along the boardwalk. We headed back to the hotel at that point.
Once at the hotel we had a bit of down time and then went back to the mall we had visited when we first arrived in Fujairah. We shopped around a bit. Stuart bought some t-shirts and I bought Millie a top for next winter.
We ate at the food court again. It seemed the best choice since we were in unfamiliar territory and Millie only eats French fries at the moment. To be fair, she has broadened her pallet slightly in the last month or so. She will now eat pasta with butter on it, as well as rice with the same topping, and she will eat a turkey ham and cheese sandwich.
We came back to the hotel for another round of Old Maid with Jack's hilarity. We played until we could play no more, then hit the hay. It was a successful week full of fun and adventure.
We slept in on Saturday morning getting home just after noon. We unpacked the car and got laundry started. While Grammie and Pop entertained the kids, Stuart and I went to the grocery store. We stocked up on meal options for the week and also bought plenty of juice. We had to get Grammie prepared for the potty training adventure that would ensue on Sunday morning.
My mom was so excited about potty training Millie. She might as well have written lesson plans for it. She brought a book about potty training and bought a baby doll for Millie to potty train. The theory is that the child will potty train their baby and then transfer that knowledge to themselves. We just hope Millie doesn't see Grammie remove the scotch tape from the baby's hole where the pee comes out and then think we are going to tape her up as well.
My mom made panties for the baby and also dresses exactly alike for the baby and for Millie. I will post pictures once they have the dresses on.
The rest of the evening was relaxed and uneventful, just how we like it.....sometimes.
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