Monday we got up and left the house close to 10 am. We were heading to the Burj Khalifa. We made a stop for donuts just before going up to the top.
At the top!
After going to the 124th floor we came down and ate lunch. We then went to the high end shops which none of us could afford. We were going to drive around Dubai, but decided against it as we had already walked for several hours. Everyone was tired. When we got back to Al Ain Stuart went to the club for a kit meeting. We stayed home and ordered food from 101, our local Arabic restaurant.
Tuesday morning we got up and went to the Louvre in Abu Dhabi.
This Louvre is not as big as the one in Paris, but it was still quite impressive. We went through it quickly, which is how I like to visit museums.
The founding father!
We ate lunch at an amazing cafe and then headed to the Mosque. We didn’t have much time at all and it might have caused a bit of a domestic argument for Stuart and myself. Because our safari got changed to 4:30, we had to make a mad dash through the mosque, but we managed.
The sun was very bright.
Once we left the mosque we headed to the desert. We hadn’t been on a desert safari since our first year in the UAE. The kids were tiny and hardly even remembered it. I wasn’t looking forward to it as our last experience wasn’t great. Our first safari took us on a bus for about 45 minutes and then we went out into the desert. But this safari was different. We drove right to the spot where the desert vehicle took us dune bashing. It was an amazing experience and so fun to do with our friends.
This was one of the SUVs that was driving with us.
Sand boarding was a hit.
The girls got henna.
The kids on the dunes ar sunset.
The kids dressed in traditional Emarati dress and Jack held the falcon.
Belly dancing was the entertainment.
Wednesday we had a bit of a sleep in. We went to the Al Ain Oasis and Al Ain Palace Museum.
The canal system in the UAE is very similar to Arizona.
Maryum was our guide for the Al Ain Oasis. She was incredible and so sweet. After we had visited the fort she drove past us and got out of her car to give Gigi and Lexi a bag of henna. It was above and beyond the call of duty for sure. She was so sweet.
This is the Al Nahyan family tree. Considering there are 19 boys and 11 girls to one father, it’s unreal this tree can actually be constructed.
We were able to see all of these places because Ken has a friend who knows the head of tourism in Abu Dhabi who got us a personal guide. We felt like VIPs. It was amazing.
After we left the Al Ain Palace Museum, we went to eat lunch at Off the Hook. Afterwards, we went to Al Jahili Fort, which we had never been to. Maytee didn’t feel so well so she stayed in the car. The fort was an equally impressive tour and we really enjoyed the tour guide.
Al Jahili Fort was used to protect the oasis.
We then went to Qasr Al Muwaji, another oasis we hadn’t visited before.
This fort was where the current ruler of Al Ain, Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nayhan was born.
The day was an exhausting one, but there was still fun to be had. We were home for a little over and hour and then went to the club for dinner and quiz night. What a laugh that was! We met up with a lot of friends. With all the Covid19 scare, people are not gathering as much, so we were thrilled to see all our friends and have Ken and Maytee see our social hang out for the past 6 and a half years. We even won a few prizes.
Thursday morning we got up and headed to Atlantis. We spent the afternoon at the park and then had a casual dinner at the Wavehouse, which was just attached to the park.
Friday morning, the news was starting to unfold all of the plans for flights in and out of the United States. Our flights were not to take place until March 26th. The US government had already announced that those who were traveling through Europe back to the United States would be required to self- quarantine for 14 days. This news was what awoke Ken that morning. He had been up since before 6 am trying to sort out new tickets for the four of them. Around 9 am he did just that and they were on their way again. However, since they were traveling through Europe they would still be required to self-quarantine once they returned to the states. The world seems to have turned upside down.
We went to the water park for a couple of hours and then headed to Gordon Ramsey’s Bread Street Kitchen for a brunch. The food was amazing. The kids were still at the water park and checked in with us every half hour. We were within spitting distance of them the entire afternoon. GiGi is nearly 14, so we left her in charge. They had a great time. Friday evening we got food to take to the room and the kids showered, ate and relaxed. They had been running through the park all day. We also informed Millie that she too would be staying with Grammie and Pop once we returned to the UAE. It was a tough decision, but we knew it was the right one.
Saturday morning we got to thinking we should just cancel our flights and rebook them for a different date, but when? We were warned that if we left the country we ran the risk of being docked pay or not getting back in.
We went on with our day the best we could. We spent the majority of the day at the pool or the park. We went back to the park to ride the family rides, which were fun. We ordered food by the pool, but ended up taking it up to the room as we had been granted the pleasure of having a late check out at Atlantis.
We left the hotel about 4 pm, by the time we got totally checked out and pictures of the scenery.
This was our last time as a family at Atlantis, and what a great trip it was.
The Frame.
We headed down to take some pictures of the Burj Al Arab and then the Dubai Frame. We then headed to Dubai Mall. We had reservations at the Social House, a place where you can watch the fountains and have a lovely meal. Before dinner, we went into the Souq and Len bought some gifts for a few people.
We then had a wonderful meal that Ken paid for, which was too kind and generous for sure. We walked around until just before 10 pm and then had a coffee at Costa. This way we were able to site down for a bit. We needed to waste some time because they couldn’t even check their bags into the airline until 11.
When we got to the airport we had to park in order to help them with the bags. We had sent 4 bags with them, which would definitely prove to be helpful for us, especially now that the kids would be staying for good in Arizona.
The week was amazing! Although the semi-panic was a bit worrisome, and we still didn’t know what we were going to do as far as travel was concerned, this time with Ken, Maytee, Gigi and Lexi was invaluable. It was an incredible trip for them and for us. Time will tell what this next week will bring.
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