DUBAI
Okay, picture this if you will...five ladies, one Mitsubishi Lancer, no map, no gps, and no plans...heading to Dubai for an adventure. Needless to say, we got lost once we entered the city. We went round and round and back and forth on the infamous Sheikh Zayed Rd trying to take the right exit ramp. We circled the Rotana hotel probably 5 times--and laughed each time. We were exhausted and had to stop to get some snacks, water, and most importantly, directions.
We searched for a reasonable hotel to stay in and when we found one we thought we could afford, we were rejected because we didn't all have our passports. Who knew you had to have a passport to check into a hotel? Fortunately, one of the ladies in our crew had her passport so she was able to check into a single room--which we later found at another, less expensive hotel--The Ibis. There we got settled into our rooms, put on our dancing shoes and went to the disco.
We met some professional hip-hop dancers who showed us some cool dance moves and we danced the night away--mostly with each other (the ladies I mean). The next morning we got up and headed out to discover the city.
We ended up on a street facing the beach with a view of the famous Atlantis hotel where we had lunch at a Mexican restaurant (I had the grilled fish and shrimp with rice and steamed vegetables--fabulous! Followed the meal with a Mexican coffee--tasted like it had cinnamon in it---yummo)
After lunch we headed to the beach. mind you we weren't dressed for the beach--we didn't have a plan, remember? We just wanted to see it and walk on the sand. It was packed with beautiful people and chubby tourists (like us). Never have I seen such blue water. Their was a strong breeze and the familiar smell of salt in the air. We soaked it all in and when the sun's heat became unbearable we decided it was time to leave.
We had to hurry home because on of the ladies in our group had an engagement scheduled for that night. So after getting lost only once - we made it on the raod back to al ain.
Pictured are Leah, Beverly, Marta, Isabella, and, of course, me.