Jacqui and Richard Abroad: Thursday, May 14th - Three weeks before we come home (the first time)

Nicolas, Jacqui and I spent the weekend in Dubai. We weren't there very long but still managed to do a lot. We arrived at the hotel Thursday night, had dinner and called it a day. On Friday morning, we went on a desert safari. It was very nice as we were the only passengers in the 4X4 with our driver. It was also the most exciting ride we've had in the three times Jacqui and I have done this. The driver would, or try to, go up on sand dunes that offered a lot of steepness and slanted positions. It was a lot of fun. After our return in the city, we went to the the Mall of the Emirates for a bit (to check out the ski hill) and the Dubai Marina area, including a drink on the 52nd floor of a hotel which gives you a good view of Atlantis - the Palm (a part of Dubai that is in the shape of a palm tree, and built in the sea), then came back to "The Cave" - a very cool wine bar - before going for dinner. On Saturday morning, we went up the Burj Khalifa, to floor 124, to take in the view from up there. We spent a bit of time at the Dubai Mall afterwards (1200 stores, parking for 40 000 cars - my kind of place!!). We checked out the skating rink and the aquarium, then went for a drink in a nearby hotel. From there, we headed to the airport, as Jacqui and I were coming back to Muscat while Nic was headed to Tokyo for 10 days. We really enjoyed spending a week with Nic but it was weird saying goodbye in an airport, halfway around the world and going our different ways.

Upon our return, on Sunday, we were told that next Sunday, the 17th, would be a religious holiday. We knew the holiday was coming, but weren't sure if it would be Thursday or Sunday. We normally don't find out this early. We are not planning on going anywhere; it will be a working weekend (at least one day) to finalize exams and start preparing report cards.

We will be home in three weeks as we are coming home for Vincent's graduation on June 8th and Nic's on June 12th. We will be arriving on Friday the 5th and leave to come back to Muscat on Saturday the 13th. We will then return for the summer on July 3rd. We are really looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible while we are there!