Archives for 2011

Where old is new.

No visit to Abu Dhabi is complete without taking in Heritage Village. This is where you can catch a glimpse of the past. Too bad it’s all shiny and new.

The cityscape is also a treat.

xo, jill

Inside and out.

After school one day we headed over to check out the fountain outside Emirates Palace.

Later that evening, once properly dressed, we milled around on the inside.

xo, jill

Sand and more sand.

Most important on my list of things for Jana to see was the desert near Liwa. This is the Empty Quarter, the almost to Saudia Arabia, there’s nothing out here desert. And I love it.

My school is on the road that leads to the empty vastness so we packed a cooler and headed out after work. I may have underestimated the driving distance… but it was worth it.

Seeing the dunes is an experience every time and I wish I could take everyone I know and love on a desert trip.

xo, jill

“Action action we want action!”

Lucky for my sister, her visit coincided with a field trip at school. Now, when I said “field trip” you might have thought that we’d visit the library or the zoo or the science center or the theater or anything educational.

Newsflash.

Educational field trips are for suckahs!!!

We headed to Action Zone!

Sarah and I were relieved to see that the students were fully contained inside the walls of Action Zone. We didn’t have much to do besides take photos and laugh as our girls went flying around us on the rides. Jana, however, bolted to the shopping center across the parking lot. I can’t say I blame her… the bus ride there was crazy enough.

xo, jill

“Madame, you can ski?”

Who would have thought that a girl who grew up just a short distance from mountains would experience her first time skiing… in the Middle East.

I’ve never had much of an interest in snow sports. Despite living a short drive from Mount Hood and later Mount Baker, I never had much desire to exercise in snow. It’s so cold. But introduce me to an artificial ski slope inside a mall? I’m all over that. Naturally.

Top of the list of attractions during Jana’s visit was a trip to Ski Dubai. Time to Sister Ski!

Lucky for us, we had our very own Canadian to give us a few tips.

After a quick lesson and a few runs down the very baby bunny slope, we hopped on the lift. Big mistake.

In order to preserve our dignity, I’ll skip over the part where we fell our way down the slope landing in immobile positions and blocking the more experienced patrons, and instead talk about the tasty hot cocoa on offer at the lodge.

I have zero desire to ski again… at least without a proper lesson and a very gradual incline to practice on. But I’m glad I’ve ticked off “skiing in a mall” on my list of ridiculous things to experience in life.

xo, jill