the long and short of it

i've been blog slacking - sorry to all those who have been perched on the edge of their seats, waiting for reports on what we're doing while my mom is here. i will do my best to recap and pledge faster postings in the days to come.

after our 2-day ordeal at immigration, we were finally able to get to dubai on wednesday. went first to the mall of the emirates to visit ski dubai, among other things. i was so excited to get thai food at the food court, only to be reminded yet again that not only do i make better thai food at home, but there mustn't be any actual thai people in this country. we've had it a few times and for the most part, i come away from the table disappointed. just not up to snuff. so sniff sniff, no more thai cuisine for us while in the UAE unless i make it myself. 

we didn't shop at the mall, mainly because no one needed anything and because the place is so huge, where do you begin? (with food, that's where. and even that's a chore as there are scores of food courts and restaurant areas. too difficult to choose.)

after lunch, we walked around a bit, but mainly went to check out ski dubai. julian was desperately waiting for his moment to be set free, so we left while we had the chance. popped in the car and went the wrong way on sheikh zayed road. i was just about to be super pissed off when i pulled right into the parking area of harley davidson dubai. couldn't have planned that better if i tried. mom got to see the dealership and scout for t-shirts, and we were able to change direction to where we needed to go.

gave mom a short tour of jumeirah beach road, passing in front of the jumeirah hotel (shaped like a big wave), the burj al arab (the sailboat-shaped hotel), the madinat jumeirah (fancy souk and 2 luxury hotels - al qasr and i forget what the other one is called), huge villas and nice landscaping. we traveled up the stalk of the palm jumeirah (so large it can be seen from space!) and out to the crescent to the atlantis.

it's a much nicer experience visiting during the week. not crowded at all. we didn't pay to visit the lost chambers, but checked out the big tank from all sides (or at least from all sides we could access). sammy the whale shark is still there. julian, of course, was super psyched to see all the fish, fountains and fire display at the entrance of the italian restaurant. 

PAUSE. just found the food channel here. seems to be a mix of food network shows, local stuff and whatever they can get their hands on from the UK, australia and the middle east. giada is on with "everyday italian". 

as we were heading home, the sandstorm was upon us. visibility was reduced significantly, wind blowing, sand everywhere. we outran it, as once we hit ajman, only the wind had started. however, wednesday night started the freaking cycle of rain and bad weather that continued until today (saturday).

it poured rain on wednesday night, flooding the streets of RAK. we drove through a small pond to get to kindermusik on thursday morning, but it was worth it, as julian is sort of getting the hang of the class. he actually gave the instruments back when it was time (and rearranged the ones that had been haphazardly thrown in the bags) and didn't try to keep them. he'll get there, although he certainly isn't the only child that likes to wander off and not follow directions. i guess it's the nature of the beast.

the rest of the day turned quickly to crap, as it started raining heavily again. i took advantage of the cooler weather to use the oven - made a roasted chicken & potatoes for dinner, the spinach/tahini tray boereg AND finally got the hang of making taheen bread - the armenian sweet bread that i do love so much. julian and grandma hung out while i cooked.

rest of the weekend to be continued in the next post...