the update, part 3

on to april 1...

thanks to new friend sara, we followed her (along with 10 other women in the three cars) down the coastal road to sharjah. after passing the fish market in ajman, the pier/port in sharjah, we arrived at the central souq, or the "blue" souk. it's called blue because the outside of the building has blue patterned tiles and is fashioned in classic islamic architectural style. 

the souk is full of jewelry, carpet, pashmina and trinket vendors, so had we not had sara as our guide, we wouldn't have known where to go. she introduced us to really wonderful shop keepers and we shopped 'till we dropped. at the pashmina store, i picked up an embroidered tunic and some ornaments, and the owner gave julian the papier mache chicken he'd been eyeing. so nice! we will have to go back there for the bedspreads they have.

from there, we visited the carpet seller and souvenir shop. mom picked up some camel windchimes and other little gifts for my siblings. and then we went nuts. stopped at a jeweler and got our names done in arabic on a pendant. well, we ordered them anyway. it's a must! all in all, a neat experience. 

the following day, after kindermusik at RAK arts center, we talked to the owner, penny. i had seen her artwork (she paints on pottery) at the women's college back in march. i wanted to show mom, because she had a beautiful salad bowl with bright colors and the RAK "skyline" if you will. she had that piece and a few others, so we dragged out the old wallets and emptied them yet again.

in the afternoon, we took advantage of the nice weather and went to the beach. julian was able to sit by the water and play in the sand, which he always likes. amazing how children don't mind sand in their cracks.

we ate dinner at the buffet restaurant in the hilton (as the guest of the chef!), where julian practically housed half the buffet. he was stuffing kufta in his mouth as fast as he could eat them, interspersed with bites of broccoli and cheese turnovers. forget about dessert - handfuls of dried fruit and piles of date cookies. that kid is going to be taller than me by his third birthday!