Dubai sounds

I tried to post a video of a typical Dubai afternoon but it is not working so I included a link at the end! My mom and I were enjoying lunch in Jumeriah, a residential part of Dubai during the afternoon call to prayer and she wanted to capture the sound so I took a video of it. In Jumeriah there are lots of mosques sot you can hear it more than in our part of town. I have in fact heard some rumours that they are building a mosque near our apartment building since there don't seem to be any on this side of town. There should always be a mosque withing walking distance for Muslims. The call to prayer by a muezzin can be heard over a loudspeaker 5 times a day and it is one of my favorite things to hear, it reminds me that I live somewhere unique.

If you want a better recording check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAvlimEYEpQ

A rare Chris sighting

Always happy to have my husband for a day, just never able to get my eyes open in a photo!

Fujairah

On my mom's last day we drove out to Fujairah (our favorite emirate) for a day on the beach. We found an old, rundown (by Dubai standards) hotel that lets you pay to use their beach for the day for only 20 dollars. They are located right in front of Snoopy Island, a great snorkeling site. We had a great lunch on the beach, I had my first seafood since pregnancy...a local fish and chips made from hammour. Hammour is a local and popular fish that is similar to grouper, another one of my favorites! After lunch we swam out to the big rock that you see in the picture and enjoyed seeing all kinds of pretty fish. I wish I was a better icthiologist! Chris enjoyed stalking a few sand sharks that he spotted. He saw about 5 ranging from 1ft in length to 5ft or so. My mom and I let him follow the sharks on his own, I am sure they are harmless but hey I have a baby to think about! It was a great day but we were all sad since my mom had to leave when we got back to Dubai. The week went by too fast and of course we all had to go back to work...We need more visitors!

Bab Al Shams in the desert

I took my mom out to Bab Al Shams (yet another 5 star hotel)http://www.jumeirahbabalshams.com/ in the desert for an early mother's day present- a late afternoon massage. I also had a pregnancy massage which was nice but a bit different since I can no longer lay on my stomach. After our massages we went up to the rooftop bar which looked out for ages on uninterrupted desert. I had never been out there and had not seen so much desert until this trip. Unfortunately they are building this crazy Disney world like park on the road that leads out here. It is going to be huge. Check out this website to learn more:

http://www.dubailand.ae/

Hotel living

Sun setting at Madinat Jumeriah. My mom enjoyed the swanky hotels a bit more that I thought she would. They are seductive with their beautiful interiors, cozy and free valet parking (for sure on my top 10 list of favorite things in Dubai), fresh flowers and great views. We enjoyed a couple of a cocktails (mocktails for me) on the deck overlooking the ocean with a great view of the Burj al Arab to the right (sail looking hotel).

Abra ride

One day we ventured to Bur Dubai with my friend Becky to enjoy a taste of "older" Dubai. We explored the gold and spice souks before paying our one dirham fare on the local commuter abra (wooden boat) that whisked us across the creek to the textile souk for more shopping. It is a fun late afternoon activity despite the fact that the souks are a little too touristy. You can still get some good bargains- I got a couple dresses for about 8 dollars that will probably only fit me another two weeks but are comfy!

A sneak peek at the Dubai Antique Museum

I didn't discover this place until late winter but it is a real treasure. It consists of at least three buildings full, I mean jam packed like this pictures of everything under the sun. I mean it- African drums, Moroccan mosaics, fabrics, teapots, furniture, place mats, cell phone holders...I could go on forever. Some of the stuff is local tourism stuff and others just need to be seen to be believed. My favorite thing about it is that it can't be seen from the outside, it is behind a tiny mosque in a building that looks like a warehouse. You reach the store by going through a set of tiny hidden double doors- it is very Narnia like. You are not allowed to take pictures but I risked this one- for the sake of the blog! My mom loved it and she really stocked up on presents. I know Pattie will make lots of friends here the next time she is in town.