I apologize in advance for the picture and wording spacing in this post....Im new to the world of blogging, so bear with me and follow the story all the way to the end!!! Thanks!

We've Been Busy!

I know I said in one of my last entries that I would update with a little history about the Emirates, but since then I had the most awesome birthday EVER! It should be a rule that everyone has a birthday in their life where they felt as special as I did. So, I'll talk more about the history of the region later.

For some reason, since we were newlyweds, Mark and I have celebrated our birthdays over a 3-day period, and we couldn't see breaking with tradition this year. He arranged a wonderful dinner reservation at one of THE most spectacular hotels I have seen in my life--the Emirates Palace. This place is gorgeous beyond belief and is certainly the standout in Abu Dhabi. It lives up to every rumor you have ever heard about petroleum-fueled opulence in the Emirates, and a visit here is not to be missed if you are ever in the area. It was built about 7 years ago, at a cost of about $3 Billion, as I recall, and is a study in Arabian baroque and excess. It's a huge place, covering about a half-mile hillside with lush landscaping and fountains everywhere you look. There are more than 1,000 Swarovski crystal chandeliers, 150,000 cubic yards of imported marble, 114 gold-gilded domes, 102 elevators and 1,000 employees to meet your each and every need. I can't be sure on my memory of the size, but there is also a 30,000 square yard hand-knotted Iranian Rug in one of the great rooms.

We began our day early that morning, with a breakfast at our favorite little cafe next door, with a soft rain falling!!! We had to get business out of the way so we headed to the grocery store and stocked up for the coming week. With that all done, we started primping for our evening out, and got to the hotel about 2 hours early just to ogle.

We had reservations at a "Japanese Place" but this place was far from any 'place' I'd seen. As soon as you walk in, you feel as if you are enveloped in a soft blue aquarium. Tables sat far apart, perhaps 15 feet, so we really felt we had the place to ourselves when we took our table in a cozy corner. We opted on the salt-encrusted sea bass and an appetizer. We soon realized the appetizer was a waste of time, as various soups, breads, salads, and other tidbits came our way. Not wanting to waste a bit, we gorged till we felt we'd pop. Then, our fish was presented!! Three waiters came and made quite a production of unsealing it from its salt shell and serving it to each of us. Our whole dinner event took perhaps two hours.

We spent another hour or two continuing on our tour of the hotel, which hosts quite a collection of antiquities--some 3,000 BC old! These were along one long wall and I wouldn't be surprised if there were several thousand specimens. They also had miniature displays of Yas Island (feet off the coast of Abu Dhabi) with scale reproductions of a Guggenheim Museum, a Louvre, a Maritime Museum, an Opera hall, and residential areas all planned to be built in 5-10 years.

Tired, full, we had our car gathered and we drove home, and plopped into bed, more than satisfied with our day.

The next day, Saturday, we chose to drive to Dubai, just about an hour away. As we soon discovered, millions of others also decided to drive to Dubai for a retailer's festival --but we decided we'd endure and brave it with the rest of them. Mark dropped me off at a bench in the center of things and went in search of a parking place. An hour later he came to retrieve me! We strolled the length of the shopping district and decided it would be fun to come back on a slower day. Lunch was at an El Chico (yes, you heard me right)--much craved for Mexican food and pretty darned good in it's own right. since our evening out from the night before had us exhausted, we decided to cut the day short and head for home.

I'm sure you all have heard about Dubai and its construction of skyscrapers---or, now, lack of construction. We saw all that during our navigation of the highways and traffic....and I have to tell you, it was a little eerie. On one side of you, was all the opulence of the beach area....and on the other side, were literally hundreds of skyscrapers sitting at various levels of completion, in total silence. It really looked liked the set of the 'end of the world' movie. In the distance we could see The Burj Khalifa, now officially the tallest building in the world at 2,625 feet and 160 stories. Its elevator is the longest in the world as for travel distance, whisking you to the top in about 60 seconds. It officially opened in early February and has already had an elevator breakdown (surprise!) and is now closed for some minor 'cosmetic repairs'. We decided we'd let the excitement die down and have the repairs complete before we attempt our own summit.

Bed felt especially good that night and our weekend still seemed like a dream as we lay there rehashing its events.

Attached, are just a few photos I took of the weekend. My favorite, a white Lamborghini---Mark laughingly said was going to be my present on my NEXT birthday!

Driving in Abu Dhabi

First two things I learned about driving in Abu Dhabi, are---1) rules as we know them don't exist, and 2) it's every man for himself. It will be a long while till I get brave enough, if ever, to drive here. I am perfectly fine with being the passenger. Taxis are my friend!

We have a Mitsubishi Outlander(?)----some sort of SUV. Its small, utilitarian, leased and....did I mention small? Small is a grrrrrrrreat benefit here. Parking is hard to find, spaces are small, and just navigating the roads makes a small car a benefit. The parking here at the apartment is underground, so we are always assured of a space when we get home. The malls have parking garages so they arent too bad. Street lights, turn signals, lane arrows.......all to be ignored and scoffed at. My trips with Mark, who has adjusted remarkably well to driving here, still causes me heart palpitations and sweaty palms and a lot of "ut oh's", stifled screams and the famous foot on the brake that doesnt exist in the passenger side.

Our most remarkable experience to date was a venture we made out for more passport-sized photos, mostly for my resident visa and etc....and Mark feels its handy to have extras around. He arrived home from work one night, knew just the place we needed to go for the photo, and we proceeded. A leisurely dinner was planned out following our photos. We were minding our own business in the right-hand lane, keeping up with traffic and watching for our turn. Suddenly, a man cuts off in front of us, missing us by literally inches, and slams on his brakes. He gets out of his car, comes back to ours, and starts shrieking and waving his hands wildly. Mark lowered his window down a bit, told the guy in English and used hand-language--"no damage done, all is ok, let's go on our way". This guy was having none of it...he began shoving our car with his hands, screaming at the top of his lungs.....I could only imagine knives, guns, bombs....anything with a potential of bloodshed. Mere minutes went by, another man in native white robes and head-dress and driving a huge white LandCruiser pulls to a screeching halt on our left...fully pinning us in....and I decided, 'THIS IS INDEED 'it'....and my life flashes before my eyes. He rolls down his passenger window, and a furious word exchange takes place between the two men. This went on for a good 5-10 minutes, finally the first guy got into his car and speeds off the next five feet before the next car in the lane. The guy on our left gave us a huge smile and a big double thumbs up, and pulls away. We had no clue why the first guy chose us to unload on, why the second guy came to our aide.....but we lived through it! We got our photos and made the grand decision to go back to the apartment and throw a pizza in the oven...heck with a dinner out! Saying we were rattled is a vast understatement.

Mark keeps mentioning getting me a leased car....but I balk, I don't think I will ever be to the point of wanting to drive on my own here. The city is physically about the size of Albuquerque, on an island, with maybe 3 or more times the population.

In the next few days, I will talk about a little bit about the history of the UAE, and how life is for them now. Its a very pretty city, very clean, new buildings and plenty of museums and open-air markets. Adios for now!

First week in Abu Dhabi

Totally exhausted from not only the change in time zones (11 hours difference from NM) plus our 35 hr or so flight and associated travel time really took it out of us. Our first day here (Jan 5th) was spent in a state closely resembling the sloths in a tree. We had no food in the house, so we ventured out only to grab a bite to eat and breathe a bit of fresh air. I have to admit more than a bit selfishly, I was glad cooking was not yet on my list of duties and I could concentrate on being a couch slug. I explored the apartment, and as I had a mental image of it from a year of knowing Mark was here, I was more than pleasantly surprised with what I saw. We are on the 5th floor which puts us above the majority of road noise and we have very quiet neighbors. We have 2 bedrooms, one with a King-size bed and one with two twins beds, that Mark uses as his (ahem) "dressing area" (Well, he calls it 'staging area'---won't ever get the military-speak out of that boy!). There is a spacious main bathroom with a smaller restroom up the hall....and a spacious kitchen! Ok, maybe I'm using the word 'spacious' too much....but for a two bedroom apartment, we have hit the big time. The kitchen is large with many cabinets, and the only complaint I have about it, is it has a combo clothes washer/dryer that does a poor job in the drying department. I'm fine with that though, I don't like to "bone-dry" my clothing in the dryer and I prefer to let it air-dry--which, takes maybe a day here. So, with advance planning, I have managed just fine with the little unit and we have made our peace. Mark has always sent his stuff out to be laundered/ironed/starched---which surprisingly is very cheap---so, we are fine in the clean clothing department. The oven is a combo regular/convection oven that cooks things pretty fast, so that has been a thing for me to adjust to. The living room is a combination living room/dining room and.....you guessed it, spacious! All the floors are marble and the doors are heavy and ornate. The bathroom counters are marble composite and I've decided the kitchen has 'Corian-style' counters. The ceilings are high, maybe 12-14 feet, which lends to the spacious feel (sorry, used it again). We have purchased a few things we needed/wanted, but the apartment was pretty well stocked by the business. TV does leave a little to be desired---my current shows I loved in the US aren't shown here for the most part, and when they are, the episodes are 2-3 years old. DVDs are pretty darn cheap, so we will start a collection of those....something we never did in the US! I will be well-versed in National Geographic and CNN and etc. I did catch the Dallas Cowboy bloodbath dealt by the Vikings, only it started live here at 10pm. When I saw how it was going to go, I conked out on the couch....awoke to more bad news and trudged off to bed. I'm sure they will show the Superbowl but I expect it to start here around 5am on Monday morning. Depending who is in the game, will affect my interest in it and my desire to hoist my body from bed at that hour. I'm anxious for the Olympics to start!

One of our very first purchases was a thinner bedspread. He had gotten a goosedown-type comforter, and I was dying of spontaneous combustion each night. I ventured out alone to one of the local malls for that, ON MY OWN, in a taxi.......and I will speak more of the traffic and driving in my next blog entry.

Our apartment is in one of twin 19 story towers right smack-dab in the middle of downtown---and we have a tiny view of the gulf between other skyscrapers if the skies are not hazy. The top two stories of each tower are work-out rooms and pools...and a very nice sitting area that I have taken advantage of just to feel the sun while I catch up on reading and daydreaming. We are about 5 city blocks from the Gulf. Our high temps now are about 75-80 so I am really enjoying them because I know it won't be long till they hit 120 during the summer months. It rarely rains here, which I actually don't miss because of our years in Albuquerque. Mark said in November or so, they got a heavy rain they called their "100 year rain" that flooded the city and flushed out the stray cats from their hiding holes. If I recall correctly, he said about 5 inches fell. I've seen very few stray cats, although Mark insists there are many....and they arent like US cats....they have a sort of Egyptian-cat look to them. The poor things are hungry and diseased, and it really tears at your heart to know their plight. I've not seen a single dog since being here. Although I greatly miss our schnauzers, I'm glad to know they are in their safe and comfy house, with pillows to sleep on, plenty of food to eat, and with someone who loves them as much as we do. Again, thank goodness for Megan and Tommy which make this possible, easier and less worrisome than if we left the house and animals with strangers.

The Christmas Holidays sped by so fast, and I tried soak up every ounce of Hayden I could, knowing it might not be a year till I saw him again. I packed and unpacked my 2 suitcases untold times, trying to decide just what I'd need, and trying to decide what I might not be able to find if I decided I'd need it later. Mark and I decided to taxi to the airport--partly because it made it easier to haul our stuff, but mostly because I was afraid I'd become a sobbing mess when I kissed Megan and Hayden goodbye. The ride to the airport was a blur....checking in our luggage was a blur.....getting on the plane was a blur.....but my last view of my beloved Albuquerque will forever be etched into my mind. Thank goodness my husband is one of those ones that fall asleep before the plane ever leaves the gate--or he'd have thought I'd gone over the edge!

I remember when I was young, my parents said 'leaving family behind is one of the hardest things to do'....and I recall thinking..."yeah yeah yeah"....well, like with most things, the older I got, the smarter my parents got, and they had this one nailed on the head.

Most of our air travel was uneventful until we got to Heathrow Airport. "They" calmly announce on our landing there was a 'small' delay until we could get to a gate. So...we sat on the tarmac, watching snow fall, for what eventually became 90 minutes or more. Flying, I'm good with--sitting trapped in an aluminum tube on a tarmac makes me want to peel wallpaper and shred the seat upholstery. Just when I was about to reach the stage of screaming banshee, they announced in their little gleeful British accents that our gate is now free and we'd be debarking soon.

Debark we did, knowing by the time we got through Passport Check we would have already missed our connecting flight to Abu Dhabi and needed to start thinking of Plan B. We sprinted to the first British Airways counter, arranged for a flight to Dubai and then sprinted to that gate, well, after a stop at the BA lounge for some snacks and a much-needed glass of wine for me. It felt more than a little decadent having wine mid-morning, local time! Heck with it, was my opinion. We get on the plane, and those doggone chirpy British Airways stewards said there would be a 'small delay' while our plane was DE-ICED? HUH? I don't recall volunteering for ice or long tarmac sits....I only wanted to get to Abu Dhabi! Sun! Ocean!

We finally took off for a long uneventful flight, and it was fascinating watching (between snoozes) the interactive flight map and looking out the window and realizing what towns and countries we were flying over. OK, so I'm a newbie. It was fascinating to me.

We landed in Dubai after midnight but before daybreak...and walked for what seemed liked miles to go through Passport Control. We retrieved our luggage, and hail a taxi to take us to Abu Dhabi (about 60 miles away)....and although it was the dead of night, I soaked in all I could see. Our driver was very pleasant, spoke pretty good English, and we had a nice visit for our hour-long trip.

We arrived at the apartment and tossed our suitcases on the floor and ourselves on the sofas, all the while grinning that 'we had really DONE it'! We were now in Abu Dhabi!

Fall 2009

I chose this picture of little Hayden because it seems to embody a little apprehension, a little skepticism and a little humor I feel over the prediction I'm soon to find myself in. If someone had told me during Christmas of 2008 that I'd be a new grandmother AND living in the United Arab Emirates in about a year, I'd have had to feel your forehead and ask if you had lost your mind. But, Hayden arrived on October 2, 2009, and then I began to prepare for my move here to Abu Dhabi on January 3, 2010, to join Mark who had made his move in February of 2009.