Arabian Peninsula Cruise

Yeah, It is Spring Break! 

We booked an Arabian Peninsula Cruise and were very excited to see a new part of the world. We flew into Dubai a couple of days before the cruise left port. After nearly an 8 hour flight from Singapore we got to our hotel in Dubai. Much to our delight, they upgraded us to a suite and it was like staying in an apartment. It had 2 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, full kitchen and a living room! I failed to take any pictures of it though. That night we ate Moroccan food in the hotel, Yum.

The next day we got up and headed over to the Dubai Mall. It was there that we picked up our tickets to the top of the Burj Khalifa. I was actually a bit nervous about going so high up but it felt completely normal. Maybe it is because I am used to living on the 25th floor? Anyhow, here me and the girls are on the 148th floor of the tallest building in the world!

Aaron is pretending to climb the building :)

When we got to the 148th floor we had lots of space to take in the view and also relax in the center area where they offered us some nice little treats and some amazing mint lemonade. 

I must get that recipe!

After the Burj Khalifa, we were on our way to some very 

missed western food...Hamburgers! 

The food was so good and I was so sad that I ate my lunch in less than 5 minutes. 

That afternoon, we were picked up by our tour guide for a Desert Safari Tour.  

I spotted this guy just hanging by himself in the desert. Not sure why he was down on his front legs like that. I took this picture through the car window and it turned out pretty well.

The first thing we did was drive over these sand dunes and it was actually pretty scary as you can see on our faces below. It was also very fun and exciting! As you can see in the picture above, we were not the only ones out there in the desert. We were all with the same tour company, Orient Tours.

We stopped for a few minutes to stretch our legs and take in the desert scenery.

Next stop they took us to a camel farm. 

I really hate to see animals caged up but hopefully the camels don't mind.

The tour company then took us to their camp where we could ride camels, get henna, go 

sand surfing, ride ATV's, and even hold a falcon. A bit later they fed us a very tasty 

meal and had some great entertainment.

the fire man

The guy above, I assume, was in a traditional outfit. He kept spinning around and 

twirling some disks and also some fabric. But he kept spinning the whole 

time and it was making me dizzy! 

A belly dancer

After we were dropped off at our hotel, we quickly grabbed a cab for the Dubai Mall so we would not miss their nightly water show. The Burj Khalifa is on the same campus as the mall and you can see part of it in the picture above.... and also below in the very right.

The next morning we hired a cab driver to just show us around Dubai a little bit. We drove over to the  Palms so we could see the outside of the Atlantis Hotel and then he took us to the water by the famous Burj Al Arab hotel. The hotel is right behind us in these photos.

Then the cabbie drove us over to the Souk area and we walked around just a little bit to see the area. We were tired and hungry at that point so we traveled back to the mall to show Jaxon this big aquarium and eat more hamburgers! This time however, we tried the Shake Shack. Pretty good hamburgers but I have to admit that 5 Guys is better.

We did not eat any of the cereal here but I had to stop and take a couple of 

pictures of this place because it just seems so hilarious to me. 

I would feel silly sitting down on a toddler bed eating cereal but these people didn't!

Supposedly, there is a building under construction right now in Saudi Arabia that will become the tallest building in the world. So now the U.A.E. have plans to exceed the height of that building. The miniature above is the replica. It will be built in a new area being developed in Dubai.

Time to board the ship!

We were a little disappointed when we realized that this particular ship was smaller than any of the other ships we have been on. There was no ice skating rink or promenade area. However, sometimes smaller ships are nicer when you don't have a big jam of people trying to all get off the ship at the same time or you have no troubles finding a place to sit at and eat when you are at the windjammer. All in all, we still had a great time but we prefer the bigger ships that have the wave machine.

On Tuesday morning we arrived in Khasab, Oman. We booked a Dhow Cruise. This big boat (Dhow is the type of boat) took us around the fjords of Oman and we saw lots of dolphins and even were able to do some snorkeling. It was very relaxing on the boat to just take in the beautiful scenery and feel the warm sun.

Above is our view of our ship as we were coming back from the dhow cruise.

Heading back to the ship we saw lots of goats in the neighborhoods. 

some old fort that we passed by so I took a picture

That evening it was time for another great dinner in the dining room and of coarse a shaped towel animal to greet us as we came back to our rooms.

The next day of our trip, we arrived in Muscat, Oman. I was looking forward to Muscat because that is where some of our friends live. We met the Wimmer family when we lived in Sweden. Cooper Wimmer works for the American Embassy and have lived in many different places in the world. 

Now their family is living in Muscat. 

Lana met us by the port and we walked over to the Souk area. 

It is like a grand bazaar. We picked up a few souvenirs here.

My family in front of the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat. 

Lana Wimmer and I below.

I took this photo while driving with Lana. This one is called the Ameen Mosque.

Kargeen's is my new favorite restaurant. The food was so good! 

I loved the wonderful soups and salads.

After lunch we headed over to Lana's house. She lives in a beautiful neighborhood right on the coast. It was here that our kids could reunite after not seeing each other for over 2 years. We walked along the beach for a while and Lana fed us yummy taco salad. It is so nice to sit and visit with sweet friends who understand the whole expat thing and the trials and also joys that we go through. 

During dinner, Lana shared with us a popular Omani drink. 

Since no one drinks alcohol in Oman, they resort to this tasty replica. 

Cooper drove us back to the ship that night and then the next morning Aaron and the kids went scuba diving. Lana picked me up for some more girl time and we headed over to Ayana Spa for a foot massage and pedicure.

 Then it was time for lunch and a little shopping. Lunch for me was....another hamburger :) We ate at a place called Sliders. The location was great as you can see in the picture below.

After Lana drove me back to the port, I took this picture of the seaside with 

the fort in the background. This is an old Portuguese fort built in the 1580's.

That night we had another great meal and entertainment by the staff.

Friday was our Sea Day. A day to just do whatever we wanted on the ship.

The picture above is Darby running with her Dad. I am happy to report that we made sure to get our daily exercise in while on this trip....and I still gained a few pounds!

playing shuffleboard

On Saturday of our trip, we stopped in Abu Dhabi, the capital of U.A.E.

Two must see's for us today...the first was this beautiful mosque. 

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

The men and woman had to keep to a certain standard to visit. The girls and I all had 

our shoulders and knees covered but that was not enough so they gave us these 

robes to borrow during the visit. The men have lower standards. Long shorts and 

t-shirts were good enough for them.

This is one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever visited.

The 2nd thing on our list today was Ferrari World!

Needless to say, Jaxon was just a bit thrilled about coming to this amusement park.

Aaron and the kids went on the fastest roller coaster in the world. The ride is so fast 

that they give you goggles to wear before you get on. Jaxon and Melynn actually felt 

like they were getting tunnel vision during the ride.

I stayed behind because roller coasters are becoming a thing of the past for me. I am 

now in grandma mode and make a great sitter for backpacks, strollers, purses and 

babies too. Not that we had any of that on this trip.

They tried to change a tire in under 3 seconds. Couldn't do it but they were close!

Darby and Jaxon went on the Go Karts.

Jaxon took 2nd place!

On the last day of our trip, we were back in Dubai. Today was all about this place! 

Crazy to think that we were skiing inside a mall, in the middle of the desert. It was a lot of fun and Aaron, Melynn and Jaxon stayed the entire time. Darby didn't want to ski for very long so her and I went hunting for her JSB dress. Didn't find one but we did eat hamburgers for lunch! ha ha 

On our taxi ride back to the ship, I had to take another photo of the Burj Khalifa 

just to show the height difference against all the other tall buildings. 

It looked like something out of oz. 

We had such a wonderful time on this trip because we were able to do many unique and unforgettable  things. The only thing that could have been better is if Ashtyn, Wil and Charles could have joined us.