Eid Week

We had the week off of school and work about 4 weeks prior to the babes arrival for Eid Murbarek. Due to my state, we couldn’t travel very far, so we did a staycation of sorts. We made a couple of trips to the beach and pool, movie theatre and outside dining and did some shopping.

We took one day mid-week and made a trip out to Al Ain. Al Ain is about 90 minutes west of Dubai and was at one time the capitol of the Emirates (the current is Abu Dhabi) it is also where Sheik Zayed (the founder of the United Arab Emirates) hails. It is also home to the country’s best zoo. We decided we’d make it a day of history and animals. The first stop was Sheik Zayed’s Palace.

The palace entrance and the Sheik’s masjil. Masjil’s are a tent of sorts and are very common in the Middle East. They are created after traditional Bedouin tents and can be found in gardens and backyards. Arabs use them to sit in and socialize, entertain company and share tea and dates. Wade has told me more than once he wants to get one once we return to the States.

He looks a little intimidating in the first photo, but this guy was really very kind and sweet. He made a solid effort to convince Bode his gun would not hurt him. Bode was not easily persuaded.

I was really taken a back at the modesty and simplicity of the palace. At the time we visited Al Ain, I was reading a book written by Sheik Mohammed, the current ruler of Dubai and Sheik Zayed’s nephew. The book relayed in some detail the history of the Emirates, their progress and what they have been able to accomplish in a short 60 years since it’s conception. Seeing the palace and where Sheik Zayed came from really put into perspective that advancement and progress. He raised his family in a home where food was still cooked over coal fires and where all the children shared a room. Fast forward 40 years later and the city which he conceptulized claims the tallest building in the world, an island built to look like a palm tree and a host of other superlatives and booming economy. The man seems to me the true mark of a visionary. And a visionary who had the fortitude to make it a reality. I became a fan. Especially after I read this quote of his:

After living for the past year in Saudi Arabia, this one really hit home. I wish he was still around to exercise some influence on his bigger, more powerful neighbor to the Northwest.

After the palace we made a stop at Mubazzara Park for a picnic and splash in the creek. Loads of other locals where enjoying the ‘cool-ish’ afternoon too.

I look at this and don’t think I can adequately express how thankful I am not to be pregnant anymore… I also recall a fun afternoon with those I love most and ice cream sandwiches that were melting faster than we could shove them into our mouths.

Our last stop was the Al Ain Zoo. It had cooled down and was really pleasant.

Giraffe feeding. Bode thought this was for the birds.

Checking out the big cats.

All kids do this when asked to smile for a photo, right?

I sat down on a bench next to this woman for 3 reasons. One, my feet were swollen. Two, my back freaking hurt. And three, I wanted to covertly demonstrate how one eats an ice cream bar fully veiled. Every time I see a woman with a niqab eating, I am filled with equal parts pity and respect.

Love these lunatics of mine.