Dubai Day 3- Happy Birthday to me!

Today was quite possibly the best birthday of all time.  I begin today’s entry with my favorite picture of the day!

I started out in one of my favorite places- the gym!  I figured out yesterday though that if I wanted to live past the next five seconds of my life, I should NOT use the treadmill from the 1800s, OR the stand up bike.  Its okay, old people bike it is!

We had another amazing breakfast at the hotel and then headed off to the Gold Souk.  

When we arrived to the metro (the walk from the hotel to the metro is way too long and ardous- by the time we got there I was dripping my ladyman sweat- ugh)- we were so excited to be walking into the air conditioner only to find that on the weekends (yup!  Friday and Saturday are weekends here!) the metro doesn’t open until 10am….. which meant we had to wait for TEN minutes in the desert heat before going inside.  Omg, no.  I vowed this was the last time we were walking to the metro, lest we all have a heat stroke and die on the spot.  But after those ten minutes, that icy cold air was like heaven!

As I mentioned the other day, the cars on the train are separated: women and children on one side, and then a mix of genders on the other, though I have noticed that the women don’t usually go outside of the women area.  Today, while riding, some men were in the women’s section (by the way, there is a fine if you are a man riding in the women section).  A woman politely told them that they were in the wrong section and needed to move.  They scoffed at her and stayed- it was blatant disrespect and at the onset made me uncomfortable.  After a few minutes go by, I feel someone staring at me and I glance up.  There is a difference between looking at someone because you think they are attractive or interesting and looking at them with a disgusting oogling dirty old man look- you know what I am talking about.  The looks I was getting were the disgusting oogling- and I did not like it.  At all.  And I was covered from shoulders to knees- covered more than several other women.
(*for purposes of following UAE rules and regulations regarding opinions on anything having to do with religion- in order not to even potentially offend the government- which monitors all internet activity, I have removed previously posted commentary from this site following the above paragraph that could potentially be construed as inflammatory in any way, to respect the laws of the UAE while I am here)

That aside, we walked through 9,000 degrees of heat and finally made it to the Gold Souk. This was the old part of Dubai where they have their gold market.    Ebby was a great negotiator and negotiated one of the clerks down on a beautiful gold necklace.  Lol, I fulfilled one of my tiny life’s goals of looking like “Genie” in I dream of Genie by buying a legit belly dancing outfit- I was so obsessed with that show when I was a kid.  So excited, can’t even tell you.   I also bought the most beautiful pink dress for Gabriela Catalina- she is going to FREAK out when she sees it, I’m so excited.  And!  For Colton, he is always trying to wear dresses…… that boy will be so excited because traditional formal wear for men is kinda like a dress.  He will be thrilled.  

After that, we left to get some lunch before our safari.  On the train home, all of the sudden, there was this odor- a very strong, sickening odor.  A young girl- nicely dressed, mind you, not covered in pig funk- had gotten on the train and the smell was SO bad, it was literally suffocating.  I didn’t want to be rude.  I really didn’t.  So, I nonchalantly put my scarf over my nose and mouth and tried to not breath.  It was pungent. Gangrenous.  Horrendous.  As I look around, one by one, people were trying so politely to go unnoticed into another car.  I really tried to stay put.  I did.  But when I threw up in my mouth, it was time to move.  I have never, ever in my life smelled something so awful.  You know when someone has broccoli in their teeth?  I’m the stranger that will tell you- I’ll tell you about your broccoli, and the toilet paper on your shoe, and the booger hanging out of your nose.  But this?  Nope.  Couldn’t do it.  Poor thing. 

Next up- Desert Safari!!  Our driver was very interesting.  Since I was in the front and am super into asking all sorts of personal questions about people’s lives, I found out that- though he lives in Dubai, he is from Pakistan.  The northern part.  His wife, to whom he has been married for thirteen years, is from the southern part of Pakistan.  He lives here and sends money home because there are no jobs there for him (this is all very interesting to me because of my 56 page comment I wrote a few months ago for law review).  He sees his family once a year for 1-3 months and has three kids.  When I asked him where did he meet his wife, he looked at me like I had three heads.

(*for purposes of following UAE rules and regulations regarding opinions on anything having to do with religion- in order not to even potentially offend the government- which monitors all internet activity, I have removed previously posted commentary from this site that could potentially be construed as inflammatory in any way to respect the laws of the UAE while I am here)

We stopped off at a little site and Ayo and I decided to go four wheeling through the desert.  It was a little nerve racking that we had to sign a form that literally said, “We have no insurance for your accidents.”  But it was a blast!  Ayo wanted to race and I said- sure, but you win!  He lapped me twice.  I’m not a daredevil.  I leave that sort of thing to my sister.

While we were doing that, the driver prepared our vehicle by letting air out of the tires. ….  In short, this was, the coolest, most terrifying thing- EVER!  I’m not sure what I was thinking when Professor Bartlett asked if we wanted to do this and I practically yelled, YES!!  But this was NOT what I was expecting.   I actually, literally, thought I was going to die. 

In my family, I’m the one who travels.  My sister is the lunatic who does things like sky diving.  Kelli….  I know you’re embarrassed (and this video doesn’t even show the half of it)- but I make no apologies-sister love is FOREVER!!!

I took a video- of which I have NO SHAME- wherein you hear everyone else laughing except me!!  I’m damn near having a heart attack, asking- no- TELLING the driver to take me back and continue on without me!!!  I crap you not I thought for sure we were going to roll off the side of the sand dune and die.   It was like a roller coaster through the desert- the video truly does not do it justice. 

(In case the video doesn't embed click here: https://youtu.be/Gomv24WBSkY)

After we survived- and I’m really glad my friends told me to woman up and be quiet- we went to the campsite where we rode a camel, watched a belly dancing show, and had the most amazing barbeque.  This goes down in the books as quite possibly the best birthday ever!!!