How do they DO that?!

Lindsey comes home this weekend. The waiting is very hard... It's been 2.5 weeks... 

So we needed a distraction to help pass the looooong hours until Saturday night. 

Well, Abu Dhabi is full of activities. If you're bored here, it's your own fault! 

This weekend the Emirates Palace Theater is hosting a big magic show. 

I haven't been to Vegas, but I imagine this is kinda what it's like.... 

Okay, so maybe not *exactly* like Vegas.... I mean, does Vegas have the venue in a Palace, draped in golds, with fresh flowers on every table, mosaic tiles in the fountains, unspeakably beautiful desert landscape tapestries on the walls, waiters & staff at every turn, on the beach, with an ATM that dispenses gold bars & coins?

Seriously... Gold dispensing ATM! 

The kids wanted to try it out! Ha!!! I'm not putting my debit card in there! The ATM updates the price of gold every 60 seconds. You can get a whole bar... Or have it spit out a "coin". There were several to choose from... all sporting the Palace logo. It kind of reminded me of a very large, very expensive penny smasher machine. (Sorry, Rev. Joe Pool, not going to be able to bring one of these back for "Penny Smash Sunday"!)

... Oh, & let's not forget the small ensemble playing classical music...

... Because EVERY magic show starts with a little Chopin, Bach, & Mozart!!!

To be fair... in the Arabic way of thinking... If you're going to do something, do it over the top! 

But, I digress... The show was about to start. So after a quick meet-up with some friends (so nice to see familiar faces, Shipman family!), we found our seats. 

Parts of the show were in 3D, hence the glasses. We had a great time & were totally amazed. 

The magicians were from all over the world. I liked the young man from the US (deemed "The Futurist") who did a lot of his magic using technology. Devin preferred the man from Australia (deemed "The Unusualist") who did a card trick using 3 volunteers & ventriloquism. Plus, he had the most awesome hand shadow puppet show we've ever seen!  Olivia also liked him the best just because of his shadows. Madeline liked the guy from Belgium (deemed "The Warrior") for his amazing acts using weapons. He even blindfolded himself by dripping hot wax over his closed eyes & THEN wrapping his head in both gauze & black duct tape before using a sword! I'm soooo glad I wasn't the woman with the pineapple on her head! 

Obviously, I don't have any pictures of the show since photography (& bunnies, mummies, dinosaurs, & smoking) was not allowed, but I did snap this gem! 

As we were leaving, a young man appeared beside Madeline & started "chatting her up".  Ahhhh... I forget she's already in 6th grade. So it begins....  She's just too darn cute!

It's a good thing big brother was on her right to watch over her (as if he even noticed! Ha!!!)

It turns out, this boy is in several of Maddie's classes at school. We actually ran into quite a few of their school chums for both Madeline & Devin. 

Notice how Devin "placed" everyone in the picture?!  

Hmmmm... Maybe he's looking after her afterall. 

Whirlwind weeks & weekends....

Sometimes life just gets away from you.

The week felt like it took 10 days, but our weekend flew by in a matter of minutes it seemed. 

Here's how it all went down...

A friend introduced me to the 2 story Carrefore grocery store where I totally stocked up!

The bill was over AED 1,100!  Which sounds like a lot until you convert it back to American.... $300, roughly. It was still a lot to carry up to the 8th floor, however. 

The kids started their after-school activities last week. All three are talking golf, albeit on different days. Madeline is also taking photography & animation. Devin is doing soccer & animation. Plus, I scheduled a hair appointment. 

So I spent the week playing chauffeur & learning a completely new schedule ... Even with the help of the late bus! 

Devin has soccer on Monday nights. He just got his uniform. He was not pleased that I wanted a picture to commentate the occasion...

He practices at 6 pm at Al Yasmina School. (Yes, that's fake turf in the background... Nothing else could be that green in this heat!)

Madeline & Olivia have golf at Yas Links Golf Club on Tuesdays. Lucklily, the school busses them to & from the club house, but (unfortunately) they return too late to utilize the late bus home from school. So, Devin rides the bus home & arrives around 3:30 pm, has a snack, then we drive back to the school by 4:45 pm to collect the girls. 

I was supposed to have a hair appointment on Wednesday, but less than a mile from the salon, I was rear-ended. Sitting still in the left turn lane with several cars in front & beside me, I heard the squeal of tires before I felt the bump. Some poor (probably jet-lagged) man was just going too fast & couldn't stop in time. I'm okay. Both cars (my rental & his) had minor damage (crumpled fender & some scratched paint) but not too bad. 

I was really impressed with Lindsey's co-workers as they quickly responded to my call asking for help. (Thank goodness Lindsey left me a couple of contacts while he's out of the country!!) One guy even drove all the way from the office (off island) to me (downtown, on island) just to help deal with the local police! Awesome, guys! 

After the hour ordeal with the local police (I had totally missed my appointment by this point), I had lunch with a friend & her 3 adorable kids who live downtown at Ethiad Towers. So. The day wasn't a total loss. 

But, Wednesday wasn't over yet. Olivia was to ride the regular bus home... Maddie was to go to photography then ride the late bus home... & Devin had golf which meant I had to pick him up at the school at 4:45 pm. 

Now the regular bus arrives around 3:30 pm. No one could tell me when the late bus would arrive. (That happens a lot around here... A little shrugging... A "no problem"... You just learn to roll with it!) All I did know was that the late bus was scheduled to leave the school at approximately 4:10 pm.  

Hmmmm.... There's a problem here since every kid was scheduled to get home today via a different, separate, non-routine way. Cross your fingers...

Olivia stepped off the regular bus right on time. So far, so good. 

I got to the school to collect Devin a little early & I started texting Madeline to see where she was in the bus route. Best scenrio: Devin would be early, Maddie would run late, we'd all meet up at the apartment at the same time. 

Devin was late. Meanwhile, I'm texting Madeline & discover that she's sitting in the late bus which is still sitting in the school parking lot. I'm sitting in the school lobby. LOL! 

I didn't tell her. 

If there's one thing I've learned in the short time I've lived here, it's NOT to change the plan last minute! So she texted me as the bus pulled out, Devin walked up about the same time, & off we went to (practically) follow the bus to our apartment. We decided that next week, I'll just pick them both up & we'll skip the late bus altogether on this day. 

Thursday had Madeline & Devin both in animation. So, Olivia took the regular bus & the older two took the late bus. Super easy!! (Compared to yesterday!!!)

Whew.... Of course, we still had homework each night & I cooked dinner (somehow) almost everyday. My rice cooker/steamer/crockpot combo unit got a good workout!!! 

So after a looooong week, we slept in Friday. Just to do something fun, we decided to go to the movies at Marina Mall. I bought the VIP seats (an extra AED 10 ($3) per seat) for Ninja Turtles.... Which means we had roomy leather seats with cup holders. We felt very special....

Going to the movies is a bit different than in the states. You actually pick your seats. I mean, you have an actual row & seat number on your ticket. Your ticket also has an "entry time". Someone walks you to your theater based on the entry time printed on the ticket. 

Wow! We enjoyed some movie treats while we waited for our time. (Devin was not cooperating ....)

We had fun. The kids giggled, but won't really admit that they liked the movie. (Is TMNT no longer cool?!)

On Sat, we woke up just in time to drive downtown to AISA (another school) to support a fellow Rockwall family at a volleyball game. #14 played really well!

... They won! & we had a great time cheering the girls. Not a bad way to spend the morning. 

But, my kids had homework & we were out of milk... We had to get going...

So, we stopped by a mall to eat lunch (found an El Chico!) & the kids spotted a Toys R Us which had some interesting finds...

I thought the camel should be bigger... Maybe this one's a baby?

I bet you recognize this... 

But you don't find this in your ordinary dress up area....

We love looking for the ordinary (with a twist) & the unexpected! 

So as we start a new week, we'll keep our eyes open....

Our only "down day" is Sunday. 

Deep Rooted Tradition....

So this weekend was the 12th annual Abu Dhabi International Hunting & Equestrian Exhibition (ADIHEX). It was billed as four days of celebration showcasing the traditions, culture, environment, & economic impact of the UAE. At the core of the event is the focus on keeping the heritage of the Bedouin people & lifestyle alive. 

The organizers did an excellent job. 

Kids were always free, but adults would have been 10 AED ($3) each... really affordable. However, I didn't even have to pay that as we had received free entry tickets via a local magazine that also included free parking in a covered carpark. 

Sweet! VIP status already!!

The staff was really helpful & there was a "women's only" entry that allowed us to zip through security & skip the long lines. Within 10 minutes of parking, we were standing on the convention floor. 

This is no small event & I had pre-scouted the offerings. Every kid (including me) would have something of interest to do or see. 

The red section is all about weaponry... old world & new. You have to go through separate security but once inside you can  pretty much handle anything offered. 

These were old world guns with a historical display. The kids could have held them, but they didn't. There were lots of modern weaponry too, but we didn't really look too closely. Afterall, Lindsey wasn't with us; no need to rub it in...

The light blue section is all terrain vehicles, the latest in camping gear, & well, the flashier cars. 

It was all here... From massive 5th wheels to the latest in roof-top safari adventure!

The dark blue section was all about hunting equipment & outfitters. Mixed in, were several big game hunting "lodges" offering week-long to month-long packages in places like Africa. There were also "sporting resorts" who cater to the more extreme ends of paintball, rifling, water sports, horseback riding, etc. ... while still promising 5 star accommodation & dining within it's compound. 

The light green & orange sections dealt with everything related to falconry. There were tons of falcons on hand (literally!) I couldn't count the number of men & boys walking the showroom floor with birds on their padded gloves. They were everywhere! No surprise, the Falcon Center was at the center of it all. 

Tons of live birds perched all around the display. You could walk right through them! 

Nearby, they had two men who would let you hold & pet them!

These majestic birds were so beautiful & far heavier than I expected! No food was allowed inside the convention booth area & now I know why. These birds were so plentiful that a distraction like food would have caused chaos. 

As a nod to all my fellow pet lovers... The local animal shelter had a huge booth full of dogs & cats looking for forever homes. It was probably one of my kids favorite stops. 

There was much begging (look at those faces!!)... but I was able to resist! You will be happy to know that we saw several pets get adopted throughout the day. 

The dark green & brown sections were all about the Arabian horses...

 

... and the desert dog native to this region, the Saluki. 

We watched part of the dog show, but the kids got easily bored. 

The gold section was a kind of heritage village. You could learn how to tie nets...

... Step back in time on a handmade boat...

(Seriously! They had the whole boat in there.. Complete with mast & sails!!)

... And learn about how old world weapons were fashioned by hand!

The last section (in purple) was an arena where various events took place throughout the day. We watched part of the dog show, & came back for the parrot show hosted by Al Ain Zoo. 

There was supposed to be a cultural dance demonstration just after the parrots, but it must have been cancelled. We waited 30 minutes (with a lot of other folks) but all we got to see was the workers building the dais for the camel auction. 

I couldn't get the kids to stay for the camels. <sigh>

All in all, it was a good FULL day. Of course, no outting of this kind is ever successful (in kid eyes) unless the junk food is awesome... 

But even there, the expo didn't disappoint. Gelato, sweet & savory crepes, American hotdogs, and Chipstix! 

(Just to name a few...)

This is a definite must if you are every in town at the right time!!!

Do you play? The license plate game...

I'm sure everyone has their own family version of the license plate game. No matter where you live or how old you are, we've all played the game before.  Some people look for a sequence of numbers... Others do letters... Still others look for clever words or phrases.... And, if you're really silly (or clever), you can use the whole plate as an acronym!

Our family's version is to look for plates from all the states. Living in Texas, you can & will see just about every state plate driving around on our highways if you're only paying attention.  (Well, probably not Hawaii... But you never know!) 

It's easy to find the ones from OK, NM, & LA.... You will also frequently see CO (although why anyone would want to leave CO for TX in July or August is beyond me!).., and UT, MA, NY, KY, TN, FL... you get the idea. It's become part of the summer fun to look for the various license plates when we are out & about! 

Well, Abu Dhabi has it's own version of the license plate game.... and we are quickly becoming avid players. 

First, a little information about license plates here in the UAE. They look a bit different than the ones we have state-side. Here's mine...

The 12 in the red section has something to do with the area of town the car originated. ... sometimes it's a letter...

So, Version 1 of the UAE license plate game *could* be to look for the various numbers (or letters)... In order, or not. 

We don't play this version...

U.A.E.A.D stands for United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi. Obviously, this car was registered in Abu Dhabi. You will often see plates that say DUBAI, too. I think there are others, but these are really the only two I've seen around here. 

So, Version 2 of the UAE license plate game *could* be to look for the various Emirates (there are 7). 

We don't play this version either...

Instead, take a good look at the remaining numbers on my plate: 

86015

Every car has a sequence of just numbers. They are, in essence, counters.... Here's what I mean:

The rumor (which I have verified by 2 independent sources) is that the lower numbers belong to the Shiek. In fact, the  numbers below, oh say....1000 are reserved for family members. It's rumored that numbers between about 2000 & 1000 are "very close friends & relations" of the Shiek. So if you're driving a car with a 3 digit license plate.... well, you probably leave gold dust in your wake!

I'm at 86000.... No surprise there. We have no connection to the Shiek or his family. But a version of the UAE license plate game *could* be to look for the lowest possible license plate numbers. 

THIS is the version we play! 

I got passed today by this car!

I know you can't make it out in the photo, but the numbers were 1014. Ahhh... Probably explains why they blew past me well over the allowed speed limit. They know people... 

So, we keep our eyes open. So far 133 is the lowest we've seen. 

But you never know.... The very next car might be in double digits!!! 

A little kayak by moonlight....

The moon is pretty important in these parts. The local religion relies on moon sighting to set their various exact holiday dates & this rolls over into even OUR everyday life; several of the school holidays are set by the sighting of the moon. 

So I guess it shouldn't be surprising that a local kayaking company offers a "Full Moon Kayak" tour. For 200 AED (roughly $55) per person you get to paddle 2 miles round trip into the Eastern Mangroves Reserve here in Abu Dhabi. You can only get into the mangroves by boat, so this is a pretty big deal!

The idea was passed around at Lindsey's office & several people wanted to go. (They are an adventurous bunch, after all... They ARE all here as expats!) In total, we had 20 individuals (Lindsey & I, included) who met up for our "two hour tour"....

Getting there was half the fun as nothing really has an "address" here. The kayaking company actually emailed Lindsey the GPS coordinates, but Waze couldn't make sense of it. 

Here were the directions, instead:

*From the E10, take the Ministry exit

*Then take the sign that says Local

*You will drive around to the right onto a dirt road through what looks like construction. 

*Look for two guys waving....

Seriously! How could we ever get lost?!

We ate at Cafe Blanc in the Eastern Mangroves Hotel because it was reported to be "very nearby". Food was delicious. The free appetizer was edamame beans & blanched almonds soaked in ice cold water. Unusual for me, because I've never eaten almonds wet or without salt. I had hommos ("hummus" spelled differently for some reason) topped with chicken shawarma. Yummy! I can't even spell what Lindsey had, but he said it was tasty. 

But no time to linger, our tour started at 7 pm. We needed to hurry.

We carpooled with 3 of Lindsey's co-workers (Sarah, Sara, & Scott) hoping that 5 sets of eyes, brains, & cell phones would make it easier to navigate. 

We still got lost. Sara & Sarah had to call the kayaking guys twice. We arrived spot on at 7 pm exactly! Almost everyone was already there... But we weren't the last to arrive! Second to last.. but that's not important...

The kayaking guides already had everything ready to go. 

All we needed were our water bottles, paddles, life jackets, a few minutes of basic paddling advice/instruction .. and we were off! 

I didn't bring my camera, nor did Lindsey. Frankly, we were both worried that we'd drop it in the brackish water or flat out lose it all together. So all these pictures are courtesy of Rich, a guy that works with Lindsey. 

That's me in the middle...

Here's Lindsey & me...

This one's a pretty good shot of Lindsey.... Notice he's the only one without any "blurring"... I guess he wasn't frantically paddling like the rest of us to avoid collision! (Kinda makes me wonder if he was causing them, instead?! LOL)

It was a fun adventure, made so in part by the "bumper car" quality of trying to keep 11 or so kayaks within earshot of our guides.

So, a little bit about the mangroves...

Mangroves are trees (really shrubs) that grow in muddy, coastal, tropical areas which have low oxygenated soil. The slow moving tides allow sediment to accumulate and the trees are characterised by densely tangled vertical straw-like roots that make them appear to be standing on stilts above the water. The tide changes (low to high & vice versa) every 6 hours here in Abu Dhabu so the trees use their roots to take in water during high tide & oxygen during low tide. The trees perform their own desalination within & excrete salt from the backside of their leaves making the leaves appear white. Seventy-five percent of the mangroves located in the UAE are in Abu Dhabi. They are an important marine ecosystem.

Amazing! 

For a short break, we beached ourselves on "Fox Island" named after a family of red foxes that live there. We also found blue crabs in the shallows & spotted heron birds. One gentleman found a geocache near our pull-out point. He said he's an avid geocacher & has found over 2000 worldwide. He had kayaked these parts before & found all 5 geocache sites in the Eastern Mangroves. Wow!

So as the night progressed to near total darkness, we got back into our kayaks & finished the tour. At one point, we paddled through a school of fish that seemed like they wanted IN our boats. Several of us were surprised by the flying fish coming at us; apparently, they were attracted by our blue safety lights attached to the kayaks. Scared us half to death, none the less! No one tipped their kayak, but it was a near thing! These weren't tiny fish!! I think the guides had a good laugh. 

There was some good-natured completion "racing" on the open channel & lots of smack talk along the way to go along with it! These are a great group of people & their fun-loving, adventurous nature shines through. 

At the halfway point, we turned our kayaks back around & headed toward the moon. I wish I had a picture of the moon from that night; it was so big & low in the sky, almost red in appearance. It was beautiful over the peaceful water. 

We had a quiet reflective (no-fish-in-the-boat) paddle back to our cars. 

Oh sweet bars of WiFi goodness!!!

Hello, my name is Pamela & I've been 5 weeks without internet of my own....

Seriously, it FEELS like withdrawal. You NEED a support system in place to deal with the fallout of being internet-less in your own home. Once you're used to having WiFi access, you seriously wonder how you ever lived without it. 

You laugh, but you know exactly what I mean... 

Oh sure, we have 3G (no 4G here, yet) & a large data package for our phones, but it's not the same. Videos take AGES to load, there's no "streaming" anything, updating a status... Sending a text... Uploading a picture? Yeah, might as well brew a cup of tea & fold a load of laundry. 

I'm not kidding...

If the kids had homework online or we needed to download a new book for bedtime or Lindsey needed to work on his dissertation, we were huffing it down to the little Italian cafe to buy a cappuccino for the privilege of using their WiFi. Using the phone "hotspot" just wasn't cutting it. 

So, it was a pretty big deal when I got a call from Lindsey saying the installation technician would be over in about two hours! 

Fabulous!!! Of couse, I wasn't home. 

A friend of mine (Kristi Shipman, also new to AD from Rockwall!!!) had come with me downtown to the, er... a mall. We were both on the hunt for swim caps (for kids) & she needed white bike shorts for her daughter... had to be white! Two sets of eyes are always better than one. Plus, it would be a great time to get to know each other better (we'd never met in Rockwall, but we had mutual friends.... Thank you, Susan & Annie!!)

We quickly finished our shopping (success on both counts!) & headed back. We would not be "ladies that lunch" today...

The little talking box had our arrival timed to line up almost exactly with the tech's ETA. Awesome! 

Then we hit a snag. There was an accident. I have to say, it's the first one I've seen here so I "rubber-necked" through the whole mess. I think one car bumped another, but no one was hurt. The wrecker was already on the scene... But we'd lost 3 precious minutes...

Lindsey was texting me: 

"Where are you?" 

"He's going to be there any second!"

"We CAN'T miss him!! I don't know when they'll reschedule!"

Dude, I know!!! But I'm driving! I can't text back!!!!

He finally called me. I told him to tell the tech I would be 3 minutes late; I was in the complex parking in the garage. "Beg him to wait", I said....

He did wait. Whew!!

And then.... I waited. 

It was a comedy of errors. 

First, the wiring access panel inside our apartment was locked. He asked me for the key. Key? What key?! No one provided us with a key. 

"No problem." So he jimmied it with a screwdriver. 

Then, he had to "check the line" which required a trip downstairs to the main panel for the complex block. He left his backpack, told me he'd be back in 20 minutes & left. 

Thirty minutes later... He's back with a friend (helper?) But, turns out security wouldn't let him access the main panel downstairs without the work order... which was in his backpack. (I guess guys dressed in black etisalat logo Polos can't be trusted?) 

Except now, security was on their lunch break; we'd have to wait 30 minutes before he could go back down. Seriously?!

"No problem." He'd just start getting the panel ready for the equipment. 

"Getting the panel ready" consisted of breaking out an entire section of pre-fab slots & brackets. (I guess our panel was made for a previous model?) The guy in the black polo did all the work; the guy in the white kurta watched. 

I affectionately think of them as Tweedle-dee & Tweedle-dum, respectively. They were here over 2 hours. 

After Tweedle-dee was able to confirm that the line was indeed working, he activated a phone jack (just one....) & a TV jack (again, just one...), & THEN the internet. 

Notice all those little ports across the top. The first 10 are labeled & correspond to the 10 jacks located around the apartment. At this point in the installation,  he'd only got a phone line connected... 

So I asked him, "But what if I wanted a phone upstairs? .. Or a TV?"

"No problem. You just move the phone wire from the jack where it is now to the new jack for upstairs in this access panel... Same for the TV. " 

Ummm, okay. But then the phone (or TV) downstairs won't work anymore, right? 

"Yes."  Then he looked at me like I was crazy to want more than one phone or TV in the WHOLE house. 

He got the internet hooked up & asked me to access the WiFi on my phone to check the signal strength. Yippee!! Four bars just about everywhere downstairs & two to three upstairs with the exception of our bedroom. (Of. Course.)

He told me that's the best he could do; I'd need to get a signal repeater. (I'm pretty sure Lindsey already has one here waiting in a box....) 

He then spent 15 minutes hooking up the TV & configuring all the settings for the package we purchased. He gave me a quick tutorial on how the box works (it's not a DVR), packed up his tools, & collected his co-worker/watcher.

On the way out the door he says, "I'll bring you a phone for the wall in a few days. I don't have one with me at the moment."

... Sure, Tweedle-dee, no problem! 

Our "run to the border" continued....

Whew, we survived!

I say that because getting your passports restamped with tourists visas good for another 30 days is no small feat, apparently.  

It's a good thing we had such a wonderful concierge at the hotel; Harsha was a wealth of information, tips, & good advice. 

I met Harsha via phone when I called downstairs to ask for late checkout. Since Lindsey could not go with us (his passport is currently in some government office being "processed" for his residency visa), we needed to leave him in the hotel. Alrhough it was only 9 am, I wasn't sure how long we'd be gone & Lindsey wouldn't have any wheels. Better to just ensure late check out & it would be one less worry. 

Harsha was a HUGE help. When I explained why we needed late checkout, he immediately told me about where I needed to go to get my passport stamped. Here's what he said:

1. Don't go to the big border control site that pops up when you google "UAE/Oman border". That crossing (30 minutes away by car) is most commonly used by "tourists" which means that you are treated like cattle by government officials who are (generally) unfriendly, impatient, & not helpful. The whole process (four stamps total) will take almost the entire day. 

... Well, nobody has time for that! Kids or no kids!! But good to know since I'd be doing this with 3 kids in tow & I don't speak the language...

2. Use the smaller, little-advertised border crossing (20 minutes away by car) frequented mostly by local farmers & individuals coming into Al Ain for the shopping malls. This border crossing can actually be done from the comforts (read "air conditioning") of your car window as you drive through each gate. With a little luck, you won't have to get out of your car at all (a definite plus!!) "You will have to do things a little differently than the locals," he said, "but the facilities can handle passport tourist visas." There won't be any long lines & the officials are more patient & helpful. (Notice he didn't say anything about "friendly".) Harsha estimated about two hours for the whole process. 

... Awesome!!

3.  Take some cash with you... just in case (he didn't say what "just in case" might entail, & I didn't ask) & you will need a credit card for the fees on the Oman side (different currency). 

4.  Bring your passports (one for each person going across) & your vehicle registration/insurance. 

... Okaaay. I'm in a rental car. But I think it's in the glove box. 

Harsha specifically asked me if the car was mine or a rental. <long pause> This was important & I don't have any idea why.  There must be some issue with rental cars & the Oman border?! Harsha said perhaps the first official would just overlook it since we were essentially doing a u-turn as soon as we crossed into Oman. It could go either way.... But if the official wouldn't let the car across, then we'd have to walk between the checkpoints & control offices. Harsha assured me that it was only a short distance - about 1 kilometer - easily doable. 

So, I paid close attention to his every word, gathered up the kids, kissed Lindsey & met Harsha downstairs so we could confirm my route on the GPS app I planned to use. After I was confident I knew what to expect (more or less), I thanked Harsha & asked where we might grab some breakfast. He immediately ushered us towards the hotel buffet. 

Now, we booked our room using Lindsey's Hilton awards program points. We did not book the rate that included breakfast. I said as much to Harsha. He insisted that I start with a good breakfast for me & the kids. He made a comment about "needing it" (perhaps this should have raised a red flag?) & actually waved us past the attendant, seated us at a table, & brought us a server. 

Harsha is, by far, the most helpful concierge I've ever encountered. I hope everyone meets a Harsha in their lifetime. He genuinely wanted to help people..  to do whatever was in his power to make our life better in whatever way he could. He is a blessing.... truely. 

So with full bellies, we jumped into the car, turned on the talking box, & set off for Oman. 

True to Harsha's word, 20 minutes later we found ourselves in a car queue for the first checkpoint. Cross your fingers.... Here we go. 

We followed the car in front of us to the little window. I handed over my passports, clearly stated I was doing an exit & immediate reentry for tourist visas, & smiled. 

Now, I've never been lucky. I'm not the person that wins the raffle or the door prize. I don't get pulled over by police & let off with only a "warning". Nope, that's not me ... so I wasn't really surprised when the guy in the official uniform asked to see my car registration. 

Nope, not lucky at all. I should have worn better shoes...

He scanned my papers & handed everything back plus an extra paper printed completely in Arabic. Then he waved me on to the next spot 50 yards down the road. 

Hmmmm... Okay. At least "we're in", but still no stamps in our passports.

On to the next! (I guess....)

I drove up to the next window where a guy in the more traditional dress asked for my papers. I gave him our passports & the printed paper. (I swear he threw that paper on the floor... not 20 seconds after the first guy printed it!!) Then he mumbled something, started to hand me back our passports (still no stamps), & waved in the general direction of the road. I was confused so I tried to ask if I should drive on?... Where do I get the exit stamp?

He mumbled a little louder & I swear he said "drive around" & "park". But I didn't see any place TO park, so I asked again. This time he made eye contact in the form of a glare, waved more forcefully, & mumbled "park, park!" a bit more impatiently. 

If THIS is what Harsha meant by helpful & patient, I can't imagine what goes on at the other, bigger border control.....

Okay... I'll park. 

The car in front of me had driven on through the very official looking gates up ahead. No place to park there & my gut said, "don't cross through those gates yet."  .... I've learned to go with my gut. 

There was absolutely NO parking lot near me, just a mixture of sand & asphalt that pretty much makes up the roads around here. Hmmmm.... The closest parking lot looked to be across the way, to the left... I could reach it if I "drove around" to the left & then "parked".

Huh, maybe that's what he meant... alrighty then. 

Except that's not what he meant....

We parked against a curb a little out of the way but near an official looking building with a door marked "Waiting Lounge". Surely this must be it. 

I took the kids inside & met a nice older English gentleman sitting in a back row who took pity on us. We looked lost; it was painfully obvious. 

Turns out, he was there as a guide for another couple doing the exact same thing as us. We were actually standing in the last building in the process, he explained. He wanted to know if we had the other three stamps yet. 

Um, no. 

I told him I was so confused. I explained what we'd done so far & that I honestly didn't know where I was supposed to be at the moment. 

He laughed, then walked us back across the street right up the same booth (different window) where the same traditionally dressed official sat waiting... 

NOW he wanted my passports... 

So, the kids & I stood in the heat (it was now 11:30 am) while he accessed something on his computer, took a phone call, & stamped each passport with the official exit stamp.... one at a time... very slowly. Did I mention the heat?

Than I had to pay him... Cash. 

I asked for a recipt; he glared again, but wrote one out. 

First. Stamp. Done. 

He then told me to walk down to the Oman offices... only 1 km away... & waved me away. I politely asked if I could drive the 1 km, perhaps? 

No such luck. It was almost straight up noon, in full sun, I was in kitten heels, & the kids were already wilting... Perfect conditions for a 0.6 mile walk across sand & asphalt, right?! He pointed us toward the building in the distance with the flags.

Fabulous. Well, the sooner we start, the sooner we can be done. Off we go....

It took us about 20 minutes to walk just over half a mile. I could feel the sweat running down between my shoulder blades & pooling in the waistband of my pants. The bra strap must have been saturated; it was no longer acting as a sweatband. The kids were dragging. Everyone's face was turning red under the blistering sun. Where were the palm trees? What happened to the breeze? Who ordered up 85% humidity today?!

We passed 2 small buildings along the way; twice we got our hopes up. The first was just those beautiful arches I'd seen the local cars breeze through.... & the second was a little guard station with a very sweet man who spoke no English.

It's surprising how much you can convey via hand gestures, physical objects, & simple words. I waved my passports & stated very slowly but clearly that I needed entrance stamps. 

Why do we do that, by the way? "Talk slowly" to someone who speaks another language. Saying something slowly or louder doesn't somehow magically translate it into the language of the party listening so they can now understand us. And yet, we all do it when put in this kind of situation! 

I do think "no" must be the same in just about every language... 

The guard & I smiled at each other a lot. The kids were obviously exhausted & hot. In the end, "Not here, but we were almost there" was the gist of the conversation. He pointed down the road a little further. <sigh>

Finally, we reached the building on the Oman side that housed the officials who had the power of the entry stamp!!! Woohoo!!! I shook the sand out of my heels & headed inside; the kids beat me to the air conditioning. There were bathrooms & a water fountain too. So while the kids splashed water on their faces & lay panting on the bench, I went to the counter on the RIGHT to fill out the paperwork for the entry stamps. 

Stamp, stamp, stamp, stamp & a credit card receipt later ... I was told to walk to the counter on the LEFT to get my exit stamps. 

Four more stamps & a signed slip... Done!

Well.... Almost. Now we had to walk the 1 km back to the UAE border. It was 12:30 pm. 

I rallied the kids, we sucked down a few more sips of water, and off we went back onto the hot sandy road...

... And within 2 minutes, our guardian angel took pity on us. A very sweet local man (who I suspect was one of the guys working inside the Oman border control building) drove up & offered us a ride to the UAE checkpoint. 

Bless him & his dusty bronco... 

What took us 20 minutes to walk before, was a comfortable 5 minute ride now. An added bonus: this man spoke English & Arabic. He was able to help me understand what the officials needed at the guard station in order to leave Oman (that little signed slip from 2 minutes before) & he dropped us off right next to our car & the Waiting Lounge! He wouldn't even take the cash I offered him for his kindness. 

I have great respect for the Oman people because of this ambassador. My limited interaction with him & their officials showed they are a kind gentle people. 

But back to my story... I only have 3 of the 4 necessary stamps. The fourth stamp, however, is the most important. It's THIS stamp that makes the kids & I "legal" again for 30 more days....

So we entered the lounge & took a seat. There were 2 other men in the room, but they appeared to be waiting for the border agent just like us. Hmmmm... Where was everyone? No officials in sight. 

While we waited, the kids found a vending machine. Water & snacks... It might be a long wait; better feed the monkeys. After everyone had their turn with the machine, we settled into our seats to wait. 

I don't know what your family does to pass time, but we like to play word games. Start with the letter "A" & name as many animals/foods/places/things... (whatever)... until no one can think of anything else. Then do the same for the letter "B".... and so on, and so on... 

Or list one thing you learned today that you didn't know yesterday (boy, I could list way more than 1 today!!!) How did you learn it? Etc. 

Or... Well, you get the idea. Often, we will start a game & some idea or thought will take us down a tangent... Which is exactly what happened while we waited. Madeline was trying think of something new she learned when the biggest fly I've ever seen landed on the seat in front of us. I mean this thing was seriously huge. It got us wondering: we have horse flies in TX, could this be a "camel fly" here in the UAE? 

While we debated that... & then which insect doesn't have a mouth after it reaches it's adult stage (we are weird, I know... Just embrace it! Although, we never did figure that one out...) the border officials arrived from wherever border officials go when they leave you waiting. 

A lady in traditional clothing who spoke very few words directly to us but had amazing henna tattoos, made quick work of stamping our passports. 

Four. Stamps.   The holy grail....

We were done. Twenty more minutes by car & we were back at the hotel. Harsha was waiting for us; he has a package of the local dates I had mentioned that I liked from breakfast & wanted to make sure everything went smoothly on our journey. 

I gave him a large cash tip. That man deserved it. It had been almost exactly 2 hours since I had left. He was spot on & although we were hot & tired, the process was pretty much exactly as he had described. 

If our residency visas don't process on the next 30 days, I'll definitely stay at the Hilton & do this again. It will be easier, too, as now I know exactly what to do!!!