Touring Dubai with our new Friend

Chicken Tour Guide

Concerned Chicken

We are glad to announce a new partner in our travels.  Grace and Gail adopted our new friend while they were here and they wanted him to experience the Middle East and other places they may travel.  When they met us, they asked if we would allow this new friend to travel with us until we return to the US.  After getting acquainted, we decided to take Chicken with us.  Chicken brings a new perspective to each thing we do and you can look forward to not only “Where in the World???” but also seeing if you can find Chicken in the pictures and events.  There will be a new icon to the left with Chicken’s pictures if you are interested in seeing more.

Thursday….

So its time for me to do some catch up and get back into the swing of blogging as I have been extremely busy…but I feel a pulling inside me to sit and write and reflect on all that has gone on the last couple days. 

As I wrote the last time I was on a bus heading out of Dubai to visit friends of one of the ladies here with us.  It was a 2 hour ride and even tho I was blogging I was looking out the window at the same time as I wrote (multi talented…I know) and watching the city turn to desert, seeing a herd of camel walking along…being amazed at the highway system in the middle of this desert…. seeing camel crossing signs along the road…even saw some hang gliders and wondered how in earth they got up in the air….i saw them come down but most places I have seen them (like in South Africa along the  coast) they have a  cliff to jump off.  Why are they beautiful and fascinating to watch?  I think it is something I have to do someday…did I just say that? 

Dinner in Al Ain

When we arrived in Al Ain we saw the Oasis Hospital where these friends worked.  It is an amazing story how years ago it was started with the blessing of the sheik of the area even tho it was agreed before hand that it would have a Biblical mission statement. Another Sheik has recently given millions to build a bigger facility that is now under construction.  After that we went and saw a new women and children’s hospital not yet open and then went to the friends home.  They were so hospitable to open their home to 27 of us for dinner.  They had a spread of yummy food very typical to this area of the world.  We sat outside in the beautifully landscaped and decorated back yard and enjoyed the cool evening relaxing after a long day.  It was short tho and we loaded up and headed back to the hotel and got home after 10.

Worlds tallest Building

The next morning (tues) we had another meeting time debriefing…or talking over the things we had heard and learned during our conference.  I might just say that the conference time for me was amazing.  Being able to greet the ladies who came weary, grieving, hurting.... love on them…pamper them…listen to amazing teaching with them…sing with them…talk to our Father with them and have them leave us refreshed and renewed is the coolest thing ever.  These women work in the Mideast and to hear some of their stories was amazing.  Just a glimpse would be that besides homesickness…transition…cultural difference…losses on many levels…personal attacks…attacks on friends…struggles with living in a male dominated society…in spite of these things these women love the people in this part of the world.  I have come to love them as well in the short time I have been here.  There are 2 in particular that I will remember for the rest of my life…and I will daily lift them to the Father …that they would seek truth and find it and it will set them free…one is Shakr …the man Roger befriended.  We have enjoyed many contacts with him and just love going to his shop and talking to him.  Another is one I will call W who is definitely seeking truth.  I know in the states we have a stereotype of Arabs and it is such a small group that would actually fit in that box from what we have heard and seen ourselves.  I know I will never forget this time here and exposure to a new culture as I know “I got sand in my sandals” as I learned of many of the wonderful qualities of these people in this part of the world.

Enough rambling about that…on to the next day :)

Gould Souk

So…on Tuesday at noon we got on another bus for a tour of Dubai.  It was fun…and long…and I am glad we did it but it definitely was not the way Roger and I like to tour but for a day it was great!  As we drove around the guide told us a lot of the history of Dubai and the different buildings around which was interesting.  So much development has taken place just since 1996 when they made property available to outsiders.  

Boat taxi ride

Fountain Show

Jumeriah Beach

It is a huge city and very modern….we began to tease our guide who was actually Iranian (only about 20% of the population of the UAE are actually Emirates) how he kept saying everything is the biggest and best in the world…I may be true but it sounded funny and was giving Texas some major competition.  They have the largest gold ring in the world according to the Guinness book of records (it was huge…like it would have fit my waist!) and my thought was…why?  I got the impression mostly just because they could and they want to be biggest and best!!  They have largest mall in the world with 1800 stores…and a mall with a ski resort in it…tallest building in the world…7 star hotel shaped like a sail boat (you have to pay just to go inside and see it)…etc etc..  We stopped at Jumeriah beach area, stopped at the Atlantis Hotel on Jumeriah Palm (man made palm shaped islands) … spent a few minutes walking on Jumeriah beach right nest to Burg Al Arab ($7,000/night 7 star hotel) … went to the an area called the gold souk (market) and spice souk…went on a water taxi to cross the river (they call it Dubai Creek) and walked to a museum on the history of Dubai.  Walking there we went thru Old Dubai Souk where Roger and I will definitely go back to…that is our kind of shopping!  After the museum we went to the largest mall…walked thru it briskly…saw the huge aquarium there and then saw a huge water show at the fountain which is at the base of the tallest building in the world…spent a bit of time at starbucks …got on the bus and were taken to the place where we got on a boat for a dinner cruise.  It was 8:30pm and we were all ready to sit in the open and enjoy a nice meal watching the lights of the city go by.  It was a very enjoyable time but by 10:30 when we got on the bus to head back we were all ready to get back to our beds and crash. 

Part of Dubai Skyline

Wednesday morning...we were scheduled to have another meeting but since the stores are closed in the afternoon we switched our meeting till 2 so ladies would have time to do last minute shopping.  Roger and I went with some to the souk he had met Shakr in and we went to his shop.  He was so glad we brought in some business and while we were there many other tourist were coming in.  I think when there is someone in a shop they thing it must be a good place to shop so they would come in and look around.  Shakr was telling Roger he needed to come in every day to help his business…needless to say because of relationship built he gave us all great prices….bartering here is a must so the ladies that came with us were happy with their prices and having Roger along to barter for them.  Of course we were also served tea while there which is fun!  We were all back together for one more meeting and then they ordered pizza in one of the rooms and people began departing to the airport.  Goodbyes are so hard for me…it was so cool to get to know new ladies…and reconnect with some that were on the retreat I went on in Mexico.

Dubai Skyline

So Roger and I are the only ones left.  When we were making our plans for our trip I warned Roger that the conference would be exhausting and I would love to have a couple days to relax and process things before moving on so that is what we are doing.  We will be here till Saturday evening.  So lots of time to relax…wander the souks…and who knows what else.