In Which We Hold Babies

I really love babies.  Especially when I get to borrow them for awhile, spoil them, kiss them, cuddle them, and give them back when they get crabby.  Luckily, we've gotten to spend quite a bit of time lately with an adorable newborn.  I have to resist the urge to squeeze him to death, he's so cute.

Willy is much more suspicious of said infant.  Likely because we use the same voice to talk to the baby as we do to talk to Willy, making him think he might be supplanted in our hearts (as if that could possibly happen, silly dog).  

Willy has tried just about every tactic to get an up-close look (and smell) at the baby including heroic leaps upward at your arms, while you are walking the baby around the house, sneak attack jumps onto your knees while the baby is being held in your lap, and hiding under the table and jumping out at the Moses basket, while the baby is sleeping on said table.  

Luckily, our superior human intellect has discovered and warded off said attacks...so far... 

(no babies were harmed in the taking of this photo)

In Which We Explore the Eastern Desert

Susan and I celebrated Memorial Day by driving out to see some more of the "Desert Castles".  We started out with a stop at Qasr Mushatta which, it turns out, is right next to the airport.  It was commissioned by Caliph al-Walid in 734 A.D. (side note...how do things even survive that long?).  The palace was never completed and the best parts of the facade were removed by Sultan 'Abd al-Hamid and given as a "gift" to Kaiser Wilhelm and shipped off to Berlin.  Even worse than the facade being removed, the Jordanians are "restoring" aka reconstructing the site, leading to a "some of these bricks are not like the others" look.  Still, we got to climb all over it and Willy found some delicious flies there so good times were had by all.

something old, something new

"Hashim wuz here"

Then we drove all the way East to the Saudi border, to Azraq.  We stopped in first at the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) lodge, a converted British Field Military Hospital, for a delicious halloumi sandwich break.

  

Then we headed to Qasr Azraq, the 1917-1918 headquarters for Sharif Hussein bin Ali and T. E. Lawrence's aka Lawrence of Arabia during their fight against the Ottomans.  Built of black basalt, it certainly looked very imposing and forbidding, especially the front door which weighed three tons and reportedly shook the whole facade when closed.  We wandered over the whole site, looking at the rooms where Lawrence hunkered down, the oubliette and bas relief carvings of animals. 

"In the evenings everyone would assemble before a great fire in the open courtyard and break bread while swapping stories of war, peace and love." - T.E. Lawrence

three tons!

locking mechanism on the prison door "worn smooth by generations" of visitors

please can I pee on this Roman mile-marker?

  

From there, we drove over to Azraq, located along the border with Saudi Arabia.  It used to be an enormous oasis - in 1967, over 200,000 birds landed there for a break in their long journey from Africa to Europe.  Sadly, Jordan pumped the hell out of the aquifer and by 1993 it had dried up and the birds had moved on to the Galilee.  Since 1994, the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature has been focusing on getting water (and birds) back to the area.  It was so weird to see water in the middle of the desert.  But sad to see signs that said "the area you are standing in used to be neck high in water."  Willy was totally freaked out to walk on the boardwalks that comprised the nature trail, which was hilarious to watch.

"No!"

"You can't make me!"

"I won't walk on it!!"

In Which We Prove We are Virtuous Women

One of the things I admire most about my mother is her unlimited capacity for helping other people.  I thought of her as I spent Saturday afternoon in a cooking marathon for our Branch's token pregnant lady.  

We made lentil soup, teriyaki chicken, and chicken with peanut butter and coconut.  We also cut up a huge bag of vegetables and shredded up another huge bag of chicken (apparently protein is a really important thing if you are pregnant).  

The sun was shining and there was a breeze coming through the big open window.  We had an adorable newborn with us in the kitchen for quick cuddle breaks and two dogs who were more than willing to clean up any scraps that fell on the floor.  Good music, even better company and no timeline for completion.  After weeks of traveling, it was nice to just spend the afternoon puttering, doing something I love which, bonus!, could actually be useful to someone else.  

We made double of everything and so ended the day with a fridge full of delicious food and the satisfaction of knowing our friend could keep her feet up for a few nights, at least.  Best of all, the housekeeper came Sunday morning and did all the dishes...which ended up being so many that I had to organize them to fit them all on the counter. 

In Which We Display Our Hidden Talents

My hidden talent is packing many things into very small spaces.  I loved playing Tetris growing up and packing suitcases, trunks, storage spaces, cupboards, shipping boxes, desk drawers or even grocery bags is a massively satisfying challenge for me.  

Imagine my delight when we showed up to Atlantis Resort in Dubai with 2 carry-on suitcases, four purse/day bags, assorted shoes, tubes of sunblock, a pair of sunglasses, and a random jar of honey that needed to be stored in a tiny, tiny locker.

all this (and a bit more)

in here...

And we didn't even have to slam it shut...

In Which We Visit Dubai, the City

Of course, we also indulged in the civilized side of Dubai.  Although I'd heard about how over-the-top the city was, I was still surprised by the sheer opulence and frivolity.  

We watched the fountain show and visited the aquarium at Dubai Mall.  We hit up the ski slope at the Mall of the Emirates.  We saw enough Burberry, Bulgari, Chanel, Fendi, Gucci, Jimmy Choo and Prada to last us a lifetime (and yes, I alphabetized that list).  We had high tea at Grosvenor House, along with a surprise Birthday celebration for Susan, courtesy Rachel's machinations...oh - you didn't know it was her birthday?  Neither did she!!

We went up the Burj Khalifa, to watch the sunrise.  We shopped in old Dubai, along the creek, visiting the tiny Dubai Museum and Bastakiya, the neighborhood where the Iranian merchants settled back in the day.  

And naturally, we devoted an entire day to Atlantis, the amazing water park out on the Palm, a man-made island shaped like a giant palm tree.  Atlantis lived up to the hype, even if I was amortizing the cost of the slides, each time I rode down one.  The only tricky part about the rides was their tendency to bounce you up and down, leading to Rachel getting a bruise to which surpassed my bucked-off-a-mule-in-Petra bruise, a feat I thought impossible. 

I'm not sure I need to go back to Dubai ever - I wouldn't object, necessarily, but I found my 2 1/2 days to be more than sufficient.  The city lacked any kind-of history or culture.  If you don't like complete and utter indulgence in all things luxury, there isn't much for you in Dubai.

what better way to announce your arrival than via snapchat?

pretty sure it's a Decepticon...

Dubai Museum, where they tried to culture us up...

...and failed miserably

"I know, right!?!"

attempting to stay out of the sun

even the Diet Coke is designer in Dubai

winter wonderland

surprise! it's your birthday!

yes, I'm a grown woman...why do you ask?

sunrise at the Burj Khalifa

on top of the world

love these ladies

and then...the hard goodbyes

In Which We Visit Dubai, the Desert

Susan and I met up with Rachel in Dubai this weekend and much fun was had all around.

One of our Emirati Adventures was a desert safari, during which we went dune-bashing.  For those of you who are uninformed, this does not involve going out in dune-buggies, which is what I thought was happening.  Rather, it involves getting into a Land Cruiser, deflating the tires, and driving up and sliding down gigantic sand dunes, at the risk of life and limb.  It was terrifying and exhilarating and made me wish I was a stunt driver.

Afterwards, we went to a tourist trap, erm, Desert Safari Camp, where we got henna tattoos, rode camels, watched the sunset, and ate the bedouin equivalent of the Golden Corral, and watched some...interesting dance performances.

and...we're off, along with 200 of our closest friends

inadvertently catching Rachel in her carsickness

terrified eyes

Bugles, apparently an excellent remedy for carsickness

lest you be fooled, this camel is trying to bite, not kiss, Susan

henna - she sassed me about putting it on my finger

lite-brite dervish dancers

belly dancing

commentary following said belly dancing

Susan discovering her chicken thigh was missing

the culprit, escaping the scene of the crime...he stealthily reached up through the crack between the two tables

did you know it was my birthday? neither did I, but I thoroughly enjoyed my cake made of...hummus?  thanks Rachel for the surprise, 19 is going to be a great year!