Wrap up from Fall 2014 African Adventure: 9 countries, 9 weeks, unforgettable memories!

I don’t know if anyone is really reading the blog although I know my father has been ;) I really have written it as a record for myself so that I can remember all the details of this amazing adventure with my son. It has met and exceeded all my expectations and has evolved into something that I don’t even know how it will completely translate and direct the rest of my life, but I know it will. I feel so grateful to be able to have had this unique experience and to be able to share it with my whole family in Egypt and to have been with Sam the whole time. He is growing in ways that can’t always be quantified by the world or exams. He is growing in his faith, in his compassion, in his knowledge of the world and what is possible. He has a greater appreciation for  great civilizations which have existed before and great ones that are still evolving. 

Along this trip we have witnessed the importance of good and honest leadership and seen the hardships that are brought by those that are selfish. We have witnessed that education is what gives people a chance, that it is valued and how valuable it is to have a job. That families make huge sacrifices to take care of their families, often having to leave them to be able to support them. I feel as though I personally have a greater respect for so many people I have met that are living away from their homes doing what they need to do to care for their families back in their home countries and I am so grateful that I have been able to personally raise my own children and give them all that they need to be able to go out and make their own way. I know this is a blessing which I am not deserving up but have been fortunate enough to have. I am grateful and am trying to find ways to give back. I have been taught and trying to teach my children. “Where much is given, much is required in return.” 

We all make different sacrifices for those we love. I have come to appreciate the many that I have witnessed for a few examples the Nields that have sacrificed many comforts they could have to show love and solidarity and support of those people in their country that they love and to grow the gospel of Jesus Christ in Zimbabwe. I have witnessed those in South Africa that make sacrifices to improve their futures and lives of their children for fighting for equality and for basic privileges of clean water, shelter and education and safety. The country has been through such dramatic changes and that everyone I met want to work together to make things right and good for everyone. I have witnessed the resiliency of people of all colors and nationalities who have been mistreated and who have risen above it and rather than being filled with hate or resentment they still move forward with love and hope. I have witnessed children that have nothing but education and some kindnesses showed by others, not always by their immediate families, that have sustained them so they can move forward with hope. I have seen beaches that are more beautiful than anything I have seen in my life, oceans  filled with fishes and skies that are filled with birds of all colors, shapes, and sizes which reconfirms to me that these things were divinely created and all testify of God’s love for his children.  

This has been an amazing journey. I am so grateful for all of it.  I am looking forward to coming home, being with my family and friends and showing them my love and support in all that is happening at home. Thank you to all those that have been following along with our experiences.  We will take a little reprieve and then head back east to see some of our own country starting with Plymouth Rock and making our way to the Twin Towers in NYC and seeing the memorial there and other things and then to DC where I am hoping to organize a government tour of our city from the Capital to the Constitution. We then head off on our next big world adventure Part II in early January to see the Pacific and Asia. Who knows what lays ahead.... we will find out and will begin posting then. Happy Holidays! 

November 14, 2014

Last day of our Fall Adventure. We have done so much and we have gone so hard these past few days in UAE we were dragging but we still hadn’t done the one experience we really came to Dubai to do and that was Ski Dubai- the indoor ski area at the Emirates Mall. This morning we had a lot to pack for since we were going to go ski and then we wanted to go to church. All churches essentially meet on Friday in these Arab countries, since Friday is the Muslim Sabbath and Sunday is the start of their work and school week. We figured that out too late in Egypt and had been really missing going to church while we have been traveling. We also felt like with all the decadence of these past few days were could use some down to earth, spiritual message and an opportunity to really interact with people that live in Dubai and an opportunity to pause, give thanks and take of the sacrament. After church we also wanted to see the old part of Dubai, the historical part and where the boats come in with goods and check out the Souks. (Normally we would not do all this activity on the Sabbath, and we don’t ski on Sundays but since this is Friday and we will be home on Sunday and go to our own church there and keep the Sabbath at home ).

We walked through the mall to Ski Dubai. Crazy to see people in shorts and bend a wall people bundled up in ski gear and snow everywhere!! We bought a ski pass and a super pass so we could do the tubing, toboggan and the zorb!  Our pass thank heavens included gloves but no hat, so we opted for helmets inside since it was below freezing- like 20 degrees Fahrenheit! We were given a ski outfit that essentially fits over your clothes and then booted up and grabbed our skis and poles. Everything was Rossignol, so funny that their headquarters are in our home town in Park City. Off to the slopes! We just couldn’t believe it - it was freezing and as expected covered in snow. They had a chair lift and then an extreme (experts only) palma horse. Each run took about 45 seconds just casually cursing down. It was so funny- there were ski lessons for little kids and boarding lessons…. it was like a mini ski world. Once the palma opened up we rode that and honestly it was a bit extreme, went straight up and a much faster way up the hill. The hill seemed like it was 250 yards (compare everything to a golf course for distance). They even had a hot chocolate stop in the middle of the “mountain” so that you could warm up and “enjoy the view”…hahahaha. It just kept us laughing and amazed really. What a cool deal for people to teach their kids to ski here and then go on a real ski vacation. Funny we met some guy from Britain on the lift and he was here just practicing up for his winter vacation to Austria. After an hour of skiing- we swapped our skis for snow boots. As we walked into the snow cave that leads out to the other winter entertainment, it was pretty spectacular the carved dragon in the ice cave and just had created a total winter wonderland. We rode a toboggan run which looked like a kitty ride honestly but when you throw yourself down it on a thin slippery sled we were hauling around these solid ice turns and it was so violent we were cracking up. We both got to the end almost in tears we were laughing so hard, especially since we had just seen some father push his 2 year old who was totally dying and feraking out down in a sled by herself.  I can’t imagine how totally freaked out she was when she got to the bottom!! They had a mini tubing hill and a taller tubing hill and a zorb. We wrapped up on Ski Duabi experience by purchasing a couple ski hats and then making a quick change into our church clothes for our more peaceful afternoon. 

Robinson, who was with the hotel and had been just a gracious and friendly guide to us while we were in Dubai, had located the church while we were skiing. It was tucked back into a neighborhood. It was in a larger home that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints had rented. There was no sign on the building but the address we had found on the mormon.org website. We were glad he had scoped it out or I don’t know if we would have found it easily and made it in time. There are no missionaries or official missionary work allowed in Arab countries, decreed by those countries’ governments,  but other faiths are allowed to hold their own services in UAE. And our church has a good sized congregation here in UAE has one church with two congregations (wards) that meet inside. 

As we entered church I found it amazing and it reconfirms my faith that almost anywhere you find yourself in the world, you can find an LDS congregation and because of the amazing and inspired order of the church you have a similar experience everywhere. At every LDS church, in every ward you will find people sharing  their knowledge of truth in words and in actions. There are talks that members of the congregation give, we partake of the sacrament - where we reconfirm our love and commitment to Christ and show gratitude for his loving sacrifice, we pray and sing together and there are always friendly people who will welcome you- visitors are always welcome. People in the church were from all over the world, since it was Duabi- Americans, British, Phillipinos, Japanese, Indians,… Everyone was here to work and a few like us were here for vacation. It was a great melting pot and the message was about making right choices no matter where you are. We all have agency to make choices: good choices bring good consequences, bad choices can bring bad consequences…. One woman spoke about how although for most of the people in Dubai, this isn’t their native home, but together they support each other as a family. I thought how nice it would be to have this family of church members that share your faith and values and how important it would be to have this grounding influence in a place who’s primary focus is bigger and better and more and more…. I needed church today and it was nice to bring our new friend Robinson who has been escorting us around. He said when he grew up in Sri Lanka he was a Christian and went to church with his family each week. Here he often is working on Fridays because this is the busiest time at the hotel. He was excited to join us, he said it was nice to go to church with a family and appreciated the messages. It was nice to share this peaceful time with him. 

Following we asked that we don’t take a car down to the old part of town but would like to take the subway. So glad we did. They are so clean, you can’t eat or chew gum on their metro. It was only a couple dirhams to catch the  metro and the stations where beautiful and had gorgeous glass chandeliers and were so clean. Easy and fast way to get around, but they were packed because today is a weekend day and everyone was on them. After one transfer- the subway only has two lines- we got off in the old city. Old city means 50 years old ;) The oldest thing is the Sheik’s old palace, made from mud bricks and held the oldest buildings when they had started developing Dubai after the UAE was created in the 1970s. They had an interesting historical museum that was less than a dollar to go in, subsidized by the Sheik I think to remind people from where and what all this had grown up from. We walked around the waterfront and hopped on a water taxi that was 1 Durham less than 30 cents across the water to where all the boats where off loading from around Asia and Lebanon and where they were bringing goods and taking back goods. These boats looked like large fishing boats painted blue with wooden carved banister rails it looked like around the captains quarters and then loaded up with goods coming or going. It was fascinating really since in the USA you only see huge ships that need cranes to off load huge containers. It was funny to see Gilligan Island looking boats that were out sailing around the Gulf and Indian and Arabian seas. Off loaded and unloading everything from carpets to dishwashers. We walked through the spice markets and purchased some Frankincense and Myrrh and a couple souvenirs for Sam. I was hoping to find some brass platters or Bedoin jewelry but instead found millions of dollars of gold and necklaces that were so huge they would almost have to be worn like armor. There were hustlers but not nearly as aggressive as Egypt. We were then totally exhausted. We took another short water taxi ride back to catch a taxi to the hotel. The boats were all lit up on the water and I honestly think the best way to see the area was at night, where it does just seem magical with lights and mosquess lit up against the water and boats moving around and sound of prayer calls coming from minarets. 

We rested for an hour and had a bite to eat in our room while I wrote up some thank you notes for all the wonderful treatment we had received. We loaded up and said goodbye to Mr. Sam the head concierge and Robinson, who had taken such good care of us and off the airport. Thank heavens we got there early because although checkin was a breeze the passport line was crazy0 100s of people in line. Then we went through 3 securities the last being as we got on the plane, every single item of our bags and everyone’s bags were checked and every device that has an on/off switch was checked. Thank heavens Sam’s laptop still flashed needs charging because if it doesn’t turn on or show any life, they will confiscate it. The flight seemed filled with US military. This must be one of only a few connections that goes right from the Arabian Peninsula to the US. Our flight is 16 hours tonight! This takes the cake as the longest flight yet. Just finishing up my journal on this flight, after I had a solid 9 hour sleep- exhausted!! Excited to come home to rest up and see family and friends. It has been an incredible adventure!!

First day of the season- Ski Dubai! 

 Toboggan ride was hilarious 

 River taxi to the Souks 

 Gold Souk 

 We got a tour of the Marriott's Presidential Suite before we left - great view with lots of room for a party

November 13, 2014

One memorable and remarkable thing after another today. We started with the Burg Al Arab, which was built over 15 years ago and is relatively old in the area, and the first “7 Star” hotel. Everything is gold or gilded. They have a squash court in the hotel and each room is a huge suite with their own private butler. Rooms start at around $8000 a nite and they have a 3 night min stay and rooms go up to around $35,000 a night. They have someone that has been in a $35,000 suite for almost 3 years! They have amazing water fountains in the hotel. All things that look gold, are gold. You have to be almost 6 feet to be one of the women working in the lobby as a greeter. It is very luxurious and set up for the Arab world, with separate female quarters in the suites too. It was fun to see. From the top you oil d see Palm Island, a manmade island that looks like a palm tree and is covered with residences and beaches. You could also see the new islands that have been made that are in the shape of all the continents in the world. #onlyindubai

Just down the road and at the end of Palm Island we went to the Atlantis Hotel. It does look like a pink castle you could find under the sea- but stands as almost a gateway to the sea. We got a small tour around the hotel and then headed over to swim with the dolphins. It was a fun experience and one Sam just totally loved. With 4 other people we entered a small lagoon and met our dolphin,Black. He swam between us, we hugged him, kissed him and he kissed us and let us ride him on his belly and he spun us around in the water and danced with us. At the endi the dolphins put on a little show while we were in the water. It was pretty amazing to see how quickly they slice through the water. Their skin is so soft since they are constantly shedding the top layer of their skin, not like a snake but very small pieces falling off which leaves them always with this soft skin- feels like a hard boiled egg when pealed. tt was a fun experience, almost feels surreal. After a quick bite to eat we headed to the 3 story aquarium which we were going to scuba dive in. I believe it is the largest or maybe now second largest aquarium in the world, next to Dubai Mall, and previously it had been the Burg Al Arab. The aquarium we had seen during our tour and we were blown away by all the rays, sharks, thousands of fish. I can’t remember the exact amount they told me that they have in there, but it was like 14,000 fish. 

Above the Aquarium we suited up in scuba gear and then went in. WOW! I honestly was trying to even clap under water. There was so much to look at it honestly felt like I was in a 4D movie. there were almost schools of rays and hammer head shark and a shark that looks like a horseshoe crab and huge shiny silver fish and just a variety that were everywhere you looked. They sent in a photographer with us and a videographer too with us that took some cool photos- one that was hilarious was us sitting in the Atlantis thrones under water. It was funny to be in the aquarium too and have people that are visiting the hotel waving at you and see into the ballroom where they were setting up for an event. I have never seen such a variety and probably wont again with all the sharks etc. Amazing experience #onlyindubai

Before we left Atlantis the gentleman that was taking us around as a courtesy to the JW Marriott concierge who had set up our experiences there they invited us to see the underwater suite and the Bridge Suite that spans the two Atlantis towers with views out towards the palm and views out into the ocean. Sam has looked up and seen the underwater Aquarium Suite and so it was exciting to see that where they bedroom and bathroom make you feel you are in the aquarium, which you actually are. Then up to the top of the hotel and the Bridge Suite- incredible!! This is where the Kardashians had stayed. It goes for $35,000 a night and is unbelievable. Huge rooms with seascape paintings on all the ceilings and Venetian glass chandeliers make you feel like you are in a aquatic palace. It was spectacular- make the greatest party ever! We were blown away. It was  treat to be able to see it. #biggerbetterbest #keepingupwiththeKardashians

That evening we were so tired from our day, we didn’t get a chance to do their water park at Atlantis, will have to wait to do it next time. But on the way back to the hotel Sam had seen a car dealership that had some fancy cars that I hadn’t even heard of. He always amazes me with his knowledge of all these cars and all the stats on these cars and sizes of engines and how many there are in the world. We stopped at a couple dealerships that had some amazing lamborghinis  , Bentley’s and Ferraris and other exotic cars but these weren’t what he was looking at. The driver took us to another one, very cool but not the one. Sam had to direct the driver and then he saw the one he was looking at. It had no name on it just a shield that was the car’s symbol. Cracked me uo that flying on the freeway for the past couple days he has spotted this shield and known that is where he wanted to go but the rest of us that aren’t afficiandos had no idea. We pulled in and it was like if we hadn’t done anything else in Dubai and had just come here he- this would have been more than enough. He had his mouth wide open and knew all these cars and was freaking out since some of them there are just less than 400 in the world. There was one he asked the man at the shop what it was he didn’t know it. It was a Lichen, not sure if I am spelling it right, but there were only 7 in the world and it was around $2,000,000! Sam took the camera and snapped photos for about 20 minutes and asked the guy all kinds of questions and he was pretty impressed that Sam knew so much about these cars. Must be Grandpa Dick’s grandson. Really fun to see his excitement. He was talking about it all night afterwards.  

We got back to the hotel around 8 p.m. We made a quick change and went to the Thai restaurant at the hotel. It was very chic and very delicious. The room was decorated with at least a hundred red lit chandeliers. After we wanted to see what all the restaurants looked like since the one we ate at was so cool. They were all so beautifully decorated and huge with incredible lanterns and designs that suited their themes- the middle eastern one had sheer drapes hanging and beautiful wooden lattice screens and cut copper and metal lanterns hanging all around. So fun to see the design of each.We made it up to our room after our long but amazing day and crashed! 

 Sam loved these "wet" fountains. Incredible engineering and the clarity of the water when it shoots without any splashing. )

 Berg Al Arab is so unique. Everything that looks gold is gold leave or plated and sometimes solid. Rack rate for one of the standard rooms which is a suite and all accents are real gold is $35,000 a night.

 Why not have a new gold iphone6+?

 Some Arabic stories in the children's library at Berg Al Arab.

 Scuba Diving inside Atlantis' massive aquarium- 3 stories with thousands of fish from sharks to rays to schools or bright silver fish # awesome

 The Bridge Suite at the Atlantis Hotel- only $35,000 a night!! This is just the living room of the 3 large bedrooms and huge dining rooms and offices and deck that looks out at the Arabian Sea and the other balcony that looks out over the bay

 Chess in the Atlantis suite

 Sam eyeing all the cool cars including this car that is for rent at the Atlants

 Had to stop by a luxury car dealership for Sam to checkout these amazing cars- this Maclearn P1 there are only 375 in the world- over $1.5 million!

 Our last night's dinner together on our Fall adventure in Dubai, 11/13/14

Time-lapse of the starfish flipping itself over at the hands on aquarium at Atlantis

November 12, 2014

Today stared early, wanted to fit in as much as we could before we had to leave. They had a delegation, aka a Sheik and his people, coming to take over the whole hotel- can't imagine how much that costs?! Anyhow we got up early and Sam went to go "Dune Bashing". There was no way I was going to be able to go- I would be way to car sick since they were going in a closed Land Cruiser and I was still whirling a bit from other day at Ferrari World/Water World. I chose to go on a morning hike up the sand dunes and watch the sunrise. It was so beautiful. The sand was cool and firm and I walked up and down ridges of sand dunes and sat and enjoyed the rising of the sun. Sam had a blast out in the dunes but unfortunately he didn't get a turn in the front seat, which is where you can really enjoy it the most. He said they were flying up and down dunes and sliding down them sideways. So glad I didn't go- would have been so sick!!

We had a great breakfast, one of our bests. I had this incredible chicken soup for breakfast, where you pick what you want in and on top of your soup and then they had almost like quesidillas with Naan and some cheese that went with it. It was delicious! We had a few more minutes to kill so went up to the lobby area and played some cards before heading out for archery. Our guide took us just a few minutes away to their archery area which backed up to a big sand dune. They brought  out arrows and bows which were really pretty simple which made them great to learn on. They gave us a arm protector so in case we miss hit the bow wouldn't hurt our left arm. They also equipped us with a leather 3 fingered glove essentially that had 3 finger pockets and attached around our wrist. This protected our fingers so we could pull back hard on the bow- brilliant!  We had a great time shooting and competing for speed and accuracy. Sam was really good and I felt like I was better than expected. He did beat me in all the competitions but just by 1 or 2 points. These would be fun to have in NH!

After archery we were pretty pooped and enjoyed just relaxing by the pool until it was time to go.. After poolside lunch we had a driver take us the 3 hour drive to Dubai. We realized this really was the only hotel in the dessert around these parts near Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It was a totally unique and awesome experience. I am so glad we went. 

We were greeted by hotel staff at the JW Marriott that took us to our room. It was a beautiful room on the 59th floor. The hotel is really spectacular with twin towers and almost galactic looking. It is the tallest hotel in the world and all the hotel is filled with guest rooms and lots of restaurants and a pool and spa etc. Through our hotel in Abu Dhabi they had given the concierge a list of the things we had wanted to do so when we got there and they knowing we only had 2 days to do it all they had a plan. They had made a reservation for dinner for us overlooking the dancing fountains, at the base of the Burj Khalifa at a fantastic Japanese restaurant Hashi with a reservation to go up Burj Khalifa at 10:30 p.m.  After a shower we were good to go. 

Dinner was incredible, best Asian food I had ever had, even in Japan. The chef was this funky and fun guy so sociable and wanted to create a meal for us. He kept bringing out little dishes that were so crispy and soft at the same time... it was heaven. The fountains which put on a show 3x the size of the Mirage every 30 minutes was totally amazing. It just about took your breath away and captured our whole attention. Looking up and behind us was the Burj Khalifa- HUGE and literally looks like it reaches right into heaven and so beautiful and just sparkling with little led lights flashing all over it. Just love it, favorite building in the world- it just is inspiring what people can create and the engineering and design feat of it is awesome. 

Following our fantastic meal and photo with the chef, who thought he and Sam looked alike with their glasses, we made our way through the Armani hotel which was so darn sheik we felt not cool enough to be there, but again everyone was so friendly, we got right into line to head to the top. In around one minute the elevator climbed up to the 124th floor. You could walk out onto a viewing deck that wrapped half way around and then the rest of the view was from inside. They had these great telescopes where you could focus in on a  building and it would let you see it magnified and then you press a button and it shows you what it looks like during the day, then what it looked like 20 years ago and it was desert. Really fun to see. The design of the building is made to confuse the wind the deflect the full force of the wind with a shape that almost spirals all the way up. The line going down was unfortunately so long with one elevator and no set time to get down. After a 30 minute wait we made it down, then headed back to the hotel where we promptly passed out in our hotel room. Another amazing day in the UAE. 

Dawn on top of the sand dunes

 Climbing these sand dunes this morning on my morning hike watching the sun come up

 Entrance to the Qasr Al Sarab

 Loved the displays around the hotel of rugs and antique copper platters

 Our little castle/room

 This soup for breakfast was amazing!

 Archery anyone?

 Sam loved the camels

 Pulling into the Marriott twin towers in Dubai- tallest hotel in the world

 View of the Berg Kalifa

 Display of glass bottles in the Marriott's lounge- so beautiful

 In the Dubai mall next to the 3 story aquarium pool

 View above us at dinner of the Berg Khalifa

 Best meal at Hashi - the chef was so amazing and prepared a variety of dishes for us- all so tasty!

 Photo of the Berg Khalifa on New Years

 Up to the top viewing deck on the 124th floor- spectaular!

 Had these great screens where you could zoom in, see what it looks like during the day and at night and 20 years ago- which was all desert

 In the Dubai mall one of the spectacular displays- this of thousands of paper butterflies

 Nathan- Christmas?!! Nothing says Dubai like a gold iPhone 6+

 Another spectacular feature in the Dubai mall- waterfall ... why not?!

 Sam taking pictures of cars from our car