First Impressions of Dubai

Gabby, Travis, and Stuart at the pool in the Tebo's villa area

Gabby getting "pretty nails" at Kidzania

So far, we're loving Dubai! The weather is awesome. Right now, we have the doors open and there's a nice breeze. Beautiful palm trees everywhere and flowers... love it.

Our plane ride sucked. There were no movies and lots of smelly Chinese men. I swear I smelled a cigarette... We left at 9:30 pm Beijing time and it took about 9 hours to arrive in Dubai. Toby picked us up and it was 3:30 am Dubai time, so 7:30 am our time. We all slept a little on the plane but we were so happy to be at the Dubai Tebo's house! After we got in, Gabby and I slept while Toby drove Travis around the city on about two hours of sleep. Needless to say, they're both sleeping with the kids right now.

I can't explain this place... It is so western but so different at the same time. It's strange. They have every American food chain and lots of Western stores but we're in the middle east... Clearly it's a foreign country that I should feel unsafe in but I don't at all... So far, it doesn't seem that different. Okay, okay, so the people look different. I seriously can't stop staring at the Arabic women... they are dressed in robes (sorry, don't know the proper words, I'm such a jerk American) and some are dressed in robes where you can only see their eyes. Apparently, the women have to cover up in public because they don't want to tempt other men. I have to say, their eyes are gorgeous. The men wear long white robes and look like what you see on TV. Lots of good people watching! I was surprised to see many of the women shop for expensive shoes and clothes to wear underneath their robes, especially since no one ever really sees them. Toby and Deb said there are a lot of really rich people here, so I guess they can afford it. After seeing the mall and their prices- I can believe it.

Today, Toby and Travis took Stuart and Gabby to Kidzmania at the Dubai mall. There's not enough time to explain how cool this place is, although I technically never went inside. Kids can pretend to be certain jobs (doctor, fireman, etc) and get paid. It's like a mini town. There's a toddler area and all I know is that the kids had a blast... Like I said, I wasn't there but Gabby came back with purple nails (she actually was patient and let them dry) and stories about how she built a wall. While they were at Kidzmania, Deb, Wesley, and I walked around the MASSIVE mall. There was a great organic store so I stocked up on some gluten free food for Gabbers. There were lots of sales, but I didn't buy anything... I really don't need anything, I suppose. First time ever.

Anyway, we're having a great time with the family. Look forward to all the fun this week!