dubai: the desert

one of the can't-miss activities in dubai is a desert safari. we hired our own 4x4 suv to drive out to the arabian desert for "dune bashing" (off-roading in the sand). it. was. awesome. there were a few moments when our car was sliding sideways down the dunes that i questioned my judgment of safety, but we lived. i laughed the whole time, sage was stoic and quiet the whole time, and unfortunately, nate broke his 10-year streak of not throwing up. poor nate! a little too much bashing for him.

we both tried sandboarding out in the dunes and loved it. 

our version of family bonding: riding a camel together

the camel turned his head and began nuzzling sage. she freaked out! not sure if i'd like a camel in my face either.

we've really gotten our money's worth out of that ergo carrier. it's like sage's second home. 

we bottled up a little of that desert sand to take with us. 

dubai is awesome.

dubai: the city

a few weeks ago, nate said, "hey, want to go to dubai?" and if the office has taught me anything, it's to always respond with "absolutely i do!"
so we tacked a quick trip to dubai onto one of nate's india business trips (only, i skipped the india part).
when i booked my flight at the emirates office, they said, "dubai is very cold right now! very cold."
by cold, i think they meant perfect weather: 75 degrees with a breeze.

i read an article in time magazine that described dubai as the land of "have nots" and "have yachts." 

it reminded me a lot of singapore in a way--super clean, efficient, safe--but on a whole glitzier level...

rhinestone encrusted burqas, tallest/biggest everything, rolex clocks on every glittery white airport pillar, aston martins and lamborghinis lined up in valet queues. 

we planned on taking turns at the famous indoor ski hill while the other played with sage in the snow, but they wouldn't let us share a pass or bring sage inside. "too cold for babies! against the law!" they said. so we just watched instead.

we stared at the majestic burj al arab that resembles a sail...and happens to be the only 7-star hotel in the world.

dinner on the patio with a juicy kebab.
we love middle eastern food and planned on getting our fill in dubai, but we kept stumbling upon our favorite american places like shake shack, potbelly, cheesecake factory, and magnolia bakery. i could so live here.




we went to the top of the burj khalifa, the tallest building in the world

sage loves finding places to sit. i'd look up thinking she was lost, but find her squeezed into a little nook somewhere.




we explored the dubai museum, then took a water taxi over to the spice and gold souks




we bought some gorgeous iranian saffron (please tell me what to do with it!) and some satchels of frankincense and myrrh. the spice man gifted us a bag of dried sage for our sage too.



sage heard me yell "nate!" and promptly yelled, "dahhhh! nayyyy!" (dad, nate!)

we watched the dubai fountains dance to celine dion as the sun set

nate flew to india while sage and i explored dubai for another day.
we spent all afternoon playing hide and seek and twirling in the bastakia quarter, which harks back to the quiet village dubai used to be. little textile shops and art galleries are hidden in the maze of buildings. i fell in love with a hand-painted iranian tablecloth and brought it home for my souvenir.







we wandered into an open air café and paused for fresh fatoush salad. the waiter kept putting his hands on sage's head saying, "mashallah"

he told us it means "as god intended" in arabic

i am converted to emirates airlines. free maclaran strollers to use at the airport? new toys galore given to sage on the airplane? classy outfits and hot red lipstick? yes please. 

i am not converted to adding on a few hours and delays by flying through sri lanka with a toddler who won't sleep. let's skip that next time.

i really am grateful for an adventurous husband who knows that i'll probably say yes to just about any trip. we loved seeing dubai!