So the Ogurs arrived in Dubai around 9:30am on Wednesday, August 13th. Whew. The 12 hour flight was not nearly as difficult as we anticipated. It helped that we flew business class with a wide array of entertainment choices, seats that reclined into beds, and food & drinks at the touch of a button. The flight was smooth despite very little sleep for anyone. Upon arrival in Abu Dhabi, we waited briefly to pass through immigration, found our bags quickly, and with the help of a porter joined the car service line. The drive (with us in one car, and our luggage in another) from Abu Dhabi to Dubai took about one hour, and our check-in at the Chelsea Tower Hotel apartments was a breeze. They even had the FedEx box waiting for us that we had sent from home a few days earlier.
Once we unpacked and settled in a bit, we ventured down the road a bit with Zac to the local Starbucks. Unfortunately, they don't have my favorite drink, an iced venti nonfat green tea latte, but I made do with an iced white mocha. mmmm. Next to Starbucks is Applebee's and a little farther down the road is a Baskin Robbins.
When we returned from Starbucks we were greeted by our driver, Antony. Soon after, the car that we rented was delivered, too. With driver and car at our disposal, Scott made the first trip to the grocery store where he was able to find some familiar items like: Rice Krispies, Froot Loops, Diet Coke, and Ritz crackers. Around 2pm, Antony drove us to Zac's house where we enjoyed catching up. The kids had a chance to swim in their pool, as well. By 9pm, we were fried and crashed at the apartment.
We missed Thursday morning because we slept until noon. Oops. After eating, Antony drove the kids and me to find their school, The American School of Dubai. We were pleasantly surprised that it is only about 5 minutes away. We also rode to The Mercato, a nearby mall in search of a toy store. We didn't find toys, but we did find another grocery store with even more choices. Scott ordered in some Lebanese food on Thursday night, while the kids enjoyed some pizza from the local Pizza Hut.
We missed most of Friday morning, too, since we slept until 11am. Oops. Friday is the first day of the weekend in Dubai. Once we got organized, we met Zac's family at a restaurant near The Mercato for a lovely brunch. Then, with Scott driving, we headed for the Toys R Us in the Times Square Center. We were successful in finding the shopping center, and the boys were thrilled to buy some toys. Although we brought a few things with us, we wanted them to choose some more things to keep them occupied in the apartment. Friday night, Scott cooked our first real meal in the apartment. We had hoped that the kids were adjusting to the time change, but we had a really tough time Friday night. We were all still awake at 12:30.... here's hoping for a better time tonight.
That brings us to today, Saturday August 16th. My 37th birthday. Ugh. We managed to get everyone up by 8:30am. By early afternoon, we drove to the Mall of the Emirates, the largest mall outside North America. It was stunning, very upscale, and of course, it had a ski slope. We enjoyed some shopping and walking around for a few hours, but we all know how fun it is to shop with a 4 year old and a 7 year old. So I plan to return there once the kids are in school. ;-)
I've uploaded photos from the week, so far at: http://picasaweb.google.com/CathyOgur/DubaiWeekOne . Enjoy them!
Love to everyone,
-C
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