Spring Break Shenanigans continued

Last time we left off I was just coming down off the high of flying in business class for the first time. Not gonna lie, I still daydream about it from time to time. It's gonna be hard to go back to flying economy after that, but I digress.

So after my adventures in Sri Lanka I headed back to Abu Dhabi to prepare for my sister's arrival to celebrate her Dirty Thirty. I had planned a pretty good list of things for us to do during the week that she was here and was excited to get started and show her around. I'm glad I took a bunch of pictures to capture our week, it was definitely a whirlwind. 

Then

Now

Our first major trip was to my favorite place, Shake Shack. I don't take pictures there because I am all business when I'm there and can't be bothered with taking advantage of photographic opportunities. Clearly I go there too much (or my high puff is just too memorable) because when we walked in the employees all greeted us and one guy yelled "Welcome Back, Miss!". Oh well. I like to think that since I'm a regular they'll give me even better service. They really should come up with some sort of loyalty program.

Next up, were the Grand Mosque, souks, Corniche, and to Glo Bar for her actual birthday festivities. Let me just say, I love Glo Bar! I'm not a regular there but I may soon be. I mean, look at this atmosphere

The bar itself is on the roof of the Rosewood Hotel (alcohol is only served at hotels in Abu Dhabi), so along with great views of the city there's also a beautiful pool, hot tubs, and cabanas surrounding the actual bar. We spent the evening laughing and taking in the view and also tried shisha, some may know it as hookah, for the first time and felt like real sophisticated ladies.

We also made a quick trip to Dubai because I had a dentist appointment, and squeezed in a drive by of the Burj Khalifa, which is the tallest building in the world, and went to the Mall of the Emirates for lunch. The Mall of the Emirates is huge and has tons of stores I can't afford to shop in like Yves Saint Laurent and Dolce and Gabbana. I love that there is a mall where you can shop window shop at high luxury stores, go skiing and then go have lunch at TGIFridays if you want. We settled for having lunch at Fridays and watching people ski as we were eating.

Days 4 and 5 were sort of a blur but we managed to get in a trip to Ikea and my school to change my classroom around a bit, another mall, Ferrari world, and the marina for a sunset stroll. By far my favorite day was Tuesday, because around here Tuesday is Ladies Day. Beach clubs, bars, and spas have special offerings for women every Tuesday so we definitely took advantage, starting with Saadiyat Beach Club. This beach club has two restaurants, a pool, and is also a protected wildlife area and natural home to some hawkbill sea turtles. It is the best place to spend a lazy day relaxing! There is also a dj and waiters to bring you water and food whenever you want.

sisterly love

pointing at random objects

After a day of alternating naps in our loungers, pointing at random objects in pictures, and swimming and collecting shells in the Arabian Sea, we finished the day with Ladies Night at Stratos bar in Le Royal Meridien hotel. This was another place that we walked in and the employees yelled "Welcome back, Miss!" lol. I love Stratos because the waiters are awesome and the atmosphere is classy yet relaxed. It's also on the rooftop and the bar rotates so you have views of the whole city. And the lighting is perfect for selfies.

me-ow!

vitamin d + melanin = glowy awesomeness

Our final day was spent going on a desert safari in Al Khatim. When you go on a desert safari you arrange for a driver to pick you and 5-6 other people up in an suv (usually a Land Cruiser) just before sunset and drive about 45 minutes into the desert for some dune bashing. The drivers are usually local men who are experienced in driving up and down the big dunes.

Our driver was really good and he had good music too. I've heard traditional arabic music before and I love it, but I never knew there were arab dj's and that they like hip hop music and make mixtapes. Imagine hearing the traditional arabic drums, mixed in with some Two Chains and Nina Sky (remember them?) and someone yelling 'DJ Ahmed' throughout the song. It was confusing and familiar to my ears all at the same time. It kind of felt like being at home.

You can hear some of the music in the video and also see a little bit of our dune bashing. After the dune bashing they take you to a camel farm where you can pet and take pictures with some of the camels or on your own if you want. Then they take you to another tented area where you can ride camels, go sand boarding, smoke shisha, and you can try on abayas and kandooras, and take pictures. They also serve you dinner, which was barbecued chicken and kofta, rice, salad, hummus, and umm ali for dessert, while you watch a belly dancer perform and the men also do a sword dance. Most of the safari tour companies work together and go to the same place so there are usually around 50 - 60 people there from all over that you can talk to and get to know.

at the top of a dune

more random pointing

up close and personal with camels

sand boarding, the bandana was to keep sand out of my mouth

usies with the driver

me in an abaya

After that eventful evening we were pretty tired out and sadly my sister's trip was coming to an end. We spent her last day buying souvenirs at the souk and on a final visit to the Grand Mosque for more pictures. All in all we had a great week and I was so happy to be able to share my sister's 30th birthday with her. Being half way around the world means I don't really get too many visitors from home so it is extra special when someone does make that twelve hour flight here. It was sort of bitter sweet seeing her go because I was sad for her to leave (and at the reality that my two week vacation was over) but also happy to have my space back to myself. I was also glad to have fully enjoyed my time off before heading back to work.

11 (now 9) more weeks of school left to go...