We were greeted by some serious national pride....
Turns out it was the 41st National Day - the day that marks their formal nationalization
We found an ultra multicultural population (only 13% of the 8MM people are UAE nationals) - and with that YUMMY foods...
(I am still daydreaming about that tabouleh salad!)
As well as familiar brands...
Familiar restaurants.....
ENGLISH book stores!
(While Arabic is the official language, with so many ex-pats & 'imported laborers' it seems to be English)
And, best of all, familiar faces!!!
Sussie met us for the weekend! Lives in nearby Doha - ok, not even the same country - but so close we're counting it...
(Happy 29 again Sussie!)
And we had a fab dinner with my old friend from San Francisco - Steckel & his wife Robin.
Not to mention ran into Logan's former boss & her husband at our hotel - reinforcing that:
- a) it is a small world
- b) Logan runs into people he knows EVERYWHERE!
While this dilution of locals & relatively new country leaves a somewhat 'vanilla culture', I'm happy for vanilla when it gets you this...
YES! A meter on your taxi!
The local influence appears to be a combination of modest + flashy.....many women covered from head to toe...
Even a dress code for the mall....
But, often accessorized with high end flair (Prada purse for this modest mom)
And I didn't see a single clock without ROLEX on it...
OK, I get the high end name at a beach resort - but even at the airport?!
But, no need to worry about protecting your bling. Islamic law allows cutting hands off for stealing, so you can be pretty lax with your things...
Relatedly, there is a serious shopping culture. The malls are HUGE.....check out this aerial view of one
And they take extended holiday hours seriously!
No need to let the kids slow you down - there are loads of coffee shops - even Starbucks!
We also found a Vegas-like over the top style.
A ginormous water / light show....
Indoor skiing....
Tubing...
(Logan loved it, scared the crap out of me!)
...and a 'human snow ball'! You start at the top (where I am waving), get in & roll down...
(I LOVED this - hilarious the whole way down)
When it was time to go, we knew we were in the Kiev line at the airport with this...
Here's to warm in the winter, friends in odd places & 3 cheers to Kelly, Nicky & Katherine for adding a child to their homes this weekend to make it possible!
Love this! I think I want to visit, at least to do the snowball thing!! Thanks for bringing all the snow to Kyiv, by the way! Enzo is in heaven.
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