December in Abu Dhabi

December in Abu Dhabi has been amazing. The weather is absolutely perfect: sunny and in the 70s all day. It's almost embarassing to talk about wearing flip flops to holiday parties, but this makes up for the harsh days of August. This is the time of year to do all kinds of outdoor activities.

December 2nd is National Day, like the 4th of July in the States. Our balcony has a great view, so we decided to have a National Day party to watch the fireworks. Here you can see five barges in the background loaded with fireworks. Best seats in all of Abu Dhabi! 

This is the view from our apartment of the Emirates Palace Hotel. Festive lights cover the big buildings and main streets of Abu Dhabi in the days leading up to National Day. The national colors are red and green which is a nice segue into the Christmas season. In fact, Abu Dhabi embraces Christmas too. Lots of Christmas displays in stores and parties at the tourist hotels.

The Emirati love to decorate their cars for National Day. Then they all cause grid-lock on the Corniche Road, honk, and make their engines backfire by hitting the brakes and the gas at the same time. Constant noise all weekend, but it's all in good fun and, as far as I know, just one weekend out of the year. The UAE turned 39 this year. I wonder if it's going to be an even bigger deal when the country turns 40.

Breakfast on the balcony for the kids that slept over after the National Day party.

Typical waterfront activity for this time of year. You can just see the tail end of a helicopter that was also passing by on the right side of the photo. The Heritage Village is on the breakwater in the background.

Boats on the other side of the Marina Mall breakwater.

Hannah at Hiltonia.

Mackenzie at Hiltonia.

Waiting for lunch at the water's edge. Marina Mall is in the distance.

Here's a picture taken at the Heritage Village. Our building is the low long one just to the right of Hannah.

I was going to bribe the camel handler to take the camel around the buildings and onto the beach so that we could get the perfect shot of camel, girls, and our apartment in the distance. But then I lost my courage. Maybe next year.
Happy Holidays to all!

Walks With Helen (of Troy)

Helen, our sweet, goofy golden retriever, has fallen into the habit of looking under every single parked car that we walk by in Abu Dhabi. And let me tell you, there are lots of parked cars in Abu Dhabi. She is convinced that a cat is lurking underneath every single parked car, keeping cool in the shade. But she's mistaken. Only one out of five parked cars in Abu Dhabi has a cat lurking underneath it, keeping cool in the shade.

I'm pretty sure it's instinct taking over and Helen suddenly feels the urge to eat a cat for dinner, or at least give it a good chase. But sometimes I wonder if she just wants a friend, especially when she flattens herself out flat as a pancake by a cat sheltering car, puts her head down low, and wags her tail back and forth excitedly. Either way, one of these days she's going to get a good scratch across her nose. Maybe that will teach her to just let the cats be.

Helen was the most stressful part of our move to Abu Dhabi. For a while we thought we would leave her with friends or family in the states. But, after much debate, we decided she would be happiest staying with us and we, in turn, would be happier if she was with us. I think we made the right decision, despite the long trip, hot weather, and cultural differences.

Helen and I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly on our walks in Abu Dhabi. Since we live in an apartment, we take anywhere from 3 to 5 walks a day, usually along the closest patch of grass towards the Corniche. We see plenty. In general, Muslims and the Emirati do not like dogs. According to the Q'uran, dogs are filthy dirty animals. Some believe that a black dog is the devil incarnate. So much for man's best friend. When we go on walks I always put on a happy face, keep the leash in check, and hope for the best.

Sometimes when pedestrians see Helen walking towards them they simply cross the street well before we cross paths and keep going. This can actually be quite convenient for me as some of the sidewalks around here are so narrow there's only room for one. Sometimes people just stare at her, or scowl at her. But I would rather have people not worry about Helen or dogs in general. In fact, it has become a mission of mine to change people's attitudes regarding dogs around here from a negative one to a positive one. And Helen is the dog to do it, one person at a time.

There are a few other dogs as pets around here, but Helen is definitely on the larger side and a bit of a novelty. Sometimes, quite randomly, people will ask to take a picture of Helen. If they're not afraid, they might ask to take a picture WITH Helen and gingerly strike a pose. Nothing like a bunch of teenage dishdasha wearing boys egging each other on. I always encourage it because I want them to realize that Helen could be their best friend. Our maid that comes once a week claimed she couldn't sleep the night before she had to clean our apartment after the dog moved in. She was petrified by the thought. Once she met the dog, though, her opinion quickly changed. It's hard to be afraid of something that is so genuinely happy and just wants love and affection.

We get interesting reactions from people driving by. Entire bus loads of Indian and Pakistani construction workers will lean towards the curb side of the bus just to look at Helen. Sometimes they lean so much I think the bus might tip over. Sometimes men wearing national dress driving by in fancy cars will open a window and make whistling or tongue clicking noises and smile at the dog. These might be the same people that cross the street if they are walking, but they gain confidence while sitting safely in their cars. Sometimes PEOPLE bark at Helen. She stares at them blankly and does not bark back.

The dog in our apartment building elevator has caused some interesting reactions. More often than not, people will politely refuse to get into the elevator if we are already in it and wait for the next one. Once I startled a group of burly contractors when they tried to get in the elevator before I had a chance to get out. They were suddenly trying to hide behind each other to avoid the dog. Can you imagine a footbal team doing this? I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Then, fortunately, they laughed too, realizing how ridiculous they looked. Once Helen startled a family of four. They recoiled simultaneously from the elevator door like Helen was an evil jack-in-the-box and then laughed when they realized it was just a silly clown/goofy golden retriever. Once while exiting the elevator, Helen made a toddler scream bloody murder. I felt sorry for the toddler to already have such a fearful attitude and for Helen who had done nothing at all except for wagging her tail. I do my best to keep Helen as far away as possible from those that show concern.

I have a secret weapon in my mission to improve the canine image around here - a cute 10 year old boy from Libya named Ahmed. He absolutely adores Helen. If he sees us during a walk, he will come charging down the corniche to say hello, give her lots of hugs, take over the leash and run back and forth with her for a few minutes. This is great fun all around and gives Helen a little more exercise than usual. Ahmed has figured out where we live and occasionally stops by our apartment to see if we want to walk the dog with him. Sometimes he shows up with friends that have various comfort levels with dogs. They always leave with a better attitude toward dogs. So my one person at a time approach is starting to work. Eight million more to go.

There has been just one truly upsetting incident. While I was waiting in front of our apartment for the girls to return from a walk with Helen, our American neighbors stopped in the hallway to chat with me. Then another neighbor from the gulf region was walking by and stopped to say hello to the American husband and shake his hand (ignoring both me and the American wife). While the men were talking, my girls returned and Helen brushed up against the man's trousered leg as he was in the middle of the path back into our apartment. This outraged the man. He yelled at everyone that the dog should not touch him and stormed back to his apartment. I have since learned that a devout muslim man cannot touch a dog (or a woman other than his wife) after ablution. My guess is he was angry because he now had to go back home and take a shower. Must. Show. Respect.

Sometimes I pretend that instead of Helen, I'm walking a giant tiger on a leash. I might be afraid too if someone came towards me on the sidewalk with a giant tiger and nothing but a thin piece of leather to keep the beast in control. Maybe this is the way some people feel when they see Helen. But, after my recent one and only cockroach encounter in Abu Dhabi, I have come to a different realization. That enormous cockroach was a filthy discusting animal and made me want to go take a shower. Maybe, for some people, the notion of a giant tiger is far too noble. Perhaps our unhappy neighbor considered Helen to be a giant cockroach on a leash. He is an extreme example, but I'm sure there are more like him that we pass on our walks. For me, of course, she is nothing of the sort and will always be just our sweet, goofy golden retriever. I don't think I can change that man's opinion, but I'm still working on the rest.

Egypt

The girls have a week off of school for Eid al-Adha. This year the floating holiday ended up in the middle of November. Even though Hannah and I had just come back from Thailand, we decided to make the most of our free time in the Middle East and go to Egypt, a country that all of us have been wanting to visit.

Cairo, including the surrounding area, has a population of about 20 million. At any given time, from what I can tell, 10 million are in their cars, busses, toktoks (3 wheeled open cabs), or donkey driven carts. The other 10 million are pedestrians trying to cross the street, with 8 lanes of solid traffic and no traffic lights, acting like it's a leisurely stroll in the countryside. Somehow it all works, as long as you don't mind hearing a constant symphony of car horns.

We had been warned that Cairo is very dirty, and it's true. Certain neighborhoods are kept clean, but many have piles of garbage everywhere. If there is a plot of land without a building, it is used as a junkyard. Stray dogs help to clean up. There is also garbage floating in the many canals around Cairo and egrets help to take care of the flotsam.

Entire neighborhoods in Cairo appear to be full of unfinished buildings. This is because there is no permit requirement (if a permit has even been pulled) regarding the date a building has to be complete. So developers or families often finish one floor of a building with the framing exposed for the second or third floors. If money becomes available, then another floor is added. This may take years. Some appear to abandon the idea of ever completing the project and live with half finished buildings.

To add to the mix, there were live sheep and goats everywhere:

Muslim families celebrate Eid al-Adha with the slaughtering of a sheep or goat, a tradition commemorating the story of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his own son Ismail (at the last minute, a ram is allowed to be slaughtered instead and Ismail is saved). The meat is shared with friends, family, and the poor. Since many Egyptian Muslims still prefer to slaughter their own sheep, the streets of Cairo are full of flocks of sheep and goats around Eid al-Adha, right by the 8 lanes of traffic.

Despite the craziness of Cairo, a trip to the Pyramids of nearby Giza makes it all worthwhile. They were built between 2600 and 2100 BC. Walking around these ancient and enormous structures is an amazing experience. It is awesome in the true sense of the word.

It is hard not to get a good photo of the sphinx with a pyramid.

We highly recommend a camel ride at the pyramids.

After lunch, a papyrus paper making shop, and a perfume factory, we visited the Egyptian Museum. Photos aren't allowed. It is old, badly lit, and dusty, but the exhibits are stunning and speak for themselves. The treasures from Tutankhamun's tomb are absolutely breathtaking. A new museum if under construction near the Pyramids of Giza and should be complete (in shaa'a l-laah) within the next few years. This will be a welcome new home for Egypt's amazing and expansive collection.

The next day we visited the Citadel. It is a walled compound set on top of a craggy hill, first built by Muslims in the 1100s, where the Egyptian rulers then lived for centuries. Here the girls stand in front of the Mohammed Ali Mosque, built in the 1800s. Inside, Hannah had to wear an abaya to cover her knees. Mackenzie is still young enough that it doesn't matter. Most active Mosques are not open to the public. If they are, everyone must go barefoot. I loved the hanging lanterns.

In the afternoon we visited the narrow streets of Old Cairo, home of several Coptic Christian Churches and an active Synagogue. We also visited the famous Khan al-Khalili market, where bartering is a must. For a few minutes we got lost in the tiny turning alleys of the market. This is also a must.

The next day we visited nearby Saqqara and Memphis. There are fewer cars on the country roads, more palm trees, and more carts pulled by donkeys or horses. Saqqara is home to the Step Pyramid of Djoser, built in the 27th Century BC and a prototype for all Egyptian pyramids.

In the afternoon we visited the Pharaonic Village. This is set up with live actors portraying life in ancient Egypt and is viewed while floating in a boat down the Nile. It's especially good for kids. Here a pair of oxen demonstrate how a field is plowed. This is a method that is still used today, as we saw later in our trip.

John had to work in Abu Dhabi and was only able to join us after the girls and I had enjoyed our three days in Cairo. We got on an early flight the next morning for Aswan, down (which means south but is also upstream) the Nile. Here we're standing on the high dam, one of the largest dams in the world, that controls flooding of the Nile's fertile delta. Upper Egypt is amazingly clean compared to Cairo with bougainvillea growing everywhere. It is also much less crowded, though the archeological sites are still full of tourists.

We visited the Temple of Philae. It is one of many temples saved by Unesco and moved to higher ground when the dam was built. It is accessible only by boat.

The temple was originally built during the Ptolemaic (Queen Cleopatra was the last) and early Roman periods. This is the Gate of Hadrian. The walls are full of an "open book" of hieroglyphics that the Romans proceeded to deface because they wanted the Egyptians to believe in the Roman gods, not the Egyptian gods. Darn Romans.

We got on yet another boat that took us to a Nubian village. It was interesting to see how another culture in Egypt lives. On the way we saw a beautiful bird conservation area...

and people doing their laundry in the Nile...

and camel trekkers.

Later in the afternoon, after we got on our Nile Cruise boat (one of about 400 on the river), the scenery became even more beautiful. We saw lots of sheep, goats, and cows grazing. No fences anywhere.

There were also felucca sailboats along the way.

Alfred E. Neuman is alive and well and living in the walls of the Kom Ombo (the crocodile god) temple, a few hours up the Nile. We saw this temple at dusk which makes everything very dramatic.

The only way to get to the Temple of Horus at Edfu from the Nile cruise ships is by horse carriage. There are hundreds of them. It was fun, but the horses all look like they could use an extra bag of oats and a day off. There was some confusion regarding which carriage we were supposed to take back to the boat and we were afraid we might miss our boat, but it all worked out in the end.

The falcon god Horus, guarding the temple.

Hieroglyphics cover every available surface.

A standard view while cruising the Nile: the water, the green banks, and the mountains or desert that quickly take over not too far in the distance.

The deck pool

By coincidence, we ran into another family on the boat from the American Community School in Abu Dhabi. It was a great break from all those temples for the kids.

More downtime.

We had three nights of beautiful sunsets on the river. Everyone in our family claims that he/she is the one that took this photo.

Our boat landed in Luxor (the temple is in the distance), but this isn't our boat. There is limited shore line for the big boats, so they end up mooring parallel to each other. To get to shore you have to walk through whichever boats already happen to be there. Sometimes they are stacked nine deep. Sometimes they decide to move without telling you. This means you walk through even more boats until you find the right one. But it's fun.

We visited the west bank of Luxor and the terraced Temple of Hatshepsut, a rare Queen among the Pharaohs. We also visited the tombs of Ramses III, IV, and IX in the Valley of the Kings. No photos are allowed in the tombs. The limestone walls and ceilings are painted white and covered in amazing and colorful hieroglyphics. Many "open books", many stories. The pharaohs took great pains to hide their tombs so that the contents would stay with them in the afterlife. Except for King Tut, most of the material goods were stolen centuries ago. But the tombs themselves are very well preserved. More are found all the time.

Karnak. It is enormous, covering 100 acres and full of an amazing array of ruins.

On the left is the great hypostyle hall. The biggest ever. 134 columns. On the right is the Temple at Luxor that we saw at night. The match to this obelisk is in the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Luxor is currently working on reconnecting the Temples of Karnak and Luxor with a 3 kilometer long pedestrian walkway, lined on either side with sphinx. The sphinx are already there, they just need to be unearthed.

We ended our stay in Luxor with a horseback ride. The horse owners asked which one of us had the most riding experience and I was volunteered. As I was getting on the owner said, "His name is Ramses. He's a 6 year old stallion. He didn't work out as a carriage horse and has only actually been ridden about 10 times. This is his first time along this path. Oh, and he has a super sensitive mouth, so don't pull back on the reins." Great, there go my brakes. But he worked well with voice and leg commands and ended up being a very enjoyable and spirited ride. It was nice to get a close up view of the crops and farm animals along the Nile.

Our trip ended with dinner at the Stones, family friends from the states that now live in a nice neighborhood in Cairo. The next day we headed back to school and work in Abu Dhabi. It was a wonderful vacation. I wish we had time to see Abu Simbel, Alexandria, Sharm el-Sheikh, and Hurghada, but those will have to wait for another trip.