heartstrings 43.0: the joys of Abu Dhabi life... except not

I've had a lot of time to think about the summer ahead and leaving the Doo-ville for 6 weeks. There are things that I will miss whilst away but there are definitely things I will not miss. At work last week, I compiled a list of things I will not be seeing in the US of A (or even the UK for that matter) and this weekend in Dubai, I added to that last. And on my way to work this morning... another addition.

So without further adieu, the top things I will not be seeing in the summer of 2013:

• stop signs being optional 
• crossing 4 lanes of traffic in a split second to make a left (or right) turn at an intersection
• driving against traffic down the wrong side of the road
• reversing in the middle of the road - or highway for that matter
• full stops in the middle of a busy road
• bump driving
• going 20 km/h over the speed limit so that you can stay alive
• flashing lights in your rear view mirror so the car behind you doesn't have to stop going a bizillion miles an hour
• hearing some impatient soul blow their horn the instant the light turns green
• drag race starts off of a green light so you don't get hit from behind (or beeped at)
• passing on the shoulder because people can't be bothered to put their foot on the break until you have time to get over 
• someone honking their horn for a Starbucks worker to come out to their car (that is parked in the middle of the street and behind parked cars) so they can have their order taken. 
• someone else pumping the petrol into your car or serving your coffee at the petrol station 
• refunds not being optional (you are lucky to get your money back in this country)
• when you use your turn signal it ensures the person behind you in the lane you would like to merge into will automatically speed up so you can not get over. 
• no car washes during your mall/grocery store excursions
• snapping of fingers to get service of any kind from people
• sun visors in the back windshield of someone's car
• honking of the horn for literally 30 seconds - 1 minute in a parking garage because someone is taking "too long" to get into their car/move their car
• children not wearing seat belts - anywhere and at any speed.
• looking back in your rear view mirror and spotting a toddler driving the car with daddy 
• waiting hours at the bank just to see the teller 
• nobody's job will be to bring/make tea for anyone at their job
• I will have to push my own elevator buttons
• preparing to turn at a light with two turning lanes and seeing a car/truck doing a u-turn from the outer turning lane (they should be u-turning from the inner lane) 
• a sweets/candy/ice cream shop everywhere you walk
• a phone/data refill card 
• SAND/sandstorms
• screaming children in malls/stores and their parents just walking away or ignoring them

Heartstrings 42.0: African celebrations!

Happy Monday, y'all! It's my last working Monday in the UAE... woo-hoo!

This past weekend I had my last trip to Dubai before heading back home to celebrate a friend's birthday... African style. After much teeter-tottering with what to wear to this themed birthday celebration, I finally found a maxi dress at New Look the day before the festivities.

Jo is a wonderful planner, I must say... everything from the invitation (which was laid out in three acts with descriptions) to the events and attire.

Act I: Tribes (African cuisine) located inside the Mall of the Emirates. It was hard to select a dish to devour in this place because everything sounded so wonderful. In the end, I decided upon the 1/2 Equatorial Chicken with herb roasted potatoes and it was ah-mazing! The flavors and tenderness of the meat were out of this world. I know everyone who ate was extremely satisfied with their meal - all 11 or 12 of us.

We arrived around 4:00 and didn't leave until 7:00... conversation was good amongst the mix of Jo's friends. After finishing up our eating, the restaurant had a little birthday celebration for Mama Afrika (as we called Jo). It was tons of fun! They beat the drums, yelled, and danced for several minutes (hope the video works below - it's about 2:30 minutes of awesomeness). They really got into it and it made Cathy and I really want to go to Africa - which I will one day.

They gave her a wonderful looking cake and after splitting the bill; we left to head over to the Madinat Jumeriah for an African music show. On our way back to my car, Jo turned a lot of heads... every step she took, her skirt would flow back and make it look like she was gliding on the floor. She literally was like an African Queen; so Cathy and I walked behind her and declared ourselves to be her royal subjects - or Princesses :)

having some H20 outside and enjoying the view of the Madinat Jumeriah and the Burj al Arab hotel (if you look closely, you can see the helicopter landing pad on the top of the hotel).

Act 2: Under African Skies located in the Madinat Jumeriah

This show was a wonderful mix of all the music South Africa has and mixed with the cultural/societal/political events that have occurred over the past 60-70 years. The performers seemed to really love what they were doing, which makes the experience even better. Their faces were full of delight and pride for their country as they danced and sung their hearts out. The faces and hand motions were such fun to watch... there is something really special and almost serene about watching these dancers perform. I learned a lot about their culture and hardships the country has faced throughout this narrated song and dance performance.

Interesting tidbit: did you know that the song, 'Wimoweh,' ('The Lion Sleeps Tonight' from the Lion King) was a huge hit back in the 40s - it sold around 100,000 copies and then the South African writer sold the rights for 10 shillings (which at the time was around $2.00). That's crazy to think about... $2 and look at how far it went!

After the cast performed their encore... we hit up Starbucks for a late night pick me up. The girls were heading on to Act 3 at the Media One hotel to dance the morning away to a DJ that was playing some African Beats... this gal was headed back to Abu Dhabi that night, so we parted ways. But before leaving the souk, we ran into the cast of Under African Skies as they were snacking on some ice cream. They were so gracious and nice, genuine people to stick around and talk to us and take pictures with us (as I'm sure they were exhausted... even though they said they weren't).

One thing's for certain after watching this performance, I realized how stuck we are in America of our own culture and interests that we don't take the time to really get to experience the joy that other countries have to offer. These people are enjoying their theater experience as they get to travel around the world and share their love and their country with other people. They're not in it for the fame and fortune, but for the sheer love of what they do and their country. I am very grateful for the opportunities I have been given while over here to really experience the world and the people in it.

Heartstrings 41.0: the key to every Texas girl's heart... meat and potatoes!

A post dedicated to the amazing food my body has taken in over the past week. As I've written before, work is quite slow nowadays. So basically, we come late and leave early to school and sit around chatting and watching movies. It's a hard life I live now... not quite as boring as I was expecting it to be, but there is still time for boredom to settle in.

One of our slow days, Rimi and I decided to leave early and go shopping. But first, we must eat. We found a new place in Al Wahda Mall called Paul's and decided to try it on for size. It's a little pricey, but it was our end of the week treat (and it wasn't too much longer before payday!)

I decided to go with a chicken dish (I really must start remembering the names of the food I try - or at least take a picture of it since I never can remember these fancy dish names). The chicken was breaded with almonds and was stuffed with a light creamy cheese sauce in the middle. It was served with a raspberry sauce (that I didn't try because I am not a fan of raspberries). The carrots, green beans, and mashed potatoes were delish... asparagus was a little juicy for eating and overcooked a tad. But all in all, the meal went over well with my taste buds.

The next day I almost entered a food coma from all the yummy goodness I inhaled at the Intercontinental Hotel. 

With most of us only having a few weeks left here in the UAE until we head our separate ways and travel home or explore the world; my friends and I met up for our first brunching experience in the UAE. Yep, that's right... first brunch. For those of you back home, a Friday brunch is how most people spend their weekends as you can get all you can eat/drink for 4 hours. If you drink, it's totally worth the price, I suppose. We arrived around noon and ate non stop until 4:30 pm. Oh my word, I have never in my life eaten so much food in one sitting! I will never attend another brunch other then the one at the Intercon. Here is a shot of the pasta station (on the left) where they will make risotto, spaghetti, pizza, or whatever your inner Italian is feeling at that moment. On the right is a portion of the Belgian Cafe menu featuring salmons, veggies, and things of that nature.

I decided on my first go, I would get my healthy foods in because I knew I wouldn't save room for later. So I made a mini spinach salad with corn and tomatoes, threw some strawberries and grapes on my plate, and then headed for the good stuff; Chamas' chicken and beef sirloin... Chamas is hands-down my favorite restaurant in Abu Dhabi Doo... it's a Brazilian place and the meat is to die for, melt in your mouth goodness.

After letting the sirloin settle in my tummy, I went across the way to the Yacht Club - which specializes in fancy seafood like sushi, oysters, clams, (none of which I'm too fond of). On the way I found my favorite station of the afternoon... the potato station. Where they serve any and all varieties/forms of potatoes from fries, wedges, scalloped, mashed, herb roasted, etc. On this plate, I decided to get some Asian chicken/noodle concoction, tried a pork rib (yes, they serve pork products at this brunch - unheard of here in the UAE), Belgium Cafe fries (best in AD as well), mashed potatoes, jumbo shrimp (that I ate almost all of while I waited behind the masses at the potato station), and to finish off, some German potato salad.  The chicken/noodle stuff was really good... didn't care for the pork rib (too tough for my liking but that could have something to do with my partiality for Chamas' beef), of course the potatoes were good, as was the shrimp.

Round Three took a little convincing myself to do... I knew I didn't have room if I wanted to maintain a level of comfort, but I decided that it didn't matter and went for it. I headed back to the wonderful potato station for some scalloped potatoes, snagged me a mini hamburger and grilled broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots, threw some grilled salmon and beef tips on my plate. Then went back to Chamas for some more beef tenderloin that was every Texans dream cut.

I finished the afternoon off with a little chocolate mousse cake (didn't take a picture of that cause it was off my plate as fast as it was put on there! lol). All in all, if you're ever in Abu Dhabi and need a good place to brunch, I highly recommend this place.

As the ladies and I concluded during our four hours of laughter and discussions, this was one of our favorite memories in Abu Dhabi... so thanks to Kalli, Cathy, and Jackie for the wonderful experience - can't wait to live lavishly with you ladies again!!! :)

Heartstrings 40.0: Welp, that's all folks...

As my first year has almost officially ended (aka... the kids have just stopped coming to school and I now spend my days sitting around chatting with the co-workers and watching movies/tv series) I thought I should post some moments from the last 2 weeks of school - bulleted of course, cause I can't be bothered to write complete sentences :)

• Reviewing rooms in the house, one boy yelled out, "CHICKEN," when I asked what the name of the kitchen was. 
• Got handed a note from sweet little Abdulla Tayef that said, "I love you," aww...
• Learned-ish the words for living room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom in Arabic.
• Got numerous, "thank you's," from the boys for downloading Ben 10 and Transformers to show in class (should be thanking THEM cause that allowed me to enter their grades instead of having to stay after school or work on them at home).
• Had about 6 boys from one class show up last Tuesday because they wanted to play and liked Ms. Krista
• Planned lots of my vacation whilst the boys worked/played/I had free periods off

Not too many things happened seeing as I had tonsillitis and missed 3 days one work week, then the next week had a sore throat from the same bacteria (which went into my eye this weekend! Can't get rid of this bugger, streptococcus!) That tonsillitis was a mess... haven't had it since I was younger and it's a pain. Spent most of my days/nights on my coach afraid to swallow and with a fever. Had to go to the hospital where they gave me an IV to reduce my fever and injected my first round of antibiotics (and 4 hours later, my fever was back). Got better that weekend and then BAM! Sore throat from the same stuff and was back to fearing the swallowing thing. Luckily, that only lasted a few days. Just had a few days left after that with the boys before they were off...

It's a very strange thought to be finished teaching the boys this year. Not a typical end of the school year here in the UAE as the boys just drop off like flies. I don't think I even got the chance to say goodbye to any of them or wish them a good holiday. You just never saw them again... and the boys didn't care to come say bye to you as it isn't in their culture to be "sentimental" that way. No end of the year party or activities set up by the school... No summer games played in the classroom or autograph/yearbook signing happening... No gifts from any of the kids... might have gotten 2-3 "thank you teacher," from the parents.

Our new official work week times are 8:00-12:30 every day... so basically, I will now be paid to sit around and catch up on Homeland and if there is anything else you feel I should be watching/catching up on; send me a message and let me know and I'll get right on it! Well, after Homeland :)

4 more weeks until I am Stateside! Very exciting!!!

Heartstrings 39.0: adios land of Thais!

Last post of Thailand... promise! I realize I could blab on and on about this place so I'm just gonna make it short and sweet. 

On my birthday, I decided I wanted to do something I'd never done before: rock climbing. It was a lot of fun... hard, but very rewarding. It's one of those things you need a lot of mental strength over physical strength. I will definitely be trying this again soon. It was a great way to spend the morning. We ended up going to a buffet place for lunch and chatted with the owner before heading back to get cleaned up for dinner. We hung around the hotel for a bit and then decided to go to another buffet that was recommended by tripadvisor and some guy we'd met walking by it the night before. It was decent. Got some free ice cream out of it. We walked around town a bit and then went back to the hotel and taught Alison and Kathy how to play spades. All in all, not a bad way to spend one's 29th birthday.

The next day was our first island adventure. First up Bamboo Island... it was a nice place. Little over crowded for my liking; but the water was stunning. I decided not to snorkel and walked the shoreline... found this little dude before noticing the time and had to sprint back before the boat left me stranded on the island! Oh, a first for me: I used my first "squatty potty" here on this island. Good times... 

Back on the boat, we headed for the Phi Phi islands. First stop was Viking Cave. I have never seen water so blue. It was gorgeous! We did a lot of stops in places like these (won't bore you with more pictures, they're on facebook anyway) 

Next up: Maya Bay... this is the place where The Beach was filmed. Very picturesque. If you walk around, you get the sense that you really are closed in with the cliffs towering above. The jungle is literally right off the beach. Again, way too crowded for my liking. The picture below is about as much space as people have to swim there... the rest of the small beach area is lined with speed boats for the tours.

Next up: Monkey Bay. I was sad to learn that we wouldn't be getting off the boat to play with the monkeys - as was Sonia. We had to see them at a distance. But it was nice to see them walking around and climbing the cliffs. One of the boats even fed the monkeys... a few of them would actually jump on the front of the boat, grab the food, and then jump off. 

The Phi Phi islands are definitely the best place for snorkeling in these parts of Thailand. We saw lots of fish... I even got lost in a school of them because people from the boat were throwing bread around where I was and the fish were swarming to it. My goal in Thailand was to find Nemo, and my mission was a failure. Guess I'll have to try Australia now... bummer ;) I got to see one of the boat guys take a dive down to the coral and pull up a sea urchin. Another first for me today: holding the urchin. This lady got scratched up a few times while handing it over to different people. I almost walked into this one as I got back on the boat... cause really, who expects people to be holding a sea urchin right as people are getting on a boat?!?

Next day: new tour. James Bond Island. This tour was different in that we had to drive in a van for over an hour to get to the boat that would take us to the island. It was a different feel... I liked it. The island is very small. And you can't swim in the water... something about stingy things in the water that aren't jellyfish? I dunno... didn't want to try it myself. 

After leaving James Bond, we went kayaking... it was the laziest way to kayak as we had someone on the boat paddling for us. I had Alison ask if I could paddle and the dude let me. So, score! I got my kayaking in!

We finished up kayaking, and went to this local fishing/floating village. All the restaurants/shops were on pillars. It was very pretty.

We left the village, boated past the mangroves, and loaded up back in the van for our journey to the Monkey Temple. It's a temple in a cave, but the special part is the monkeys that live outside the cave. If they're out, there can be hundreds of them begging for food. When we arrived... no monkeys. Made Sonia sad. We were only there four about 30 - 45 minutes and right as we were leaving, the monkeys made their appearance. We only got to see a few, but I got to hand this monkey his banana he dropped on the ground! :)

The last day of island tours were the Hong Islands. We first went into a beautiful lagoon... blue water, limestone cliffs, and trees sprouting out of the water.  

After the lagoon, we went to my future retirement place (yes, it has taken the place of Big Sur, CA)... Pakibi Island. Although I'm not sure how long I'd be able to stay on this island each day as the beach is very tiny. Pretty sure it's not a beach around 1 - 2 pm anymore. So it'd be my morning retirement place! 

We left Pakibi and headed for this island (can't remember the name!) and had lunch. The island is so small that it uses these metal containers to catch the rain. 

Last island stop for us: Hong Island. Best beach to swim around in. Minimal people and nice water. The snorkeling is so-so... Kathy and I saw some giant slugs (which she freaked out when seeing them - she was afraid they would swim up and wrap their nasty slug bodies around her... haha!) I swam for a good hour or so before settling in the sand and catching up on some reading. It was a great way to end our island vacation! 

We headed back to Ao Nang and ate our last meal at Luk Yim... in the end, I collected 11 bracelets (one for each island we visited while there.)

The next morning, we loaded up and left Krabi :( Awaiting us was our deluxe suit upgrade at the same hotel we stayed at on our first leg of Bangkok. Didn't spend too much time in our room to enjoy it though. But here are some pics: 

I had a really great time in Thailand and can't wait to go back and see more of this beautiful country. The people were amazing and the island experience really made me feel as though I were back in Texas.

Heartstrings 38.0: Poda & Luk Yim lovin', not-so-much massage

After a nice short flight from Bangkok to Krabi, we hired a taxi to take us to our hotel in Ao Nang. We asked the lady who checked us in for a recommendation to eat around the hotel... her response, "I would not eat near here." So needless to say, we got in a tuk-tuk and headed into town. Unsure of what to eat, we ended up at TJ's Bar for some nachos and a burger for me. Met a nice Swedish bar tender who helped us figure out where to eat from that night on. Talked to a Brazilian couple who were on holiday from their masters studies in Chicago. We enjoyed our first night (some a LOT more then others as an impromptu karaoke moment happened and I was given the task of providing lyrics to Journey's Don't Stop Believing. We left the bar and headed out into the streets of Ao Nang... I chatted up a lovely Aussie couple while Sonia danced the night away in the streets. The husband just so happened to celebrate his birthday a day after mine... and they gave us a suggestion of where to head on our first full day in the island region. We finally got Sonia to stop dancing and eventually made our way back to the hotel.

The next morning, we woke up, ate breakfast, and hopped in a tuk-tuk to head to the pier. We took the Aussie's advice and booked a ticket on a longboat out to Poda Island. It was a 25 minute ride and when we got there the captain told us that we'd leave at 3pm. We had the whole day in paradise! The island was so quite and stunning. We swam with the fish (the girls got nibbled on) and I took a stroll around the island. I learned that I could definitely be classified now as someone who "enjoys long walks on the beach..." While walking along and listening to music, a local boy ran by me... as he passed he yelled out, "I miss you!" I literally laughed out loud... couldn't keep it in. I enjoyed my serene moments on the beach to myself before heading back to eat lunch. We were definitely spoiled with such a lovely place to spend our first island adventure. I would definitely recommend this quiet area to people who are visiting. Take a longboat out... there are tours that stop on and off throughout the day, but this place is definitely a keeper. Not much tourism (only one bathroom on the island) and there's hiking trails along the inside of the island.

When we left the island, we decided we would eat dinner at one of the spots the Swedish lady recommended. We headed to Luk Yim (which we returned to quite frequently because it was that good.) I had my hand at Beef Panang this time, while the others tried the Chicken Panang and Green Curry.

After leaving dinner, we decided to give a massage a go. Keep in mind, I was already horribly sunburned from my day at Poda. When the lady looked at my back, she asked me if I was sure that I wanted the massage. I told her we'd try it... so I did. All in all, I didn't care too much for the whole experience. About the only part I really enjoyed was the oil massage. They did a lot of popping of the back, massaged with a towel over your body, the lady climbed on top of me and did some more weird popping stuff, she continued with a yoga/pilates move holding your arms behind you and pulling your torso up, and what I can only describe as a round-about popping of the back. Every moment of the experience, I was left wondering, "what's she gonna do to me next?" which can make your body tense up a little - not the most relaxing of experiences for me personally. I finally had to ask her to stop the massage when she brought the towel back out and then proceeded to massage my scalp. That hurt like nobody's business... she was understanding and that was the end of my only Thai massage experience. The other girls enjoyed their experience and went back for several more... so maybe it was just me. I prefer Swedish style myself...

Heartstrings 37.0: city exploring

Bangkok, cont... Day Three with the gals...

Sonia and I

 

Kathy and I

On the river, we saw a lot of different types of structures, some grand and some dilapidated shacks. This is China town from the boat and one of the temples we did not get to see.

When we stepped off the boat, we didn't really have a clue where to go. I wasn't up for being the human GPS at the moment so we wondered to the bathroom, which is always a safe stop. Everywhere in Thailand, you have to pay to use the toilet.. and if you can find a toilet that has toilet paper, score! It's a hot commodity in this country!

Sonia and Alison had an unspoken vow of having a coconut a day while in Thailand. This lady took that knife to the coconut and it didn't stand a chance. It was a fast opening...

Lost in a market that smelled heavily of fish and fruit, I found this... now, you may laugh because you think it's quite funny looking; but I can speak from experience... this is an accurate interpretation of a Thai massage (more on that in the island posts!)

Whilst on the streets trying to figure out which way to go, a local Thai man started up a conversation with me. I greeted him with the standard Thai, "saw-wah-de-kah," which basically means hello. He worked across the street at the temple we were looking at and he told us about the upcoming festival around the country and helped us figure out where to site see for the day. During the conversation, he told me to find a tuk-tuk driver and tell him where we wanted to go, for 40 baht, in Thai. He then asked me if I spoke Thai (in which I politely laughed and said no, cause really?) He hailed down a driver and off we went!

Our first stop was the Smiling Buddha. Our driver was well excited about teaching us about his culture. He couldn't stop smiling as he talked about the city and especially when we came to the temple.

While there, he was teaching me about the different Buddha's... did you know there was one for every day? Yeah, shouldn't be hard to believe. He shared with us a local custom when you come to the Smiling Buddha. Basically, you pay 10 baht for a small jar of oil. You pour the oil into the Buddah that the day of your birthday falls upon that year (lucky for me, mine was the next week... otherwise, I would not have know my birthday fell on a Thursday!)

After you pour the oil, you walk over to the bell, and with your right hand, you gong the bell three times... once on the right, once on the left, and again on the right. Then you walk over to the other bell to the right and do the same thing, in reverse order.

After we all finished our birthday Buddah custom, we took our shoes off and headed inside the temple to see the Smiling Buddah. Inside, we met another friendly Thai man. We spoke to him for a good 20 minutes (poor tuk-tuk driver waiting outside in the blistering 38 degree weather - about 100 degrees F!) He owned a rubber tree farm and a friend told him to come to this Buddha for a successful business year. His son was also getting married in a few weeks (hope it went well!) After talking some more, he wanted to teach us how to ask Buddha for something. Of course, I felt a little conflicted with the whole not worshiping other idols thing and then not wanting to disrespect the Buddhist culture by praying to God in a temple. So I just said a few words wishing the man a successful business year and for his son to have a lovely wedding. We said our goodbyes after finishing up and were off again...

Wat Pho... beautiful. It was the only other temple Kathy and I went inside. Although, I've heard that if you've been in one, you've seen 'em all. And I believe that!

We walked in the entrance and paid a 100 baht (about $3) to see the temple of the reclining Buddha...

When you get your ticket scanned, the first place you see to the left has this inside. If you actually hit it (we did it once and very soft,) you will hear the low gong sound. It's pretty cool. 

The first temple we visited inside Wat Pho was the Reclining Buddha. Inside there were quite a few people, so getting pictures was a bit tricky. Lucky for me, everyone was snapping away at the gigantic Buddha and marveling at it's size and didn't see the 4 monks meditating.

Was a little grossed out when I saw this... biggest feet ever! Yuck!

When we left the Reclining Buddha, it was hotter than Hades outside. Pretty sure it was pushing 105 or so... but that's what ya get when you travel in the hottest month of the year in Thailand.

It was after one by now and I was hungry, but we pressed on through the grounds to see the other temples in hopes that we would finish in time to head across the street to see The Grand Palace. 

Beautiful landscaping and architecture

Walking around Wat Pho was quite relaxing... although I will say that it's all the same going in and out of each temple. They all had different Buddha's in them though. Kathy and I started playing around while waiting for Sonia, and I made a new friend. He's quite small, but very happy! I even attempted to be like Buddha... I wouldn't recommend doing that on the smallest step know to man. Kathy was "yelling" at me to fix my feet and snapped a picture of my scared Buddha. It was quite funny in the moment.

In the end, we didn't get to see all of Wat Pho as it was nearing 3:00 and I hadn't eaten lunch yet. Kathy was very understanding (Sonia got lost in the midst of all the Buddhas and we ended up leaving without her). We headed back to the hotel after waiting for a good 45 minutes for the ferry - which was extremely packed! We ate dinner and said goodbye to Bangkok for the time being.