Salty Water Parks and Geckos

For much of the month of May, we'd been not doing much on the weekends, mostly because we're so worn ragged from the work weeks here, but also because we joined the local dusty swimming club, where we can wear our (my) immodest swimwear without police intervention, and even order beers at the poolside.

But when we realized we only had a few weeks left till summer break, we got re-inspired to explore around town again, and tick a few more destinations off our list. We started with a trip to the rural emirate of RAK, where we discovered a golf club that actually has a bar (still not sure how these out-of-sight places get permissions in this Muslim land), and a friend from the college was playing in the band. Seeing my normally buttoned up colleague kick his shoes off and jam on his bass guitar, as well as traditionally-dressed Emiratis with Coronas in buckets, were yet a few more cultural experiences to add to this blog.

Also unexpected has been the invasion all at once by two chubby lizards (and one baby) in our villa. Back in October we had a visit from pest control, and exactly six months later, as predicted by the professionals, the little pesky lizards have re-invaded, and they continue to cause me great distress (and Liam fantastic entertainment) when they hop out from the curtains every morning and every night. (pictures coming soon to my facebook page)

Finally, we took the kids to Wild Wadi, the world's most 'totally awesome' water park (Brady's words). Perched at the foot of Dubai's famous Sail-shaped Hotel, the Burj Al Arab, and right on the gulf, the views from anywhere in the park are amazing, and the surprisingly salty water in the attractions adds a special flavour to the terrifying rides.