Day 54: Dubai, UAE

Camels! We started our day with camels. Eric was nice enough to arrange a dune-bashing morning for us. It involved many emotions: fear, exhilaration, relief, joy. Fear when your car is tipping almost 90 degrees forward or 45 degrees to the side; exhilaration when you realize it's fun and you're going to make it; relief when you actually land; and joy when you see a camel. Then, you repeat.

After our morning workout (aka, my right arm gripping the "holy hell" handle), we decided to put our feet up and relax - poolside! We read, swam, and beat the heat.

Evening activities involved drinks and dinner with our amazing hosts Eric, Laura, and Sprout (Chris even did shots!). We are currently at the airport crossing our fingers, hoping to make the flight home. Think good thoughts for us! Oh yes, and Go Hawks!

Day 53: Abu Dhabi & Dubai, UAE

Today we saw one of the most exquisite sights in all of our travels, the Shiekh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, Dubai's neighboring emirate (their version of a state).

The mosque was stunning at every angle. There are inlaid precious stones on the columns, gold on top of the spires, and the whitest marble on the floors.

On mosque grounds, men and women must be fully clothed from head to toe, and women must cover their heads. As prepared tourists, we brought the scarves we had in Europe. Those less prepared were given abaya and hijabs to properly cover.

Our wonderful tour guide, whose English name is Issac, guided us through the mosque and educated us in Islamic architecture, culture, and religion.

This masterpiece was just completed in 2005. It is the largest mosque in the UAE and one of the tenth largest in the world. It also holds both the largest carpet and the largest chandelier of its kind in the world. 41,000 people can worship there at one time.

After our tour, the rest of the day was very relaxing: poolside reading, Lebanese food for lunch, the beach, and Mexican for dinner and drinks. No doubt we will sleep well tonight!

Day 52: Dubai, UAE

2,716.5 feet (or 828 meters) is how far we traveled today. Vertically, that is!

Our first stop of the day (after freshly pressed juice and doggie kisses) was Burj Khalifa, the tallest structure in the world. This building is just a child, as construction started in January 2004 and it opened in January 2010. The spire of the Burj can be seen from an astounding 95 kilometres away. Lisa and I took in the view of the city after the surprisingly speedy elevator ride, and we were further reminded that we truly are in the middle of a desert. After your eyes scan Dubai, there's not a whole lot to see besides sand and water.

Close by, we also saw a water show outside of the Dubai mall, along with the world record holder for the "longest single panel aquarium."

Next, we saw the "only 7-star hotel in the world," the Burj Al Arab. While only the elite can actually go into the hotel, Eric, Lisa and I very much enjoyed our view from the beach. After a relaxing two hour swim in the Arabian Gulf, we headed to dinner at a delicious Italian restaurant.

The food was amazing, the sights were astounding, and we can't wait to see more tomorrow!


On an end note, here's more information on the world's tallest building:
- At the height of its construction, there were over 12,000 laborers working each day.
- All of the concrete that was used to make the building weighed as much as 100,000 elephants.
- It is home to the Armani Hotel.
- It has one of the fastest elevators, traveling 10 meters per second, along with the lengthiest single-run elevator, covering 140 floors.
- 20: The amount of times Lisa and I collectively swallowed to clear our ears during the elevator rides up and down.

Days 50 and 51: Chicago to Dubai, UAE

Hello from Dubai!

After 20.5 hours of airport/flight time (including our longest flight of 13.5 hours), we finally made it to Dubai! It was a close call, as we thought for certain that our picture of a plane would be the closest we got to one today. Luckily, that was not the case.

We are very lucky to be staying with our friend Eric, his fiancée Laura, and their affectionate doggie Brussels Sprouts.

Tonight was very relaxing, as we cooked, downed a lot of wine and beer, and just enjoyed great conversation :). Tomorrow we head to the main attractions!

Days 48 and 49: Sweet Home Chicago... or Schaumburg :)

Tomorrow, we make our way to another new country, the United Arab Emirates. These last few days at home have flown by so quickly!

Yesterday, we celebrated our amazing mom's birthday with the Chicago classic, Lou Malnatis. But not until Lisa's flight from Seattle finally landed after being diverted to Rockford, thanks to the awesome storms.

Today, we did a few drive-by visits. First, we saw our cousin Katherine, her hubbie Dan, and the peanuts, Addyson and Maverick. Our next stop was Red Mango to load up on frozen yogurt and to catch up with our friend Katie.

Outside of repacking and falling asleep like a narcoleptic at 9:00 pm each night, I spent any spare time with my boyfriend Chris and his fat cuddly cat Camel.

Hard to believe that Lisa and I already leave for Dubai tomorrow. Flight loads willing, we will be seated next to each other for the 13.5 hour flight from Washington DC to Dubai. Cross your fingers for us!

Day 47: Lisa in Seattle, WA with Kristina (with a 'K')

Life is hard. I mean, really hard. Kristina and I spent our day dog-sitting a 4 month old lab with an 8 year old German shepherd keeshond mix. I started and finished a book, Kristina did some freelancing, and we indulged in amazing Thai food. After Thai, we fell into an immediate food coma, with warm puppies on a comfortable couch.

After our nap, while motivated-Kristina went for a run, I went boating on Lake Union with my friend Matt to watch a sailboat race. Thankfully, the weather held out, we had some great views, and I learned a lot more about sailing.

Then, in keeping with the theme of this Seattle trip, we all met up at a bar for some local beer. Somehow, I only had one beer, but my alter-ego ordered a pitcher. Thankfully, I had some hungry runners who were more than happy to share it with me.

That's it for today! I have an early start tomorrow (4:00 am) as I'm headed back home to celebrate my mom's birthday! :)

Day 46: Lisa in Seattle, WA with Kristina (with a 'K')

I woke up this morning in sunny Seattle; I repeat, Seattle was sunny! After passing out like a champ at 5pm the night before, I was able to sleep until about 8:30 am (with the exception of Chris' 3:30 alarm for her flight home).

I bid farewell to Amber and sweet Lucy and walked in the sunshine to Kristina's place. Shortly thereafter, we set out for a coffee shop where I enjoyed a hippied-out chai latte with hemp milk (delicious!). We strolled through Pike Place market, rode the ferris wheel, and took a quick detour to Pike brewery before hitting the climbing gym.

Three hours later, ego in check, arms burning, and soul happy, we made our way to 74th Street Ale House for dinner and drinks with friends. Sadly (for my pride, not my body), after a month of pilsners and limited beer in Asia, I have returned to light-weight status and simply enjoyed one IPA. Thankfully, it was delicious and the company was even better.