We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again.

What a weekend!

Saturday we got a call from Peep- urging us on an adventure. A rugged trek to the mountains seemed like the perfect way to christen our new Wrangler- so off we went. Our path led us through Al Ain, the second largest city in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. We saw several exciting parts of Al Ain, many more than once as we searched for the proper road to our destination. We passed the camel souk and were tempted to stop and purchase one, but decided that our trunk was way too small.

After several wrong turns, we made it to the small village that was our destination. We were excited to see the flora and fauna there, as there is quite a lack of those in Dubai. After some guidance from the locals, we discovered a deep and narrow canyon that was supposedly created by an earthquake. And what is the best thing to do when you find a deep canyon? Figure out a way down of course! So our afternoon of climbing up mountains morphed into trekking down holes. But it was fun all the same. Sarah and I, apparently grossly underestimated by the males in our party, conquered the hole with fierce determination. What is it with men thinking that women can’t do anything?

Well, I must say that crawling into a hole, no matter how large, lacks the awe-inspiring moment that you get when summiting a mountain. There is much less to look at, and in kind of smells funny, but it’s a new experience, and a whole new slew of critters, that’s for sure. You definitely wouldn’t want to pack a picnic or anything though.

We weren’t aware that this wasn’t our only planned stop, so we opted out of driving up a mountain at 10:30 pm, and decided to stop in Al Ain for shisha instead, then head home. Wranglers are fun for off-roading and the like- but road trips with 5 in the car- maybe not quite as much fun. You get a little stir-crazy. The shisha hit the spot.

Luckily, our trip home was much faster.

Saturday was a different kind of adventure- the urban kind. Shady and I (mostly me, I admit) decided it would be fun to venture to Ikea- just to check things out, and dream about a home with fancy things like ovens, shower curtains and freezers. Ikea in Dubai is located in Festival City- which basically is one big pile of construction. So once we figured out how to get to the area (we are still new at the roads) it took us a while longer to navigate through the construction sites and half-built streets. I have never been so happy to reach a parking ramp.

I have gotten quite used to window shopping here. But you have to be in the right frame of mind, otherwise its just depressing. I like that Ikea gives you those mini pencils and lists to write down the stuff you want. You are supposed to use them to find your items in the warehouse- but I use them as a wish list. It somehow seems like a more active approach to window shopping. Instead of me saying- “Wow, I like that, but I will never be able to afford it, so I’ll keep walking”- I can say “Wow, I like that. Let me stop and write the information on my handy-dandy list”. Of course- the end result is the same. I don’t buy anything. But this way at least I can bring home my little list and feel like I got something at the store. It doesn’t really make much sense, I know. But most things in my life don’t.

My excursions into fantasy-land never last very long though. This one was ended when I returned home and washed laundry in the sink. Who am I?

-The poorest girl in Dubai