Spring break in UAE is usually 2 weeks long so that all expat kiddos can go on a reasonably family holiday. I am usually the primary backfill for 2 of the managers on my project, and I had the joy of being on seat for both of them during spring break! After 2 weeks of wearing 3 hats, I needed a little break, so I took a week off - I also needed to use up some of the extra parental leave that is part of our new company policy, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity!
G and I completed our PADI Scuba Diver certification during our honeymoon, so since I was in the diving mojo from Danielle's visit, I decided this was the perfect opportunity to take the next step and finish our Open Water Diver certification. We're still pretty much "blue waters" divers, and won't go anywhere without an accompanying guide, but this allows us to do some interesting dives in Dubai, such as the tank dive at Dubai Mall and Diving with the Dolphins at Atlantis. We're here, so we should take advantage! The diving school we chose does their final open water dives in Fujairah, so we made a little vacation of it, and decided to stay 2 nights.
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| Baby L all dressed up for her trip to Fujairah! |
On the way to Fujairah, we actually drove through 3 Emirates that we'd never been to - Sharjah, Um al-Quwain, and Ras al-Khaimah. Including Fujairah, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi, that means we've now been in 6 of the 7 Emirates! If we'd only known, we could have changed our route slightly to include Ajman...so now we have to find a reason to go there. Apparently they have nice beaches, so maybe another beachy weekend?
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| Mountains of northern Ras al-Khaimah (or RAK) |
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| Desert (and camel) of Sharjah |
We stayed at the Le Meridien al Aqah, which was beautiful. It was the first time seeing the Indian Ocean for all of us, and the sea creatures we saw as G and I finished our dive certification were pretty incredible! Unfortunately, we didn't have an underwater camera with us, so we'll just share a view of our resort instead.
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| Views from our balcony! |
During our time on the boat, Baby L and Miss J explored the resort, and found a rockin' pair of baby sunglasses. Baby L is now ready for her Hollywood close up!
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| Baby L: Total diva! |
For our second night, Miss J offered to have Baby L stay with her overnight, so G and I could enjoy a late dinner and some rest. I figured at 7.5 months, I was finally ready for a night away from my baby girl. I had a little cry, and then G and I were exhausted from our day of diving so we skipped dinner and went to bed around 8pm -- just like all those memes about parents night without the kids!
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| This was totally us. |
After my first full night's sleep in...well, 7.5 months, the next morning I felt amazing! And I missed my baby, so of course I rushed over to Miss J's room next door for some cuddles. After breakfast, we took Baby L down to the beach to introduce her to the ocean. She loved the sand, and was marching right along toward the water...until a big wave washed over her little legs, and then she was inconsolable. My poor sweet baby was traumatized, and I felt terrible!!! We tried washing all the sand off and easing her into the kiddie pool after that, and she still just hated it. She clung to me with all her might, and would not let go. Miss J tried splashing the water to make bubbles like bathtime, G tried singing and dancing, and it was all in vain. The three of us eventually gave up. We took Baby L back to Miss J's room, and she napped while the 3 of us took our time to shower and pack up to go home.
Swim lessons start again this Saturday, we're hoping she's not totally miserable in the water!
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