After an incredibly relaxing first day on the island, where we had loaded up on breakfast, snacked on granola bars for lunch, and eagerly awaited dinner, we were ready for some fun. For dinner, we each wore a dress and had a happy hour fruity drink. Then we walked to the pier to take some photos and just love the idea we were in this incredible place. Dinner the second night was not as good as the first, but it was still good enough. It had rained intermittently during the afternoon, but we were still so happy with the weather - we had been told that it would rain and thunder every day. That night, however, the sound of rain against our roof woke us all up - it was absolutely insanely loud! I, of course, ... read more

It has been a while since I've written anything, but such is the life here. All work and no play (I won't finish that sentence because I'm actually watching a creepy show by myself in the dark...). Anyway. Just a quick breakdown of what has been happening. Work Life Upon returning from our great trip to Oman, I returned straight to work. It has become very busy for us here, even with the summer working hours. During Summertime in the Middle East, and Qatar in particular, you cannot work outside during the hot part of the day: 11:30am to 3:00pm. In addition, Ramadan began at the end of June. You do not know exactly what days Ramadan, or any Islamic holiday, will fall on until the sighting of the moon. In Qatar this typically means that ... read more

"Do you hear that?" "Hear what?" "Exactly! Silence! No beeping!" One of the things we noticed about Salalah, and one that speaks volumes of the people there, was the complete lack of beeps. No cars honking, nobody tailgating you and flashing their lights trying to run you off the road. People were very content to wait and to let you find your way. I tell you, if you have not experienced a daily commute in the Middle East, you don't know how touching this small token of hospitality is. We commented constantly about it, like when we would go around a roundabout three or four times trying to find the right road. Or when there was some kind of procession on the major freeway at night, there were no beeps - people waited their turn to ... read more

The time had come: vacation was over. In a way, I was a little relieved. Part of that was helped along by looking forward to another fantastic flight in Business Class on the Emirates A380. I had the option of having a car sent to get me by Emirates, but you had to booked 48hrs ahead of time; I just missed it at about 42 hours - grrr.... Oh well. Instead, our hotel booked a car for me - I had asked for a taxi and they said it would be $65 to give to the driver; expensive but fine as long as it was taken care of. When my driver came, it weren't no taxi! It was a black Cadillac Escalade. Not too shabby! He drove me through Queens to JFK on a smooth, uneventful ... read more

After Lizzie and Can returned from shopping, we got ready for my cousins from South Jersey to join us. I was unable to make a trip down to see some of my favorite family members, so a couple of them (Cuppie, Paula and her friend Karen) decided to come see me for a night. I checked them into their room and we waited for their arrival. Paula booked us a table at a nearby Mediterranean restaurant at 10pm and Lizzie "Liz-i-fied" me (fixed my hair and put on makeup). Then we headed down for some cold mezzah (I ordered) and wine (I ordered). Yep, we started to get silly and headed to an Irish Pub nearby where the silliness continued. I have not done shots in years, but somehow my lil cousin Cuppie knows just the ... read more