The next day, we went to the Mall of Emirates (M.O.E) and looked around, bought a few things, and ate ice cream! We also got to see an indoor skiing resort right inside the mall. It was like a 24/7 snow village! It was a good experience for all of the people that live in Dubai because it is never cold over there. The lowest temperature is actually 50 degrees!
We had to come home quickly because we were going to go on a desert safari at 3:30 p.m. The guy that was supposed to pick us up was late so we got to the safari at 5:30. The safari was basically a little village in the miles of desert that there was in Dubai. At the safari, the first thing we did was go dune bashing. Dune bashing is when a 4x4 car takes you through the desert sand dunes at raging speed. It was like a rollercoaster! It didn't even feel like I was in a car! I sat in the front for about 15 minutes, and can I tell you, it was awesome! After the dune bashing, we took a camel ride. I sat with my little cousin, and my sister sat with my other cousin and my uncle. The fun part about the camel ride was when the camel sat down and when the camel got up. You had to hang on really tight but it still felt like you would fall off. We also got to watch a belly dancing girl and boy who performed an Arabic dance. The boy's dance was my favorite because he was holding about 10 umbrellas at one time and was spinning around quite fast. Both of them were really entertaining, though. We also had really good Arabic food including, kebabs and chicken legs right after the belly dance. Right when they said, "You can go eat food", everyone ran to the table of food. It was like a stampede. Luckily, I was quick so I was the first one at the table. We ate and ate until our bellies were stuffed to the brim and walked aroung looking at all of the things that the vendors were selling. By then it was 9 p.m. and the safari tour quides had started wrapping the whole thing up. I wanted to go on another camel ride but my uncle said the camels would be gone. Luckily, I ran outside just to double check and see if the camels were there. They were and the guy that was giving the camel rides was shouting, "Last ride! Last camel ride!" I quickly called my older cousin and sister and we hopped on the first camel. I was so happy that I got to sit on the last camel ride! And not only did he give us one round but he actually gave us two! We got down and headed home, happy as could be.
The next day we went to a market to pick up a few curtains that my mom had bought. Then we went home, ate lunch, and took a cab to The Dubai Mall. It's the largest mall in the world and is impossible to see in one day. We still looked at a few things and then it was time to go to the highlight of the whole trip. The Burj Khalifa, which is the tallest man-made structure in the world. We went all the way up to the 124th floor (even though there are a lot more floors above it, they have made the visiting area on the 124th floor) It was so cool looking all the way down and seeing ant size cars and people. We spent an hour up in the Burj and then came back down. It was time for dinner so we ate at T.G.I.F
The next day was the last but it was also a lot of fun. Our flight was at 1:30 in the morning so we had a whole day to have more fun. In the morning, my sister, cousin, aunt, mom, and I headed to the beach. We spent two hours swimming and playing in the sand. I went all the way to the part of the water that was 15 feet! The water wasn't as cold as the swimming pool my cousins owned so it was a lot more fun! We took a shower and changed into our clothes at the beach and came home. We ate lunch at home and waited for my older cousin to come from school and my uncle to come from work. The last thing we did in our Dubai trip was going to the Global Village, a place where all the Middle Eastern countries put up huge stores with food, clothing, artifacts, etc. from their country. We bought many things and headed for home. Once we got home we rushed to eat dinner, pack up and head for the airport. We said bye to my cousins (who got all emotional. Which made me sad) and headed to the airport.
Wow was this an awesome trip! I can't believe that we traveled and did so many things in 5 days. I would really like to thank my uncle and aunt for giving us an awesome tour of Dubai. Thanks for visiting my blog. Happy travels!
Anuja
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Friday, December 31, 2010
Dubai- Day 2
The next day was Christmas and we spent it like we never have! In the morning, my cousins, sister, and I all went swimming in their pool. The water was kind of cold but we still swam for about 1 hour. Normally, we're use to snow and ice, but not this time! After that, my uncle dropped off my aunt, dad, and mom to the Gold Souk so that my aunt and mom could finish their shopping. He took my sister, my two cousins, and me to the beach just to get to feel the water and see if we could swim in it. The water was perfect so we made a plan that we would go swimming in it on the last day of our trip. After the beach we went to a gas station to get some snacks because one of my cousins had a tennis lesson. We quickly headed to the park and waited for an hour while he had his lesson. When the lesson was over, we all headed home because my aunt had invited one of her friends over. That night, we also got to light firecrackers, which was a lot of fun!
It may seem like we did a lot in two days, but this was the start of everything.
Thanks for visiting my blog!
Anuja
Dubai-Day 1
After a month in India we headed to Dubai (a state in U.A.E.) for 5 days. My mom's cousin lives there so we thought we would stay with her family and have fun! All in all, it was great.
The first day, we arrived at Dubai at around 11 p.m. and had a good night rest. We woke up the next day, had some breakfast, and headed out to go sight-seeing. We went to Palm Jumeirah (an island that was made by a bunch of workers that is shaped like a palm tree) It was really cool to know that the island was man-made. After that, we drove around looking at beaches, amusement parks, and much more! Sight-seeing was lots of fun but made everyone super hungry so we went to a Lebonese Restaraunt. We ordered a bunch of good like hummus (a dip), kabus (similar to pita bread), salad, and a huge meat platter that had chicken, mutton, and lamb on it. The food was super delicious but we couldn't eat anymore. By then, it was time to go. We went around Dubai again, while my aunt and uncle were pointing out a few great restaraunts, museums, and other things we might want to go to during our trip. The really fun part about the drive was that my uncle's car had a sun roof that could slide open so we got to stick our heads out while he was on the highway. What my mom liked most about the day was when we went to the Gold Souk (a gold market). My mom found a really nice gold set and bought it. We also went to a store to buy swimsuits for my sister and I. After a long day of sight-seeing we went back to my uncle and aunt's house, had a nice dinner, watched TV, chatted a bit, and then finally fell asleep. What a first day! Thanks for reading my post!
The first day, we arrived at Dubai at around 11 p.m. and had a good night rest. We woke up the next day, had some breakfast, and headed out to go sight-seeing. We went to Palm Jumeirah (an island that was made by a bunch of workers that is shaped like a palm tree) It was really cool to know that the island was man-made. After that, we drove around looking at beaches, amusement parks, and much more! Sight-seeing was lots of fun but made everyone super hungry so we went to a Lebonese Restaraunt. We ordered a bunch of good like hummus (a dip), kabus (similar to pita bread), salad, and a huge meat platter that had chicken, mutton, and lamb on it. The food was super delicious but we couldn't eat anymore. By then, it was time to go. We went around Dubai again, while my aunt and uncle were pointing out a few great restaraunts, museums, and other things we might want to go to during our trip. The really fun part about the drive was that my uncle's car had a sun roof that could slide open so we got to stick our heads out while he was on the highway. What my mom liked most about the day was when we went to the Gold Souk (a gold market). My mom found a really nice gold set and bought it. We also went to a store to buy swimsuits for my sister and I. After a long day of sight-seeing we went back to my uncle and aunt's house, had a nice dinner, watched TV, chatted a bit, and then finally fell asleep. What a first day! Thanks for reading my post!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
My Uncle's Wedding
Hi everyone! I am so behind schedule of posting on my blog! We were all really busy and didn't have a single day to log on to the computer. The reason we came to India in the middle of the school year was because it was my uncle's wedding and who didn't want to miss that? This is how it all happened:
The first day there was a ceremony where the groom prays to god and the preist tell a story about the gods. It was about 2 hours long but I didn't sit and listen to the whole prayer. While all that was happening, upstairs on our roof, we had told a couple of people to set it up nicely and make food for the 30-some people that had come to our house. It was quite nice and the food was great!
The next day, everybody on the groom's side, packed up and headed in a bus to Haridwar (Ha-Rid-Waar, about 8 hours away) where the actually wedding was going to take place. The bus ride was so much fun because we talked and danced with all of our friends and family. Once we got to Haridwar, we were all dropped off at a hotel which was booked just for the groom's side of the family. There we had some snacks and then it was time to dance. All the ladies danced and danced for 2 hours straight while all the men were delivering the wedding program to the bride's house. We finally finished the dancing and ate dinner. Wooh, was that a fun day!
The second day of our stay at Haridwar was the day of the actual wedding. We all got dressed up in colorful and ornate dresses and walked and danced on the road all the way to the venue. That's actually an Indian tradition when the groom's side of the family dances and walks all the way to the venue while the groom is sitting on a horse or in a car. My uncle actually sat in a horse buggy because muy cousins wanted to sit with him on the horse. Once we got to the venue, we had dinner and waited for the bride to come. Once she came, they had a bunch of ceremonies and finally the wedding came to an end. It was quite long too because it started at 7 p.m. and ended at about 3 in the morning! We were all tired and went back to the hotel to sleep.
In the morning, there was another ceremony where the bride becomes a part of the groom's family and comes and lives with the groom. I had to miss it because I had gotten sick and puked in the morning. :( Thankfully, that was the last day in Haridwar and we headed back home to my grandma's house.
To give everybody a rest, there was a gap between the wedding and the wedding reception. After 3 days, we held the wedding reception to finally show that my uncle and aunt were married. It was also a chance for the people who didn't get to come to the wedding to meet the new bride. I also got to meet alot of family who I hadn't seen in a long time or hadn't even met! Everyone said that I looked a lot like my mom when she was little (which was a little dissapointing!) There was a lot of food too. From sweets to soups and a salad bar to a bunch of drinks. The varieties were endless! There was also a disco dance floor. We danced for about an 1 and a half on all of the latest songs in India. As you can see, I had a lot of fun in my uncle's wedding. I wish it would never end! That's ok, though. I had as much fun as I possibly could in those few days and I'll always remember it. ♥♥♥
Anuja
The first day there was a ceremony where the groom prays to god and the preist tell a story about the gods. It was about 2 hours long but I didn't sit and listen to the whole prayer. While all that was happening, upstairs on our roof, we had told a couple of people to set it up nicely and make food for the 30-some people that had come to our house. It was quite nice and the food was great!
The next day, everybody on the groom's side, packed up and headed in a bus to Haridwar (Ha-Rid-Waar, about 8 hours away) where the actually wedding was going to take place. The bus ride was so much fun because we talked and danced with all of our friends and family. Once we got to Haridwar, we were all dropped off at a hotel which was booked just for the groom's side of the family. There we had some snacks and then it was time to dance. All the ladies danced and danced for 2 hours straight while all the men were delivering the wedding program to the bride's house. We finally finished the dancing and ate dinner. Wooh, was that a fun day!
The second day of our stay at Haridwar was the day of the actual wedding. We all got dressed up in colorful and ornate dresses and walked and danced on the road all the way to the venue. That's actually an Indian tradition when the groom's side of the family dances and walks all the way to the venue while the groom is sitting on a horse or in a car. My uncle actually sat in a horse buggy because muy cousins wanted to sit with him on the horse. Once we got to the venue, we had dinner and waited for the bride to come. Once she came, they had a bunch of ceremonies and finally the wedding came to an end. It was quite long too because it started at 7 p.m. and ended at about 3 in the morning! We were all tired and went back to the hotel to sleep.
In the morning, there was another ceremony where the bride becomes a part of the groom's family and comes and lives with the groom. I had to miss it because I had gotten sick and puked in the morning. :( Thankfully, that was the last day in Haridwar and we headed back home to my grandma's house.
To give everybody a rest, there was a gap between the wedding and the wedding reception. After 3 days, we held the wedding reception to finally show that my uncle and aunt were married. It was also a chance for the people who didn't get to come to the wedding to meet the new bride. I also got to meet alot of family who I hadn't seen in a long time or hadn't even met! Everyone said that I looked a lot like my mom when she was little (which was a little dissapointing!) There was a lot of food too. From sweets to soups and a salad bar to a bunch of drinks. The varieties were endless! There was also a disco dance floor. We danced for about an 1 and a half on all of the latest songs in India. As you can see, I had a lot of fun in my uncle's wedding. I wish it would never end! That's ok, though. I had as much fun as I possibly could in those few days and I'll always remember it. ♥♥♥
Anuja
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
A Busy Busy Week!
Hi guys! This is Anuja here again. Sorry about not posting for more than a week! I was so busy and didn't have internet connection for a long time.
First of all, we went to a place called Dehradun (Dey-RAH-Doon; a place in North India) for my mom's cousin's wedding. Now this isn't the wedding that we came for but he's my mom's really close cousin and we thought it would be awesome to go and have fun! We went on Thursday and stayed there till Saturday (Indian weddings are quite long)! The car ride to Dehradun was a lot more different than what it's like in Iowa. First of all, there were bull-driven carts, BMW's, and Mercedes driving right by each other! Also, the roads were always crammed with people and it seemed like the whole population of Iowa was on one road! To add to the picture, there are also cows roaming on the side of the road and sometimes even in them middle of the road. It's crazy but that's what makes India India. It was lots of fun at the wedding, too. We danced and danced, ate and ate, and did a lot more! It was the first Indian wedding that I will ever remember!
After the wedding, we headed to Garhwal (Gur-Waal. A place in the total north of India) to my dad's village. It's called Pharasu (after my last name) and was tons of fun! We walked about 5 miles a day and played with the village kids. I couldn't believe It, but a few of the families had TV's! (I was surprised because there wasn't fresh water coming to the village because of landslides, but there was cable!) We also went to a temple (Like a church, but for Hindus.) The temple was cool because we got to go to the Ganges, which is said to have the purest water in the world! We brought a bottle filled with the river's water back so that I can show all of the kids in my class! My dad's family owns a huge farmhouse in the village and about 32 acres of farmland (crops). We also got to feed calves and bulls. The view was also great because you could see the Himalayas in the morning. The village is so beautiful that my uncle calls it Switzerarasu (named after Switzerland). When we were leaving from the village, we stopped at Tehri dam (Ter-Ree). It's actually they 3rd biggest dam in the world! The coolest part about the dam was that we got to go inside because of one of our relatives works at the dam. (Only people who work in the dam get to go inside!) It was a cool, once-in-a lifetime chance. Unluckily, we didn't get to take pictures because they didn't let you.
As you can probably tell, my week was totally crazy! I just got back about 2 hours ago after a 14 hour ride. Tomorrow is the beginning of my real uncle's wedding and I'll keep you guys updated! Thanks for visiting my blog. See you soon. :D
Anuja
First of all, we went to a place called Dehradun (Dey-RAH-Doon; a place in North India) for my mom's cousin's wedding. Now this isn't the wedding that we came for but he's my mom's really close cousin and we thought it would be awesome to go and have fun! We went on Thursday and stayed there till Saturday (Indian weddings are quite long)! The car ride to Dehradun was a lot more different than what it's like in Iowa. First of all, there were bull-driven carts, BMW's, and Mercedes driving right by each other! Also, the roads were always crammed with people and it seemed like the whole population of Iowa was on one road! To add to the picture, there are also cows roaming on the side of the road and sometimes even in them middle of the road. It's crazy but that's what makes India India. It was lots of fun at the wedding, too. We danced and danced, ate and ate, and did a lot more! It was the first Indian wedding that I will ever remember!
After the wedding, we headed to Garhwal (Gur-Waal. A place in the total north of India) to my dad's village. It's called Pharasu (after my last name) and was tons of fun! We walked about 5 miles a day and played with the village kids. I couldn't believe It, but a few of the families had TV's! (I was surprised because there wasn't fresh water coming to the village because of landslides, but there was cable!) We also went to a temple (Like a church, but for Hindus.) The temple was cool because we got to go to the Ganges, which is said to have the purest water in the world! We brought a bottle filled with the river's water back so that I can show all of the kids in my class! My dad's family owns a huge farmhouse in the village and about 32 acres of farmland (crops). We also got to feed calves and bulls. The view was also great because you could see the Himalayas in the morning. The village is so beautiful that my uncle calls it Switzerarasu (named after Switzerland). When we were leaving from the village, we stopped at Tehri dam (Ter-Ree). It's actually they 3rd biggest dam in the world! The coolest part about the dam was that we got to go inside because of one of our relatives works at the dam. (Only people who work in the dam get to go inside!) It was a cool, once-in-a lifetime chance. Unluckily, we didn't get to take pictures because they didn't let you.
As you can probably tell, my week was totally crazy! I just got back about 2 hours ago after a 14 hour ride. Tomorrow is the beginning of my real uncle's wedding and I'll keep you guys updated! Thanks for visiting my blog. See you soon. :D
Anuja
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
The Best Flight I've Ever Had!
We were in the middle of our flight from Amsterdam to New Delhi when I finally realized that flight was the best one I've ever had. The plane was great and my family's seats were all together in a row! The total flight time was 6 hours and 55 minutes. Our flight got delayed because it was snowing in Amsterdam and a few passengers we not on board. My mom and I were looking though a magazine where you can buy things from the airplane. I'm got a key chain that's a model of the airplane that we flew on! To add to all the awesomeness, the food was gourmet and served very well!
All in all, this was probably the best flight I had ever been on and I won't forget it!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Mayhem in Amsterdam
Hi there guys! Sorry about posting after a long time but I was really busy during the first few days of my trip. First I'm going to tell you about all that happened in Amsterdam! It was a 4-hour layover (a stop at the Amsterdam airport) but, we ended up staying there for a whole day! Here's my story:
We landed in Amsterdam from our flight from Detroit to Amsterdam. Once we got in line, my dad took all of our passports and important papers out of his bag and gave them to the man checking them to let you into the plane. He looked at my mom's, dad's and sister's and said that they were fine, but I couldn't go because of a passport problem. They said that a parent and child could go but two other people would have to take another flight once they got the passport. It was really scary at first but, my mom had a childhood friend that lived right in Amsterdam! We ended up going to Den Haag in a train to the Indian Embassy (a place where you can get passports and other Indian passport-related information). It was about 35 minutes and we got to see lots of different buildings and believe or not, the had tons of farms and windmills! From the train ride we took a tram ride about 1/2 a mile and finally got to the embassy! To add to all the mayhem, we were super tired (especially my sister and I) from our 8-hour airplane ride from Detroit to Amsterdam. Finally and luckily, we got my passport and went back to the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam to book our tickets for the next flight. Thankfully, even though the plane for New Delhi was packed for the next flight to New Delhi, we managed to get 4 tickets on it. In the middle of all the mayhem, we got to see lots of places, eat a lot of awesome food, and stay in great hotel! I am actually happy that they wouldn't let us go because I got to see Europe for the first time!
We sat at gate E22 at the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam FINALLY waiting for our boarding to start! It was a great trip!
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