Three weeks of vacation while at work

Ten years ago, Aaron and I were living a different life, we were traveling around the west coast in our van climbing, hiking and playing. While in Joshua Tree National Park, we met a kid who was only 18 years old,  who spoke broken English from a mouth that was perpetually stained by cheap Carlo Rossi wine. We didn't know it then, but this stranger would perfect his English, become a wine conoseaur, and become a big part of our lives.  He has become our closest friend.  If you couldn't tell by our previous posts, we were well in need of a visit from a good friend. 

So after many obstacles, Raph arrived by boat from Iran which he had peddled to from Paris. We were happy to see his scruffy face. He stayed for about 3 weeks and here is what we did.....

 Went kayaking in the mangroves close to our house, it was low tide so we did a lot of pushing of kayaks. Caught the world's smallest fish and ate it anyway.

 

Then we went camping about 1.5 hours from our house to the beach and saw a beautiful orange moon rise, two beached turtles. awesome beach junk including old bottles from the USSR.  Enjoyed a fire on an empty beach smoked sheesha while having great conversation. 

 

Pretty much the only reason we choose this place for camping is that it is perfect for practicing kite surfing (a sport I am reluctant to love.) But this day, the wind was perfect and we all had a chance to try practice, to jump, to skin our knees and take water up the nose.  Aaron actually got up on the board (he is natural at everything....sigh) but after only a few turns the kite crashed and split (it is not suppose to do that.) Still need to get it fixed.

 

From there, we headed into the empty quarter, a large vast of desert. It is astonishing that such emptiness can hold so much beauty. But, as Raph pointed out the problem with the desert is that there is just so much god dam sand. Sand everywhere! 

Sunset hike

Our big truck looking oh-so-small

Wandering Camels- which if you have never seen a camel tongue you are missing out on the strangest site.

Sunrise Walk

While we worked, Raph spent his days preparing for his photo exhibit and preparing us delicious dinners that now have me looking into a fast.  We had many amazing dinners including some with our friends.

Sushi Night

We also went go-kart racing  in a sand storm. 

Go-Kart racing on Yas Island.

Check out the jump suits- I may or may not have accidentally left for home wearing this suit.....

 There are not a ton of sites to see in Abu Dhabi, beyond amazingly constructed buildings but the Grande Mosque is a place that has been on our list to see since our arrival and the fact that it is a mere 20 minute drive from our house makes it hard to believe that we have never visited before Raph's trip.

Here are some interesting facts about this mosque:

• The carpet in the main prayer hall is considered to be the world's largest carpet made by Iran's Carpet Company it took two years to complete. 
• The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque has seven imported chandeliers from Germany that incorporate millions of Swarovski crystals. The largest chandelier is the second largest known chandelier inside a mosque, the third largest in the world  
• The unique lightning system was designed by lightning architects Jonathon Speirs and Major to reflect the phases of the moon. Beautiful bluish gray clouds are projected in lights onto the external walls and get brighter and darker according to the phase of the moon.
• The 96 columns in the main prayer hall are clad with marble and inlaid with mother of pearl, one of the few places where you will see this craftsmanship.

The grande courtyard

You have to wear an abaya to enter the mosque, I did not leave with the abaya...all though I was tempted

Many nights we just rode our bikes around the town and took some photos.

Raph photographing the port where old wooden Iranian fishing boats dock

The main focus of Raph's trip was to do a show where he would sell his photographs (which are amazing) and tell the stories about his journey. I had put a lot of work into organizing this event, I had my doubts but luckily everything fell into place in the last minute. Raph ended up presenting three different shows and he enjoyed the experience so much he hopes to do the same when back in Canada. He sold lots of photos too!

Raph being interviewed at the British Club

Raph with his Emirate Sponsor, this guy went out on a limb and sponsored the visa for Raph to come to this country and, we had never met him ourselves. He was really friendly and even took us out for a traditional Emirate meal.

Through all my networking to find a venue for Raph's show, I met a great girl who ended up helping me a lot. She came to the show and we really hit it off. She works for the art foundation of Abu Dhabi and has access to all the great shows. While Raph was here she hooked us up with tickets to see Anoushka Shankar (the famous sitar player, Ravi Shankar's daughter.) It was a pretty impressive show of a weird fusion of sitar and flaminco.

Raph left mid week for Oman heading toward his final destination of India. The following weekend we met him along the road to go camping in our favorite wadi in Oman.  A quite canyon with great hiking and swimming. It was a great end to a great visit. We dropped Raph off along the lone highway and will see him again in Alaska.

Now the countdown is on. We leave in a day for Nepal on a service trip to an orphanage in Katmandu and then just about 2 months left till I get to see my family in Boston and return to our summer life in Alaska.

Hope this finds everyone well, and despite my lack of communication I think of all of our friends dear and far....y mis amigos en Colombia siempre estoy hablando y pensando de nuestros buen recuerdos....los extrano muchisimo!