This morning we finished packing and tried to find a way to get to the Grand Mosque. Kumait is close to the mosque so we tried to catch a cab to get there. But the apartment receptionist had no idea where I wanted to go (apparently “Grand mosque” didn’t come through to the Arabic.) Kumait texted me how to say it in Arabic, but as I glanced out the window, I saw a man just getting into his cab. So, like a creeper, I ran out the door and knocked on his window. Gratefully he understood it all and agreed, so we piled our stuff in the car and headed toward the mosque.
The Grand Mosque is beautiful. The arches are high-reaching and the detailed art on the ceiling is incredible. There is a woman’s section and a men’s section, and the men’s section is absolutely stunning. I heard someone say it was a good idea to separate the genders or have the women in the back (which is another option for them to do…) because since there is so much bowing and bending that a ladies backside would be distracting from the prayers. I need time to think about what my opinion is. Still seems intense to have complete separation of the genders. Anyway, those are the facts.
We went to Al Makan Café, where the smoked cigars and shisha. Dr. Abdullah and another trauma surgeon showed up and shared drinks and laughs with us for some time. It was a lot of fun. The bathroom was clean, and with a toilet - so that was amazing and unexpected. We’ve been to many a Shisha Café with a sketchy bathroom – it’s a gift each time it’s a good one. After a quick rest at an apartment – we went to the airport, shopped Duty free (finally found Claire some nail polish, it is nowhere in this country) and caught the flight. I slept so hard, except to eat the Gluten free food they brought, and arrived in Dubai. The earth was pure sand, then a few houses with sand, then more concrete, then some green, some water, and BAM – we hit the all concrete, all water, all green city. We got the hotel, snapping photos of the beautiful skyscrapers, and rested in our room, planning the rest of our time here in Dubai.
Ps. Never do laundry in Dubai – it didn’t even get clean or smelling good. And it’s insanely expensive. For the record. Lol.
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