basking in the heat of the Sahara

Well I arrived safe and sound into Abu Dhabi last night and finally figured out that the time difference between here and Spokane is 12 hours. So I will probably not be on the phone or skype often. Also because the first place we are staying at for a few days doesn't have internet access.

First note - when flying through Chicago and transferring terminals, be sure to give yourself a decent layover, because you have to leave one entire building to get to the next (at least from domestic to international) and go through security all over again. Also, if you DO go into the international terminal in Chicago, eat OUTSIDE of security because there is no food once you get through. Unless you are willing to go through security again.

Second note - what fun and exciting things did I do today? Well, for starters, I slept for 10 hours last night - thank you, tylenol PM! My parents and I took a but down to the Marina Mall and got some Starbucks while we waited for the Self family to get there. Then we went out to a heritage center (on this small spit of land out in the bay) which had a mini-museum. I pretty much enjoyed standing in the sun and wading in the water. Also sitting on a few different benches. Then we went to Fuddruckers (a burger place we used to go to in Saudi) for a very late lunch and went to a trinket building full of small shops that sold fabric and antiques. That's pretty much today. About to sit down for dinner and then we'll potentially watch Sherlock Holmes. We used to get pizza and watch movies with the Self's on Friday's so it's nice to have traditions continue like that.

Dinner time! (or else I might fall asleep) more later!

One final note - We had an Egyptian taxi driver tell us today that Filipino's were crazy, so I guess that explains a lot about me having been born in the Philippines, right?