united arab emirates has been a whirl of excitement - this is it for now, final one in usa

so sorry i haven't written but we have been way busy w/traveling
around the united arab emirates with a more than full schedule. we
were in fajarah for 2 nights and are now in our 3rd night in dubai.
tomorrow we travel to abu dhabi. dubai is the fastest growing city in
the world and it is like "emerald city" in the wizard of oz.
everything gleams and is the biggest and bestest of anything any of us
have ever seen! (a lot of these folks have traveled to over 100
countrie and have seen a lot more than i have.)
yesterday we went to the mall of the emirates (4th largest in the
world) and saw ski dubai, a ski resort inside the mall. we ate at a
restaurant that the view was the slopes where the skiers came
downhill. we also visited dubai harbour, marina, and yacht club, where
billions of dollars are invested and it shows. we saw the burj
khalifa, the tallest tower and building in the world, which houses the
armani hotel. we also went to the dubai mall, the largest mall in the
world, with over 1,500+ stores. sheikh zayed road is magnificent, with
towering buildings alongside. in 1990, there were only 2 tall towers.
it is hard to comprehend. today for lunch we are going to the burj al
arab hotel, the only 7 star hotel in the world for our $200 lunch
(smile). i can't wait to see what we are served. i'm sure it will be
fine. tonight we are going on a desert safari in 4 wheelers in the
desert, to ride camels and eat under the stars in an arab tent. this
is the life. tomorrow we have an 8 hour drive to abu dhabi and have
our farewell dinner. friday is an all day tour and then we leave at
1:30 am (after midnight on friday, wee hours of saturday). we'll fly
again over 24 hours again to get back to the usa, through frankfurt
germany. not sure if we go through saudi arabia again or not. we will
be beat i'm sure. i have adopted an 86 year old man on the trip who
reminds me so much of uncle charles. he has not felt well and missed a
lot of the trip. i give him updates and he says he doesn't know what
he'd do without me. he's a sweetie, having been on 3 around the world
cruises and over 120 countires. i asked him what his profession was,
and he said usa government and he'd have to kill me if he told me. i
told him not to worry, i changed my mind and didn't want to know.
know that i am safe. the middle east crisis is indeed real and i am
witnessing it firsthand. i am so thankful i am here now, because there
are so many rumors of what is to happen in the near future. we get a
briefing every morning from our egyptian guide who is \'in the know."
so much to tell, so little time. i'll wrap it up in a final email
early next week, once i get to usa and sleep a day or two. take care,
happy travels, angela