Eid Holidays

So Eid is done and it's a bit too late to tell you all Eid Mubarak, but anyhow, Eid Mubarak.
It was a fantastic week in Sharjah/Dubai and surely a nice break. I just arrived home two hours ago...Not a bad trip at all either. Driving at night is much much better than driving in the morning. The roads are emptier and the passport-stands at the borders of UAE and Oman don't have the abnormally long queues they usually have in daytime.

So what did I do in my Eid Holidays? Something close to a hibernation but not quite. I usually slept up to 2 P.M, sometimes 4 P.M. We stayed at my sister's/brother-in-law's house for the holidays by the way. After waking up, washing my face, brushing my teeth, praying, I had lunch with the family. That was the best part of it...Having lunch. It's a joy to just be able to have food in daytime and it's not much less than the joy of not being able to do so. A paradox that's a bit hard to understand, even to me. On my first day I went on collecting my Eidiea (or Eidi as my Pakistani friends like to call it). My dad, my sister, my brother-in-law, my brother...All family available. Ended up with a nice wad of money for my first day.

We then went to Mall of the Emirates...A really nice place. But I guess I have to live there three days just to see all of it. Up to now, I only saw the Ski Dubai (largest in-door ski park in the world) and went to the branch of Vrigin Megastores there. I wish they had a Virgin Megastores here in Muscat. It' s a pretty damn good place that saves you a lot of searching. I got 'The Kite Runner' and 'Carrie' from Virgin Megastores and had some Cheescake ice-cream.

The second holiday day, we went to the Diving Club where they have a fantastic cafe next to some body of water that does look like the Dubai Creek. We had dinner and drinks there and a fantastic chat...Then the third day came with the first in-house stay. Didn't go anywhere on that day. I barely recall the fourth day except that I remember that my dad's car had something messed up in it and he had to go the mechanic. Fifth day, we went to Dubai Creek Park, which is a bit too expensive yet again, a beautiful setting and very 'classy' service.

On the sixth day of the holidays, well, we came back to lovely old Muscat. It takes you a while, I noticed, to cope with the change from tall buildings all along and back to nice three-floor-high buildings. It's much better in Oman, though I miss my sister and my brother-in-law. In here, things are much quieter and there's less...Tension in the air. I know that sounds crazy, that 'tension in the air' thing but I just feel it. In Dubai you feel like you can't walk slowly...Ever. My Dad commented as we entered Mall of the Emirates, 'So this is the future of humans going out. Humans go out just to see other humans'. In a sense, I think this is unfortunately true. Gone are the days of parks and playing in greenery or even sight-seeing. If they're not gone for you, I think that for most residents of Dubai, they are.

I finished 'The Kite Runner' which is a fantastic book. So moving, so compassionate and so elegant in style. The story grabs you and shakes your heart...Currently I'm reading 'Carrie' which is nothing short of stunning. The style is very original and the plotline and analysis of charchters is very meticulously crafted by the King of thrill.

Anyhow, enough boring your out.
Take care. 7ayakom!