The first trimester at school is by far the best. Why? THE BREAKS!! It seems like we have a day off for some random event every 3 weeks...and I LOVE it!!
For our first major break of the school year, Eid Al Adha, we booked a little get-away to a private zoo and resort. Jeremy discovered a groupon offering tickets to the zoo and a night in a beautiful chalet. The zoo was a very short 90 minute drive from home, but felt like jumping the border into a new country. Driving anywhere in the U.A.E. is always a fun little challenge, but we were pleasantly surprised by the signage that popped up once we finally located the road we needed. Oddly, the zoo is situated right in the middle of a sandy, barren desert neighborhood. But the grounds inside the zoo were of a completely different world. The walk to the hotel front desk was lined with banana trees hanging low over a pretty, winding path with a sweet pair of huge squirrels in their enclosure waiting at the end to greet us.
Check-in was a breeze and we were awe-struck on the short outdoor walk to our chalet. The resort is situated so that each room opens to the giraffe, zebra and antelope enclosure. Zoo employees sell bundles of grass for guests to feed the animals. Dalila couldn't have been happier with the arrangement and plucked pieces of grass one at a time to offer the curious giraffes hanging their heads over the low fence for a little snack. She had no fear, even when the huge giraffes were inches from her face and licked her little hand clutching a tiny fistful of grass.
The room itself was perfection. A raised living room, kitchenette and comfortable master suite helped us to feel right at home. The best part was the massive picture window that opened up to our amazing view of the animal enclosure 10 steps away from our private porch.
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| Lila and Mommy petting a sheep. |
One of the main perks of staying at the resort was the endless access to the zoo. We stumbled upon a small, hidden gate available for use by hotel guests only the put us right into the heart of the well-maintained zoo. Some of our favorite U.A.E. friends were able to meet up with us for a walk through the zoo.
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This sweet little boy became Lila's new boyfriend. His family
stayed in the chalet next to us and the two were inseparable.
She likes older men. |
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Playing in the sand...because they can't get enough of it
everywhere we go? |
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| Heather and Dalila, trying to get the shy antelope to come to them. |
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| Dalila and her buddy Heather petting a goat. |
Our next destination on our fun-filled Eid holiday was a visit with some more of our favorite U.A.E. friends complete with a trip to a waterpark and a Halloween party! The waterpark was about a 2 hour drive from home and looked a bit sketchy when we pulled up into the parking lot. Our only other experience with waterparks here, however, was at The Palms Atlantis resort last Christmas, so our standards were arguably high. Once inside the park, the chipping paint on the exterior was soon forgotten. This place was perfect for young kids and Dalila couldn't have been any happier with the many kid-friendly pools and slides that she exhausted herself on.
Next came the big Halloween party with some of our best friends who we hadn't seen for months. Walking up the pathway to the home where the party was held reminded us all of the people back at home who have their home completely decked out for every holiday. Those people who make a haunted house for the kids right on their front lawn, but it's an amazing haunted house and not at all cheesy. THAT'S what this house was like. Just like being at home for Halloween. The interior was even better and we could spend the whole night noticing decorations that we hadn't seen before. The company was fantastic and exactly what we needed to cure our homesickness.
Eid holiday always comes with high expectations as the first holiday of the school year, and this break certainly didn't disappoint!
