A Christmas visit with friends from Canada .....

Views from Ron and Carol's apartment .... one direction, the Burj Al Arab ..... seven star opulence :)

..... and the other direction .... the new (well one year old or such) Atlantis Hotel and all the mansions that form an arm of the Palm of Palm Island! Wow, have they ever built up this little tiny Emirate country ...... might add, most condos and houses on this Palm Island sit empty ...... as do most of the buildings around Jumeirah, downtown etc. ....

Note the cross shape in front of the Burj Al Arab ...... accident, or serendipity?!! Seems no one noticed this until the completion :)

Had a great visit with my old neighbour Rose Charron's family in Dubai. Perhaps this will become custom for us to meet up everywhere but in Canada!! ... her mother Ida, apparently well known in their family for her amazing culinary skills, performed her usual magic, cooking up a great soup and special Hungarian bread, kukken or something along those lines :) .......making for a delicious lunch! Ron, Carol and Carol' son, have been living in Dubai for a year now and enjoy the best views of the area from their balcony or should I say, balconies .... a beautiful apartment ! It was wonderful to spend a bit of time with such warm, kind people ..... the few times I have had the good fortune to literally "run into" Ida and Steve, I feel always instantly at home with them ...... Rose, if you are reading this ..... know that you are blessed to have such beautiful, loving parents! ..... and you never told me what a gorgeous brother and sister in law you have!!

Christmas in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Emirati gents gathered by a Christmas tree at a local mall :) In the West, our views of the Arab world can often be skewed by the primarily American/Israeli propaganda machine ..... just a tad negative .... Arabs, however, have no problem putting on the glitz for the Christmas season here in Dubai ...... graciousness or commercial interests??? hmmmm :) ahhh, I'll take grace, and tell my skeptic self to take a hike :) ...... How refreshing if we of the west, all joined in and celebrated Ramadan and Eid right there along with all our Christian holidays .... would be so grand to celebrate and appreciate each other's differences, instead of fighting about them?

Typical mall scene in Dubai ....

Dubai, an interesting cross between New York, Las Vegas and Honolulu ..... Emirate style!! ..... and then some!
City scene is a few blocks from my hotel ..... I tend to get up early for walks .... the light was beautiful in the mornings!

Ceiling at Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi

View from my hotel balcony ....... Jumeirah Beach below

Palace Hotel Abu Dhabi ... view from the beach

The infamous million dollar Christmas Tree at Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi

Brad and his girls :)

Mandy dishes out dessert!

The beautiful McMechan women!

Arabian Nights ..... Christmas Eve

Gift Exchange .... the McMechans gifted me some beautiful scarves!

Arianna' gift to Brad ...her own artwork!

Appetizers in the backyard ...

Mandy, Brad, Arianna and Isabel hosted a most amazing Christmas Eve feast .... they turned what could have been a rather lonely Christmas for me, into a beautiful family time. Their backyard was transformed into an "Arabian Night's"setting .... dinner was a multi-cultural affair ....... beyond delicious! Rubbing full tummies, we managed to make it further into the back yard to recline on a couch/divan, large enough for all of us ....... so comfy, that we lingered long, savoring a tummy soothing and digestive mint tea :) ..... all under a twinkling starlit canopy of sky ..... truly an oasis!! ..... We had exchanged gifts earlier under the tree (surreal, somewhat, to have this festive atmosphere in the middle of an Islamic nation :) ...... the girls each gave Brad and Mandy oil paintings that had been their projects at an art camp during summer holidays in Canada ..... both, budding artists! Isabel's painting was a Monet-ish scene but unfortunately my camera setting/lighting was wrong and do not have it to post, drats!
Christmas Day, Brad, Arianna, Isabel and I drove to Abu Dhabi (an hour and a half drive from Dubai ..... on a very modern freeway!) to check out the famous Christmas Tree on display at the Palace Hotel ..... special only in that it was decorated with serious jewelry .... gems and all!! ..... at least the bottom third of the tree was. We enjoyed a walk through the famous hotel, glorious and ostentatious as all these new Arabic Hotels are ..... the Emiratis seem to prefer an overstated Donald Trumpish Vegas style :) ....... Isabel and I enjoyed a stroll along the beach despite the windy day. We share a love of the outdoors .... she is a very sporty young lady and is currently wishing she could play hockey in Dubai!! Isabel ... you go girl!

We decided on a Lebanese style Christmas brunch in the hotel's lovely gardens, complete with turkey ..... scrumptious!! ..... a quiet understated day, relaxing and full of good family affection. My Christmas in Dubai 2010 ........... Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night ......
Al Humdu I-illah

Falling in with the rhythm of Petra

Views from drive into the seaside port of Aqaba on the Red Sea .... A two hour hot/dry drive from Wadi Musa through a vast expanse of desert ..

Hotel decked out for Christmas ....

Climbing up to the Ed Deir monastery

Very handsome young bedouin lad offered us a ride up to the monastery on his donkey:)
We declined .........

We made it!!! .... Ed Deir Monastery! :) We opted to continue climbing upward a little ways with a bit of a scramble to a further outcrop at the very top of this mountain .... magical views of most of Petra below us .....

Peggy and I on the early part of trail :) Don happily plays the tour guide, snapping our picture here and there on the trail :)

Bedouin farmer selling potatoes and tomatoes on the road to Aqaba ... he was enjoying his afternoon tea and shisha pipe :)

On my last day in the area, I was already wishing I had booked another week in Wadi Musa!! .... ....... particularly as I later discovered, the Middle East and particularly the United Arab Emirates are not what they once were (I know, I know ..... nothing stands still, but still ....... I yearn for the old simplicity I remember so clearly .......... only small pockets remain today, perhaps in Yemen, parts of Saudi Arabia etc. and one of them is surely this area a few hundred miles from Amman, Jordan ... I grow nostalgic, sitting here in the concrete jungles of Dubai, for the "good old days" of life in the Arab world ....... a Middle East before Western capitalism and materialism got it's stranglehold, seducing most in it's wake ...... But .... to get back to my last day at Petra .... Early in the morning, I met up with a friendly couple from Colorado, Don and Peggy Littleton while we were looking around for the trailhead to the Ed Deir Monastery....... together we decided to hike up the zillion stone stairs (this is perhaps a bit of an exaggeration as a good portion of these "stairs" were well placed stones, carved into the mountain thousands of years ago, long worn smooth by the Nabatean villagers and various different tribes that came before and after) to this Monastery also known as a Convent ... a short scramble from the Monastery, is the summit of this mountain allowing for magnificent views of the canyon, and tomb valley below ..... unfortunately, shortly before reaching the summit, my camera battery slowed to a halt ...... too much zooming in and out I suppose :) ...... so am hoping that Peggy and Don email me a few pictures as they promised :) In the November US election, Peggy had been voted in as County Commissioner for Colorado ...... a long holiday before her new career and all it's inevitable demands was surely in order ..... Couldn't have asked for a nicer couple to partner up with, hiking up this special path! One learns much about people when hiking together ..... it is like a crash course in getting to know people ...... the masks and shields fall away ....... huffing and puffing up a mountain ...... we shared much about each other's lives. In general, I am a quick read of people, aided by strong intuition which is often more a woman's territory than a man's and runs particularly high in my Leppanen family of women ........ it is heartening to know that strong women with unwavering morals and values such as Peggy will be at the helm in January. I particularly liked that she totally gets my own bit of philosophy ie. "when the world smacks you down for your good deeds and when mistakes and negativity happen, as they are likely to do from time to time, do good deeds anyway" ....... I believe this woman embodies that belief and I look forward to following her career. In general, I am thrilled that there are women moving into the power positions in government and can only hope and pray they are beyond corruption as so many of our men seem to fall into that trap once in power (what is that saying? ...... money corrupts most, but power can corrupt absolutely ..... am sure that is hardly verbatim for the quote .... when memory fails, I tend to fill in with my own scramblings :) ............. Hiking while exploring such historical beauty, meeting kind, likeable, interesting people along the way ....... yes, a fitting end to an amazing week in Jordan .... as I now sit here in modern day Dubai, I am beyond grateful that I had the good sense to add Petra to my journey ....... Horray!!! ..... the old Middle East is alive and well in Wadi Musa ......... Al Humdu I-illah....

I have been transported to a red rose place of beatitude!

As I turned the corner into the Siq, my eyes clouded over and realized I was crying ..... caught myself totally by surprise, wondering "what the heck"???...... I have been on such an even keel emotionally, almost to the point where I felt I was finally heading into that blissful territory of Buddhist-like emotional balance and calm. :) ......... The beauty of this red rose canyon astounded ....... I wondered if I was having some bizzare but strangely, very serene past life recall ..... felt quite wonderful really! ..... it was early morning and other tourists, mostly still asleep ........ I basically had the canyon to myself with only a scattering of others, most of us solo travelers, respecting each other's desire for silence in this place that feels so holy ..... it is a powerful energy that emanates from these cliffs, canyons, tombs and temples of Petra. I had opted out of having a guide for my first time into the canyons ........ I really love feeling a place in silence before learning the history ..... A three day pass, allowed for leisurely exploring ...... spotting a rock ledge, I sat down to savor that first Petra moment ..... Exploring further, I dicovered many little paths leading to various tombs, and beautiful rock outcrops ....... eventually, a peaceful place for meditation and quiet reflection presented itself. I was happy that the morning prayer call had been so early :) ..... other tourists did not arrive for a few more hours ..... it was lovely!! ...... I doubt pictures can possibly capture the essence of Petra but I hope you enjoy my attempt :) Some places truly are better experienced first hand ........ Having always preferred the creations of God's paintbrush ...... creations millions of years in the making ....... aaaah, mountains .......... ever my respite from wordly concerns .......... these mountains are every bit as beautiful as my own Rockies .... mesmerizing, even. A state of grace takes hold ........ I feel very much at home in the ancient red rock canyons of Petra .....

Wadi Musa and Petra Magic in Jordan

A quick flight to Amman from Cairo, followed by a long two hour drive through sandy desert dunes, I arrive in a town, so charming from the hilltop, that I had to catch my breath again! Wadi Musa covers the hillsides right into the valley below ...... at the base of the canyons, temples, tombs and monasteries of the ancient Nabataen city of Petra. My hotel, literally at the front gate! I opted to stay put for a day or so, giving myself ample time to absorb and revel in the many magical Egyptian moments of the past two weeks. Middle East history is vast ....... I am touching but a tiny speck of the landscape, internally and externally, biblical and beyond. Waking up to the somewhat haunting sounds of the prayer call in Cairo a few weeks ago, I felt transported back to 1975 and Kuwait ..... Brian and I had lived next door to a mosque ...... I had no idea how much the prayer call resonates within me ...... surely a more beautiful wake-up call than most ....... a reminder to give thanks to God throughout our day ........ here I am in Wadi Musa, Jordan and the call is clear as a church bell :) ...... Al humdu l-illah (Praise be to God)