Yet another Dubai trip for another Cisco training I was fortunately made a part of. Timed two weeks before school starts, two weeks before 'summer' ends, couple of weeks before Ramadan, final days of a Priority Club promo and right smack into the final week of the great Dubai sale. Fortuitous? Probably.
Hence, the same routine. Nexus Class during the day through lunch and (much-needed) coffee breaks while the mag-ina goes off to the mall-of-the-day. While the class was very engaging, I couldn't wait to follow the girls.
One of the highlights of this trip was our very first visit to the Dubai Outlet Mall. As advertised, the mall had great brands and great discounts (the city-wide Dubai sale also upped the %s). Needless to say the wife (and my colleagues wives who went on a different day) put the mall up near the top of list of Dubai-Malls-to-visit-on-every-Dubai-trip. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy sale season as well but the real highlight of that day was the siopao and halo-halo dinner... at Chowking. Good value for money shopping and pinoy-food craving satisfied!!
Another highlight of the trip was the visit to the famous Dubai Fountain beside Dubai Mall. We never had time to see the show(s) during previous visits - timing was off. This time we got to see two of seven programs of various artists. Some things are becoming a routine or ritual for us already... a visit to Festival City's IKEA and its restaurant is mandatory, Friday's at Mall of Emirates for our final meal before driving back to Muscat, among others.
This trip was great as usual with the exception of one weird evening... the little girl suddenly wakes up in the middle of the night crying that her tummy's hurting. She gives it a try in the bathroom several times but it wasn't letting up. So, while trying to keep my panic in check, I dash down to the hotel lobby. No in-house doctor at that time & the doctor on-call is about an hour away. Fearing the worst, I risked finding my own way to the nearest hospital, Jebel Ali hospital... after getting quick directions, I sped off in scabbers with both girls at the back seat - the wife comforting our baby as best she could. While I tried staying true to the directions given, I couldn't totally ignore signage to the hospital. Panic and unfamiliar roads, of course, leads to - getting LOST. With the help of my colleague (Sadiq - who I thank wholeheartedly for waking up at 2 am to help me coordinate directions with the hotel), I am able to finally arrive at the Jebel Ali hospital. Turns out... there are two different hospitals, both located in the Jebel Ali area and having exactly the same name. Go figure. Anyways, after some time in the ER, the little girl felt better - no more aches and cramps or anything so the doctor cleared her. We stayed a bit more just to be sure but we quickly went back to the hotel room as if nothing happened. Was most likely gas or indigestion- a big whopping tummy ache.
Notwithstanding that fluke of a night, it was a great trip all around. While generally, it is thought safer to drive back to Muscat during daylight, I find it easier (more ways than one) to do it at night. Either way, the 5 hour drive is always bearable with live entertainment inside the car.
