Ottawa & it's surprises !

OTTAWA TRIP #2 - 2011:
At the beginning of Ramadan, I travelled back to Ottawa for about 2 weeks. This was a rather last minute trip, and was planned only 7 short days before departure. We figured with the start of Ramadan, and the event season getting pretty slow, why not travel ? But, there was a more important reason to travel back to Ottawa... my mom was retiring from Canada Post after 33 years of service, and ending on such a high note as the Ombudsman. I simply couldnt not be there for her during this momentous occasion.


FLIGHT:
We took a United Airlines flight from Dubai to Washington - which took a LONG 14 hours. We had been able to upgrade to the Economy Plus which features an extra 5 inches of legroom, and it was well worth the cost. It sounds ridiculous that 5 inches makes a difference, but I would strongly recommend this option for long flights ! Ok so we got the flight over with, but the killer was the 13 hour stop over in the Washington airport ... the earlier flight to Ottawa was full so we couldnt catch it, and then our plane was delayed ! On that note, NOT impressed with United ! The airplanes are old, the service is mediocre, the food is hardly edible, and the flights tend to be generally delayed BUT also, they dont even serve alcohol on those long international flights. Now that's cheap !

THE SURPRISE:
We had only told my Dad about our travel plans so that we could surprise my Mom for her special occasion. And prior, I had told my Mom small lies about our plans during Ramadan so she wouldnt suspect and it worked. To come get us upon arrival, my Dad mentioned he was going to visit a family friend. Nothing out of the ordinary there. But then when we all got back to the house, my Dad went in the house and told my Mom that he had been in a car accident - that someone had hit him...and I hid beside the house. When my Mom came outside the inspect the damage, we jumped out from behind the house and SURPRISED her, to say the least. She nearly fell over & was in shock !!! Looking back on it, I wish we would have filmed the whole process, but it was definitely special. We settled in and got ready for more surprises.

MOM & Jacquey boy

SURPRISE #2:
The next day was my Mom's SURPRISE work retirement party, with colleagues, family and friends. Two huge surprises in two days - WOW ! My mom thought she was being taken out for a special retirement dinner by friends of the family. She obviously wanted us to come along too, but since the car wasnt big enough for 6 ppl, I went to the restaurant early for a drink. Since it was a surprise, everyone was there early, and we all eagerly waited for my Mom's arrival... About 30 minutes later, with all the guests in the back of the restaurant, and Aaron & I sitting normally at a table, she walked in and had no idea that her colleagues, friends and family were all there to celebrate her retirement ! Finally, it clicked - she realized what was happening !!! Again, my Mom was so surprised, it was truly moving :)

The event was a great success, and it was worth the long journey back to Ottawa. Quite simply, my Mom is an incredible woman ! Not only is she well respected in the workplace, but also within the family & her circle of friends, and also in the local and Kenyan community. To see all those people at her party, sharing so much love and respect, smiling and laughing, rejoicing in the great memories and looking to future memories - essentially, giving my Mom the praise and recognition she deserves so she can finish one huge chapter of her life, and continue creating future successful chapters.

During her speech - to which she hadnt had notice to prepare since this was all a surprise, a few things stood out for me. While my Mom always made it look so easy, her career was not always smooth sailing; nonetheless, she always found ways to perservere and keep moving forward. From my point of view, I saw how much she dedicated herself to Canada Post thereby investing so much time and energy, working long hours, working during evenings and weekends, and travelling for business - she really did contribute to the workplace and will leave a lasting legacy. I truly think that Canada Post is at a loss that both Goodfellows are now retired! Finally, I especially loved hearing my Mom's mantra:

"the good of the many, outweighs the good of the few"

- Spock, Star Trek 

FAMILY & FRIENDS:
With the retirement party, and many celebratory parties that ensued, it was a great time to connect with family and friends. I love my family !!!! I find it hard to be away from my wonderful family while we are in Dubai...although, technology has made communicating so much easier - but it's still not the same.

I couldnt have a family and friends section without mentioning one of my bff's Audrey. I miss her dearly while we are apart, but the good thing is that when we do get together, it's like we had never been apart.  We got together a few times, and it was so nice to have that girlie time with her and just be silly with her in our ways. What also makes it special is that our boyfriends get along, so it's a really fun group! I had thought that there would have been time to go visit Nadine in Toronto but we simply ran out time and needed to budget for part B of the trip.

I have learned that living abroad and visiting home is no vacation - its exhausting! There are so many people to see & spend time with on top of regular plans that it's difficult not to disappoint some people. And with this being a family oriented trip, I didnt even tell alot of people I was home... I left it up to fate, and who happened to be where I was going... I didnt manage to see everyone I had hoped to see, but that's that.

OTTAWA:
We visited Parliament buildings, the ByWard market, Elgin Street, Sparks Street, ate BeaverTails, poutine, maple syrup and had Tim Hortons. With the Ottawa Canal, the parks, the scenery, the museums, the sights & sounds - Ottawa is truly a beautiful and great city !

xox <3 xox

Vacationing

The United Arab Emirates is a wonderful place to explore. With having more free time on my hands - explanation to come in a following blog post, I went on a mini-vacation to get out of the hustle and bustle of Dubai. We stopped in Fujairah for one night and stopped in Ras Al Khaimah for a few more nights. We focused on beach resorts and relaxation, and really didnt do anything touristy - the entire experience was magnificent.

FUJAIRAH

Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort
http://www.lemeridien-alaqah.com/

To get to Fujairah, we had to drive through the desert and beautiful mountains. The desert here is quite unique and boring - sand, sand and more sand. It does have a bit of shrubbery, and sometimes camels or goats can be spotted. It's certainly different than driving through lush greenery with deers and bunnies in the fields, or desolate icy roads in the winter. The drive was about 2 hours - and went by smoothly... Drivers in the UAE have no road manners and common courtesy is often forgotten so it can be nerve wracking for back seat drivers! haha.

We stayed in a Royal Club Room which had a separate checkin level, a great view, a beautiful room, free massages, a complimentary afternoon tea buffet, a four hour unlimited drinks happy hour, free nonalcoholic beverages whenever we were thirsty, a complimentary breakfast, and excellent customer service. I would really recommend this hotel - the ocean was beautiful and you could enjoy the beach in a cabana; the pool was huge - and even had a swim up bar; and, the food we ate was delicious. The hotel offers activities and has a lot to do; however, we werent there long enough to enjoy everything.

Funny story: during the happy hour, we met an older German couple - very nice people. And, as we were leaving, we all decided to get the dancefloor going and so the four of us danced to some ridiculous tunes playing, and we were all laughing. There was no one else in the club, and the staff thought it was hilarious...

In Canada, some people decide to heat their pools - but here it is the complete opposite. Pools need to be cooled or else they get too hot to swim in ! The pool at this hotel was still a bit too warm to be a refreshing cool off from the hot sun. And the ocean is hot, like bath water. I never really believed people when they told me this, but it's true. Nonetheless, it is still refreshing to swim in.

For those who are traveling to the Fujairah area, I would absolutely recommend this hotel - and the upgrade to a Royal Club room.

RAS AL KHAIMAH

The Hilton Resort & Spa
http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/RKTRSHI-Hilton-Ras-Al-Khaimah-Resort-Spa/index.do

After Fujairah, we drove about an hour to get to the Hilton Resort & Spa in Ras Al Khaimah. Here we stayed in a villa suite located by the chilled pool and the ocean. We had booked a regular room; however, upon arrival we were offered the upgrade at a great price so we took it. Since we were traveling during the week, both hotels were not that busy so it made our getaway extra relaxing. The grounds at this Hilton were huge - we had to be driven in golf carts to get from one end to the other end. Everything was so well manicured and beautiful. We were rather spoiled with having the chilled pool, the salt water pool, the ocean and a bar all within a few feet of our back patio door.

I especially liked the little discoveries that I made during our stay at this resort. We were pleasantly surprised to have found the only inland duty free in the UAE right in our resort !!! Naturally, we stocked up on great wines and alcohol at really affordable rates ! During one of our nightly beach walks, we noticed things scurrying on the beach ... while at first I was a tad scared - thinking it could be snakes lol - it turned out that they were crabs and fish coming out at night. There were many different crab varieties - some large, some small, and some hermit crabs as well. This reminded me of the times during family vacations when we used to hunt little crabs in the sand & keep them hostage in a bucket all day... as a young girl, this kept me entertained for hours ! This was no different - Aaron and I hunted the crabs in the sand, and caught a few but quickly let them go back. It was also nice to see the school of fish swimming and jumping in the shallow water. There is something about seeing wildlife that just pleases me !

Considering we stayed for a few days, we were able to try a few of their restaurants. I had one of the best steaks we have ever had at the Brazilian restaurant there called Pura Vida - the restaurant had a relaxed atmosphere with really helpful and attentive staff, and the food was purely extraordinary, so we had a great night. We also tried the Japanese/Thai restaurant called Passage to Asia; again, the food here was amazing, and the Chef was friendly as were the staff. The food was a bit pricey in both restaurants, but considering we had 2 for 1 coupons from the Entertainer book, it didnt dent our budget too much. I would definitely recommend both these restaurants if you are staying in this Hilton!!

The one thing I would mention is that as it got closer to the weekend more families started to arrive at the resort. While I have nothing against families with children, it makes it hard to relax by the pool when there are misbehaved little children running around and screaming. Considering there was an entire resort section devoted for children, I would have expected the lifeguards to not allow them in the adult area or at least monitor their behavior a bit more.

The drive home took about 1.5 hours – and again, pure desert. Camels, goats and shrubbery were seen as we drove along, but nothing else too exciting. And before we knew it, we were back in the metropolitan of Dubai.  What's great is that you can truly get away from it all in just a short drive. Overall the getaway was much needed and very relaxing. I very much look forward to going back to these locations, and checking out more areas of this country – and the surrounding countries.

xox <3 xox