Equestrian Expo

At the beginning of September we went the the Equestrian and Hunting Expo. It was the first time we had seen so many Emiraties in one place! We found all kinds of interesting booths, and Ken got to practice some of his Arabic with the guys at the booths.

This is the car they decided we should buy.

And what little (or big) boy doesn't love the knives and guns booth?!

Falcons are prized here in Abu Dhabi, and at the expo they seemed to be everywhere. We asked someone what prices they range from, and he told us they start in the thousands. Wow. I don't think Tyler entirely believed us that they weren't going to rip a piece off of his shoulder, but he really wanted a picture with them!

World's largest dagger, according to the plaque!

I wasn't nervous about the beak - they couldn't see us because of their eye coverings, but I didn't want to get pooped on...

They performed some traditional music and dances, which was really fun to see. It involved a lot of shouting, which scared Owen to death. We had to leave rather quickly.

There were also plenty of salukis to see and pet. They use them for hunting in the desert as well. Hailey kept running back and giving them "one last hug."

Good thing they're patient dogs!

Making extra sure no one looses a finger...

 Will was pretty fascinated watching this boy feed his falcon.

We were also able to see some flying demonstrations and horseback riding. It was very impressive.

We had to leave before the camels could come out, but the security guard let us go in the back and sneak a peek. Hailey is bound and determined to ride a horse and a camel here, and we keep telling her she will have plenty of chances!