Festival Fun

Feb 27: Every year Abu Dhabi has a Qasr al Hosn Festival, where for 1 week, they open up their oldest fort to the public. I've been wanting to see it ever since I read about it in "things to do" in our guide book. The Qasr al hosn fort is smack dab in the middle of the city, and used to be the seat of government power, back before there were any of the high rises. The festival shows different aspects of traditional life in the emirate, and offers a bunch of chances for children to participate in hands on adventures. We couldn't make it until the last night of the festival, and due to work (man, it ALWAYS gets in the way :) got there later than planned, but it was so worth it! We parked at a nearby mall, and hopped onto our own private bus, which rushed us to the festivities!

Some tents featured handicrafts and food. With the kids, there was no chance of me trying it out, but it was fun to watch others try their hand at basket making!

The kids (ok, adults too :) were attracted to the animals. Tyler got to hold a falcon on his own. He was so proud - he felt like he was being so brave!

Ken had to try too - it isn't every day you get to hold and pet a falcon!

Traditional Emerati dance and chant performed by the men. And lots of little boys twirling play guns and tossing them into the air :)

Collecting dates off a palm tree.

Owen was in love with the salukis. He just wanted to sit and pet them.

Camel rides! Can you tell Will isn't so sure about it? Neither is the kid in front.  Some things look better from the ground.

Fortunately, he has a big brother who promised he would hold onto him the whole time and keep him safe. I love those two!

Part of the fort. They are restoring the inside of it.

Guns and old trucks. The boys were all over it. By this point, Hailey and Owen were starting to melt down.

Taking a minute to play in the sand pile with the other kids. 8:30 p.m. and the place was still hopping!

Replica of a pearling boat. I'm always hesitant to take pictures of people, but this man told Tyler to come sit by him and told me to take a picture. 

While this was going on, a bunch of Emerati women approached me and asked me in Arabic, if I spoke Arabic. I answered them as best I could in my rusty Arabic (they had already been talking to Ken while I was in line with the kids for the ponies) and then they told me how honored and happy they were that I would take the time to learn their language. This is not a usual occurrence here :) They reminded me of all the friendly people I met in Egypt, and helped me remember why I love the people of the Middle East so much.

Examining, among other things, a dead pufferfish.

Kind of funny to see how we were just right there in the middle of the city, having our own little festival!

Hailey has now accomplished her two great desires since moving to the UAE - riding a camel, and riding a horse. She was so happy, even the long wait in line didn't deter her.

Police.

They were excited for the boys to join them in a picture!

And Tyler was happy to oblige, especially since they let him hold the gun!

Happy boys! Stop reading here if you want the "happy ending." Or, if you dare, continue on for the "real life" ending. Our magical bus didn't come back, in fact, no one could tell us if there would ever be another bus. So we started walking back at a horrifically late hour, each carrying a kid, pushing one in the stroller, & making T walk (it's hard to be oldest sometimes). Too bad we couldn't remember where the mall was. After walking for 20 minutes (in the wrong direction), we tried to find a taxi to take us to our car, only to find there were NO taxis that night. They must have been having a taxi party somewhere else. We FINALLY dragged the kids into a Baskin Robbins, & I attempted to placate them with ice cream while Ken went to find a taxi, unencumbered by crying kids & a whiny wife :) Owen didn't take the bribe, & was soon causing a ruckus. As I watched this couple shooting him sympathetic smiles & me disbelieving glares (seriously, what kind of mom has her baby out this late?!) I realized I was THAT MOM. After promising myself never to judge ever again, I realized I didn't care and would just keep buying ice cream until I ran out of money or until the store closed. Fortunately, Ken valiantly located a taxi & got us to our car (which wasn't even that far away). It was a "memorable" ending. Hey - I'd hate to be accused of trying to make our lives seem picture perfect and chock full of adventure. Truth be told, we only usually get to do this kind of stuff on Saturdays, & it involves so much planning and energy it leaves me with piles of laundry and a need to nap every day the rest of the week ... but it is worth it!