Meeting Old Friends

Yesterday Rob and his 2 girls came to visit us in our bungalow in Zutphen.
Unfortunately they didn't have a lot of time but it was still nice to see them again after they moved to Shanghai last year.
We caught up w Rob and the kids had a good time playing and eating pancakes for lunch.

The finger is back!

Some years ago Rob gave us the best laugh ever when he teased a fish in Butch and Tom's aquarium....He put his finger in the water and he dared the fish to bite it. To his surprise the fish didn't like to be screwed with and bit his finger really hard. Rob screamed in agony...pulled his hand out of the water...with the fish still holding on....the fish flew through the air and ended up on the floor. One of the funniest things ever!
Anyway......This time that same finger was bandaged up again, but it was not so funny......What happened? A starting gun exploded in his hand and blew a hole in his finger during a track meet at his school.......made in China, Rob? Don't you know that you shouldn't play with guns?? :-)

Klim Bos

Yesterday we took the kids to the 'Klim Bos'(Climbing Forest).It is an outdoor place in the woods where kids can climb and go on different routes from tree to tree. It is pretty spectacular and very well set up.
The kids wear climbing harnesses, like you would on a real climb. After a half hour instruction or so, the kids can start climbing by themselves. The kids are supposed to be hooked on to a steel cable throughout the whole way , but they still need open their carabiners every time when they get to a tree, go around that tree and hook onto the next cable. I have to admit that I was a bit uncomfortable at first ....since I was on the ground and they are climbing at about 10-12 ft height......
The younger kids go on the easier and lower routes and the older kids and adults go on the higher and more challenging routes.
It is for kids from 7 and up, but of course Ayla was desperate to do it too....and we were lucky to get her in. She would have been very upset it she would not have been allowed to do it. It was pretty hard for her but she managed...... and loved it!
This place is definitely one of the best outdoor action places I have ever seen. Very impressive!

Instruction Time.

They are ready to go!!

Go Ayla!

Spider Girl!

Noah on the flying fox !

On this picture you can see Laurens on one of the high routes and some other kid on the lower junior route.

Candle Making

Two days ago we went to a place where they teach you how to make your own candles.
Noah wasn't very interested but Ayla loved it.

You start with a string attached to a piece of wood.

Than you have to dip the string into a box of hot wax. You have to do this for about 25 times. Every time you have to wait for one minute for the wax to get hard.

When the candles are thick enough you can shape them.......any way you like......as long as the wax is still soft.

Dip the candles in cold water to make the hard.

Add your favorite colors and............. voila, candles are ready!!

Back In Hollland !!

Since last Saturday we have been back in Holland. It is always nice to come back home and especially now it was a nice change after the Abu Dhabi heat. We are staying with my brother and his family in Apeldoorn.

Noah and cousin Laurens

It is really nice to have a sister in law with a convertable.....

Dinner outside.

Goodbye to Abu Dhabi

Last few images of Abu Dhabi........

Cool looking high rise buildings.

The Royal Palace......nowadays a hotel for the upper few....

The Sheikh rules !

Noah and Ayla on a broken street sign.

Abu Dhabi Beach

On our last day in Abu Dhabi we went to the beach and had a fantastic Lebanese dinner afterwards.
Special thanks to Mariette and Joe for their hospitality. We had a great week !
Our next stop will be......HOLLAND!

Women's Handicraft Centre

A few days ago we went to the women's handicraft centre here in Abu Dhabi.
It was a very interesting to see and talk to some of the local women . There was a museum, the girls had some henna design painted on their legs and we saw some of the women working on making their traditional clothes.
Most of the women didn't want to be photographed but there were a few...younger ladies...who didn't mind.
The best part was when we were invited by a group of women to join them for lunch and when one of the ladies asked Mariette to try on one of the traditional 'masks' that a lot of women wear here.
Check it out!

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

Last night Mariette took Sue and I to The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Wow..... that is one impressive piece of architecture and one of the most beautiful mosques i have ever seen. We went in the late afternoon / early evening when the light was just prefect and when it was surprisingly quiet.
The mosque is open for all visitors....women must wear an abaya ...which is a black dress that covers the whole body. Men can't wear shorts or tank tops.
The building is absolutely stunning and it looked even better at night when they had all the lights on!

Desert Trip

The 4 of us went on an organized desert trip 2 days ago. There was only 1 other couple on this trip and us.
First we went to a camel farm, then we went dune bashing...as they call it. This is driving through the desert sand dunes in a 4wheel drive. The dune bashing was pretty spectacular but also very shortlived, since 3 people in our car got sick doing it....and Ayla was in tears....So we decided to take a shortcut to the camp . Here we were able to take a camel ride, to climb the sand dunes, to have a nice BBQ dinner and to enjoy a belly dancer. Kids had a really good time and it was nice to have the place almost to ourselves!