A few months ago, we made a list of things to do in the summer in Abu Dhabi. At the top was "walk around Carrefour and find the weirdest food we can." We still haven't done that, or rather, we still haven't actually bought cassoulet in a jar, or samosa wrappers, or *all the spicy sauces* from around the world.
But we can now say that we've accomplished the second item on the list, which involves less thought: Ski Dubai. The Mall of the Emirates, home of Ski Dubai, has long been an object of fascination for Margaret, who dreams of their après-ski, their hot chocolate, and their penguins.
But Ski Dubai is an object of much mirth, both in the Emirates, and beyond. Our plans to go ski a few weeks ago inspired jibes not just from friends and family back home, but incredulous stares from most expats, too. They don't understand: it is perhaps the only place on earth where we can consider ourselves competent ski-ers, and as a result, it is a ski Mecca of sorts for us.
We went on a sleepy Saturday morning, hoping to beat the crowds. We did: at first, there were more slow signs than people.
And the slow signs, they were urgent, occurring once every thirty meters or so. There are lots of reasons to go slowly, apart from our skill level. There are plastic trees to see, interior decorating choices to critique, and there is even a halfway cafe, which we admit we frequented....
...but we have some standards. We didn't induulge in the après-ski fondue and hot chocolate. Their establishment failed to provide a real fire.
We did, however, consider dining at Mall View Palace, whose name caused us much joy. Only in the Emirates could a mall be considered view-worthy. (Its status as a palace is doubtful the world over.)
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