Hump Day...Literally!

Alright alright alright---IT'S HUMP DAY MA DUDES! Literally and figuratively. Today was super cool and amazing and just typical Dubai at this point. It feels like I've been here for a week because of how many things I've seen and experienced.

---

Today we started the day going to a camel race. Yes, you read that correctly, a CAMEL RACE. It was super cool to see the camels up close and to see how the races are run. They drive cars next to the camels and honk their horns to get them to run faster. It is quite the scene to see.

---

After camel racing, we went to the Dubai Opera, where we were given a private tour. They explained to us that it is built to look like a boat. Around the building they have stairs with water cascading down and pools of water that can create a current during events to symbolize the flow of life and that life is always moving forward. I thought it was really beautiful how all the different elements of design were used to create a symbolic theme. We also got to see how they store the chairs on the main floor for different events--the floor is like a elevator, so it can go down to different levels and then they can push the chairs off--and where royalty sits. We learned that Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the country’s Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi (who the ladies adore). We also got to see the royal restrooms, which were pretty nice (if you ask me).

---

Finally to end our day, we made our way back to the Dubai Mall (don't worry, we didn't get lost this time) to eat dinner at a restaurant overlooking the fountain outside the Dubai Mall. We were served an authentic Arabian cuisine, which was delicious. We were able to watch the light show displayed on the Burj Khalifa. We were also able to watch the fountain show from our seats. In all, it was a full day full of education, sight seeing, and great food! This city and country keep surprising me. Everyday just gets better and better (excluding all the mishaps from yesterday). Tomorrow we have a lot of different tours planed, so stay tuned to get the inside scoop on those!