Here is the fabulous condo we will be renting for 13 nights, after arriving by cruise ship (as listed in the last post on November 12, 2012) in Dubai on May 21, 2013.
With only six months until our arrival date, we felt it was imperative to lock in a location, having noticed that many of the properties we’ve chosen thus far seem to get snapped up quickly as vacations are planned all over the world.
Prices are high in Dubai. When we began looking at our favorite vacation rentals sites (before we booked the cruise to ensure it would be an affordable month), Vacation Home Rentals and Home Away, we became discouraged that maybe this cruise wasn’t right for us at this time.
Many of the properties, in great locations close to the notorious Palm Island as shown on the map, were $300-$500 a night or more, way out of our budget. As always, a little negotiating and perseverance prevailed. We found this ideal property at the newer Elite Residence Tower, the 2nd tallest residential tower in the world at 91 stories.
The owner writes, in describing the location:
“This location is in the middle of most of the tourist attractions of Dubai. Such as Palm Jumeira, Atlantis Hotel, JBR Walk, beach, Mall of Emirates, indoor ski resort, Wild Wadi, Burj Al Arab, Dubai Marina Mall, etc. There are an array of restaurants serving multi-national cuisines such as Chinese, Italian, Indian, Persian, Lebenese, Japanese, Pakistani, Mexican, Continental, etc.
Read more at http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p3484936#rkgAyAl7uPtKmT9l.99 ”
Need I say we are pleased with our “home body selves” for taking on this added adventure. “What’s happening here,” some family members ask? “Have you gone completely mad in your advancing age?”
No, not at all. Each day while living in Scottsdale until the end of the year, we complete paperwork, taxes, digital equipment needs, Nevada residency, new driver’s licenses and our 2nd passports (will explain that soon), we stretch to challenge ourselves in little ways we never attempted in the past, such as:
- Attending a Windows 8 computer class. Stubborn that we were, we always took more time to teach ourselves, rather than go out to a class.
- Going to a sports bar in the morning to watch the Vikings Game. Only once in our years together, did we ever go to a bar to watch a game.
- Dining out and trying new foods (that comply with our way of eating, of course).
- Jess, drinking beer when we’ve gone out to dinner. Getting drunk after one beer I’ve hesitated to drink. What the heck? Live it up! So what if Tom has to carry me out to the car after drinking one Michelob Ultra (low carb)!
- Walking, actually going for a structured walk. All these years I asked Tom to go for a walk with me. Never did he walk further down the road than to our friends Chip and Sue’s home for happy hour or dinner, only four doors away. Now we go for walks in our temporary neighborhood. After all, when we’re traveling, we won’t have a car most of the time. Walk, we shall! (Tom can’t believe he’s walking. I knew he eventually would!)
- Shopping together. I can count on one hand how many times over the years that Tom has gone into a grocery store, let alone a department store. Yep, we do both together now. That’s change.
Some of our family members ask, “Are you doing anything different than you did before?” (Which meant for us, staying home and enjoying every minute of our lives). Yes, we are family!
Yes, we are sitting at our new computers in our temporary home, fast and furiously doing tons of preparation necessary to travel the world without a home for the next 5-10 years. It’s a daunting task.
We spend about two hours each day doing research for upcoming trips, locations and cruises, one hour of paperwork, two more hours setting up and learning our new laptops (Windows 8), two hours in household tasks (laundry, cleaning, doing dishes, etc.), two hours out and about shopping and researching our digital equipment, one hour walking, two hours a day dining, and one hour of happy hour commiserating over the previous 13 hours, totaling 14 hours plus…
Yes, family, at night after dinner, pooped from the days activities, we do the dreaded, sit in a chair (definitely not comfy as our old chairs) and “veg out” snacking on sugar free candy, nuts and low carb protein bars and…the most awful…watching mindless drivel on TV, all the while with a smile on our faces, often looking at one another with a new found intrigue while excited, grateful and in love.
Belize; get your lawn chairs ready. Egypt, we’ll ride camels on the way to see your Great Pyramids and Dubai, we’ll research your history. Tuscany, we’re ready to walk your open markets, living amongst your citizens for an entire summer. Africa, we’ll live with your animals in Marloth/Kruger Park, we’ll go to see the Great Migration as it crosses the land to the Masai Mara, perhaps in a hot air balloon.
The south of France: we’ll drive along your coast to Cannes, staying overnight in a fancy hotel and then, we’ll live in a little stone house in Cajarc where there are few tourists. The island of Madeira, Portugal; we’ll live in a huge contemporary house overlooking your sea for the an entire summer and ride bicycles in to your town filled with history. Hey Europe, we’ll spend five months roaming around without a plan until we leave for our five scheduled months in Hawaii.
Chill out, family. We’re not bored for a second and don’t think for a minute, that we’re sitting here doing a thing
