Eid (Fall) Break

A late one, but Eid Mubarak! 

Last week we were on Fall Break for one week due to the Eid holiday celebration.  Despite the hot weather (upper 90's) we were determined to get out and not be stuck at home going stir crazy with two active and energetic little girls.

While many of our TAISM coworkers set off for exotic locations like France, Bali, Spain, and the likes, we did three overnight stay-cations here in Muscat. 

The first was a trip to the Shangri-la Resort about a half hour from our home.  It's a 5 star resort that features a beach, splash pad, numerous pools, a lazy river, an indoor park (think McDonald's playplace x 10), yummy restaurants, and service from resort members everywhere you turn. 

We spent our two days pretty much in water, whether it was in the pool, in the ocean, or on the splash pad.  The girls had a lot of fun!

 

Checking out the view from our room after check in (with complimentary ice cream for the kids)

 

Pool time!  Run, run, run!

 

Emalyn insisted on trying on the pool gear.  It promptly came off after the photo.

 

After our lovely buffet dinner.  Stuffed to the gills with fabulous food.  Honestly, too much to choose from.  They have stations for almost every major nationality represented (Asian, Indian, European, Arabic, etc...)

 

Splash pad happiness

 

Mommy having fun too!

 

Aberly tackling the rock climbing wall in Adventure Zone

One of the fascinating things about staying at the Shangri-la is that it's a resort, so it attracts people from all over, not just locals.  So you'll see every variety of clothing and swim wear around the park.  The Burkini to the bikini, it's all there!  I always wonder what the conservative Muslims think about all of us running around practically naked.  Do the women worry about their husbands' wandering eyes?  Are they afraid for what their children will see? 

Our next adventure was camping.  We knew it was a risk.  Emalyn is just 18 months.  How would this go?  Namely, how would sleep go?  Well, it was bad.  Yes, bad.  Colin and I could not have gotten more than 6 hours of sleep between us.  About 2-3 hours each.  We're not sure if it was the heat, the waves crashing, or what, but Em tossed and turned and fussed all night long.  Luckily Aberly slept through the mayhem.  

But besides that, we had lots of fun during the day with our good friends, the Walters, and two other families they knew.

 

Locked and loaded.  Ready for the two hour drive.

 

Panorama of our camp site.

 

Digging in the small patch of sand.  It was pretty much a skipping-stone rock beach.

 

Off to explore the tide pools.

 

The beginning of a long night.

Our last adventure was going out to another local resort that's not quite as fancy as the Shangi-la, but fun all the same.  The Millennium Resort is about an hour north with a private bay, kayaking, paddle boarding, a pool, spa, lovely restaurant, and kid's outdoor activities.  Due to the heat, we didn't do too much, but we enjoyed the pool and beach, as well as relaxing in our room.

Nancy (Colin's mom) was visiting that weekend from India, so she joined us for our Millennium trip and the girls were very happy to see their GeeGee and play with her.  I took advantage of the extra set of hands and enjoyed a Thai massage at the spa (heaven!) and Colin and I had dinner sans children while they had room service with GeeGee before bed.  A fun twist on our afternoon was a sandstorm blowing through, but due to the wind coming from the opposite side of the hotel, to us, it looked like a thick fog had rolled in and reminded us a lot of the Oregon coast. 

Sadly, I have no photos of the weekend as we forgot our camera in the room every time we headed down to the pool.  Just imagine lots more smiles playing in the pool, digging on the beach, and fun family time with Nancy.

Our vacation week ended with a bang, so to speak, as we (except Nancy and Emalyn) were hit with a tummy bug that was AWFUL.  After puking out all the contents of our stomachs and numerous trips to the toilet, our systems were empty and ravaged.  We were exhausted and spent.  Thank goodness Nancy was there to help around the house, make soup, and keep an eye on things.  We felt terrible that the 2nd half of her vacation was watching us be miserable, but we were thankful she was there.  

After an extra day off from work, we all recovered and jumped back into the swing of work.  

It was definitely a memorable holiday break!