A Day of Play

Friday 6 January 2012

Today we started our day with the complimentary breakfast provided by the hotel as a compensation for the room mix-up. Jarrah was thrilled to see real pancakes rather than the thin crepes we’d had in Egypt AND maple syrup. A wonderful spread was provided including baked beans for the first time on our trip. We ate then went back to our rooms to prepare for our day at the Wild Wadi Waterpark!

Since Friday is the first day of the weekend in the UAE and the Metro doesn’t run in the morning our transport options were restricted. So we hopped a taxi to the waterpark and got there just as the doors were opening. The security procedures at the entrance included a bag check and any sort of food or drink including water bottles were prohibited so we were stripped of our supplies which were put in storage until our departure. That’s one way they can guarantee good sales at the food stalls. We changed then Paul and the kids headed off on one of the water rides while I found a spot to lay down. Over the course of the day everyone had their fill of rides. Jade even went off on a ride by herself. Paul walked part way up to the super high slide then had second thoughts and walked back down. I stood for a while at the bottom watching people come down at lightning speed. I can’t imagine trusting myself to speeds like that. Later in the day I got my camera and walked up to the tower to take photos.

To kill some time and also to treat myself (since the others were enjoying the rides) I paid to have a fish pedicure. After paying 50 Durhams (about $A18) I was instructed to rinse my feet then I went up on a platform next to a U-shaped fish tank and told to sit and dangle my feet in the water. Before my feet even touched the water, swarms of fish from all over the tank congregated right below my danging feet. It was creepy. Then as my heels entered the water I felt the ticklish feeling of fish feeding on my dead skin cells. It took me a while to get my feet fully in and I did a bit of screaming and covering my eyes. I could barely look down at my feet covered with fish. The treatment lasted for 15 minutes and when I took my feet out I felt my legs and they were silky smooth and lovely. I know there are concerns about the cleanliness of this process but I would have no hesitation on that count about having it again.

I then went in the wave pool and had a bob around before settling on the lounger in the shade. All around me, in fact all over the park, I could hear Russian being spoken. There sure seem to be a lot of Russian tourists in the Middle East. There were also a number of Muslim tourists with the women wearing extremely modest swimsuits and there were a few Indians too.

We met for lunch and had hot dogs and fries except for Jarrah who had a burger. Talk about local fare! By then it was getting a bit chilly and Paul and I were wanting to call it a day. But the kids wanted to have 2 or 3 more rides so they and Paul had another go at the rides while I went and changed.

It really was a pretty nice day. Wild Wadi has different rides to those on the Gold Coast. The WW rides are longer and set out in a series of stages with opt-out points and directional choices along their length. Each ride is therefore more than one ride, unlike in Australia. The park is smaller than other parks but it is quite nice. Just outside the park is the 6 or 7 star hotel shaped like a sail, the Burj Arab. People were taking photos of it when we left the park and I took a couple from the top of the slide in the park.

We had to queue for a taxi outside the park and it probably took us 15 minutes or so before our turn came up. There were gypsy cabs but we refused to take them.

Back at the hotel Jarrah & I cooked dinner trying to use up some of the food we’d bought the day before. We ate, watched and photographed the dancing fountain (and Paul videoed it) then had an early night.