2013-12-10

【Aiden in English】

        During the night, Nautica Oceania sailed to Fujairah across the chokepoint—the Strait of Hormuz—from the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. Fujairah represents one of the seven emirates in the UAE and is the only Trucial State with a coastline solely on the Gulf of Oman, unlike the other six.

        I was so excited today because Mom and I were going on the Rub Al Khali Desert saf

2013-12-09

【Aiden in English】

        Today, we will tour Sharjah, the Pearl of the Gulf. It was once considered "the cultural capital of the Arab world," a designation bestowed by UNESCO 15 years ago.

        Sharjah was one of the seven emirates, located adjacent to Dubai, and was home to numerous mosques, museums, and markets. The Cultural Square was enormous, featuring the Ruler's Office, the Quran Monument, the Ahmad B

2013-12-08

【Aiden in English】

        I was really excited about today. This afternoon, Mom and I were scheduled to board the Nautica Oceania cruise ship for a trip to the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. However, first, we visited the world's largest mall and the tallest tower in Dubai, known as the city of merchants. I couldn't wait to get started.

        When we arrived at the Dubai Mall, it looked lik

2013-12-07

【Aiden in English】

        I went to bed when Mom and I returned from Dubai International Airport and checked in at the Raffles Hotel. As my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep like a log.

        As Mom woke me up at dawn for the tour, I tumbled around for a while and was still half asleep. After a brief breakfast, we hopped onto a city tour bus to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE. There, we would see the Sheikh Zayed Grand M

2013-12-05

【Aiden in English】

        This was it! I couldn't believe I would go to the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. Already, I was imagining the endless desert and the leisurely animals. Just thinking about it, the trip made me so hyper that half of the time at the airport, I would run ahead of Mom and tell her to hurry. But I didn't know today would be one of the worst days of my life.

        We arrived at Philade