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 and none on the Persian Gulf like six others.

        I was so excited today because Mom and I were going on the

2013-12-09

【Aiden in English】

        Today, we will tour Sharjah, the Pearl of the Gulf. It used to be "the cultural capital of the Arab world," designated by UNESCO 15 years ago.

        Sharjah was one of the seven emirates right next to Dubai and was full of many different mosques, museums, and markets. The Cultural Square was ginormous, including the Ruler's Office, Quran Monument, Ahmad Bin Hanbal

2013-12-08

【Aiden in English】

        I was really excited about today. This afternoon, Mom and I were to board the Nautica Oceania cruise ship to the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. But first, we went to 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 Dubai Mall, it looked like the crowd of a parade inside

2013-12-07

【Aiden in English】

        When Mom and I returned from Dubai International Airport and checked in at the Raffles Hotel, I went to bed. 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 She

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