After a quick late night flight from Amman, we landed in Dubai for our 22 hour layover. Just enough time to crash, shower, eat, shop, and check out the tallest building and free standing structure on Earth, the Burj Khalifa. Standing 828 meters tall, it towers above the Dubai skyline. You may or may not know this, but I've got a bit of a thing for tall buildings, so I was pretty excited. The Burj Khalifa tops the next tallest building by almost 200 meters, and is almost double the height of my beloved Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.

Now, I guess that I probably should have assumed this, but it's really freakin' hot in Dubai. Like unbelievably hot. Like being inside a giant convection oven hot. Thank the lord above for abundant chilly air conditioned taxis and shopping malls. The pure bliss of the AC after the stifling outside heat made spending our time inside while in Dubai not only essential, but welcome. We visited some indoor souks, saw Ski Dubai - one of the worlds largest indoor ski slopes, and then headed over to see the it...the Burj Khalifa.

22 hours in Dubai was the perfect end to our adventure and now we are headed home. It's a 14 hour flight, so we are ready to settle in, get some sleep, and watch some movies. We plan to see you all soon!


My final thoughts:

Looking back at the past 10 days, there are a few final thoughts that I would like to share. Overall, we had an extraordinary time. Observing a new culture and people, visiting some of the sweetest places I have ever seen, and traveling with great people has been a true blessing.

I know that there were many of our family and friends who were concerned about our safety and general well being while in Jordan. While I cannot speak for Chrissy and Steph, I will say that 95% of the time I felt welcomed with amazing kindness and hospitality.

Let's be honest, the other 5% of the time, people were simply amused by the white girls attempting to do basic tasks like driving, pumping gas, using the toilet, and finding our way. But not once did I feel unsafe or unwelcome. Not once did I feel threatened or as if someone was looking to take advantage. They did not mock, leer, or even pay much attention to our uncovered hair or bare wrists and forearms. We did our best to be polite and respectful of their customs and traditions, and, in turn, the people of Jordan treated us with respect and warmth throughout our visit.  

So that's about it. Although I have said it before, it bears repeating....traveling abroad continually brings me back to just how fortunate I truly am. I hope to be grateful every single day for all that I have be blessed with. So until the next time, the next adventure, I hope you all stay well.