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Dubai.A place of memories from a life lived long ago.Navy life.The taxi driver today asked me if I wanted to go see the Gold Souk and other prominent sites.I said, "No thank you."I'd been here before… wasn't impressed the first three times.Still not impressed now.Granted, I'm very thankful for this past day and half I've had to rest in peace and quiet, but it is just a place - not a destination.My purpose for venturing out of my hotel room's comfy bed and into the searing heat was very direct: I needed a power transformer to step-down from 220 volts to 120 volts.Reason being, I needed to plug in an appliance that's purpose involved touching my face.I was not about to send 220 volts jolting through it.So to the mall I went.
Dubai Mall:An overgrown selection of too many choices.However, I found myself grateful instead of annoyed, since the last six months of my life were void of many choices at all.I was grateful for the chaos.Quickly I found what I needed, and then had to find a way to amuse myself until the taxi returned to pick me up.Now, I'm not much of a window shopper, but I found myself grateful for the limitless distance to walk and walk and walk.Not surprisingly, it did work up an appetite.No wonder old ladies dressed in matching sweat suits and sweat bands get a kick out of walking around the mall.It can be quite a workout - in an air-conditioned space.So I was hungry.I walked around the food court… choices, choices, choices… I walked into a cheeky place called the "Waterlemon," but it didn't peek my interest.Passing by the Ruby Tuesday's, I remembered saying to my co-worker before leaving, "The first thing I want to do is gorge myself on a huge salad!"There was a fresh salad bar inside.I was in.The choice made itself.
Opening up the menu, another missed nicety caught my eye: guacamole.Fresh… REAL… guacamole.That would be my lunch.Salad bar with fresh guac and chips.Oh.And a pomegranate lemonade.That's the ticket!Diving in I couldn't have been happier.In fact, I just about started to cry right there in public.It'd been six months since I could eat 'fresh' vegetables without getting wretching sick.Thank the LORD I didn't have to digest pesticides this time… and for the next three weeks.Oh the tender mercies.I "less than three" (<3) veggies.
After lunch I moseyed on around and smacked right into one the biggest indoor aquariums I may have ever seen.Well… at least in a very, very long time.It was Mondo huge… as big as a house.My jaw just dropped at all the sea life inside.Oh so beautiful and serene!Like a train wreck (but better), I couldn't look away.I even did the 'tourist' thing and took horrible pictures with my cell phone through the glass.Then I saw it.The BIGGEST, what looked like, a Largemouth Bass I'd EVER seen!That sucker must've been about 400lbs.My My.It almost dwarfed the shark that passed by a few minutes later.Funny thing about that shark was it had a tailgater.This smaller fish followed closely behind and I just chuckled.They must have an agreement."Hey.You can follow me around as long you like, but once you get in front of me… it's all over.I'll eat you, kill you, or even worse!Got it?""Yuze got it, bwoss!"But back to that massive largemouth.I know, I know… it's salt water so it's probably something different, but all I could think of was how crazy tough it would be to reel that monster in! I'm just sayin'… Truly amazing.
Back at the hotel I promptly passed out for an 'extended' nap - because I could.Waking up, I hit the gym for about an hour and a half + - because I could.In my room I took a very long and slow shower… because I could.Aren't vacations great!In the immortal words of the Kool-Aid man, "OH YEAH!!!"
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