Instead of a tour agency-arranged desert safari for Mama, we did a desert drive to Falaj Al Moalla (click here for the earlier post).

Common to deserts are camels, and it's interesting how they survive in the seemingly dry and hot land.

Camels do not store water in their humps as is commonly believed. The humps are actually a reservoir of fatty tissue. Concentrating body fat in their humps minimizes heat-trapping insulation throughout the rest of their body, which may be an adaptation to living in hot climates.^[5] When this tissue is metabolized, it acts as a source of energy, and yields more than 1 g of water for each 1 g of fat converted through reaction with oxygen from air.(Source: Wikipedia)

I turned another year older two weeks back and I can only count how much blessed I am. The past year was not about having accrued financial wealth, but of peace of mind and heart that my families (and friends too) are safe and healthy everyday.

Who's the baby? Away from home, Mama joins us this year, making it more special.

My Mom is here in Dubai for a visit and I feel how much she misses Papa back home :)

Earlier, Mama joined us in Turkey. Photo posts about the great place would have to wait because having just weekends of a month to take Mama around the UAE is sure challenging to blog in between. So far in three weekends, she saw the seven Emirates as well as most of Dubai's landmarks.

Meanwhile in Turkey, the Gremlin had four plane rides in all, and he insists to sit next the window. Every time, he draws airplanes and tells that we are in outer space. Oh li'l boys, how do you discuss Science? We told him that we're just above the clouds and outer space is still quite a distance away. Here's one of his sketches and can you tell where his outer space is?

Two airplanes, a sad moon, a seemingly star, and the outer space, as how a Gremlin sees it.

I'm just to too sleepy now, but it's still early, I hope it's not something to do with telling myself recharge and welcome back to reality! I'm trying to ward off worries of making up for the four days of missed work.

We just came back on a five-day trip and isn't it liberating forgetting all about other concerns than to appreciate the host place and survive being in there?