Fibber McGee/Birthday Celebration, Royal China/Farewell Brunch, and Saray Spa.

Big weekend in Dubai, I will start with Thursday evening, when the weekend begins in the Arab world. I feel like I need to explain a lot about how the liquor licenses work in Dubai, but I'm really no expert.. All I know is that there is an authentic Irish pub several steps away from the entrance to my apartment building.. For better for or for worse, I have easy access to all the beer, cider and mixed drinks I like.. Last week we celebrated my fellow Zayed University newbie's birthday. Justin turned 21, so we had a Guinness or 10... Happy hour is too good to pass up.

A librarian from the Abu Dhabi campus, Inger, is leaving for Australia in September, so a goodbye brunch celebration was called to celebrate. The food was amazing, a la carte dim sum, all you can order. I cannot begin to tell how many delicious and different things I tried. Here are some photos.

Then the Hamam- Turkish bath/massage. This is one of the things I've been looking forward to about Dubai and have been planning this for months. On various reviews the spa at the Marriott Marquis kept coming up, so I made my reservation. There was also a 50% discount off 90 minute sessions, so I went for it. I showed up two hours before the appointment to make sure I could find the place, navigating in Dubai deserves another blog entry... I took advantage of free valet parking, which is the standard at most places, such as hotels. I had time for a lamb sandwich and Moroccan tea at the French cafe. C'est magnifique. Is it Turkish spa day or French treat day? I get so confused.

So I also had time to spend before the hamam in the relaxation room. Just as lovely as it sounds, I got to enjoy all the other spa amenities before the hamam treatment, which is included in the cost. I brought my swim suit and tried the jacuzzi, sauna and steam room. I have these things at my swank apartment gym also, but it was nice to try these facilities. Hamam is usually a table shower, exfoliation and massage. This one included a body mask, rose or coffee, I chose a rose mud mask. The entire experience was so interesting-- when is the last time someone gave you a bath with a giant wooden ladel?