The Asian Experience 2006
By Reyna V., Green Team

Editor's Note: The following is a narrative documenting the trip of our Co-Editors, Hannah and Reyna. While this type of article would typically found in the Spotlight section, we're placing it in the World News and Travel section to show students another type of article they can contribute to The Dragon. If you have any unique travel experiences you would like to share, feel free to email either Mr. Sorensen or Ms. Warren.

Shivering from the negative nine degrees Celsius, I mounted the chair lift in Ski Dubai. When the safety bar was down, I leaned over and fixed my eyes on the many skiers and snowboarders from all over the world. I thought about how lucky I was to be in Dubai (near Saudi Arabia, located in the United Arab Emirates), a place several people had never heard of, and in a few days, how I would be going to India. I turned to my friend, Hannah, and her face had filled with joy. I hoped she would have the time of her life on her three-week Asian experience with me. Before I knew it, it was time to get off the chair lift, so I slid down the ramp and skied to the left. As Hannah caught up, I started down the slope. I quickly gained speed, and in seconds I was flying through soft powder and past faces with all eyes on me. We came to the bottom of the hill, realized we had so much fun, and made our way back to the chair lift. We continued to dash down the slope with foot-long smiles on our faces. After two hours of icy fingers, frozen toes, and cherry noses, we decided we had had enough of Ski Dubai. As we exited the mall that Ski Dubai was located in, we thought about our next adventure—Wild Wadi.

Wild Wadi—meaning “wild water” in Arabic, was the famous water park located next to our hotel, the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, and the only six-star hotel in the world. When Hannah and I arrived at the park, we walked through the entrance gates leading to the front desk, and asked the lady for passes to the park. As soon we had the bands around our wrists, we headed straight for the first ride we saw—“The Tube.” The tube we were assigned to resembled a gigantic doughnut, the size of a small jacuzzi. We both climbed in and before we knew it, we were on our way up the moving rail. At the top, the tube came to a sudden stop. We thought the tube ride had broken down, but just as we were finishing our sentences, the tube dropped down into complete darkness. It seemed like we were in a tunnel underground with no light whatsoever. As we came back to the light, the tube repeated what it had just done. The tube ride was by far the most fun at Wild Wadi. We were glad we went to the water park on such a hot evening, which brings me to our next exotic adventure—Arabian Adventures.

Arabian Adventures was a desert safari program that came to pick us up from our hotel. As we climbed into the ‘jeep,' we noticed that it was refreshing and cool air that surrounded us. After all the other groups of adventurers had gotten into their jeeps, we started to the desert. Upon arriving there, we got out of the car, and took a series of photographs of the surrounding yellow sand and scarce bushes or shrubs. We saw nothing but vast land with a glowing gold tint to it. After the tires were deflated, we began our journey into the desert. We swerved, curved and dune bashed. When approaching the camels, we took several pictures of them. Before I could imagine, the time had come to ride the camel. While the camel was sitting tranquilly on the ground, I swung my right leg over the camel's hump, and held tightly to the bars located on the side of the seat placed on the camel's back. The jockey made sure Hannah and I were both safely seated on the camel and before I could prepare, I felt this lump underneath me. I rose up and off the ground, Hannah below me. Then it was as if I had lowered to the ground, and Hannah had risen above me. The camel made a final move to straighten its back, and once again, Hannah and I were level with each other, five feet above the ground. The camel began walking up a hill. I felt a large hump underneath me, which formed when the camel moved its hind legs. We had reached the highest point of the hill, and to my surprise the jockey let go of the rope controlling the camel. It was in Hannah's hands. The camel turned around, and started down the hill. When we reached the bottom, Hannah again appeared to be beneath me. Just then, I came to know that I was level with her again, just a few feet above the ground. At that moment, my feet were blanketed in the soft, soothing sand, and then I knew that it was time for me get off the camel. That was our last night in Dubai , and I could not stop thinking about the first activity we had planned in India —Taj Mahal.

The white, spotless marble gazed upon me as I held my camera to the twenty-foot wall of the Taj Mahal. As I turned around, I began to notice the differences between the two coffins carefully placed in the center of the palace. The flat one of Emperor Shah Jahan, creator of the magnificent world wonder, and next to him, his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, for whom the dazzling palace was built. The deep engravings and carvings in the marble lead me to realize how much hard work was spent in the 22 years of building the Taj Mahal. I wondered how men could accomplish so much with bare hands. As I looked at the ceiling I saw designs in a rainbow of colors. I wondered if anything resembling this would ever be created again, for the same reason—true love.

After our three weeks of visiting new places and seeing new things, we were ready to go home. If we ever had the chance to do it again, Hannah and I would definitely visit Dubai and India again in the future. If you ever need a place to go on vacation, or a cultural experience, we highly recommend Dubai and India —the Asian experience!