Shortest and hottest night!

It was after 7PM when the plane touched down and we felt the heat even when we were walking through the jet bridge! Very hot and very humid!
This time in Dubai, we chose a three-star hotel to stay, right near the shopping center that is reasonable.
Right when we left the hotel to go to the shopping center that is just across the parking area, my glasses were clouded among with my camera!

completely smoked!

We once again hunted through the 6 Dirham shop and finished off at the food court!

at the 6 Dirham shop...


they didn't have Burger King, but I wanted to have one particular burger...


yes, the Quarter Pounder! and my wife had Green Curry!

It was very cool in the hotel, and the shower water was lukewarm too. But I really enjoyed the hottest and shortest night of this year!

Time to leave

This time I wasn't that blue to leave one of the best places in the world to be on vacation. It was partly because this time our plan was only to get ourselves to my sister's wedding and see my family and the mission was complete without any flaws. Yes, I was satisfied!


we had steak who took home with a doggie bag!

Today we also went to a Japanese supermarket and bookstore to find things we will never be able to find in Tehran (maybe at Dubai by doubling the price). And finished off with American style getting souvenirs at Costco (former Price Club to me), and stopping by Starbucks and Burger King for our lunch.


Japanese food store...


and the famous bookstore!


wholesale store!


looking for the BEEF!


and my favorite fast food!


drive thru!


the largest one... Triple Whopper!

We left home at 2PM and we were on the way at 4:40PM out of the airport... After saying farewell to my sister and my mother who will also leave tomorrow with my dad... maybe I fell a little blue... At least we still have one more day at Dubai...


oh... we're almost there...


and that will take us back to the Middle East...

PS
It really sucks that our enterainment system was broken! We were offered another seating, but we heard there was another guest together, so we decided to skip movies and just enjoy the time together. Actually we were sleeping most of the way!


not working!

But there's many ways to enjoy...

number one... BEER!


number two... WINE!


crossing the mountains...


and flying through the blue sky!

One full day to enjoy...

We only had today to enjoy and share the life of a Bay Area resident. In the morning, I took a walk with my wife around the vicinity to show her the junior high and high school I graduated from. Both, being a Sunday and summer vacation time, were closed as expected, but I'm sure my wife got some of the pictures. Anyways both schools seemed completely different since when I both left them as a gruadate!


"Middle School"!? I thought it was "Junior High"...


yes... yes... it was "Jr. High"... maybe they changed their formal names...


and my high school... I'm sure I won't be able to make my 20th year reunion next year...

After attending a service at the church I went to when I was a school boy, we went to our favorite nice meal, which I always want to have when I'm here in the Bay Area. We then went to a familiar mall where I've been to so many times! I got two pairs of jeans and for my wife, I was finally able to buy birthday presents! She was looking for a watch with "world time" and she also stopped haphazardly in front of a shoe shop to get a nice pair of boots she can use in the winter.
In the nighttime, it was time to get one of the best dinner treats here in the Bay Area! My favorite prime rib dish that I also had three years ago. I left my stomack open for this, so having a 12 ounce cut was no problem! I was happy having all the members of my family together and two of our relatives here!


one of my favorite!


yummy! yummy!


the familiar shopping center...


starting with the nice clam chowder


and the main dish!! yummy, yummy, yummy!!


finishing with some sorbetto...

We finished off the day at a familiar 24 hour supermarket in the neighborhood of our home. Buying chewable Vitamin C tablets were our goal, but we found the cheap generic ones, which is just perfect for filling up our vitamin necessities for nearly a year in Tehran!





At night we had time for the boys! Together with my dad and brother we enjoyed my brother-in-law's collection of Scotch and it was enough to feel happy that I was having enough alcohol for a year. I'm sure I won't be able to enjoy so much drinks in seveal days!


time for the real thing!

Day of celebration!

I now have a brother-in-law. I'm very happy to have one so trustworthy and reliable. I'm of course happy that both are doing well in their career and even more, they have great friends around them. I've been away from my sister so long, that I never was there to help her in need and I witnessed all the love my sister and her husband has received from all of their companions.
The five hours we spent at the wedding venue made me realize once again that I hadn't given my wife this opportunity to celebrate among her friends and our family. I really felt guilty... but today it was a day to celebrate so I just pushed it back into my conscience. I'll think about it later!
So anyways, congrats to my lovely sister and our new compassionate friend who is the luckiest guy in the world! Congratulations!

Photos...

before everyone was seated... waiting for the great event!

while sunset... after the ceremony...

Longest day of my life!?

Going to bed after 12:30AM we woke up before 2AM and was already on our way to the airport at 2:30AM. Our flight to Dubai was not on schedule as we had to wait in the plane for someone who had a baggage problem and one female passanger who didn't feel well. We finally took off an hour and a half later than schedule. We were concerned as we only had two hours for transferring to the next flight but the ground staff lead us to the gate in less than thrity minutes and there we encountered a pleasant surprise.

We were upgraded to business class! Our ticket issued at Tehran was a "standby" pass and it was another concern whether we would have the seats, but how awesome to be able to sit in the business seats for a 16 hours ride! I'm sure this flight is the longest direct flight I've ever ridden in my life and we were saying all the misfortune has paid up!


nice seat!

with... all I can drink!

and a steak already! oh, the rich always have this priviledge!?

Watching three films, The Soloist, Bride Wars, and the Confessions of a Shopaholic, the only other things than eating and driking that I'd done in the plane was... sleep!

We arrived in San Francisco International 15 minutes after two, only half an hour late than schedule and we headed straight to the wedding venue where my lovely sister and his superb new husband were rehearsing. There I met my family, mom and dad and my brother together for the first time in years. It was a great chance to reunite my family living in three different countries now. How glad I was to be able to be here!


welcomimg me... yes I'm happy to be here!

After rehearsal, we went to a wine shop where they offer a "cocktail hour" for the guests. It was a mistake I had three glasses of wine in the plane and I refrained of having too much here. Well, my brother had so many glasses he seemed to be happy than ever!


all the great Californian wine on the table!

It's an 11 hour and 30 minute time zone difference from Tehran, being almost on the other side of the globe, made today probably the longest day adding up to 35 hours and 30 minutes! But I'm sure it was spent the best way ever!


home sweet home!

PS
I made a shameful mistake by jamming my toe into the brick of the chimney of our home... It really hurts!!

Day off in Paris!

It was one of the rarest nights I slept all relaxed and feeling so happy to wake up in the free world. We stayed in the hotel till noon though we did have the option to leave early so we can enjoy our last day here.
It was May Day and one of the rarest days that most of the public estates were taking their day off. I heard only Christmas and New Year's Day would be the same!

May Day!

they seem to buy flowers this day...


suddenly a metro car turned into a concert hall!

We strolled off to Eiffel Tower and started waiting on line at around 12:30, but we had to stand in line for more than an hour!


people around the park to be models...


quite high!


a long long line of people!

When we finally got to the ticket stand they were saying that the top floor is temporarily closed! I was outraged, but could do nothing...

CLOSED!? ARE YOU SERIOUS!?

After getting to the second floor, we found out the top floor could be opened...
We waited for another half an hour to get the tickets to the top and we got it!


view from the second floor...


there's still a long way upwards!


what's this line!? is it...?


yes! tickets to the top floor!

It was a different world at the top floor and we were satisfied!

the ARC!


Montparnasse Tower?


And La Seine


great... especially with champagne!


too happy to get drunk!


oh... some smoke...
(we later on found out there were demonstrations all over the city because it was May Day!)


9,739km to Tokyo!


hey boys! nice day to work, right!?

We then went to the L'Arc de Triomphe and strolled down the Champs-Élysées to finish off our trip!


before going to the Arc... lunchtime!


the familiar burgers...


it says... "Chez McDo"!
like we say in Osaka! (Makudo!)

And to the destination!

L'Arc


And L'Avenue des Champs-Élysées!

I had some last minute beers with another elder colleague based here and we had a nice chat together!

The three day visit here was splendid. It rained on the first day and the weather forecast was saying that it could rain the rest of the days too, but perhaps with the mercy from God, it was mostly sunny and quite warm throughout our stay from yesterday and we didn't even need our coats!

It was time to leave the city and take the flight back to... oh I don't even want to mention it...

Au revoir, Paris!


last beer in Paris!


many police vans countering demonstrations!


back to CDG... end of our trip!