Great to see you made it back safely. ^^

Finally back! I've got about a week before home tho. :)

i was wondering when you would come back,


do you have lots of pictures for us all XD

I might have one or two. We did a port-call in Dubai UAE, and I was out with a shipmate and we got a few pix. There was a huge toy store in the Emirites Mall and they had life-sized plushies there, so I got some pix of them. :) Might hafta put one up, but prolly after I get home.

O.O life sized plushies XD


WHERE IS THIS PLACE


I MUST GO

Dubai, in United Arab Emirites. Dubai is the largest of the Emirites, and is growing with amazing leaps and bounds. UAE has oil, banking, and business interests, so they are a very wealthy country, and they're wisely focusing in on dumping the vast majority of their wealth into their own ecconomy, because they know that oil won't last forever.

Their fair city boasts some of the finest hotels in the world, including an underwater hotel. This city forced the review of the old "five star" hotel rating system when they introduced the world's first six-star hotel; it has gold-plate entrance doors. There are now two more hotels there that exceed even that one, and have been dubbed the seven-star hotels. There are rooms there that are bigger than most peoples' flats, run for more than $10k a night, and come with their own butlers. Must be nice!

The Emirites Mall is currently the world's largest mall, and you can't possibly get through it in a day. It's huuuuuuge! There's even an indoor ski slope there. Yes; that's right. I said "ski slope". It's about a quarter mile long with a lift and everything.

The plushies are really nice. There were all kinds of big cats there (lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, and even a snow leopard), rhinos, giraffe, bison, primates, and even a mammoth, all life-sized. They're all hand-made, according to the labels, and if I had a place to put it, and shipping wouldn't have been totally insane, I would have gotten the big tiger (that was more than a meter tall at the shoulder). :)

XD i want one, did they have wolves

I'm not sure I'd call it a wolf, although the label said it was. It looked more like a dog that got hit broadside by a bus, and then run over by the next one. I thought it looked really silly, but I guess to someone else, it might look just fine. :)

glad you got back safe. hope you have fun w/ all those comments

Thankies! Gonna take a while to sort through everything. So, I'm starting right here. :)

welcomeies. you have to start somewhere.

Welcome back! Great to see that you came back safe.

Thanx! It's definintely good to be home! Well, almost. :)

That was quick :) Welcome back!

Not quick enuf! Two months at sea makes a kitty all cwazy! :) Thanx!

Great to hear you're back safe.

Thanx! Good to be home (almost). Hope all's well with you too.

Welcome home! I hope your vacation is enjoyable and safe. ^_^

Thankies! Can't go wrong with a week in Australia and another with friends and family. :) But it's great to be [almost] home.

Welcome back, Shasta! *hug* <3

Thankies! (shasta return-hugs) It's grand to be home!

Welcome back!

Thanx! Good to be [almost] home! Doing a little vacation here and there on the way. :)

*Hugs loong and warmly* I missed you... Welcome back^^,

(Shasta hugs his much larger brother in return) Good to be home!

(Shasta puts on a deviant grin and pulled the lion down enough to stick his nose and whickers annoyingly [but playfully] into the lion's ear...again) }:>

Hey! I just showered you know:s Don't drool:s (People are looking at us you know:p)

I could get all personal here on FA, but i guess i'll keep that to the email i'm writing for you right now^^, I'm so far ahead of schedual at school that i can basically do whatever i want for the next month or so:p But i'm guessing a few hours for an email is good enough for now...

What are you doing up at this hour of the day btw? Go to bed:p

*Sneaks another hug before continuing to write the email*

Up? Me? This hour? My body's still on the other-side-of-the-world clock, so sleeing at normal US hours has proved to be futile. So I'm just here on FA, trying to get caught up with the gazillion comments and journals and new watches. I guess it's very flattering to know that even without my posting stuff, people are still very interested in the photos. :) I'm glad they like them.

Oh, so we're on the same time for once^^, I've never had that problem with timezones while travelling. I'm always somewhat tired(I sleep when i can so that i'm always up for when stuff hapens:p), so i adapt to the new hours within a day:p

Ofcourse people like your photos, they're great and rare to come by:) Everyone is just waiting for your next upload, and EVERYONE is hoping it will be a lion picture:p

Welcome back to the US and to dry land! Hope you enjoy the wonderful weather in California; it was a near-record breaker on the Central Coast of Cali. :)

It's been a lot of fun so far. I truly miss CA, having grown up here. Monterey Bay (Santa Cruz) will always be my favorite place to live, I think. I'll always miss living in CA, but the animal laws and licencing is just silly, so... I don't know if I'll ever bring animals back to CA. Maybe not.

Unfortunately, that is what the law makers decided. I grew up in Southern California and would see news stories every few months of an exotic (or not-so-exotic) pet that either got away, attacked an owner, etc. Although I can see why the legislation was passed, it has presented a large barrier to rescues and individuals who know what they are doing.

As always, the actions of a few often ruin something for everyone else, which seems to be the way of the world anymore.

Ayup. Tis very true. I just wish the lawmakers all over the country knew what they were doing. But I guess it just wouldn't be politics then, huh? }:>

*POUNCES ON THE KITTY* Welcome back, we have surely missed you around here *Hugs*

(Shasta eeks and is pounced) Definitely good to be home (almost). Once I'm home-home, I'll start with the posting and interaction again. :)

i'm glad that god has brought 1 of his wayward children back home safely. *scritches the kitty behind the ears & under the chin again*

can't wait to see the pics that you took while away!! *sits in front of the computor w/ white tipped tail wagging & ears perked forward in anticipation*

I've only got a few pix from this journey, as normally, I can't take pix while underway, as every space I work in is classified. But I've got a few out in town pix from when I was in Dubai UAE. (Read the dialog above for those details). :) In any case, I'll probably post one or two of them once I'm home-home, just for fun.

thats fine i understand.

enjoy your visiting in CA.

Hi. welcome back... I'm very happy to see you again my dear friend...*hug*... how are you?

I am quite well, short of having picked up an Aussie cold on the way thru there while visiting friends, so no regrets at all! But it's good to be home! Well, almost home, as I'm in CA visiting friends and family still; I'll head to home-home next week.

But it's really great to be back, as I missed everyone!

Good to hear you are back. :)

Thankies! Good to be [almost] home!

Hello, Sir. Nice to see you back.

Great to be home! Well, almost home, as I have a few more days of vacation before I have to be home, and back to the daily grind.

Thanks for the warm welcome. :)

So, so, so great to hear you're back safely. :X)

Thankies! Good to be back on home soil, tho I'm not quite home yet. After two months at sea, this kitty thought some vacation time was due! I'll be home on Wed night. :) Hope all's well with you and yours.