ANTARCTICA, THE 7th CONTINENT FOR SOME

2018 Group

Amazing Sights

Barbara Enjoying Sights from the Deck

Juanita Chillin!

It’s official! We are Kat Trackin’ to amazing Antarctica.  The continent is 600 miles away from its closest continental neighbor, South America.  It is earth’s southernmost continent, containing the geographic South Pole.

Our 14 night cruise will be on Celebrity Cruise Line’s “Eclipse” – Feb 2 – 16, 2020.     We are holding all veranda staterooms with a few “Concierge Class” staterooms in the mix.  This cruise begins and ends in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  If you have never been there you may want to  spend  a night or two pre or post cruise enjoying this fair city.

Sign ups have already begun….  If you would like to join us; let me hear from you.

Safari in the Dubai Desert

An Exclusive Night with the Outlaw

 

 

The only 7 Star Hotel in the world

Entering Hotel

Hostess Podium

Elevator, Down Please

Kat and Ann

Nathan Outlaw’s Al Maraha

Burj Al Arab

He Was A Big One

Amuse Bouche, gift from the chef

Fisherman’s Soup

Chili King Crab in the Shell

Blackberry and Almond Sponge with sorbet and Lemon Cyrd

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Crispy Oysters and Caviar

Baked Halibut with Hazelnut Crust

Outlaw’s Private Bar

The Front Desk Manager again arranged complimentary car service for me tonight.  Oh how I love this treatment and the fact that they all seem to know my name blows my hair back.  So Ann and myself were off to the only 7 star hotel in the world, BURJ AL ARAB where a suite can go for $11,000 a night. No rooms here….only suites.   Security is tight!  If you do not have business here or a reservation you will not be admitted.  Our driver rolled down my window, I stated my name, the gate lifted and soon we were then dropped at the front door.   We were 30 minutes early so we had plenty of time to leisurely stroll around and take photos.

Al Maraha gives the feeling of being underwater in this subtlety lit restaurant.  The menu was amazing and again I struggled to make up my mind.  I had to go with 2 appetizers which were:  Fish Soup with Brown Shrimp and Sea Herb Oil and my 2nd Appetizer was the Crispy Oysters & Caviar in an oyster, cucumber sauce.  My main course was the unbelievable Chili King Crab in the Shell, Coconut Rice, Spring Onion and  Burnt lemon.  Ann opted for the King Crab Risotto as an appetizer and her main course was the Baked Halibut, Hazelnut Crust, Broccoli, Red Wine & Mushroom Dressing.  No complaints whatsoever. Everything was on point and Mr Outlaw did not disappoint.  I might add, the service was impeccable and all our servers very handsome chocolate drops.  In closing I must say last night and tonight’s dining experiences here in Dubai are both HIGHLY rated.

Its time to wrap it up here in Dubai but I’m hoping to be back next year to ring in the New Year.  As soon as pricing and availability becomes available I will be posting.  We’ve already got quite a few hopefuls on board

At least 20 went on the desert Safari yesterday and from the pictures they sent me, they had a blast. I will be posting shortly from the Dubai International Airport. Until then…..

 

A Chic Night In Dubai

 

In Front of Al Qasr Hotel

At Pier Chic with Burj Al Arab in Backdrop

Kat’s White Toe Nails??

Al Qasr Lobby

Culinary Delights On The Menu

Cousin Gary’s Cocktail

Al Qasr Hotel

Pier Chic

My non alcoholic Mermaid Siren with smoke

Mermaid in Seweed Held My Cocktail

My Quail Appetizer

Pier Chic

 

The hotel arranged round trip complimentary BMW sedan car service to Pier Chic Restaurant.  Escorted by handsome cousins Van De of DC  and Gary of Florida we were ready and totally down for this culinary experience. We were seriously missing cousin Darryl.  It was an epic journey to get to the restaurant after arriving at AL QASR HOTEL (pronounced Alcazar). This hotel is designed in the style of a Sheikh’s residence and is the jewel of the Madinat Jumeirah Hotels.     We marched through the lobby like we were offspring of the Sheikh.  We walked down a corridor to the elevator, took it to the first floor and arrived at the “buggy station” where we were put into a golf cart and driven about 7 mins to the pier.  This is an upmarket resort and PIER CHIC is situated at the end of the private pier. After disembarking the golf cart we proceeded to walk the length of the pier to the restaurant where we were greeted by a lovely hostess and escorted to our waiting table. The majestic unofficial 7 Star BURJ AL ARAB HOTEL was in full view with her colors changing every 30 minutes.

A server described a few of their signature cocktails. The one that struck my fancy was the Mermaid Siren.  It was a mixture of passion fruit, orange,  pineapple juice, and a sprig of mint — please hold the alcohol for Kat.  It arrived in a silver mermaid holder nestled on a bed of seaweed, then they made the dry ice fog up the presentation.  It was just as tasty as eye appealing. It took me longer than usual to mull over the dinner menu with so many delicious sounding choices.  For an appetizer, I settled on the Duo of roasted breast of quail & braised quail’s leg with a pan seared foie gras.  Damn it was good!!  We all were drawn to the Australian Chilean Sea Bass with a side of truffled mashed potatoes.  Again, an excellent choice. The final total AED 2,750 and in USD $750. A delightful, tasty, culinary experience well worth the cost.

My last night in this incredible city will find me along with Barbara Miller inside that 7 Star Burj Al Arab  at  Al Mahara so award winning CHEF NATHAN OUTLAW can show us what he’s working with. This subtly lit seafood restaurant gives an underwater feel with their wall to ceiling aquarium.  I can’t wait!!!  Stay tuned!!

Abu Dhabi Sights

The Great Mosque

Inside the Mosque

Emirates Palace for lunch

Across from Emirates Palace

Bab Al Qasr Hotel

Capital Gate – In Guinness Book, Leans More than Tower of Pisa

Lunch in Le Vendome

Lunch In Le Vendome

Louvre Museum Abu Dhabi

Louvre Abu Dhabi

Fountain of Light, 23 ft High, glass crystals and steel

Emirates Palace, Central Ceiling

An Abu Dhabi Kind of Day

Lovely Chandeliers

Islamic Prayer Clock

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

A Million Swarovski Crystals, 2nd Largest in the World

Dana Terry

Dana Terry and Maryetta Hall, Fashionably and Respectfully Ready

On This day; This is how we do it!

We were off to an early start today.  All 43 in proper attire ready to go to Abu Dhabi to pay a visit to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.  It took over 11 years to build, officially opened in 2007 and truly a spectacular sight to behold; inside and out. It really warms my heart to see my entire group respectfully dressed  for entry and  ready to do the dang thing  unlike some lookie loos, showing up in anything and in some instances being turned away by the security team. They are very strict

Our hour and a half  drive was pleasant and scenic as our knowledgeable guide shared facts of life in Abu Dhabi.  After the visit, there was a short stop at Heritage Village before going to lunch at Le Vendome located inside the most expensively built hotel in the world, EMIRATES PALACE.   It was originally built for the Sheikh’s residence . He did not care for it so it became a hotel.   Lunch is always AMAZING with so many selections available – shrimp, crab, oysters, pasta station, chicken, veal, beef,  curry dishes, vegetables, sushi, salads, and an array of decadent desserts.  I, myself didn’t eat much but the others were certainly enjoying themselves.   I needed to be ready for my dinner reservation later in the night at PIER CHIC which promised to give this foodie all she was expecting and more.

Until, next time…..

The Night Has A Thousand Eyes

The Twirler

Cruising

Briana, Katrina, Adre

Andre, Katrina, Van

Barbara Dean

Briana and Alisha

The LA Ladies under Daddy Darryl’s Watchful Eyes

Ann, Betty, Briana

The Dinner Cruise is always a hit.  The food was exceptional and as you can imagine a whole lot of merrymaking was going on.  And in the words of papa Ray, “ Don’t sit there mumbling, talkin’ trash, if you want to have a good time you gotta go out and  spend some cash……… So let the good times roll!!!!!!!

What A Dubai Day!

Caesar’s Palace Blue Waters

Caesar’s Private Beach

Spacious Rooms

Bathtub Overlooks the Beach

Caesar’s Beach Club

Bad Boy Ramsay’s Monogrammed Linen

Hell’s Burger

State of the art Open Kitchen

It’s Hot!

Dinner Cruise – Briana, Dana, Jan

Gail and Jame Kelly

Sandra, Betty, Gwen at Jumeirah Beach

Dinner Cruise

Luna, Maryetta, Barbara On Cruise

Enjoying Emirates Business Class

Maryetta, Dana & Darryl 124th Flr

At Q’s Bar and Lounge

1300 Seat State of the Art Theatre

After breakfast, my day began to take shape. Thanks to my colleague Simon for gifting me with a spa treatment, I decided to put it to good use this morning.  Shortly after, my Dubai contact person and his chauffeur picked me up, said we needed to turn a few corners so I could check out a few new spots.  First stop,  was Caesar’s Palace Blue Waters which had just officially opened the day before.  It sits on several acres and has its own private beach and much to my surprise, Bad Boy Chef Gordon Ramsay has his latest restaurant HELL’S KITCHEN inside. What an awesome operation. I was invited to lunch and being the foodie that I am, I couldn’t say, “No”.  The lunch menu looked awesome. I started to select the Seafood Tower but opted for the HELL’S BURGER instead.  It was huge, a little different but  tasty as hell.  Lol.

The property is actually 2 in 1:  The Palace (more expensive) and The Resort.  Finding  out that it sits in view of THE ATLANTIS, a perfect spot to see the New Years Eve fireworks, The other spot being the Burj Khalifa; I decided I needed to flip my December 3-9, 2019 date and delay it a few weeks for a New Years Celebration.  So while my connections try to make this happen, stand by.  Several on this trip have thrown their hats in the ring waiting to see what the pricing may be.

Speaking of connections….while at lunch it was mentioned I was having a hard time locating a very expensive box of cigars. A box of 15 cost $1800. Well the sales manager, Juan said his girlfriend’s mother is the cigar distributor for Dubai. They made a call and bingo bango we were on our way to pick them up.  Young Juan and I had a very interesting conversation.  When he learned I had taken several groups to CALI, COLOMBIA; he told me I may have seen his 85 yr old grandma salsa dancing at the Senior Center where we usually hang on Sunday afternoons in CALI. Traveling the world just fascinates me so. Isn’t it exciting when you think of all that God created for us  to enjoy. Keep God first place.  He’ll Take you places you only dreamed of.

Tomorrow:  Full day tour to Abu Dhabi, visiting the Great Mosque and lunch at the most expensively built hotel in the world, “EMIRATES PALACE”

 

From the Sky to Dubai (Do Buy)

 

Emirates Private Business Class Lounge

Getting comfy Before Take Off

Emirates Business Class

My Breakfast

Dinner Appe

Ski Dubai next door to our Kempinski Hotel

Ski Dubai

Up on 124th

Julio get the Stretch

Armani

World Trade Center

In front of Atlantis

Katrina and Jan High in the Dubai Sky

Maryetta, Dana, Katrina in front of the Sheik’s Palace

Sheik’s Palace

From 124th flr of Burj Khalifa

Q’s Bar located in Palazzo Versace

Palazzo Versace

Clowning after the last set

Snacks at Q’s Bar and Lounge

After the Club cutting up

Ready for Q’s Bar and Lounge

Kat with Katrina and Phil

A few of us in the group were blessed to be in Business Class —- dang! I wish I could do it every single time.  I tell you, nothing compares to Emirates Business Class.  This would be yet another KATTRAX reunion. Phillip and Katrina of southern Cal were just with me 2 weeks ago in Egypt, Briana from the recent August Brazil tour, and several from last year’s Paris and South Africa tours.  Of course I could go on but time will not permit.   The cousins; Darryl, Van, and Gary were flying in from the east coast and Los Angeles. They always keep the party going and I had not seen them since my birthday party in Mykonos so I was excited to see them.

Our longtime contact was waiting for the groups arrival, got us to the hotel and with our private check in, we were in our lovely rooms in no time.  The next morning, our guide met us after breakfast for our full day city sightseeing tour. It’s been almost 3 years since I was here and the new construction and developments were astounding.

Our 5 star hotel, The Kempinski at the Emirates Mall is adjacent to SKI DUBAI, an indoor ski resort. Imagine a ski resort in the middle of the desert and the mall has over 60 eating establishments and shops galore.  The largest mall now is the Dubai Mall, and there is the City Walk so a person can come here and DO BUY and literally shop til they drop.

This night would find several of us going to Quincy Jones Club “Q’s Bar and Lounge. A lot of clubs have a per person minimum spend that far exceeds this 350 AED = $100 but who cares ?  This is Dubai.  Some nights don’t have that requirement but I wanted to get it in early.  We were treated to the soulful stylings of Rogelio Douglas, Jr of New York.  Like Tina, he started off nice and easy and finished up rough. He is quite a showman and his musicians were putting it down real proper like.  The drinks – alcoholic and non were excellent as were the small plates we all ordered to spend up our $100 x 12.  Then we had Jan Glenn-Davis here celebrating her birthday Front row and center with her crew and yes, they were cutting up for real.  I saw you getting down Luna. Lol. Sekilati (just in Egypt with me) was here with another group of folks from Oakland but she came and hung out with us.

A grand time was had by all. Tonight is our dinner cruise, so I gotta scoot.  Until next time.

HOLY LAND EXTENSION 3 DAYS

Greetings Travelers!

Our next Egypt tour NOV 6-19, 2019  will offer an extension to the HOLY LAND as an “optional tour”.   There must be a minimum of 15 participants in order to make this happen.  The land portion is $620pp.  R/t Airfare from Cairo to Tel Aviv may be approximately $400-500 based on this year’s fares.  If you are interested, now is the time to inbox me at rivoli98@yahoo.com  SEE THE DAILY ITINERARY BELOW

Day 1. 

Arrival via Ben Gurion

Visit the Church of the Nativity. We travel to the Shepherds’ Field and visit the Shepherds’ Cave.

Our next stop will be in the city of Ein Karem, the home of Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist. It was here that Mary, the Mother of Jesus, visited Elizabeth, her cousin, following the news that she was with child by the Holy Spirit.

Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem

 Day 2.

We begin this morning to walk the Via Dolorosa, the Way of the Cross, ending at Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the site where Jesus was crucified and where he was buried. The remaining portion of the day will be free to walk in the Old City & to enjoy its bazaars. The bus takes us to a hillside overlooking the city of Jerusalem where Jesus wept over the city. It is known as Dominus Flevit [Latin for “The Lord wept”]. We will also visit Ascension, Church of the Pater Noster. Afterward; we will walk down the hill and at the bottom visit the Garden of Gethsemane along with the Church of All Nations. We will then travel by bus across the Kidron Valley to the site of Caiaphas’ Palace where Jesus experienced the Jewish portion of His trial. The site is known today as St. Peter in Gallicantu.

Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem

Day 3. 

Early departure

Drive to Tiberias – Here we enjoy a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum to visit the ancient ruins of this first century synagogue where Jesus preached, then on to the Mt. of Beatitudes where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. Followed by a visit to Tabgha, where Christ performed the miracle of multiplication of fish and loaves

Drive to Nazareth and visit the Church of Annunciation built at the site where Gabriel informed Mary she would give birth to the Jesus

Transfer to Jerusalem

Day 4.

Departure – Ben Gurion Airport