The blue wall

Greetings,

Today we popped over to the mall next door to our hotel... Mall of the Emirates. A rather large mall with too many wonderful stores to name.

From the outside you have no clue what this sloping building is....

But this mall is different than any other I have ever been to in this world....

It has a ski resort inside the mall....

It is 100 degrees outside and freezing cold inside.

I have never been skiing before... so I am kind of excited to try to new adventure for the first time in the Middle East smack dab in the scorching hot desert.

Anticipation builds as we suit up...

My boots are way to big.... I have no idea what size I am in Dubai sizes?

Luckily, the temperature has already dropped inside the changing area... we were still wearing flip flops when we entered Ski Dubai. We wore pants and long sleeve shirts... but thankfully our hotel was next door so we did not travel far in the intense heat.

Almost ready.... it took a while to get suited up in all this garb. I wanted zero skin exposed for our little jaunt down the slopes.

Our last picture before we enter this magical winter wonderland....hopefully, we come out this happy with all our bones intact.

After sizing our skis and finding our poles.... I tried to rent a snowboard, but they said I would have to take a few hours worth of lessons... so I decided to stick with the skis.

At first sight... it was simple amazing! It was like a giant skating rink... covered in snow!

One side of the slopes are open front windows of the mall and various restaurants.

There is a lodge at the top....

but before we head up the slopes... I need to take a lesson or two. Remember I have never skied before.

But Harry convinces me that "HE" can teach me the basic I need to know. I insist on a ski instructor.... a professional one.... but Harry wants to o it.

Not because he is a good instructor... for those of you who know Harry... it's because he is cheap.

Our conversation went a little like this:

"Kristie, I can teach you."

"Are you sure Harry?" I ask demurely.

"Of course, you're naturally athletic and it's just like water skiing. It will be easy for you", Harry explains calmly with a smile.

"Okay, if you think you can teach me", I finally capitulate feeling confident that if I can water ski... then I can snow ski.

But as we mount the bunny slope to practice the one thing Harry taught me.... which was to bend my knees. I begin to feel inadequately trained.

So once at the top... I turn, wait for Harry, get into place with much difficulty I might add....then square up and off down the bunny slope I go.

I can hear Harry beside me...

"You got it, I told you you could do it. Nice work." This is what he is saying to me as I am building speed down this tiny little slope.

As I continue to glide down the hill.... I begin to gain a lot of speed. Feeling pretty proud of myself for remaining on my feet the entire time, I stand up a little taller in my skies.

A few more feet and I realize that I am nearing the bottom of the slope.

I turn to Harry with a terrified "deer in headlights" look to which he gives me the thumbs up and that goofy grin he has when he is not so sure of what else to do.

And in a split second... I have no idea what to do. I have no clue how to stop. I do not even know how to slow down. Before I can even figure out my options and decide my best choice....

I SLAM into the wall.

WHAM!

Face forward. Body blow. Full contact with the blue wall. The wall has a blue padding safety.

In a dazed state... I try to gracefully pull myself into the upright position.

That's when it I realize... stopping is not he only thing Instructor Harry has forgotten to teach me. He also forgot to teach me how to stand up once you fall down.

By the time Harry makes it down the hill... he has this terrified look on his face.

"Are you okay? I thought you had it! You looked good coming down the hill."

I had no words for him. I just gave him the meanest set of eyes I could muster.

So we started out lessons over... this time focusing on the basics. It was too late to sign up for an instructor... so I was stuck with Instructor Harry. After a while.... a long while I summoned up enough courage to jump on the lift and head up to the first slope.

So here is the view from the lowest slope. And you can barely see my "new" blue wall.... it's on the far left hand side of the picture. This is my new point of impact. I would start at the top of the slope.... and head down.

Gaining speed as I went.... I realized that my newest obstacle to slicing down the slopes .... I have a hard time. A really hard time turning right. So the blue wall you see.... is the place where I smacked into the wall again... as I had a hard time turning away from it.

WHAM.... again.

This time... at a much greater speed and with little resistance I knocked myself silly with the impact. My poor glasses were crocked and barely hanging on by the legs. I tried to straighten my specks and pull myself up so I could muster enough confidence to make it the rest of the way down the hill.

After repeated attempts to stand up... a little kid slices over sending snow flying all around and stops in front of this poor helpless old frail women and helps me up. I find Harry in my line of sight and his eyes are the size of saucers. Mouth wide open and a nervous hesitance he heads in my direction. Too late... I am no loner talking to Instructor Harry!

After multiple attempts, a damaged leg on my glasses, freezing cold bum and hands... I try the hill again.

Every time, I smacked into that blue wall. Every time!

I would start out great.... and then things would go south ... literally. I found myself coming face to face with the blue padded wall.

After a few hours and the last attempt.... which I threw my hands out to soften the impact... only to have my arm fold in behind me before I came face to face with my blue wall. My arm feels hot, heavy, and a little numb. Harry comes over... and I tell him I AM DONE! I do not think my body can take another run.

The blue wall... which I hated was really my best friend... well that and the net.

Thank the Lord for my blue wall and the red net. If it were not for these guys... there is no telling what would be left of me.

Please... take my advice. Beginners pay the extra money for a REAL instructor. That and pay for the water proof gloves.... Harry did not.

Blessings,

Kristie