Saturday, March 29, 2008

Area sisters have 'An experience of a lifetime'

Argen Duncan El Defensor Chieftain Reporter

    Women visit nephew who works in the Middle East

    aduncan@dchieftain.com

    From the sky-high bar of an opulent, seven-star hotel to the peaceful site of Jesus Christ's baptism, four sisters recently got royal treatment and treasured memories while visiting their nephew in the Middle East.

    This month, sisters Celina Baca and Rita Steinnerd, both of Socorro, Emma Griego of Lemitar, and Bernadette Howell of Rio Rancho, visited Louis Vega, the son of their late sister Alice, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Their trip also included a visit to Jordan.

    "It's an experience of a lifetime," Griego said.

    Vega told his aunts the price of admission was something from home, so they packed things like tamales and his favorite brand of frozen pizzas. They also cooked Mexican food for Vega and his friends.

    Vega works as director of public affairs in charge of India, the Middle East and Africa for Dow Chemical Company.

    Griego said the sisters wouldn't have taken the trip without help and royal treatment from Vega.

    "He's just such a generous young man," she said.

    Vega's friends often joined him and his aunts for meals and outings.

    The sisters left Friday, March 7, and arrived in the United Arab Emirates the next evening.

    Sunday brought shopping at the Madinat Jumeirah, a mall Steinnerd and Greigo described as unique and Arabian, while still incorporating Western culture.

    "They do cater to the Westerners," Griego said.

    Monday, the sisters toured Dubai with their nephew and visited "souks," or narrow marketplaces with shops selling gold, spices and other goods.

    "And they have all the indigenous dress you would want to buy," Griego said.

    The next day, the group went to the Al Qasr, or palace hotel. The establishment has gold-plated statues of Arabian horses in front and people waiting with warm washcloths for anyone who walks in the door.

    "It's opulent," Steinnerd said.

    The group also went to the Mall of the Emirates, which boasts an indoor ski area.

    Steinnerd said rickety boats called "dhows" bring items such as perishable goods and electronics to the city. Because the pilots don't have visas, they aren't allowed to disembark.

    The women of the country wore "abayas," traditional black, flowing dresses and head coverings, Steinnerd said. They showed their wealth with impeccable makeup, expensive handbags and sequins on their abayas, which they left open near the bottom to display designer jeans.

    The sisters learned that a liter of water costs more than a liter of gas in the United Arab Emirates, and the government provides housing, medical care and more for every citizen. Foreign workers paid extremely low wages work in shifts 24 hours a day to finish projects quickly.

    On Wednesday, March 12, the sisters flew with their nephew to Amman, Jordan.

    Steinnerd said it was interesting to see the cultures change from the opulence of Dubai to the nearly third-world conditions in Jordan's countryside, to the five-star hotel where they stayed in Jordan.

    They toured Amman and visited Madaba, a little town outside the city. The group went to St. George Greek Orthodox Church and Mount Nebo, where Moses died.

    Also, the sisters visited Bethany, where John the Baptist baptized Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. En route, they passed guards with automatic rifles who inspected their vehicle.

    Israel's West Bank was a stone's throw away across the river.

    "You think, 'Well, gosh, there's so much trouble here, but it's so peaceful,'" Baca said.

    Baca rebaptized Steinnerd and Howell as a self-christening, Griego said.

    On Thursday, the group visited Petra, the Eighth Wonder of the World. The spot exhibits sandstone rock formations and the ruins of an ancient city by the same name.

    On the way, they passed a rock formation believed to be the remains of Lot's wife, who was turned into a pillar of salt in the Book of Genesis.

    In Jordan, the group stayed at the Kempinski Hotel on the Dead Sea.

    On Friday, March 14, some members of the party had a popular mud wrap and soak in the sea. A man covered them in the beach's black mud, which they allowed to dry for about 20 minutes before letting the waves wash them clean.

    The group returned to Dubai that night.

    The following day, the sisters did final shopping and took a lavish dinner boat cruise.

    On Sunday, March 16, Vega took his aunts on a dune buggy ride. An expertly trained driver took them out to sand dunes past roaming herds of camels, let air out of the tires and told his passengers to buckle up.

    "And it's kind of like a little roller coaster, except you're on the sand," Steinnerd said of the ride.

    Afterward, the group went to a Bedouin campsite, where the sisters rode camels. The day ended at the Skyview Bar in the seven-star Burj Al Arab hotel.

    Not everyone can enter the bar, but Vega often entertains people there for business. A "mixologist" made unique drinks customized to the customer's tastes for some of the group.

    The sisters left for the United States on Monday, March 17.

    "And came back to reality," Griego said.

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