This is being "in the bubble" with Mrs. Bush. Riding in her limo in the motorcade, flying on Air Force Two, and having Komen be the real "hero" of this historic trip is truly very special.
Our last activity in Abu Dhabi was straight out of "Arabian Nights" and I think we have added another tale -- there are now 1002. We were hosted by Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak for a lunch beyond belief at her Sea Palace. Breast cancer gets spoken about in the UAE because she says it can be. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak is the wife of the late UAE President Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan -- the guy who decided to "invest" the oil reserves and turned UAE into one of the richest countries on the planet. She is the mother of the country and meets daily with her six sons, who "run" the Emirates. She wears a leather face mask (which looks like metal) along with her total black covering and has never met a man who is not related to her. She was charming and gracious and spoke her mind.
There were 60 or so beautiful Emirati women. All were covered but somehow glamorous. We were served seven desserts BEFORE lunch, and lunch included at least 15 dishes before we were served four more desserts. We were expected to eat a bit of each dish. We were seated with the stunningly beautiful daughters-in-law of the six sons, who watched every bite. When I try to describe the palace interior and the display of food, Versailles comes to mind.
Nancy has been to Sheikha Fatima's Sea Palace, and she paved the way with Sheikha Fatima--one legend to another. Breast cancer should be afraid.
