This is the balcony where I didn't get to sit and enjoy my coffee. Of course, a small cafe americano (espresso with water) in the hotel coffee bar cost $9, so it's not like I was going to get one of those every morning anyway.

The beautiful pool that is in addition to all the pools in the waterpark. The bridge in the picture is the track for the metro. The tunnel that we drove through to get to the hotel is submerged next to the metro tracks. We didn't even have time to go to the beach or take more than a quick dip in the pool . . . 

because this is where baby and I spent all of our time (when we weren't taking pictures at the base of the Leap of Faith). The water was the perfect temperature and shallow enough to sit and be splashed without getting too wet.

This is where I really needed my hat. We reapplied sunscreen (50) all day long, but I have pale raccoon eyes on my tan face from two full days in the pool. At least no one in our family got burned. I saw way too much lobster red on top of pale white skin and those poor people kept coming back for more.

photo credit: Hoffman family

The mix of swim attire was impressive. Plenty of people in too small suits swimming right next to women in "burkinis," basically swimwear that provides full coverage of arms, legs and head made out of swimsuit/rashguard material. I loved them. If your religion dictates that you have to cover completely for modesty, then good for you for finding a way to still enjoy swimming. The sad part was how many women were suffering from heat stroke (we actually saw someone who needed emergency attention) sitting in the shade in their regular burquas while their husbands and kids were having fun in the pool.

Sitting in the shallow water was also the perfect spot for watching the boys climb and play on the structure and slide down the kiddie waterslides. One of my favorite parts of the day was when Josh had Camille for about 1/2 an hour and Carter, Caleb, and I climbed around and they took me on all their favorite slides.

 Every 15 minutes or so, the huge bucket at the top of the play structure would fill up and tip over, dumping a huge wall of water over the people standing below. As it got close to toppling, people would congregate around the base, hoping to get slammed by the rushing water. (you can see calvin and carter running away from the impending shower.) Josh and I both said that this is something you'd never see in America because the force of the water was strong enough that it would knock over the littlest kids and force them under until the wall of water stopped.

I have one more post of Atlantis photos and stories, and then it's back to normal life. With stories to tell of a car accident (small one), a car purchase, and life in a foreign country, I guess our normal life isn't all that normal.