The Best Christmas Gift Ever!

When I traveled to Dubai years ago, I was introduced to a most ingenious invention that made toilet tissue somewhat obsolete. 

Arriving in Dubai at midnight after a 16-hour non-stop Emirates flight from Los Angeles, I was met by my friend, Holly, who had illegally parked her brand-new Mercedes in an obvious NO-PARKING zone written in English and Arabic. As we zoomed through the night headed toward the Palm Jumeirah, the air was heavy with heat and very, very fine sand. Little did I know that wearing contact lenses was out of the question in this environment.

Dubai held many surprises – all of them pleasant! From the indoor skiing to the grand opening of the world’s largest indoor shopping mall – the experiences there were beyond incredible. We enjoyed fresh dates and hot tea almost daily as we visited the incredibly fantastic Atlantis Hotel, the Burj Al Arab (the sail shaped hotel) and many other ultra-chic locations because my visit there lasted seventeen glorious days.

Holly’s home on Palm Jumeirah resembled a mini castle. The architecture of castles on Palm B stretched towards the sea. Being there was truly heady stuff because elegance, sophistication and great wealth describes the ambiance of Dubai.

Holly’s home was professionally decorated with Persian rugs, wonderful antiques, unique furniture and glassware. Beautiful drapery was at every window. The very large rectangular kitchen only had lower cabinets. 

At the top of the second story, two flights of stairs, was my guest room. Each bedroom had an ensuite with a very large soaking tub, a separate shower, a large vanity with plenty of plug-ins, a bidet and next to the toilet attached to the wall was an odd-looking sprayer. Next to the sprayer was a stack of neatly rolled super-white wash cloths on a small table.

Yes, that was my first experience using a hand-held bidet and all over Dubai, in every bathroom I visited, these hand-held devices were there. When I got to Cairo, the Egyptians did not have these and they were sorely missed.

When I got back to the States, I bought and installed these super handy devices in each bathroom. Yes, they are a conversation piece but more than that, they provide such a clean feeling after each use. No tissue needed.

I give these hand-held sprayers as gifts to my girlfriends at Christmas and guess what they’ve said?  “That’s the best gift ever!”