UAE, the land of modesty

Almost everyone has Fridays off here. And they flock to hotels, where there is a strip of beach and some pools and you can chill out. Last week I went to the Hiltonia Beach Club for a good chunk of the day. It was hotter than hot. Soon, I notice a woman sitting in the sun with her husband. He was wearing swimming trunks. She was wearing a head-to-toe black wetsuit, with a gold-applique one-piece over top.

Can you imagine, in the blazing sun? Later, as I relaxed in the hot tub inside, she entered. And got in the hot tub. In her wetsuit.

So there it is, the answer to a compelling question: yes, women who cover themselves daily for religious reasons do go to the beach. They just do it a little differently than the rest of us, that's all.