new photos

hi there...
new photos posted on facebook.... have a look (:

pre-emptive post

in my ongoing quest to plan activities (wait, who knew i could do that? Seriously, that is nigel's job...)... anyway .... In my ongoing quest to plan activities, i am going to Oman tomorrow. We are getting picked up at 6am (OMG) and then heading to a whole different country. One with rivers and trees and mountains .... Really looking forward to it.

Below is the tour description.... i figured i might as well post it pre-emtively... so you would all know what i am doing this Friday. Photos, as always to follow.

DHOW CRUISE IN MUSANDAM (OMAN)

The tour will take you to the north, to RAS AL KHAIMAH EMIRATE. Cross the boarder and enter in Oman. After half an hour drive you will be in the capital of MUSANDAM -KHASAB – a calm fishing village and oasis overlooks the Gulf of Oman. KHASAB is ideal starting point for various daily excursions. Watch the traditional lifestyle of the fishermen and the Bedouin.

On the board of a traditional dhow you can sit comfortably on cushions and carpets, while feasting your eyes on the striking scenery. All dhows are driven by local, experienced captains. Enjoy SNORKELING, SWIMMING and DOLPHINE WATCHING. Discover BEDOUIN VILLAGE and sail to the TELEGRAPH ISLAND.

the spirit of Dubai in one photo

It is lunch time in the tranquil Greens area of Dubai. Many local professionals and mommies are out and about looking to pick a resto to eat at.... But not this guy... he says ... "I am going to pull up beside the lebanese resturant, stay in my Mercedes, bekcon over the waiter, order a shisha pipe and spend my lunch hour in my air conditioned (i.e. running) car, talking on the phone, smoking the shisha pipe..... because sitting in the air conditioned resturant or out on the patio in the glorious weather is so for the little people..."

Any way it was such a great image, i had to take the picture (ok i got Jules to take it on her mobile). He even honked at us ...lol

random photos from the past few days

I went to Sharja last night... to go to the blue souk for a carpet ... another story another time.....
along the way passed this magnificent mosque. It is a Turkish style... really the photo does no justice.. but limited in a moving car in traffic...
















The almost fullmoon rising over the local mosque by the office













my on going commitment to bring you culturally sensitive bathrooms signs

the sun setting as i was leaving work in Abu Dhabi

out in the desert.... with a few photos

So there is a typical tourist excursion here call "desert safari". they pick you up at 4pmish in a land rover type car.. you drive about 45mins to 1hour outside of the city to the an area where the desert is covered with big rolling dunes .... You then bash around the dunes in the car. Up down sideways.. hope you don't tip over, break an axel or get car sick .... It is amazingly fun and beautiful... the sun setting on the red sand (yes it is redish in this area .. apparently there are 7 different "sands" in the UAE desert). Following that you drive to a faux beduion camp where you sit on cushions, eat traditional dishes, watch belly dancers, and have the opportunity to camel ride, have henna done, take photos in local dress, sand ski (snowboard down the sand) or just relax under stars.

Dune bashing and campout dinners under the desert sun is not just for tourists... it is a huge pastime here from dune bugs to atvs to families piled in suvs... the dunes are alive with activity on the weekends.

So how did my desert safari go.... well it as all of the above but more....

My local colleague jules has one of these giant 'entertainer" coupon books (v. good here) and she had a 2 for 1 coupon for one of the safari companies. So I called and made a reservation... there was no online info about this company, as compared to the leading tour operator but the person sounded good so we chanced it.

on Saturday, i get a call saying the car will pick us up 30 mins before the original plan ... no worries .. we will be in my hotel lobby (we by the way is a fellow deloitter Martine. From the GTA office originally from Montreal, been here 10 months, but not yet done anything tourist... i have strong armed her into joining me).\

4o mins after the pick up time i am calling the company ... no answer ... humm??? then i get a call from the driver, he was like i called before you did not answer, so now I will pick you put in 30mins... we were like WHAT!!!! yeah ... no call on my phone, but even still why not just come to the hotel to collect us, vs calling???? Ahhh the UAE ... park logic at the custom's counter....

we are finally collected then head off to another area of the city to collect the other passengers.. Now they have been waiting for over an hour as well....best part...the road to the dune area is directly adjacent from my hotel... so instead of picking up the other people first then coming to me and then departing the city ... the driver felt a big unnecessary circle tour of the city was necessary first before leaving ....

About 15mins into the drive to the dunes ... i smell something... burning... I am like .. something is wrong with the eng. They are all like no.. just smelly part of dubai .... 20 mins later, we are pulled off to the side of the road ... the clutch is gone ... ha ha ha... At least we pulled off just beside Universal Studios... Well at least the big welcome gate and sign for universal studios... there is absolutely nothing behind that gate or sign but sand.... this too is another classic dubai-ism, so i was happy to get to see it. We were also stopped near to the outlet mall.. i figured worst comes to worst... we check out the mall and take a cab back into town

after about 15mins of intense Arabic phone discussions later "a new car" will meet us at the dune location, if this car will re start" it does ...seriously don't know how given no clutch...but gear free we are on our way

at the meeting point … low and behold … no new car … yup they plan to take the clutchless 4x4 dune bashing … lol

Into the desert we go … racing up the first tiny crest and down the other side… and we stop … oddly enough… we can not go any further … now we are promised a new car in 30 mins …

We crash around in the dunes and watch the sunset and wait. We are also making best as to if we will actually go bashing or not.

The new car shows up… the negotiations begin … we all want to make sure we are not going to miss out on anything. The two drivers did not count on Martine speaking Arabic … can you say oops….

Well all the wait was worth it… we had an super extended super crazy dune bashing drive ….. this was one couple in the car, third time going, so we knew how our trip stacked up.. Anyway… we experienced some serious cartoon physics !!!

Nobody got car sick –close.. but no

Then off to the camp and the evening entertainment …. All in all a fun evening..

Sunset in the desert

our brokend down car .... not the little blackthings up in the left that is about 10 cars... they are pretty far up... just for some perspective.... the black bits directly left ... lost tire and car parts...

Dune bashing is not a car friendly sport

Me and the flacon... I am pulling a face but it was not scary at all... v. beautiful

Hello mr. camel...... still as stinky and rough riding as I remember ....

belly dancer in motion!!

photos

hi there
uploaded a heap of photos to face book..it easier...

F1

So the big weekend is finally here. After 3 years of construction, the Marina Circuit on Yas island is complete and the F1Aub Dubai takes place this sunday.

Having been to our F1 event location in Montreal... this is like a world away. The entire complex from the circuit to the golf club, to the grand stands to the pits, to the concert area, hotel, marina.... is WOW.

For the circuit apparently they have taken the best bits from all the global tracks and combined them here. Even the "montreal hair pin" has been recreated here. Other tidbits about the track ... it is left handed- the direction they drive around the track is the opposite to how most of the other circuits are laid out. This screws with the cars apparently , making it a harder track. Also, apparently there is a tunnel coming out of the pits so you can not see who is out in what order, which is apparently better too??? Not to sure on all the details. on the bus back last night i was chatting beside some english eng. guy who has been building the island for the past 3 yrs. so all above details are from him.

Yesterday, at the client, our contact gave me a ticket to the opening F1 concert - Beyonce. My colleague Jules was already going to an opening night event (private yacht with gypsy kings and Alica keys --- jules' brother in law runs an event company here) so i would be going on my own... I figured, hell, what do i care, strangers will look at me with pity. Okay. That will not kill me. Better to go and experience all i can, even if i have to do it on my own... Although it would be great to be one of these people (like Cheryl) who so easily meets people everywhere they go.... well i guess it is always good to have new skills to learn!!
Anyway...... off to the concert i go.

The show is slated to start at7:30 which means 8, but the island is closed to all cars as of 6:30pm (not sure how that one works, but whatever). Yas Island is about 2 km from the client site, if you could just drive straight. So by 5pm, i pack up and drive over to the island. I wait in the line ... they ask me where my parking permit is... i say i have no permit, they say you have to leave the island and go to a park and ride location. I am like .. where are those locations... but i have no clue about the places the guy list. So, v. deflated i head off the island for the long drive back to Dubai.

About 5 mins down the road, i see on the other side of the highway, signs for F1 parking. There is a Park and Ride spoke here !! So i get off at the next exit and try to find my way over to the other side of the highway. I eventually find a tunnel, i am on the other side,no i just need to find an entrance back to the highway heading towards Abu Dhabi. After a bit of expoloring in what ever area i was in, i finally pick the right exit of a round about and on to the highway I am. Afew mins later, i pull into a massive carpark, stategically pick a parkign spot, not close tothe buses, but close to the exit tothe road. I board the buss and am on my way to the concert!

By 6:45 we pull up to gate 25. This is after a cool tour of the island, really the facilities are amazing. Leaving the bus i ask 3 different people, where i should go after the concert to catch the right bus. There are no signs. They all say right here.. but I think to my self... there are 3 differnt park and ride locations, plus 6 car parks on the island all of which have bus service.. i can just imagin all 30k people trying to get on to the right bus from this one location.... I decide right then, i am not waiting to the end of the concert to leave... I don't need the level of cahos that this bus situation promises to bring....

So with the crowd i go .... into the concert venue. It is just a open space ... no seating and no arranged sections. I am thinking about the safety implications of a mass crowed by the stage ... yes.. safet princess was alive and present. it was a pretty impressive set up. Although, the ground was covered with small white gravel. Really. Not very nice onthe high heals. And really, how are they planning on cleaning up?? you can't sweap that stuff.

Of to the concession stand. I buy two waters. (the heat) and intothe crowd i go. I figured, i am here I will try to get as close to the stage as I can. So I found a spot about 25m back.

When it finaly started it was like wow!! you haveto know she just landed in Dhabi about 3 hours before the concert so you have to give her props for all the energy. It was a really good show and cool to be able to watch the performer and not just their image on the big screens. There were two 18 or so year old guys behind me they were both like 6foot 5 and they knew every word to every song .. it was great! A huge mix of people were there ..every age (kids go to everythign here) every background.....

Now from my eng friend on the bus, i have learned that they did nto start building the stage until 1 week ago, and the area where everyone is standing was a full dirt pile with massive holes. So thinking back on it ... pretty impressive.

True to my promise i worked by way out of the crowd and headedback to the buses... asked a series of "marshalls" where my buses were... they all said "right here". Finally, i found a female marshal, she told me I had to go to the next gate and that all busses to the shahama car parkwould be there... Ah finally someone who knew something. So me and my very tired feet (you have to remember i came from work, so i am in total work clothes, minus the suit jacket i left in the car, including a v.cute pair of pointy toe heels) truck up to the next gate. I make it to the bus and back to the car.

next challenge... find my way back onto the highway going in the Dubai direction ... another 15 mins of wrong turns and i find it....

Home by 11pm ... great night!!

xo
kjm

the beach - photos to come

Saturday …. Vacation day in Dubai…. Woke up early, decided to trust the guidebook that said as of 10am Friday and Saturday starting in October the Marina walk has artisans and kiosks… so off to the marina. They have created 7miles undulating of false coastline surround by a board walk and tall residential/commercial buildings. I was excited. Taxi to the “marina walk”, coffee to go in hand (still getting use to the 7-8$ cost per latte), and I am walking in the sun along the boardwalk. It is beautiful, a sunny 35 degrees, pretty boats to lookat… but I begin to notice something, I am all by myself… serious, I saw only 2 other people… during the whole walk and not a vendor kiosk to be seen. So half way down the walk I bailed crossed the bridge and walked over to an area called JBR. This is a massive 16 tower mixed retail residential complex covering 6 to 8 massive blocks. Along the main drag (that is adjunct to the beach and beach front hotels) is a super wide sidewalk with v. upmarket retail and casual restaurants. Despite my completely sweaty state I walked into Boutique One of the places to shop in Dubai (that is not a major brand name). here you get an amazing collection of brands …most of which I could not consider affording, but I decided to have a little fun and try on some things, providing they were under 1200dhs (400$). The staff was lovely, did not care that I was not dress or that I was a sweaty mess. I selected a few things and began to try. When I came out to find a belt, I met the head stylist, she was pulling a fall / winter wardrobe and photographing every item. The items she had pulled were all my sizes so she encouraged me to try some of the fun things! So this wardrobe the stylist pulled, was for the Sheik’s daughter!! She was bringing all the clothes to the place!!

Following the shopping … I wandered the rest of the walk….found the little kiosks that were supposed to be on the marina walk … then it was off to the beach… luckily I was prepared and had my swimsuit and sarong in my bag. The beach was packed … it was great!! Baby blue warm water, with minimal surf. I tried to relax and read my book, but the people watching was too good. The Lebanese men with their major confidence and Speedos …think young Italians … too funny to see the strutting… Anyway everyone was at the beach… umbrellas, radios, coolers. These people are prepared. I could only take a few hours of the sun and surf, then a quick change and I headed back in for a late lunch on one of the terraces. Ah… lovely day.

new year's eve every friday afternoon - photos to come

So I have been remiss in blogging of late…. Working hard during the week, but have taken the last two weekends off to explore and experience Dubai….

This weekend started off with Brunch Dubai style. But before I begin telling you this tale … you must recognize that some things just need to be experienced, all attempts to describe … well … fall short.

Picture in your mind, going to one of the fanciest hotels in town. A growing group of 300 plus smartly turned out gents and cocktail dress ladies await the opening of doors. As the appointed time arrives and the double doors are thrown open and civilized we stream in, graciously accepting a glass of champers (Taittinger, in our case) as each group is guided to their table, by one of 50 staff. Immediately you are struck by the atmosphere, the restaurant is fully decked out in balloons and streamers across the tables, a sparkly party hat or tiara at every seat, noise makers within hands reach. The buffet is overflowing and exotic, you try to plan out your first plate while trying to see who else is there. Before you have had a moment to sit down, someone is there to top up your champagne glass. And so it begins… Friday Brunch. While for locals, Friday is the holiest of days, spent in prayer, contemplation and family togetherness, for the expats, Friday is the day to feast and fete. At least between the hours of noon to four. The Friday champagne brunch is what you keep hoping every new year’s eve will be, but never is: fun, chaotic, and memorable (in a good way). From the non-stop champagne, to the amazing food, to the chatting-up, to the dancing… yes you are dancing by the end and for many, the table tops were the places to do it, Friday brunch is a whirlwind must do Dubai activity … but it comes at a price … like all things here … The one I was at was mid range at 450dhs (about 150 Canadian), not counting the ala carte items most people indulge in too… like the porterhouse stakes … seriously, for many the buffet is just an appetizer.

So what does one do as brunch draws to a close, well there is three options: 1) taxi home, pass out and hope the hangover is not so bad; 2) taxi home and cat nap to get ready for round two later that evening; or option 3, which was my choice this past Friday, keep on going …….

From brunch, I was invited out with the Scottish contingent to the “360”, a round outdoor bar at the end of a man-made spit, just beside the sail hotel. Well first we had to sneak me in…. apparently people are really picky about guest lists here. So for the evening I was Isla MacIntosh. I must say, nothing like mojitos at sunset in the edge of the Abrian sea.

The combination of starting your evening at noon, dancing by 3pm and seeing the sun set by 6pm, means that by 7:30pm you really and truly feel like it is almost 11pm. You can guess my shock when the girls was out with were “like ok, it is 8pm time for the next bar” …. And on to Waxy’s we went. As an FYI you can get bacon sandwiches here. A critically important detail if you must satisfy a bacon craving and live in the UAE. By 11pm I was home … my 3rd large format water bottle in hand…. Thankfully, due to my solid Canadian training, and years of learning to listen to that little voice that says, if you have one more drink you will be done for… I was up by 8am the next day … no worse for the wear … trust me, apparently, the Saturday hangover is a much as the tradition as the Friday brunch. I was happy not to partake in that tradition however….

more tid bits

The fomatting on this one is weird ...sorry

So we had to go to a mall the other night, to pick up some prizes from the grocery store for a workshop we are runing. we went to a non-fancy mall. But still it is fancy by our standards. Each area of the mall represents a differnt region of the world. The chinese food court ... see boat picture. or the indian section (see fountanin)where the grocercy store is.

Also loved the bulk spice area of the grocery store. There is little dude who gets you what you need. on the other side of the spices are nuts... all kinds .. totally crazy and yummy!!! There were very not pleased with my photo taking!!

Ok... did i tell you about the licence plates? Refresher, in Dubai, the lower the number the closer you are to the head guy (under 10, you are immediate family, under 100 you are v. close family / advisor, etc). So my new game, during my 1.5 - 2 hours of daily commuting is looking for low number plates. it is the UAE version of the "state" licence plate game. but you can not cheat by going to the swank clubs/hotels.. then it is shooting fish in a barrel.

So the other night ... we stumbled upon this one. What is better than finding a low number plate, see the car it is attached to... always v. v. nice.

view from the plane

Okay … so camera mounted on the bottom of the plane is the best idea ever.
It is absolutely incredible to watch the “earth” go by. The changes in geography are mesmerizing when seen in such a macro way. Looking at how other countries have urbanized, structure their pastoral lanes, conquered the deserts and mountains… truly is fascinating.
If only I could have picture in picture, to have a little map, showing me exactly where we were.
I have tried to take a video of the screen, to show you all but… not sure how to post it…
Cool, just finished passing the black sea. Now following (sort of) the main river up to where Kiev is. Then it is NW across Eastern Europe, hit just NE of Warsaw, turn left at Copenhagen and across just south of Iceland, cutting directly across the lower 1/3 of Greenland, then a straight shot SW home!

Enroute to Regina

… You know that niggly feeling we all have. That little voice that tells you something is not right. Some people call it pessimism and “calling into existence, what it is that you want least”. But other people call it trusting your gut. Whichever side of fence you sit on; let me tell you about my morning.

So perhaps you may recall that my hotel in Dubai is in a newly developing area called Tecom (yes, I know, novel concept, as 85% of Dubai is newly developing, but regardless). This “sub division” is not well known, but it is adjacent to a well known area “the Greens” and it has a well known hotel landmark in it. So if you tell a taxi, I am going to the Greens or the Rotana in the Greens, he will get you to the right area and you can direct him through the maze of streets to your specific hovel. This area, like many of the areas in Dubai does not have street names or numbers. In fact, due to the development, the street locations are in constant flux, depending on what is being constructed that day /week. But this is the norm here, and taxis and drivers alike are not fussed by this. North American or Swiss demands for precise and accurate GPS / maps must be parked at the passport control counter.

So today, I flew out of the UAE back to Canada for a meeting in Regina on Friday. After evaluating approximately 20 routings and schedules, my travel agent and I finally agreed on the most optimal itinerary, considering cost and timing. As it turns out, the best flight for me to take back to Toronto departs out of the Abu Dhabi airport. Without any major delays this airport is about a 45 minute highway drive from my hotel (which is in the south part of Dubai). My ticket comes with transportation to the airport and I book the car for 7am in advance of my 10am flight. I have been working essentially adjacent to the Abu Dhabi airport and do the commute daily, so I was pretty confident with timing (ie how long it would take to get to the airport) at that point of day. But for some reason, I became a bit paranoid about the car arriving. I doubled checked with my travel agent that it had been booked. I made her give them them detailed “Dubai” style directions I wrote out, plus the hotel and my cell numbers. She thought I was going a bit over board. After all, I am flying Eithad, and they have a bit of reputation for amazing service and not having problems.

So 7am comes around. No car. I don’t even wait till 7:05. I have my hotel clerk call. You can never really be sure what the conversation is, between the mixed languages and the overall desire of people to agree to whatever you are staying just to make you happy, regardless of if they can deliver on what they just said, it is impossible to follow. But he has spoken to two people and is on hold…. But by 7:15, all I know is a car is on the way. But the gut kicks in again. I go up to my room, get my local cell phone and call the number my travel agent gave me for the limo. The person who picks up says I have to call the “1-800” line. I was like, NO. My hotel is getting the run around from the central line and you are a live person, so lets deal with this. The long and the short of it ended up being, they messed up. They never sent a car. They told me to take a taxi and I would be reimbursed.

So at 7:30, my hotel calls me a taxi. I am told that getting a taxi in Dubai is easy now. It takes anywhere from 10 to 30mins. But back in the boom, that was like 30 – 90mins, standard. So they call a taxi and I try not to count the minutes … Finally at 7:45 two taxi’s show up!! And we are off (just in one taxi). We fight the crazy traffic to get out of Tecom (only crazy b/c of a really really really stupid lane merging location) and get on the highway. 5 mins later … break lights as far as you can see. The taxi driver is like, I take alternate route but you need to approve. I am like, dude, I only know this road. If you think it is better and we won’t get trapped trying to get back onto the highway go for it. Well the detour was a good idea … we avoided the 5 car crash just past the Marina and made it to the airport at 9am! That driver ROCKED!!! Also, a little thank you for the 140km/hr speed of traffic here :)

So I arrived, checked in at the crazy separate business class “section”. Literally, you access it by separate doors on the departure level. They check me in and tell me to go to the lounge and the customer service gentleman will bring me my re-imbursement. I was like, hum, the flight boards at 9:15. I am happy to wait here. “no no” they say, enjoy the lounge. So I go, drink some water, read the New York Times and wait for my 200AED. It is now 9:30, they have not called for my flight yet, but I am bored and decide to check out the terminal and wander to the gate. Let’s just say, the shopping is better than at Heathrow, from a name brand perspective. The Coach store was the low end. If only it was cheap!!! Alas, no new Jimmy Choo’s or cartier or I Phones for me.

A purchase of candied dates for my client, and I am off to the gate and on to the plane. Finally, I can sit back and relax. Okay, well, sit back and work.

But wait, there is more …… they announced a delay …. they come by to ask me if I have an onward flight from Toronto today …. I do, I say, 8pm. Relief washes over the steward’s face. No worries, he says, our delay is only an hour. It makes me wonder though, what would they do if I missed my flight? I bet they would pay for something ……

Back to work…

Perfect weather

So tonight ..... perfect. No humity. Perfect temperature. It is like the perfect summer night. You know the ones where you can wear the summer dress with out jacket and not be hot or cold... yeah one of those nights.

After work, despite trying to leave early ... did not happen. We drove to the "west" side of tracks. This is the area b/w SZ road and the water. We went into the "marina" area and drove the JBR strip... it is like the most normal part of Dubai... outdoor cafes, store fronts on the street side.... so great! Will definately head back there in the weekend. Apparently this is the drag where people go to be "seen". They drive their cars down the street all blinged out! and Even with their exotic pets on display!

That is all for now ... have a great dsay.

Week 2 - photos and tidbits

Hi there,
This has been a crazy work week. But before that began, i did have a chance to go to Dubai mall. It is the biggest mall in the City. hard to believe. This one has a indoor aqurium (we did not pay, so the photos are not great). And tonight, a fellow montrealer from the Deloitte Dubai office hit Johny Rocket's .... all the way to the UAE for a USA burger chain!!

the staff wanted us to be happy and gave us a ketchup smily face with the fries

I just like that everything is translated in to arabic!

so one night leaving the office i was struck by the water on walkway .... they have about a 12 x12 patch of lawn and they water it every night to such excess that it pools out into the walkway ... it is crazy water wastage. At least they water at night, versus durin the day which is what you always see.

donot know if you can see, but these are all the trees covered in twinkle lights outside dubai mall v pretty

Beside the dubai mall there is the Berj Dubai. It is the tallest building in the world. They have a huge fountain out front that has the tallest water fountain (by tallest i mean the height of the jets of water). They put on a water show like at fancy hotel in Vegas ... just can not remember that hotel name. they have four different shows every 15 mins.

More of the water show!!

Here is some of the construction going on around the Berj Dubai ....this is near the financial hub of Dubai

Me with the Berj!!

The Berj Dubai!!

the fishies at the mall!!!!!

Loved the BIGGEST fish of them all.

Part of a water feature in the Dubai mall... it is cool multi story water fall with scupture divers going down it.

The outside of the mall....

This is the "address" a very fancy hotel / apt beside the Dubai mall. very very fancy and $$$$$. One of the IT bars is here at the top floor.

more buildings..... you really can not comprehend the number of buildings here ....... seriously it is hard to comperhend the number.

driving on the main road ......

Day 5 Thrusday -aka friday

***note the weekend here is Friday and Saturday**** Thus Thrusday is really Friday night

So today I finally went into Dubai proper. Okay through Dubai proper. Thus far I have been in the “south end” or the new area of Dubai. But last night I joined my local colleague for a night out at the beligum café in the crown plaza hotel in media city. This is on the north side of the city, on the other side of Dubai creek. It is amazing to think that 20 years ago, Dubai, as it is today, totally was not here. As you are wizzing by all the high rises, malls, and car dealerships, it is weird to think that everything is new. The other thing, because everything is new and still being built, the roads change every 30 seconds. Constant construction!!!

It was great to have a night out … it was interesting to see the cross section of people out, from arab biker boys, to parents, to the young workers celebrating the end of the work week.

Things to note from today:
1) Smoking is allowed here indoors … that was a shock to get used to
2) They have every American fast food chain here … seriously, jonny rockets .. and there is every global coffee chain, even a 2nd cup. So I figure there is a serious need for a Timmies here !!! I can totally see tummies at every gas station.
3) My glasses fog up every time I go outside, kind of funny reminder of the temperature differences. But more so with my camera. I have to wait for it to heat up before I can take pictures
4) Everyone is commenting how cool it has been this week … to that I say WHAT!!
5) Did you know there is a Dubai marathon, and people go out running every morning …. Just weird to think b/c nobody walks out side ever / anywhere.I went into the deloitte office today.

It is in an area called the Greens. Which is a block of low rise apartments all around a small plaza. It is an area where people actually walk!!!! There are side walks and you see people out and about.

My interent has been down at the hotel for a while so i have some posts to catch up on...

day 4 ... first day at work

So today was my first official work day ....

Activity 1:get a new morning routine going .....

Things that make the morning interesting ...

• the hot water setting here is scolding, really it is sooooo hot that you can't touch the tap with bare hands nor do you need the tap turned on more than a titch and still it is almost too much


• My iron is one those old school ones that works on heat and weight, no steam !!! tres old school.


• my flat was designed by a man ... no plugs in the bathroom and none where the iron cord actually reaches while ironing at the point of the board.


• There was a tonne of dust in the air all day today... think thick smog ...


• The coffee at my hotel is yummy!!!!!

I am working out by the Abu Dhabi airport in the area that will be Masdar City. so it is about a 45min drive without any traffic. I asked why I don't just stay in Abu Dhabi vs commuting. The reason .... AbuD is apparently much more expensive and b/c the city is on an island with two roads in and out, it takes about 45mins to drive into town?? Who knew. So it is just easier and less expensive to stay in Dubai.

interesting tidbits i learned today:

• to fill a gas tank of a ford focus is about 50 dirham (sp?) or about 17.50$ canadian


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  To rent a really nice two bedroom flat is about 2000$canadian a month CORRECTION that is $4k per month or 120,000 dirham per year .. yeah you hand over one check a year here ... although that is changing now with the poor economy.

photos.....

Off in the distance from Masday City ... is a round shaped hotel by the coast. this is right near the new F1 track.

this is the building of part of Masdar city .... the university... if you look at the plans on line, it is hard to believe this is all that is here now.

day 3 .... Madiant Jumerirah

Today's location ... Madiant jamerirah.

It is on the coast right beside the giant sail hotel. This "complex" is a mall, resto complex, hotel, arena, theatre, conference area, and flats, all surround by a man made creek with boats that ferry the hotel guest back and forth. It designed as an old school fort, and mall is small twisty hall ways and mostly little "craft" "jewelry" and "carpet" shops with a Tommy Bahamas, cinnabon and starbucks thrown in for good measure.

Along the canal are lots of licensed restros. Clearly it is a lively night place, as I was leaving by 6:30PM lots of people were arriving. I spent most of my time walking around outside the complex. my introduction to the heat !!!! big time.

So before i left i stopped and had a drink watching the sun set. I have to say 30+ heat went well with the pimms no 1 cup!!

Things i noticed today...
1) I think people here have big fingers!! in every jewelry store window all the rings, beyond displaying serious bling, the sizes are huge.
2) single girl walking around = insta photographer for all the couples travelling ..... getting good at the souvenir shot!!

some pixs are below .....

one of the outdoor court yard

sun setting

lanterns on a bridge

look up at the outdoor lanterns

the canal ...

apartments over the canal

the outside of the shoping mall

one of the gates into the apartments

view from the complex to the sail

along the canal

one of the outside court yards

camels for sale!!

The hall way.... looking up

the craft wares ....

day 1 - arrival

I have arrived in Dubai.

When I landed in Dubai, I had a flash back to the last 12hour flight I had taken alone to a new country. It made me wonder what I would find at the end of the jet way. Would it be the sensory overload that is typical of your first minutes, hours and days in Delhi? In fact, it was the complete opposite, with an almost lack of overt sensory input. Everything is very calm. Lighting was all low, there were no loud noises, there were no ques. Even the highway, in the dark night sky, everything ranged from beige through shades of green to grey to black. Colour, were rare splashes, few and far between.

I landed in Abu Dhabi at about 7;30pm. After the required stop at the duty free liquor store (vodka is now in my freezer) and collecting my luggage, I rolled out of the controlled area only to be greeted by the low key friends, family and drivers waiting for their people. There was a starbucks right there. Most people were sitting there having a coffee and waiting. After finding the car service and helping the driver to understand where we were going, we were on a way.

I could not see much from the highway. I was struck by all the mosques. I think that was because each had green lights in their towers/spires (I need to find the right term for that). From the highway going at 100km +/hr, I was struck by how similar they all looked, and wondered if that what all our churches look like to new comers?

The other thing that struck me on the highway was the gas stations. They were BIG and really really busy. Like it was the place to be. saddly they do not post the price like at home. i was trying to see what a litre goes for here... any guesses??

As we came into Dubai, I was struck by all the high-rises. They are all really different. It is like a high-rise architects play land here.

My hotel is in a newly developing area, so think construction everywhere. There is nowhere to walk to at all here. So taxi’s and cars will be my way.

I can see the big fancy “sail” hotel from my room.

view from the window

the ramp looking thing that is just behind and to the right of the crane is the ski hill in the mall

construstion everywhere in this sothern part of Dubai.

The famous sail hotel

am going to try to upload a the view from by balcony - the far left is the last picture and as you move up you go from left to right..