***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...
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
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 ...
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.
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
- 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.Tuesday, September 22, 2009
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 ....Monday, September 21, 2009
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?
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
Day 2 Shopping (take two)
so the sleeping thing is not working yet .. atleast not during regular Dubai nocturnal hours, so i figure I will recreate my post for today that was deleted......
ok, so take every store you ever wanted to go to in London, New York, Paris, LA and Montreal and put them in one place ... welcome to shopping in Dubai.
So the big outing today was the mall. The Mall of the Emirates. This is the mall with the ski hill in it. It also has everything else in it. What is amazing is there is several other rival malls in town. Makes me wonder what i will find there !!
so I did not take any pictures in the mall, as i felt sort of conspicuous. I am sure i will get over that. so you will have to try to see what i saw through my descriptions. my aplogies to all my writer and professional pr friends, painting pictures with words .. not a stenght i share with you.
So a few impressions:
1) the noise .... as you enter the mall the background decibel level is super high. there is a massive amount of energy and noise that comes along with that many people. I don't know why i expect quiet here, perhaps it is all the open space and the desert colouring ...
2) Burkas (sp) come in a super wide variety of styles. I suppose when you think about it, that makes sense. After all this is a garment that how many 100's of 1000's women wear dayily. But it was interesting looking at all the different outfits and coming to see the interstices, embellishment etc.
3) Everyone, save for the white expats, move in large groups. Seriously. This made navigating the mall and all the strollers a bit of a challenge. I only took out one or two errant kids. (that is not bad considering the sheer number of them) But my karma was redeemed when I stopped a little boy from leaving a shoe shop where his mom was looking at some really nice McQueens (only 3000 UAE dollars!!!!!)
4) So picture this…. Krispy Cream donut counter and three Arab men standing at the counter. They were there in their white traditional (?) suits (I need to learn the name of this attire) all with red ropes (again, need to learn the right name of this and what the significance is, if any of the colour – please forgive my cultural ignorance) adorning their head. I don’t know why the image struck me, I am sure partially b/c of the coulour constrast the green and white Crispy Cream logo with the white figures in front. Or just the fact they were eating donuts!
5) So in many places they have the north American name of the shop followed by the name written in English. The two best examples that struck me were Starbucks and Chilli’s. Don’t know why just struck me.
6) found the Borders (sp?) Books!!! Yeah
7) prices are the same as back home
8) I did not expect the pushy-ness. When in line for a taxi, to cash out, or to get something, people do not really care if you were there first. I suppose this is the Canadian in me. It is not as bad as it was in India or anything, but I did not expect it b/c this is one of the places where manners and politeness are paramount. Then again, maybe I just came across a small sub-group….
9) This is a hugely multi cultural city. I have never been anywhere where I have heard so many languages being spoken at one. It was incredible. Imagine being in the a big dressing room like Zara’s and hearing 6 conversations in 6 different languages, then multiple that during a 3 hour trip to the mall. V. cool.
10) It would be v. cool to have heaps of $$. There really is amazing shopping here !!!!!!! But I can’t wait to go to the souks (traditional markets). Hopefully, I can find someone local who can speak the language and bargain for me. I really need a new old rug. Something bigger for my dining room (and by my dining room, I mean the location in my yet to be purchased home lol). I would offer to bring back gold for people, but at today’s prices… even the souk prices will be a no-go.
I am sure there are other things …. But that is what I remember for now….
One of the main reasons for my trip to the mall was to go grocery shopping. I am staying in a standard apartment hotel, and I have a kitchen. So I figured it would be good to have some food to cook (yes Diane laugh now). Anyway they have a big Carrefour there. Just like the ones everywhere else in the world. Funny, while all grocery stores seem to be set up the same way, it still took me a long while to shop. Wading through all the different brands and food stuffs was cool. I am sure i missed half of what was there. By the end, I had to remind myself, I could come back … so off to the cash I went. I had my own bags with me, they sort of looked at me funny when I said this…. Yeah .. environmentalism has not quite made it here yet. So by 9pm I was done and off to the taxi.
One very important thing you should know about one of the largest malls in Dubai. It has one valet parking area and one taxi area. Both are located in the same entrance. Yeah … v. good planning. So after a long, yet very organized wait, I finally got into a taxi at 9:45pm!!
Ok that is enough for now. If can I am going to try to visit the “beach” tomorrow. But I have heaps of work and clearly now that it is 4:30am I will need to figure out how to sleep too.
ciao
ok, so take every store you ever wanted to go to in London, New York, Paris, LA and Montreal and put them in one place ... welcome to shopping in Dubai.
So the big outing today was the mall. The Mall of the Emirates. This is the mall with the ski hill in it. It also has everything else in it. What is amazing is there is several other rival malls in town. Makes me wonder what i will find there !!
so I did not take any pictures in the mall, as i felt sort of conspicuous. I am sure i will get over that. so you will have to try to see what i saw through my descriptions. my aplogies to all my writer and professional pr friends, painting pictures with words .. not a stenght i share with you.
So a few impressions:
1) the noise .... as you enter the mall the background decibel level is super high. there is a massive amount of energy and noise that comes along with that many people. I don't know why i expect quiet here, perhaps it is all the open space and the desert colouring ...
2) Burkas (sp) come in a super wide variety of styles. I suppose when you think about it, that makes sense. After all this is a garment that how many 100's of 1000's women wear dayily. But it was interesting looking at all the different outfits and coming to see the interstices, embellishment etc.
3) Everyone, save for the white expats, move in large groups. Seriously. This made navigating the mall and all the strollers a bit of a challenge. I only took out one or two errant kids. (that is not bad considering the sheer number of them) But my karma was redeemed when I stopped a little boy from leaving a shoe shop where his mom was looking at some really nice McQueens (only 3000 UAE dollars!!!!!)
4) So picture this…. Krispy Cream donut counter and three Arab men standing at the counter. They were there in their white traditional (?) suits (I need to learn the name of this attire) all with red ropes (again, need to learn the right name of this and what the significance is, if any of the colour – please forgive my cultural ignorance) adorning their head. I don’t know why the image struck me, I am sure partially b/c of the coulour constrast the green and white Crispy Cream logo with the white figures in front. Or just the fact they were eating donuts!
5) So in many places they have the north American name of the shop followed by the name written in English. The two best examples that struck me were Starbucks and Chilli’s. Don’t know why just struck me.
6) found the Borders (sp?) Books!!! Yeah
7) prices are the same as back home
8) I did not expect the pushy-ness. When in line for a taxi, to cash out, or to get something, people do not really care if you were there first. I suppose this is the Canadian in me. It is not as bad as it was in India or anything, but I did not expect it b/c this is one of the places where manners and politeness are paramount. Then again, maybe I just came across a small sub-group….
9) This is a hugely multi cultural city. I have never been anywhere where I have heard so many languages being spoken at one. It was incredible. Imagine being in the a big dressing room like Zara’s and hearing 6 conversations in 6 different languages, then multiple that during a 3 hour trip to the mall. V. cool.
10) It would be v. cool to have heaps of $$. There really is amazing shopping here !!!!!!! But I can’t wait to go to the souks (traditional markets). Hopefully, I can find someone local who can speak the language and bargain for me. I really need a new old rug. Something bigger for my dining room (and by my dining room, I mean the location in my yet to be purchased home lol). I would offer to bring back gold for people, but at today’s prices… even the souk prices will be a no-go.
I am sure there are other things …. But that is what I remember for now….
One of the main reasons for my trip to the mall was to go grocery shopping. I am staying in a standard apartment hotel, and I have a kitchen. So I figured it would be good to have some food to cook (yes Diane laugh now). Anyway they have a big Carrefour there. Just like the ones everywhere else in the world. Funny, while all grocery stores seem to be set up the same way, it still took me a long while to shop. Wading through all the different brands and food stuffs was cool. I am sure i missed half of what was there. By the end, I had to remind myself, I could come back … so off to the cash I went. I had my own bags with me, they sort of looked at me funny when I said this…. Yeah .. environmentalism has not quite made it here yet. So by 9pm I was done and off to the taxi.
One very important thing you should know about one of the largest malls in Dubai. It has one valet parking area and one taxi area. Both are located in the same entrance. Yeah … v. good planning. So after a long, yet very organized wait, I finally got into a taxi at 9:45pm!!
Ok that is enough for now. If can I am going to try to visit the “beach” tomorrow. But I have heaps of work and clearly now that it is 4:30am I will need to figure out how to sleep too.
ciao
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