The last night of the film festival was followed by a party in the desert. Lindy and I decided we would catch the 10:30pm bus because we had to strike the box offices at the venues that were still open.
Unfortunately, Aboobacker (is it wrong that this name makes me giggle every time I say it) the head of security cancelled the bus due to a miscommunication. So we ended up on the 11:30pm bus with some of our staff as well as the projectionists and some stray festival guests.
The ride out to the Lisalli Fort in the desert takes about 45 minutes. Along the way there isn't much to see except giant 3D billboards for upcoming building projects like Africaland. Did I mention it was crazy here? The drivers in the desert are just as retarded as the drivers in Dubai proper. One driver swerved in front of us with not nearly enough room which made us swerve in front of an oncoming truck. I screamed like a girl and there were general gasps of terror from the other folks in the bus. Our driver got us back on track and didn't seem to see what had freaked us out. Crazy.
So one brush with death and a million billboards later we finally arrived at the fort. The inside had been set up with a huge number of seated covered tent areas with large tables in the middle where you could gather as a group, dance to the music, get food from the huge buffet and in the case of Lindy and I grab a bottle of wine each and just enjoy. The music was good, the food was good, the staff was out in almost full force and it was a fun night.
On the outskirts of the fort area there were giant sand dunes. I encouraged Mike (I was waaaaay too drunk) to climb one and see the view on the other side. I did this last time and it was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen. While Mike was climbing I was laying in the sand at the bottom of the dune looking up a sky full of stars. Lovely.
We all drove back from the desert in big buses. We got on the rowdy bus and listened to the kids yell and sing all the way back to the city. It was a really good night.
Poor Mike was leaving the next morning (a few hours after we got back) so he stayed up and finished packing and left for the airport. A little drunk but I think pretty happy with his Dubai experience.
Friday, December 21, 2007
The Bashing of the Dunes
Well it's the last day in Dubai and a group of us are going dune bashing. This involves wandering through the desert in a four wheel vehicle and driving up and down and around sand dunes.
Every once and a while we stop to take some scenic photos. It's really quite lovely in the desert and I'm still not sure why Dubai wants to hide the fact that it has this really interesting facet to it but hey what do I know.
Once we've driven around and slipped and bumped and jumped in the four wheel they take us to a compound where we will see a belly dancing show. There are various little kiosks set up where you can smoke Sheesha, get henna painted, buy souvenirs, get dressed up in an abaya and dishdash for photos and a bar where they apparently won't cut you off ever. I'm assuming this policy based on the group of college boys who got incredibly drunk and got up and danced with the belly dancer. It was pretty funny.
The belly dancer was not very good. I've had a number of friends take this style of dance and I've seen about a million recitals and this gal wouldn't even have been in the advanced class but she was trying so I give her props for that!
The whole experience was fun and I'm glad I got the chance to do it and to finally see some desert. I mean, it only took two trips to Dubai to see it!
Crazy Dubai
Every once and a while we stop to take some scenic photos. It's really quite lovely in the desert and I'm still not sure why Dubai wants to hide the fact that it has this really interesting facet to it but hey what do I know.
Once we've driven around and slipped and bumped and jumped in the four wheel they take us to a compound where we will see a belly dancing show. There are various little kiosks set up where you can smoke Sheesha, get henna painted, buy souvenirs, get dressed up in an abaya and dishdash for photos and a bar where they apparently won't cut you off ever. I'm assuming this policy based on the group of college boys who got incredibly drunk and got up and danced with the belly dancer. It was pretty funny.
The belly dancer was not very good. I've had a number of friends take this style of dance and I've seen about a million recitals and this gal wouldn't even have been in the advanced class but she was trying so I give her props for that!
The whole experience was fun and I'm glad I got the chance to do it and to finally see some desert. I mean, it only took two trips to Dubai to see it!
Crazy Dubai
Jumeirah Mosque
On the last day of the festival Mike and I got up early and went to Jumeirah Mosque. This is the only mosque in Dubai that will allow non-Muslims to enter it.
The tour was led by a volunteer named Mohammed who had an awesome sense of humour and was really interesting to listen to. Before entering the masjid (Mosque is the anglicized version of this word) our guide took us through the ritual cleaning process know as the Wudu. This involves cleansing your hands, arms, face, nose and feet by wiping each of them three times. Apparently as long as you don't break with any of the pillars of Islam during the day your Wudu will last you the whole day.
To enter the masjid we all had to remove our shoes and the women were asked to cover their heads. Yes, Mike got a picture of me in my head scarf - jeez. The inside of the mosque was pretty. It had some lovely decorations but was very simple in design. One thing of note is there are no paintings or statues of Mohammed (the prophet) or Allah or any other figure in Islam history. That's a no-no in a mosque. There was, however, a kick ass electronic Qur'an that played the call to prayer and showed the translated version of the Qur'an in a crazy number of languages. Pretty Cool.
Once we looked around a little Mohammed gathered us on the big carpeted area in front of the Iman's niche and talked us through the 5 pillars of Islam. He demonstrated the various prayers that each Muslim does when they enter the masjid which are also done is a very specific way. Following this he talked about the Hajj. This is the pilgrimage that each Muslim is required to make at least once in their life to Mecca. These pilgrimages normally happen around Eid. In fact, Abdullah, the brilliant man who coordinated our office moves for the festival left for his Hajj the day after the festival ended. Once a Muslim has completed their Hajj they have a clean slate in the eyes of Allah. Again pretty cool.
Once Mohammed talked us through all this he opened the floor to questions. Their were questions about the Qur'an. About the various sects of Islam and about women who went about completely covered. I won't go in to any detail about these but it was all very interesting and I would highly recommend taking a tour of a mosque if one is available to you.
There's much to be learned my friends!
The tour was led by a volunteer named Mohammed who had an awesome sense of humour and was really interesting to listen to. Before entering the masjid (Mosque is the anglicized version of this word) our guide took us through the ritual cleaning process know as the Wudu. This involves cleansing your hands, arms, face, nose and feet by wiping each of them three times. Apparently as long as you don't break with any of the pillars of Islam during the day your Wudu will last you the whole day.
To enter the masjid we all had to remove our shoes and the women were asked to cover their heads. Yes, Mike got a picture of me in my head scarf - jeez. The inside of the mosque was pretty. It had some lovely decorations but was very simple in design. One thing of note is there are no paintings or statues of Mohammed (the prophet) or Allah or any other figure in Islam history. That's a no-no in a mosque. There was, however, a kick ass electronic Qur'an that played the call to prayer and showed the translated version of the Qur'an in a crazy number of languages. Pretty Cool.
Once we looked around a little Mohammed gathered us on the big carpeted area in front of the Iman's niche and talked us through the 5 pillars of Islam. He demonstrated the various prayers that each Muslim does when they enter the masjid which are also done is a very specific way. Following this he talked about the Hajj. This is the pilgrimage that each Muslim is required to make at least once in their life to Mecca. These pilgrimages normally happen around Eid. In fact, Abdullah, the brilliant man who coordinated our office moves for the festival left for his Hajj the day after the festival ended. Once a Muslim has completed their Hajj they have a clean slate in the eyes of Allah. Again pretty cool.
Once Mohammed talked us through all this he opened the floor to questions. Their were questions about the Qur'an. About the various sects of Islam and about women who went about completely covered. I won't go in to any detail about these but it was all very interesting and I would highly recommend taking a tour of a mosque if one is available to you.
There's much to be learned my friends!
Dubai Debrief
So the festival is over and I've made it safe and sound back to the land of snow.
The festival itself was a lot of fun. Of course, there's the usual insanity of running a number of box offices and the swirl of craziness that you have no control over but looking back on it, overall, it was a blast. I met some really awesome folks and reconnected with some that I met on my first journey. I taught Suhail all kinds of phrases that a nice Muslim boy just shouldn't know and learned a few choices phrases from Dr. Aldrich and Professor Amar.
Working with Lindy was great. You will never meet a person with a greater sense of play accompanied by the kind of organizational skills this gal has. Honestly! Leading the Theatre's team (that box office works really closely with) was Cheryl Izen who we lovingly referred to as "future Lindy". Need I say more.
The festival itself was a lot of fun. Of course, there's the usual insanity of running a number of box offices and the swirl of craziness that you have no control over but looking back on it, overall, it was a blast. I met some really awesome folks and reconnected with some that I met on my first journey. I taught Suhail all kinds of phrases that a nice Muslim boy just shouldn't know and learned a few choices phrases from Dr. Aldrich and Professor Amar.
Working with Lindy was great. You will never meet a person with a greater sense of play accompanied by the kind of organizational skills this gal has. Honestly! Leading the Theatre's team (that box office works really closely with) was Cheryl Izen who we lovingly referred to as "future Lindy". Need I say more.
Monday, December 10, 2007
The Muffin Man Cometh and the Festival Begins
Okay so Mr. Mike finally arrived in Dubai the day before yesterday at 3:18am (according to the arrival/departure boards) took a nap and started his festival journey.
Opening Night was pretty good. I saw George Clooney twice. Once as he walked the red carpet while all the girls on my gala staff giggled and faux fainted. Apparently George is a hot commodity wherever he goes. Once he did the intro for the opening night film he was swept off to a nearby theatre for a one on one session which was entirely sold out and had a teeming standby queue. This is where I saw him the second time much closer up. The man's gorgeous. Simply truly gorgeous. Oh yeah, and taller than you would think.
Following the gala and one on one session was the opening night party. It was a really quite beautiful. Folks in tuxs and gowns on a platform at the beach. The decor was all in white and there were giant globes lighting the area. There was a band and then DJ playing standards and then all 80's pop. It was like a giant flashback to junior high and high school except in a fancy dress. The place was teeming with waiters carrying all sorts of good stuff to eat and also some who apparently wanted us to be so drunk we didn't know what to do with ourselves. Lindy danced on a table - that's all I'm saying. A Table.
The following morning Muffin had his very first Dubai hangover. Awesome!
Yesterday was the children's gala. Apparently some braindrain thought that they would block off part of the house as it wasn't selling that well. This, of course, is Dubai and everyone waits until the last minute to show up. So they had to remove the barrier so we could fill the house. My favourite part of the evening was a tween leaning over to her mother - while her mother was talking to me and announcing very loudly that her mother should tell me that we are sponsors. I told the tween it was not polite to talk about someone who was standing right in front of her as though they weren't there. Her mother surprisingly seemed to appreciate that so I found tickets for her. Just as a general note folks - be an ass to a customer service person get nothing but a wall of policy be nice and understanding that their job bites ass and they will go above and beyond for you. It's a rule - embrace it.
You really can't beat drinking champagne with the persian gulf on one side and
Opening Night was pretty good. I saw George Clooney twice. Once as he walked the red carpet while all the girls on my gala staff giggled and faux fainted. Apparently George is a hot commodity wherever he goes. Once he did the intro for the opening night film he was swept off to a nearby theatre for a one on one session which was entirely sold out and had a teeming standby queue. This is where I saw him the second time much closer up. The man's gorgeous. Simply truly gorgeous. Oh yeah, and taller than you would think.
Following the gala and one on one session was the opening night party. It was a really quite beautiful. Folks in tuxs and gowns on a platform at the beach. The decor was all in white and there were giant globes lighting the area. There was a band and then DJ playing standards and then all 80's pop. It was like a giant flashback to junior high and high school except in a fancy dress. The place was teeming with waiters carrying all sorts of good stuff to eat and also some who apparently wanted us to be so drunk we didn't know what to do with ourselves. Lindy danced on a table - that's all I'm saying. A Table.
The following morning Muffin had his very first Dubai hangover. Awesome!
Yesterday was the children's gala. Apparently some braindrain thought that they would block off part of the house as it wasn't selling that well. This, of course, is Dubai and everyone waits until the last minute to show up. So they had to remove the barrier so we could fill the house. My favourite part of the evening was a tween leaning over to her mother - while her mother was talking to me and announcing very loudly that her mother should tell me that we are sponsors. I told the tween it was not polite to talk about someone who was standing right in front of her as though they weren't there. Her mother surprisingly seemed to appreciate that so I found tickets for her. Just as a general note folks - be an ass to a customer service person get nothing but a wall of policy be nice and understanding that their job bites ass and they will go above and beyond for you. It's a rule - embrace it.
You really can't beat drinking champagne with the persian gulf on one side and
Friday, December 7, 2007
Dubai - a Winter Wonderland
Okay so Lindy walked into our office (which has been re-located to the Madinat Jumeirah Arena) and claimed to have been watching folks ice skating just across the way. I ran out with my camera to see a crazy Winter Wonderland (or so it's labelled) across from me. There is an outdoor skating rink and lots of fake snow, a christmas tree and big snow scape mural.
My question here is why doesn't Dubai want to be Dubai?
When I think the middle east I think sand dunes, camels, bedouins, Arabic, marketplaces and beautiful carpets. What you actually get here though is a simulation of what it's like to be anywhere but here.
You have to drive for an hour to hit sand dunes. I've been told that if I was driving between Dubai and Abu Dhabi I would have an excellent chance of seeing a camel and perhaps some bedouins (before I died in some freak car accident because the drivers are INSANE here). There are marketplaces (souks) and I've seen lots of carpets but they just seem out of place in Europe of the East. As for Arabic I hear it all the time but now nearly as often as I hear English or Hindi or French. I just don't get it.
I think Dubai should embrace it's weirdness and it's desert location and be proud of what it is.
Just an opinion from a lowly Canadian.
My question here is why doesn't Dubai want to be Dubai?
When I think the middle east I think sand dunes, camels, bedouins, Arabic, marketplaces and beautiful carpets. What you actually get here though is a simulation of what it's like to be anywhere but here.
You have to drive for an hour to hit sand dunes. I've been told that if I was driving between Dubai and Abu Dhabi I would have an excellent chance of seeing a camel and perhaps some bedouins (before I died in some freak car accident because the drivers are INSANE here). There are marketplaces (souks) and I've seen lots of carpets but they just seem out of place in Europe of the East. As for Arabic I hear it all the time but now nearly as often as I hear English or Hindi or French. I just don't get it.
I think Dubai should embrace it's weirdness and it's desert location and be proud of what it is.
Just an opinion from a lowly Canadian.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
UAE Committed to Democracy
"UAE Committed to Democracy" that was the headline of the Gulf News a few days back - I'm just catching up on my reading. I don't know that there's anything that I can say about that other than HAHAHA *snort* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA *more snort* ... ha....ha *wipe tear*. The UAE is about as far from being a democracy as I am from being a size 2.
The first thing I thought when I saw this headline was "does the current government realize that the next Prime Minister or Vice President (they do a love a good title) would be Indian or Filipino?" I'm just guessing that would be true given that most of Dubai seems to be made of folks from those two countries.
Dubai is a never ending contradiction. The pure blood folks treat most people like they are solidly below them on the food chain. The workers who are building everything here are paid about the equivalent of a couple of dollars an hour and are considered to be disposable. Yes, I meant to use the word disposable.
A few weeks back a bridge that was under construction collapsed killing 7 and gravely injuring another 15 workers. It collapsed because the untrained labourer who was given the task of running the giant crane that day didn't realize that the supports on the bridge couldn't take the weight of the many, many iron rods he was stacking on them - as he was told to do. Now anywhere else in the world this would inspire new safety procedures to be put in place, better training for the workers and a lot of news time. Here the story disappeared the next day except for a notice that the building company had decided to compensate the families of the dead men by giving them 10 years salary - if you do the math you will be thoroughly appalled.
If Dubai ever does commit itself to democracy I will eat my punching, light up camel pen.
The first thing I thought when I saw this headline was "does the current government realize that the next Prime Minister or Vice President (they do a love a good title) would be Indian or Filipino?" I'm just guessing that would be true given that most of Dubai seems to be made of folks from those two countries.
Dubai is a never ending contradiction. The pure blood folks treat most people like they are solidly below them on the food chain. The workers who are building everything here are paid about the equivalent of a couple of dollars an hour and are considered to be disposable. Yes, I meant to use the word disposable.
A few weeks back a bridge that was under construction collapsed killing 7 and gravely injuring another 15 workers. It collapsed because the untrained labourer who was given the task of running the giant crane that day didn't realize that the supports on the bridge couldn't take the weight of the many, many iron rods he was stacking on them - as he was told to do. Now anywhere else in the world this would inspire new safety procedures to be put in place, better training for the workers and a lot of news time. Here the story disappeared the next day except for a notice that the building company had decided to compensate the families of the dead men by giving them 10 years salary - if you do the math you will be thoroughly appalled.
If Dubai ever does commit itself to democracy I will eat my punching, light up camel pen.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Burj Dubai
Okay so what I'm wondering is why? In a land where they deal with extreme heat and winds. Where the construction labour is untrained/unskilled and their are fatal accidents all the time. Why do they need to build the world's tallest building?
I've started to refer to this building as the butter pat. Imagine a stack of butter pats and that's kind of the current shape of the building. I imagine when it's faced with extreme heat and the sand underneath the foundation starts to shift it will be about as sturdy as a stack of butter pats too.
As of 24 October 2007, Burj Dubai's official website reported its height to be 585.7 m (1,922 ft), with 156 completed stories. Just to give you an idea of how big the building currently is the picture above is from the Dubai Air Show that took place in early November. The building that seems to be at the same height as the jet plane is the Burj Dubai. I'm assuming anyone who works or lives in this building will need an oxygen tank and their own personal sherpa.
Does anyone else sense the words "national tragedy" in Dubai's future.
Suhail has started calling the building the butter pat too. He did this without even thinking about it - I think it scared him a little that my slangy weirdness is rubbing off on him. Poor Suhail.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
UAE National Day
Happy UAE National Day! It has been 36 years since Dubai became independant from Britain. Actually UAE Day was yesterday but I'm a bit behind.
In celebration of the day a number of buildings in the city (and some of the cranes) are covered with coloured lights. Think the beads you get at Mardi Gras - now make them glow and cover a 10 storey building with them. It was kind of nice. There were even fireworks which were kind of distracting because they were happening at two different sites at the same time and both were within our eyesight. I'm glad Suhail (who was driving at the time) is not as easily distracted as I am and managed to keep the car on the road. Although I did make him stop the car and take pictures.
So to commemorate the day I've made a list of the things I like about Dubai - it's longer than you'd think:
1. I like the people. They're very friendly and just truly decent, nice folks. People don't swear like sailors (even the teenagers in the mall), they're polite, family oriented and kind. Sort of like the folks on the East coast of Canada without the beer and with more teeth.
2. I like the clothes. By that I mean National dress (Abayas and Dishdashas) and the Indian garb (Shalway kameez and Kurtas) . The National dress is kind of like a uniform but it's neat and clean and I have to admit a little imposing. The Indian garb is awesome - colourful and bright and just .... well, gorgeous. I could be happy trotting around in a shalway kameez every day.
3. The sun: Yeah, I said it, I like the sun here. I guess when there's still an ozone layer above me I don't burn. I freckle like a freak but I don't have to slather myself in aloe vera every two seconds for pain relief.
4. The Architecture: there's so much construction here it's kind of hard to wrap your head around it but the parts that are finished are quite pretty. The architechture (one of my passions) is interesting. The lines, shapes, building materials are like nothing I've seen before. Now I don't for a second believe that these buildings will keep standing but for now they're great to look at.
5. The Driving: Everyday it's like being a part of the Indy 500 or riding a rollercoaster. I can't begin to tell you the number of times I have been in a car that's almost been hit by another one or has almost hit another one. Everyone here drives 120 - to start. No one waits until there is a space big enough for their car to start changing lanes. People LOVE to beep their horns at every opportunity. And despite this there is no discernable road rage - although we have had one frustrated cabbie yell "Stupid Hindi" but that's as close as we've come to outright anger. Of course, flipping someone the bird could land you in jail so that could have something to do with it.
6. The Food. It's good. It's authentic. It's making my ass larger.
7. Yoga by Candle Light. A few days ago a number of us received an email that we were to attend a meeting at the amphitheatre behind our office at 6pm. Attendance was mandatory and we were required to get permission if we had to miss it - very formal and intimidating. The meeting was a candlelight yoga session. Sooo good
8. The Customer Service. The motto I'm pretty sure is "the customer is always right even if their request is entirely idiotic and not at all feasible."
Every time I enter the hotel the door guy tries to carry my bag. Binu, the awesome guy who cleans my room, does my dishes and folds my laundry even though I've told him he doesn't have to (I've bought juice and water for him so he can have a treat when he does my room - he thinks I'm crazy). Last week Jane, Lindy and I went to Lulu Hypermarket and when we were done we called a cab. I was told "there are no cabs call back later". Lindy was told "It will be one hour". When she asked what was going on that was taking away all the cabs there was no response. We would have been stranded but we called our hotel and they hired a private car for us. When we drove past the hotel at the mall (which is next door to Lulu) the cab queue was FULL of empty taxis waiting for people to come out of the mall. Awesome.
9. The Souks are just amazing. You can find everything. You can barter. You can try food you've never seen before. The vendors will chat about all kinds of crap with you. It's really cool.
10. The Beach. It may sound the same as the sun but it's not. Jumeirah Beach Park is where Lindy and I have gone on our beach days. This is the public beach used by anyone who's got 5 dirham to spare. What I like about the beach is that the sand is lovely and silky soft. The leering men are hilarious - they really haven't honed the skill of being inconspicuous. The water is blue and warm and salty. Scrumptious
11. Eastern Mantras. This should fall under food but this delicious yogurty treat deserves it's own mention. This is a smoothie consisting of dates, bananas, frozen yogurt and milk. It's the best thing I've ever tasted. Lindy and I have had about 20 of them each so far. They make me believe there is a God.
That's my list! Go UAE
In celebration of the day a number of buildings in the city (and some of the cranes) are covered with coloured lights. Think the beads you get at Mardi Gras - now make them glow and cover a 10 storey building with them. It was kind of nice. There were even fireworks which were kind of distracting because they were happening at two different sites at the same time and both were within our eyesight. I'm glad Suhail (who was driving at the time) is not as easily distracted as I am and managed to keep the car on the road. Although I did make him stop the car and take pictures.
So to commemorate the day I've made a list of the things I like about Dubai - it's longer than you'd think:
1. I like the people. They're very friendly and just truly decent, nice folks. People don't swear like sailors (even the teenagers in the mall), they're polite, family oriented and kind. Sort of like the folks on the East coast of Canada without the beer and with more teeth.
2. I like the clothes. By that I mean National dress (Abayas and Dishdashas) and the Indian garb (Shalway kameez and Kurtas) . The National dress is kind of like a uniform but it's neat and clean and I have to admit a little imposing. The Indian garb is awesome - colourful and bright and just .... well, gorgeous. I could be happy trotting around in a shalway kameez every day.
3. The sun: Yeah, I said it, I like the sun here. I guess when there's still an ozone layer above me I don't burn. I freckle like a freak but I don't have to slather myself in aloe vera every two seconds for pain relief.
4. The Architecture: there's so much construction here it's kind of hard to wrap your head around it but the parts that are finished are quite pretty. The architechture (one of my passions) is interesting. The lines, shapes, building materials are like nothing I've seen before. Now I don't for a second believe that these buildings will keep standing but for now they're great to look at.
5. The Driving: Everyday it's like being a part of the Indy 500 or riding a rollercoaster. I can't begin to tell you the number of times I have been in a car that's almost been hit by another one or has almost hit another one. Everyone here drives 120 - to start. No one waits until there is a space big enough for their car to start changing lanes. People LOVE to beep their horns at every opportunity. And despite this there is no discernable road rage - although we have had one frustrated cabbie yell "Stupid Hindi" but that's as close as we've come to outright anger. Of course, flipping someone the bird could land you in jail so that could have something to do with it.
6. The Food. It's good. It's authentic. It's making my ass larger.
7. Yoga by Candle Light. A few days ago a number of us received an email that we were to attend a meeting at the amphitheatre behind our office at 6pm. Attendance was mandatory and we were required to get permission if we had to miss it - very formal and intimidating. The meeting was a candlelight yoga session. Sooo good
8. The Customer Service. The motto I'm pretty sure is "the customer is always right even if their request is entirely idiotic and not at all feasible."
Every time I enter the hotel the door guy tries to carry my bag. Binu, the awesome guy who cleans my room, does my dishes and folds my laundry even though I've told him he doesn't have to (I've bought juice and water for him so he can have a treat when he does my room - he thinks I'm crazy). Last week Jane, Lindy and I went to Lulu Hypermarket and when we were done we called a cab. I was told "there are no cabs call back later". Lindy was told "It will be one hour". When she asked what was going on that was taking away all the cabs there was no response. We would have been stranded but we called our hotel and they hired a private car for us. When we drove past the hotel at the mall (which is next door to Lulu) the cab queue was FULL of empty taxis waiting for people to come out of the mall. Awesome.
9. The Souks are just amazing. You can find everything. You can barter. You can try food you've never seen before. The vendors will chat about all kinds of crap with you. It's really cool.
10. The Beach. It may sound the same as the sun but it's not. Jumeirah Beach Park is where Lindy and I have gone on our beach days. This is the public beach used by anyone who's got 5 dirham to spare. What I like about the beach is that the sand is lovely and silky soft. The leering men are hilarious - they really haven't honed the skill of being inconspicuous. The water is blue and warm and salty. Scrumptious
11. Eastern Mantras. This should fall under food but this delicious yogurty treat deserves it's own mention. This is a smoothie consisting of dates, bananas, frozen yogurt and milk. It's the best thing I've ever tasted. Lindy and I have had about 20 of them each so far. They make me believe there is a God.
That's my list! Go UAE
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
