Good one, UAE!

The UAE won the Gulf Cup last week, and there was a parade held in their honour over the weekend. We didn't think to go, but were caught up in the horrendous traffic jam that resulted after it had ended.

Being stuck in traffic for 2 hours on Sheikh Zayed Road would usually be extremely frustrating. This time however, we had quite a bit of entertainment watching UAE nationals who had come from the parade and were also stuck in traffic.

No expense had been spared in decorating their [very expensive] vehicles, which were adorned with balloons, streamers, UAE flags, flower arrangements, and even huge soft toys. Oh and let's not forget the spray paint. Yep, since the win many have spray painted their cars with UAE in huge letters, hearts, dots and other expressions of national love and pride.

On top of these spray painted and heavily decorated cars many were proudly waving flags while hanging out of their car windows, some were perched on top of car bonnets while others were dancing on the rooves of their car. All while the cars were moving, albeit slowly, the roads were wet as it had been raining, and the 2 cop cars that we saw were observing.

It was, in a word, unbelievable.

The Burj al Arab.

As members of the Dubai International Art Centre, we were invited to attend the opening of Mounir Lakkis' exhibition of painting, photography and sculpture held at the Burj al Arab tonight.


Knowing that my aunt and uncle who are visiting Dubai at the moment, have been extremely keen to visit the famous 7-star hotel, I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to take them and catch some of the local art scene at the same time.

The Burj al Arab in the shape of a large sail looked awesome as we drove over the short causeway onto the man-made island. We were welcomed with rose water as we entered the lobby, before going up an escalator with a view of a beautiful aquarium of tropical fish. Water dominated as the main theme of the hotel, with gorgeous fountains, aquariums and of course the fact that the building is designed in the form of a sail, situated on an island.

As we proceeded towards the lifts, which offered a view of the open sea, we were struck by the sheer opulence of the gold plated pillars, the plush carpets and furniture around us. On arrival at the Assawan Lounge on the 18th floor, we were greeted with wine and juices. Lakkis' work on display were paintings, sculptures and prints. The works were fresh and modern.

We browsed at leisure before settling down around a coffee table to enjoy our glasses of wine. Waiters were always on hand to offer us another drink, and also some really scrumptious hors d'oeuvres! The service was impeccable and the atmosphere was certainly 7-star!

I found our experience at the hotel excellent. The exterior is certainly unique, and the interior is ultra-modern, opulent, and all class. I can't believe I finally got to go!

One year on

It's been over a year now that Gypsy Boy and I have been living in Dubai, which prompted me recently to reflect on my feelings about life in this city.

What I like:
1. Geographical location. It's central and I love the fact that it's so close to Europe and Asia. Living here has given us ample opportunity to explore countries and areas that we've never had the chance to see before. Dubai airport is a hub, so we've also got a long list of airlines and holiday destinations to choose from.

2. It's relatively safe. Crime rate is low and while you hear about robbery, theft and rape, cases are isolated and usually offenders are caught and severely punished.

3. Meeting people from a wide mix of cultures. 80-90% of the population in Dubai is made up of expats and while a large percentage are from the sub-continent, we've met people from all corners of the earth here! I love that!

4. The weather. It's sunny and warm just about all the time.

5. The service. You can get anything home delivered from fast food outlets, restaurants, the local grocery shop, drinking water, and even your laundry and drycleaning.

6. The opening hours. Malls and shops are open till 10pm or midnight every night.

7. Affordability. Labour is cheap so you can get your clothes tailored, car washed, house cleaned, everything you own drycleaned if you wish without having to be a millionaire to do so. Houseboys, gardeners and maids are not uncommon here.

8. Food. Groceries are relatively cheap and there's a wide range of fruit and vegetables imported from all over the world and some also grown locally. We're also spoilt for choice with plenty top quality Indian restaurants.

What I don't like:
1. It's not a walking city. People don't really walk from A to B, no matter what distance. They drive. Reason being, sidewalks are rare in new Dubai and it couldn't be further from a walk on grass under the trees. It'll be on the sand or on the road alongside cars zooming past leaving a cloud of dust and sand to contend with. Aside from this, I also miss living in the CBD of a city. We lived in the heart of town in Auckland which meant we could walk to work and everything was in close proximity - the theatre, the cinemas, art galleries, shops, work, restaurants, cafes, parks, churches etc.

2. It's new and developing - there's no real old feel to this city. It's new, modern and developing at a super fast rate which means construction everywhere.

3. Food. Aside from Indian and Lebanese, you don't get a good range of other ethnic cuisine without spending a small fortune.

4. Alcohol. Not being able to have a glass of wine or a beer with a meal out, other than at a hotel. This isn't really such a big deal for us, but sometimes it's nice to just have the choice.

5. Temporariness.

6. The service. High turnover, poor training and lack of initiative often contributes to the inconsistent service one can expect here. Information is unreliable often due to communication issues.

7. Crazy rents. Read my previous posts on rents here and here.

8. Public transport. This is progressing, however there is no metro/rail system at the moment. There are more bus stops and routes being introduced now which will hopefully make this mode of transport more attractive.

9. Arrogance and lack of manners. People have an air of arrogance about themselves here and I'm not sure why. It's evident on the roads in the way people drive but also in malls and restaurants. Queues are often non existent and if there is one, people often push-in and cut the line. I've seen many instances of rudeness and sadly this is often towards workers.

Please note that the points above only reflect my own personal feelings based on my experiences of living in Dubai the past year. They are relative to my own observations of life in other cities that I have lived in or travelled to.

Dubai to become a geo-city.

It was recently in the news that Dubai is set to become a geo-city next year. It will be interesting to see progress with this, in a city amongst the highest per capita waste generation in the world.

Recycling at Brussels Airport

While we were in Brussels recently, I noticed these clever bins dotted all around the airport! Just what we need here to kickstart recycling.

Oh no!

Gypsy Boy has just had a car accident. I don't have all the details as yet, but it is one of my worst fears here in Dubai. All I can say is thank God, it's not serious. As far as I know, Gypsy Boy said he was at fault and hit another car in front of him.

Where many nationalities and driving styles come together, coupled with high speeds, Dubai is home to the most dangerous roads in the world. There is an extremely high accident rate and death toll, and it's not unusual to feel like you are in a bumper car when on the roads. Of course, the objective is not to 'bump'. However with speed limits of up to 120kph and cars zooming at 160kph at times, often not bothering to indicate or even look before changing 5 lanes in one swoop, minor and horrific accidents are not uncommon.

In the case of an accident, no matter how minor, one has to always call the police. If it's minor you can move your car to the side of the road out of traffic's way, however you should not leave the scene of the accident before the cops arrive to assess the situation. We've been told that the cops will then decide who is at fault and hand out a red card and green card with a report that you take to your respective insurers and panelbeaters.

I guess I will find out more from Gypsy Boy himself later today. Sigh.

Everyone shops at Carrefour...

Even royalty apparently!

Gypsy Boy and I were at Carrefour in the Mall of the Emirates this evening to pick up a few groceries for the week when His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum walked right past us. He was heading towards the fish section and was flanked by two other men also dressed in white dishdashas.


As he walked through the hypermarket, shoppers stopped in their tracks and others turned around to look as they recognised him. I can say that he definitely had a presence, not to mention extremely good posture!

Baby party.

Today, I accompanied my gorgeous Greek friend M. to a Mum's coffee morning. Don't get excited, I haven't been hiding anything and I can assure you there are no Baby G's in the Gypsy household yet!

I wasn't sure how to feel at first about going to this coffee morning for Mums sans baby, and once we got there I felt a little out of place when I saw a group of women gathered in the corner of Starbucks with all their baby paraphernalia. For starters, each had a wee one on her lap, at her feet or in her belly! Toys were strewn on mats and about 10 prams were lined up against the wall!

Maybe I should've dressed Gypsy Dog up in a bonnet and hid him in a pram. Of course I hadn't. Instead, I clutched my Kenneth Cole handbag closer to me and dragged a chair over to join this circle of mothers who were probably wondering [as much as I was] what I was doing there.

By the end of the morning however, I'd got to meet and speak with some lovely women and to see the cutest little babies! Yes, I was the odd one out but it was not so bad. Everyone was friendly and I had fun.

In Dubai, there is a long list of support and social groups, especially for new mothers. It's encouraging to know that with such a large expatriate community with little or no family nearby, there are always others in the same situation willing to share and support one another.

Temporariness.

In all the cities I've visited and lived in, I've found none seemingly to be as impermanent as life in Dubai. Everything in every sense is temporary. Overnight, new roads are built, old roads are blocked and buildings erected. Expats make up 80-90% of the population and it is a place where quite simply people come and go.

It's strange to think that in our short 11 months here, we've had our share of farewells already. Most recently last month, our friends who came to Dubai on a dance contract left to go home to NZ and now we've just had news that 3 of our close friends will be leaving at the end of the year.

Saying goodbye to good friends is not the easiest thing to do, but it was amazing anyway that we were able to get together with old Kiwi friends and hang out in Dubai in the first place as well as forge new friendships with the most interesting people from places I'd never even heard of [Limavady being one of them]!

So, thank you to all of you for the fun and wonderful moments we've shared in this land we temporarily call home.

Ramadan Kareem

Ramadan starts today. As it's our first experience of Ramadan in the Middle East, we're being extra careful to observe this special holy time for Muslims fasting during daylight hours here.


During this time, one should dress more conservatively than normal and should not eat, drink, smoke or chew gum in public during the day. The restaurants or few cafés that are open are extremely discreet with entrances screened off and windows blacked out so you cannot look in from outside. The usually bustling and busy terrace areas are also empty and closed off during the day so at first glance one would think the eatery is closed for business. Foodcourts in malls are also screened off, with food only available for take away. Finding a spot to eat it away from public view is another thing.

This afternoon, we did our usual grocery shopping for the week at Carrefour at the Mall of the Emirates. Expecting the usual weekend crowd also doing their weekly shop, we were instead faced with a crazed frenzy of shoppers packing their supermarket trolleys to the brim with meat, fruit and vegetables like there is no tomorrow.

I was a little taken aback when I passed refrigerated meat section. A handwritten sign was stuck on to one of the near-empty shelves I'm so used to seeing stocked full of pre-packed chicken breast, thighs etc. It read: Please refrain from taking excessive amounts. It's just as well I don't need to get any chicken this week! As for beef, well that's a different story. No NZ beef left on the shelves so we got some 'Low fat beef mince' [from who knows where!?] instead.

Needless to say, the queues were diabolical and we ended up queueing for 20 minutes at the checkout counter. I think we'll try to do our groceries next week a little later in the day during iftar, when the crowds should be home breaking their fast.

Thus we spent our first day of Ramadan in Dubai, what an interesting and special time to be here. Ramadan Kareem to you all.

Snail mail

About 10 days ago, I decided to take my chances with sending some mail other than the electronic kind. Under the guidance of my friend Joy, who sends letters and parcels off quite often to the UK, I decided to send 3 articles: a Birthday card to my dear aunt in NZ, a Birthday parcel for my darling brother in Melbourne and some baby gear for a new nephew in Vancouver!

Brave for a first timer, I know. The thing is Joy's mail always seem to reach okay, however mine do have a much longer way to go...

Anyway we took it to a shopping mall, albeit at the other end of town, that does offer a postal service where you can get your letters/packages weighed as well as purchase stamps before sending them off.

Anything to do with the postal system in Dubai seems a bit trivial to me. I don't know what gives me this idea, perhaps it's that we don't have a street address and there is no such thing as mail being delivered to one's physical address or the fact that post offices are such a rare sight. In our 10 months here, we've actually only seen a post office once or maybe twice at the other end of town. It also seems to always be shut - I guess we just happen to go past during 'siesta' time or perhaps it was a Friday...

So yesterday, I was definitely pleased to chat to my brother online and find him [via the webcam] wearing his Birthday present - an apron with the body of Michelangelo's David! It's something Gypsy Boy and I saw while we were in Italy last month and thought it would make a perfect cheeky little gift for my brother. Later on in the day, I also heard that my aunt had received her Birthday card!

That's 2 out of 3. Now if the parcel to Vancouver could just get there before the baby grows out of the things I've sent, that would be perfect!

Another rant on rent

Ok. So an update on our rental situation. The one year lease on our apartment officially expires on the 6th of December this year. However, in a clause on our lease agreement, we have to give 3 months written notice if we do not wish to renew our lease upon expiry - a common phenomenon here.

So 10 days ago, I decided to ring the landlord's office [who by the way owns all the apartments in our block, plus some other blocks, plus a real estate agency, plus...ok I think you get the picture], keen to find out what the rent is for the new year and was informed by them that the renewal letters have been sent out and should arrive within 2 days. Should I have any trouble they said to see the building manager [over here better known as 'The Watchman'].

Well, the much awaited letter finally arrived yesterday evening - the 12th of September. Interestingly enough the letter is dated 6 days earlier, coinciding with exactly 3 months before the expiration of our lease here. Hmm... To top it off, a boxed paragraph at the bottom stating that tenants are reminded they have to give 3 months notice as per clause 123 in the lease agreement.

Now how does that work?

Rent, Schment.

In the weekend, Gypsy Boy and I decided to check out some of the new buildings in our neighbourhood. There's a lot of construction in this developing area and we've noticed some very swanky, new apartment blocks coming up.

As the lease on the apartment we are renting is coming up for renewal in December, I thought it would be a good idea to check out what is available in the market. Rents have been crazy over the last year, but given that there are now so many new apartments almost ready to be released in the rental market, one would think that there'd be some sort of glut prompting market forces to bring down rents in Dubai.

Well, this is clearly not the case. Not yet anyway. One of the new apartment blocks nearby, is a pretty terracotta building with Parisian style balconies finished with ornate wrought iron railings. Inside, the apartments were spacious, light and really would've met all our needs and more. What is interesting is, 2 weeks ago a friend had enquired and found out any 2 bedroom in this same building was going for 100,000 dirhams per year. Now, they are asking for 115,000 dirhams!

Such is the current rental situation here. To put things into perspective, 115,000 dirhams a year works out to be approximately 940NZD per week - in rent! We're talking no sea views, no views at all really. Good area, but still 15 kilometres to the CBD...

It will be interesting to see what the rent will be for the new year in our apartment. Apparently the renewal letter is already in the mail. Oh, the suspense!

Coming soon: street names

So the rumour is we might actually get an address sometime in the future. The Dubai Municipality and the Road and Transport Authority plan to give streets names so that mail can actually be delivered to ones doorstep.

Believe it or not, at the moment there is no real address system and all post is delivered to PO Boxes. We had fun and games when we first arrived, unfamiliar with the city, trying to find specific locations of shops or offices. We had to get directions marked by landmarks and disclosing our home "address" to date is quite amusing! It's not unusual to find sections on forms where you draw out a map of the location of your home to aid delivery of furniture etc!

I digress. According to the article in the paper today, "each building will have a sign displaying the building number, street numer and community number". At this stage though, it looks like plans for this scheme will only be finalised by the end of the year. Alas, I await our street address with bated breath.

Wolf on the loose

You read it right, there is an Arabian wolf on the loose in a very residential area of Dubai at the moment! Apparently there haven't been sightings of this extremely rare animal in the UAE for the last 25 years, but at the moment it's hanging out in the streets of a neighbourhood just a few kilometres away from where we live.


Those who have seen the wolf have said that it seems domesticated which means it's very likely been kept as an 'exotic pet'.

Speaking of exotic pets. Today, Gypsy Boy and I saw a real live cheetah cub face to face. It was one of the most unexpected and fascinating encounters we've had. There were no barriers between us, and it was not caged, we simply stood 2 metres away from the domesticated cub that lay down watching us. What a fascinating, yet bizzare and controversial experience.

Jumeira Mosque

Back in May, when MIL (i.e. Gypsy Boy's Mum) was in town, we visited the beautiful Jumeira Mosque - one of the most beautiful and hence, most photographed mosques in Dubai. It also opens its doors and runs tours twice a week to foster cultural exchange and understanding.

As a sign of respect, legs and shoulders should be covered and for women, a head scarf or shawl should also be worn. Our tour guides demonstrated and explained the ritual of washing ones feet, legs, hands, arms, face, ears and mouth before entering the mosque.



Once inside, we were free to take photos of the beautiful architecture while the guides spoke about the 5 pillars of Islam, and also demonstrated how a Muslim would pray. It was a fantastic opportunity that was interesting and insightful.

You know it's really hot when...

1. You meet Malaysians that have just arrived and they are complaining about the heat
2. Your sunnies/glasses fog up everytime you step outside
3. You see cars with curtains hanging on the inside?!?

Dubai Summer Surprises

The famous DSS, similar to the Dubai Shopping Festival, is an annual event where shops, shopping malls and the like get together and put on Dubai-wide co-ordinated promotions and sales. Every week there is a planned themed surprise, starting with an 'Ice theme'.

- Modhesh, the Dubai Summer Surprises mascot -

The opening ceremony - yes, there was one! - was held at the Mall of the Emirates yesterday. We did not go as Gypsy Boy was busy working and I was busy hunting down a hotel in Budapest. We will however be going today to have a nosy as there will be performances and no doubt, some good bargains too.

Swan Lake

Performed by the Imperial Russian Ballet - this was a real treat. I love the ballet, and upon hearing that the Imperial Russian Ballet were coming to town, this was definitely not a show to be missed!

Act II was my favourite, when the 'swans' first appear, and when Zigfrid swears his eternal love to Odetta. The ballerinas were so graceful they really did seem to assume their roles as swans, and the scene was just so mystical and magical.


My only gripe would be that Tchaikovsky's music was not really done justice. The music was not performed live and unfortunately was not played on cue. Nevertheless, the costumes were so beautiful, the performance spectacular. Worth every penny!!!

It's getting hot in here...

Summer has officially started. What can I say, the rumours were true. Eversince we arrived in DXB, just about everyone we've met has 'warned' us about how unimaginably hot and humid the summer is here and how we'd need to 'escape' by travelling out of the region for at least the month of August.

8 days into Summer, and the mercury is consistently hitting the 42-45 degrees celcius mark everyday and humidity levels are also rising. So far, we're coping ok with the heat just by trying to stay indoors with air conditioning most of the day. It's hard to imagine it will only get hotter and even more humid towards and for the month of August, but I guess the human body adjusts.

That said, we are planning a trip to Europe for a month leaving mid-July...can't wait!!!

Cheers!

To purchase alcohol in Dubai, you need to have an alcohol licence. The process was actually easier than we thought! We simply had to drop by any of the MMI outlets [there's even one in our local mall!], fill out a form and we were away laughing. There is a charge of 150dhs, but we got the cost back in vouchers, so it really cost us nothing at all...

You can get just about everything at MMI - a good range of beers, liquor and wines from all regions. We are having a fine time sampling lovely Californian, and European wines. Simply divine!