In September, 2006 I blogged pictures of Jumeirah Madinat during the day. This place is just as beautiful at night. Walking amongst these very interesting traditional-eske buildings is beautiful. The area is full of restaurants and shops which are open late and the smell of Sheisha is wafting from everywhere. For more pictures see the sidebar under Photo Albums and click on the link "Jumeirah Madinat At Night".
When I saw this picture I was struck by how much it looked like my X-boss. I am aware this is a cartoon face but the familiarity is seriously uncanny! Thank you to everyone who helped me to get through the dealings with this nasty person, your support was more helpful than you know. Holous (Arabic for done/finito/ complete/over)!
Arabic Comic Strip - they read from right to left so start at one.
Let me loosely translate . . .
1. What to do when there is a power outage.
2. Choose a leader - enie menie minie mo
3. Punch him in the face (or, as it was described to me, "box him")
4. Take your great leader to the hospital where there are generators and enjoy the air conditioning there.
URGENTLY REQUIRED FEMALE SECRETARY. A Reputed construction company in Dubai requires Smart, Intelligent, English spoken and Energetic Personal secretary for the company Director. Should have knowledge of self correspondence, Itineries and scheduling meetings Should be agreeing to travel with the company director on business trips worldwide and maybe more together. Only Indian and Philippines Nationality candidates need to apply and please send your detailed CV along with full-length picture and one passport size photo attached to your resume. At our following email address
Its winter in Dubai! First hint, the Toques. Second hint was the flooding. The UAE doesn't anticipate much rain so when it does come, drainage is a problem (as I have done my best to depict in the picture above). Tonight it’s windy and cold - but cold is a relative term. The white van in the picture above passed us several minutes before this picture was taken, turns out he didn’t make it far before he stalled. I don’t think he liked me taking his picture, although his passenger didn’t seem to mind. The motorbike guys (who were probably making a food delivery) were having a fun time and didn’t mind me photographing them at all. More pictures of Its Winter in Dubai under "More Photo Albums" on the sidebar.
http://www.mmidubai.com/get-a-licence/index.html
More pictures of Kuwait, look under "More Photo Albums" on the sidebar.
Testosterone Saturday, hereinafter called “TS”. TS began with a drive to what seemed to be the middle of the desert. Although completely surrounded by desert, the Dubai Autodrome has view of the Burj Al Arab and Dubai Marina from the grandstands. Here at the Autodrome we watched the car races and washed down venue hotdogs with beer in odd aluminium bottles. TS continued and the finale was the new Bond film. TS was surprisingly quite enjoyable. For more pictures of TS look under "More Photo Albums" on the sidebar.
The road just disappears! We are seriously limited as to the amount of off-roading we can do but we will eventually rent a 4x4 for a day or two and take advantage (Its days like this that Barry kicks himself for not opting for the 4x4 initially). In the meantime our "UAE off-road" book is great for other sightseeing ideas.
We were inside renewing my visit visa in Oman and as soon as we left the building it was immediately obvious that everything was shiny. It rained! We were inside and missed it but did see some lightening before heading back into the UAE. Oh, by the way, this picture was taken in the parking lot (hence the yellow stripes). Those are the Hajar Mountains in the background.
First Impression Executives Female. We are Dubai based US trading LLC Firm. We are Inviting young,dynamic and Beautiful ladies. Who are responsible for taking care of all our International Buyers when they are in Dubai. You will be the first point of contact at the Dubai of our clients. You have to plan there meetings and fun time(in hotel) with them. Contact with Full Details and Photograph. Selected Candidates will get Monthly package of Around Aed 10000- 12000 Plus other benefits also. Freshers are also welcome.
Here are some pictures of the Bur Dubai Souk and area. This area was very interesting, full of little alleyways and so far the best place I have seen for purchasing textiles! This is where you would take an Abra across the creek to get to the Deira side of Dubai (where the Gold Souk and Spice Souk are located). There are two routes simply called Route 1 and Route 2. We were also approached about chartering our own Abra and driver for a trip down the creek but we will wait to do that when we have company. For those of you who comment that a lot of the pictures I take are void of people, these are different. Click the Photo Album on the sidebar to see the rest of the photos.
These job advertisements have been copied from their original place and pasted here for your amusement. Note: I have omitted the email addresses. The picture is a document I received as part of the procedure for updating my visit visa.
1. Position for Female Secretary/ PA Available position :Secretary/ Personal Assistant to GM Location: Dubai Internet City. The position is for a young / beautiful / motivated female. Requirements: Computer Literate, Good knowledge of English, Arabic language is an advantage (not a must). Attending the meetings with GM. Will be an advantage to travel with GM to other countries for business trips (not a must). To work under pressure. Attractive, good looking and good figure. Salary: AED 5,000 - 8,000. The salary can be plus company accommodation, car and other benefits depends on candidate and her future relation with GM. If your qualifications match the above requirements, then please email us your clear personal photo with a CV to the following email address.
2. Secretary wanted / Document Controller at a construction site office in Knwoledge Village, Sheikh Zayed Road - Dubai, UAE. The available position is for Filipinas staying (or on a visit visa) in Dubai. A successful candidate would be: Having good command of written and spoken english.Computer literate and good filing skills. Able to work under pressure. Attractive, nice looking and good figure. Must be discreet and willing to satisfy all requests (and sometimes the personal needs) of the Project Manager. If you think you can meet all of the above requirements, please email your cv with a clear personal picture (showing your body) to the following email address.
I like our car but I think we'll need something a little more rugged to take that mountain. This mountain caught my eye because it looks like the wind was blowing and blew all the sand against the side of it. It's hard to tell but that mountain is VERY big and yes, those are sand dunes decorating it.
We are entering into winter now and the weather is perfect for hanging out at the beach. The breeze is wonderful and the water is an absolutely glorious temperature. The above picture was taken at the beach by our apartment.
A very uncommon way of figuring out a long weekend. . .do I work or don’t I work was the question before starting work this week. We searched the web, listened to the radio and tried to find some notification of what was decided about the moon.
This was the front page of the 7Days newspaper – just a gentle reminder to respect the Muslim tradition of being especially modest during Ramadan. For the whole story:
Barry and I celebrated my birthday at Bussola - this is actually exactly where we sat but it was dark because we were there for dinner. In the background you can see The Palm Jumeirah.
Things we miss!
A friend recently asked if we had settled in yet and it got me to thinking what that really meant. Barry and I know which grocery store has the best produce, which grocery store has the best meat selection; we are en-route to knowing which mangos to buy (Pakistani, Kenyan, Egyptian) and what exactly IS that curious looking fruit and when is it ripe? We know which brand of dish soap is sudsier than the next and that water is .25fils cheaper at Carrefour than at Geant. We know which food court has KFC, which one has Hardey’s and I know if I’m craving a crepe I should go to Mercato! We have learnt what time to leave in the morning to avoid gridlock on Sheikh Zayed Road and have now accepted the fact that you have to pass your destination, turn around and head back to actually get there. We now understand “road surprises” are the norm and that not everyone knows about the art of shoulder checking. Although there is certainly more to discover, like where to get my hair cut and where will they not double dip that applicator, after reviewing all these little things in our daily routine, I think we can consider ourselves settled in. 
Ramadan is upon us, no eating, drinking, smoking or chewing of any kind in public (this means in your car, or even on your own property if other people can see you) from the hours between sunrise and sunset. Sunrise is determined by “the white thread can be distinguished from the black thread of dawn.”
Things we miss!
- Tylenol
- My favourite lotion that smells great and actually moisturises!
- Pumping our own gas (although I think Barry may secretly like it and is getting used to being called sir and being catered to.)
- Buckley’s because it tastes horrible but it works!
No doubt there will be another instalment of ‘things we miss’ so stay tuned!
When you arrive in Dubai your passport is stamped with a 60 day visit visa. A penalty charge of dhs100 per day is imposed on visitors who overstay.
“This is an illegal act and punishable by law. The person who has overstayed must go to the Naturalization and Residency Department and give reasons for the failure to leave the country when the visa expired. The department is free to accept these excuses or not.”
Fortunately we have what is called the Visa Run. Personally I think the term sounds sketchy and criminal but is actually so common and accepted that they have what are called “Visa Flights”. You can also choose to do your Visa Run by boat or simply drive to Oman. Barry and I drove to Oman to go through the process, which included:
- Buying car insurance (dhs 100 – its good for 10 days)
- Drive to border post 1 - Exit stamp from Dubai
- Drive to border post 2 - Customs clearance out of Dubai
- Drive to border post 3 - Entry stamp to Oman
- Drive to border post 4 - Entry into Oman
- And then all of these in reverse.
We ran into only slight problems:
1. Not printing out instructions (which I obtained from another expat); and
2. Not purchasing car insurance (Barry was advised his insurance plan included Oman but alas it did not).
I am now good to stay for another 60 days! If I have to do this again, I think I’ll go by boat next time.
He's smiling - not growling. Today Barry and I took a mini tour around Dubai and in Dubai Marina we happened upon a great beach and some camels. Yay, I didn't get spit on! What do you mean? It is much more romantic to ride camels on the beach than horses!
Fujairah ~ Above is an aerial view of the Fujairah area and a collage of pictures from our most recent day trip. Barry and I packed up the car once again and this time headed to the only Eastern Coast Emirate of Fujairah where we found the Hajar Mountains (popular sport – 4x4ing/wadi bashing). The drive took about 1.5 hours and along the way we passed many trucks and the Friday market, which although is dubbed the “Friday Market” it happens everyday. From the main town of Fujairah we visited Khor Fakkan (which is spelt differently everywhere – even within the town). Khor Fakkan is well known for its diving and snorkeling – this is where we toured the local hotels.
Our First UAE Road Trip ~ Barry and I took our Volvo for its first day trip and travelled to Abu Dhabi this weekend (home of the worlds largest flagpole). Abu Dhabi is the largest state within the United Arab Emirates, and the richest, with a population close to 800,000. After taking in the sights and smells of the fish market we were off to sweat at one of the many parks - this is where we decided not to walk the corniche but drive instead. I stepped out of our enclosed air-conditioned haven to take a picture of the corniche and as you can tell, it was very secluded. We had dessert at Emirates Palace and when we went to the mall we realized that's where everyone was. It was around 42 degrees Celsius.
