The Land of Sand & Souks

Ode to Oman

2008-03-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been back in Dubai for two weeks after a blissfully relaxing month back home and in Brisbane. And my wonderful friends here had kindly invited me on a camping trip to the neighbouring country of Oman. So off we went for the weekend.

While us girls drove over the border and up the coast before taking the 4x4 up the mountains, the guys did it the hardway. They climbed the most dangerous cliff face I've seen, no ropes, no harnesses. Crikey!

Bottom left is the rock Stairway to Heaven with the guys climbing up it! (Not my photos Dad!) They went off course by two hours until a guide on the cliff (random) found them and directed them to the stairway.

We met the guys at the top with the camping gear, food, and in time for sunset pics up on the cliff. Absolutely breathtaking!

The guys very kindly asked the Arab farmer if we could camp on his land...noone else around for miles. We paid him in fruit :) Had a great campfire/bbq going and lay back to watch the stars. Amazing. Such a relaxing weekend...communing with nature.

Dan, me and Kathleen riding up to the peak the 2nd day.

To finish the weekend off, we stopped off at a shooting camp on the way home and learnt how to fire a pistol. Fun! Got to do a couple of rounds...watch out peoples...this girl's packing!

Where did the month go???

2007-12-22T06:33:00.000-08:00

After much hounding from my sis Andi, I've finally gotten around to this next post. The month has flown by and it's Christmas!!!!! I've been a busy gal, hence my lack of blog attention.

Dec was kick-started with the Dubai 7s - and unless you've been living in a black hole somewhere, NZ WON!! Bout time we got something under our belt. It was a great couple of days, you wouldn't have thought you were in Dubai, that's for sure. I had some friends over from London for the weekend and of course the local kiwi gang. And the event was topped off by Zu2 - the best U2 cover band and they were darn good!!

The final score!!!

The next night we attended the Kiwi Ball, the event of the year. Black tie at the Grand Hyatt. Op Shop were flown over by Emirates (yay!!) to play for the evening, and we had a great feed and fab NZ wine :)

Now I have Kath and Noah here for Christmas and we've already started trekking around Dubai. They got to see Ski Dubai today - we'll go back for Noah to have a go soon. I'm not so keen after my last venture inside. I took part in an amazing race challenge put on by a media company - I was part of the "Fly Emirates" team. And one of our challenges was to don ski gear over our jeans and trek up the entire slope. We were not impressed and not in a hurry to go back!!

Christmas day is dinner for 10 at my villa - yay for Noah cooking the meat! Going to be a fun day, followed by a NY Party at mine too. It's a good location so might as well use it.

Will update again once we've survived all the festivities. Merry Christmas!!!

Done :)

2007-11-22T06:44:00.000-08:00

One down...two to go...

Sausages and salad :)

2007-11-18T07:17:00.000-08:00

Those of you who know me well will wonder how on earth 'sausages' managed to make it into a heading of mine. Well, we cranked up the bbq for the first time this weekend - and you know it's not a barbie without the meat in a tube fav (I generously let everyone else enjoy them).

What a jam packed weekend. Joined my fellow kiwis here for dinner Thurs night - tame photos are attached. Most are very strange facial expressions that I should probably seek permission on before publishing!!

Me, Phil (Invercargill), Trudy (West Coast)

Phil (one of the more normal shots), Dan (Wgnt yay!!) and me

Friday night was girls night and we hit the dance floor. After some serious booty shaking (I just can't help myself) I clambered into a cab and just about fell into bed.

Natalie and I at The Lodge

Then Sat rolled around and we were incredible blessed with finding an outdoor furniture set and bbq for 650 dhs ($300). Had a nice relaxing time to celebrate my birthday, reminescent of neighbourhood brunch at 198 Tinakori (minus Mike's FANTASTIC pancakes). The pois came out, the guys tried to master them (it was actually surprisingly impressive) and we decided many more bbq's are required at our villa :)

Oh what the heck, for those of you who bothered to scroll down this far, enjoy (sorry guys, I'll owe you another meal!)

Me and JT

2007-11-08T05:04:00.000-08:00

I've had my first moment of fame here (if you can call it that!). Went to the invite only fashion show for Alexander McQueen's fall line. And made it into the Gulf News Tabloid section! The proof is below - featuring none other than JT on the cover (look at the first small pic).

It was an interesting night watching the ladies hob nob with their friends (think multitudes of air kissing "mwah, mwah"). Could have done with a champagne instead of the fruit drink but that's Dubai for ya!

Stage two of my first painting is now complete. This whole series is going to take a while - must get more motivated! One more area to go and this one's done!

It's been a tough week here. Work is so full on that I don't have any thinking time. None. I'd like to have one issue free day next week just to help make it through.

On the up side, I've met some more Kiwi's which is awesome. Bring on the increasing-in-size Christmas dinner I say.

Jealous of the Jandal

2007-10-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

Oh how I love the fact that Kiwi's and jandals go hand in hand. Had Chris Harford visiting for a day and we ventured off for a desert safari. With both of us in our trusty jandals, the other tourists must have been green with envy as we stomped our way through sand dunes, sand going in, sand going out. No worries about walking tentatively to avoid sand in the sneaker.

And no-one else was running and jumping down the sand dunes, trying (unsuccessfuly mostly for me) to get as much air as possible. I landed just about up to my knees. Desert sand is hot!

The 4-wheel driving was great - sand as far as the eye could see, and we visited a camel farm to have a nosey. I don't know why but they kept running away from me. Like I'm that scary (no rude comments thanks). When we got to our camp, we went for a camel ride where I almost went over the camel's head on dismount. It is a weird thing, I leaned back like they said but that camel had different ideas - it was payback for my reckless abandonment "no-hands" approach!

With a long weekend to celebrate the end of Ramadan, I headed to Fujairah, on the coast, to join friends at the beach for the day. The water was gorgeously warm! We hired a boat in the afternoon and about ten of us went out to 12m deep. Saw some dolphins which made me feel safer about there being no sharks! We had a blast - diving off the back of the boat. It's amazing how you take NZ life at the beach for granted. The Arab friends with us had never swam in deep seas before.

A feast for the eyes...and the stomach!

2007-10-09T06:09:00.000-07:00

Can I just say WOW!! Went to Bab Al Sham's hotel for dinner last Thursday - it's out in the desert and was incredible. We got there just in time to watch the sun set over the sand dunes (sigh). Then we had an incredible meal, with great entertainment. I took far too many photo's so this blog is dedicated to my snap happy night :)

The equivalent of Friday night drinks :)

Enrique Iglesias with a Middle Eastern accent

On Friday Monica's flatmate had an International theme party to celebrate her birthday. So Christine and I did what we could to represent. And I made everyone watch the haka on my ipod. Then we lost the rugby the following night. Not talking about it.

Our walls are too bare!

2007-09-29T07:37:00.000-07:00

That's it! I've had enough! Time that we got creative here at the villa and made our walls look a little more inviting.

I'm doing a three piece set for our formal lounge. Got the base done for the first piece today...it's in oil though so the masterpiece will take a while to be formed. Hopefully the temperature here will help speed up drying time. Watch this space as the below becomes transformed...

Sorry, I couldn't resist putting the picture below up. It really only serves the purpose of making those of you with heaters on full-bore jealous :)

Nothing quite like a warm swim at dusk.

Tis the season to go Iftar...ing

2007-09-24T09:58:00.001-07:00

I'm dying here! The humidity has arrived! It sucks the life out of you and night time outside is not much better. But we braved it last week and I went to my first Iftar - the breaking of the fast each night during Ramadan.

The Ramadan tent we went to was at a hotel on the beach next to the Burj (below). Amazing setting, floodlit beach, intricate Arabian interior - think of a wedding marquee x 1000!!!

Below is only a little taste of what it was like inside. Many little booths with tables, couches, bean bags, just gorgeous. Out the glass doors was a purpose made decking with more seating areas.

Inside our booth - food, drink, shisha...good times!

How's you England come along?

2007-09-14T10:03:00.000-07:00

Found on a dodgy DVD for Last King of Scotland, a sypnosis in English that gives no clue whatsoever to the movie. Had to capture this on film.

Does anyone else find this Sudoku presentation highly amusing? And potentially a little offensive at the same time? I'm not quite sure it's the drawcard I need to fill out the game...now if they'd used Richie McCaw, well, that's a different story altogether!

Some of you may have already heard but I got lost driving this week! In my defence, it wasn't technically my fault as there was an accident and I got diverted from my usual, well known route to work. I had to find a new bridge to get me across the creek which I did with much success. However then things took a turn for the worse. I now know I should have gone straight ahead off the bridge, but I was dutifully following what I thought was the right sign to the left. Now, you need to understand that street signs don't really exist here except to say things like 77b...21d...26c. Only large areas warrant big signs.

I didn't end up at work. I still can't tell you where I ended up. And I'd prefer to try and block out those parts of my memory for good. I do know that at one point I went on the tunnel under the creek back to the side where I live, so I had to turn around and come back. Eventually after many turns, missed streets, strange Arab looks, and a few angry murmers from oneself, I got back to the road I needed, got stuck in traffic, then got myself to work. Only one hour late. Apparently that's good and I got some congrats on my return. I think they'd written me off for the day!

It's the WRONG SIDE!!!!

2007-09-07T05:29:00.000-07:00

Yippee yi yah!! I've finally got my license converted, hired a rental car, and braved driving on Sheikh Zayad Road (affectionately nicknamed Shakey Shake Rd). My drive home from work brings me onto this psychotic world which I can only described as seven lanes of madness in each direction. And crazy drivers to boot. Add to that I'm on the wrong side of the car and road, so I'm feeling very proud and wearing my "Kiwi's can do anything" badge. A good way to describe the traffic outside my work is that it can take 30mins in peak hour to get across an intersection!

As nothing is easy here, getting the license was also a huge undertaking. Had to get an eye test (need taxi), get a permission to drive letter from my company in Arabic, do a conversion letter - also in Arabic, take my passport, residence visa and NZ license as well as copies of each. Find a traffic centre (which of course you have to take another taxi) and wait 15 mins while they process and take a snap. But oh the joy when you get handed your little gold card with the bad pic on it!!

My flatmate Mandy turned xx :) on Wed so the flat girls went to an Argentinian restaurant at Jumeirah Beach Hotel (the one that looks like a wave, next to the 'Sail' Burg Al Arab). And we had a great time - especially with the entertainment. Video is of the dancer (although I think the sound may cut out at times!)

Last night my flatmate's boyfriend Eyad (from Jordan) had his 30th so we went on a dinner cruise. Was fantastic although the 'show' was rather eccentric and will take many weeks to recover from. Then we headed out to dance the night away.

Treena, Natalie, Me, Christine, Lizzie

Eyad and me on the dance floor

I was meant to play netball today but it fell through. Maybe a blessing in disguise now that I've found out it would have been outside - in 40 degree heat! Will wait until next week and go early evening :) Looking forward to the World Cup - hopefully go to a raucous bar filled with Kiwis and Aussies. Go boys go!!!

The Dubai Diet

2007-08-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

Diet shmiet. There is no such thing here. In fact, it is safe to say that any diet goes the other way here...on, not off. Eating is the favourite pastime, and there is plenty to choose from.

On Friday, I went to 'brunch' at Al Qasr at the Madinat. It's a ritzy boutique hotel and you pay through the teeth. But it must be experienced. From 12.30 to 4.30pm, it's all you can eat and drink from three restaurants, serving every kind of food under the sun. We had a gathering of 5 Kiwis and 2 Brits to welcome Morrie (also from Wellies) and I to Dubai.

From the table centrepiece to the white choc fondue fountain, this place was amazing. Did I mention the anatomically correct life size golden horses on the lawn driving up. Where the valet parked the car. Rats, should have taken a photo!

I've got curtains! My room is almost complete. Drilling into concrete and steel is not a pleasant task, as Christine and I discovered, however we persevered and won!

And wah lah, the masterpiece! Still have to hang a painting and maybe do another one :) And my cargo has arrived with my paints so I can!

My abode

2007-08-12T01:06:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are the first pics of our villa. It's so big that we're trying to get more furniture for it at the moment. And my bedroom furniture is still to arrive but I'm making do as you can see!

View of communal area from our balcony, back of villa, swimming pool, tennis court.

Kitchen, entrance, dining area, front of villa

Lounge 1 into lounge 2, lounge2, lounge 2, looking back out

Kiwi ingenuity! My bed (fold out couch & mattress), my current wardrobe! The room...

Furniture is arriving tomorrow (yay) so I'll finally feel normal again! Took me two hours to grocery shop today, half spent trying to find things, the other deciphering between english, arabic and asian labels!

Where am I again??

2007-08-08T07:58:00.001-07:00

I know it's my first week and all in Dubai, so I'm sure in time I'll stop thinking "What the ...?" Next to where I'm staying is the Irish Village...yes that's right, IRISH!

And yes, that is a pyramid and sphinx in the last picture. My friend Anna and I went there and had Italian. I guess, after all, that it is hot here, and there's sand. You can understand some architect getting a wee bit confused about the location of Dubai.

Now, contrary to what people believe, there is some green in Dubai and I found it all. This is where I'm staying at the mo, the place with random Internet access and FANTASTIC (not) cultural music. I think I'm over Indian songs, "Thanks Mr Next Door Neighbour"!! The first photo is the Training Residence and the others are part of the village next door.

I'm being lulled into a false reality. Cause there's very little green at the villa. We need to get planter pots to put outside. I know you're all dying to see the photos and I'm moving out there tomorrow night so you'll soon get your wish.

Went to a mall last night and I so wish I'd taken my camera! Found a "Learn to speak Maori" CD kit. Funnily, the girl on the "Learn to speak Mexican" looked rather similar. But they had tried to distinguish the same photo by putting a Maori headband on the girl. She actually looked a little Russian but I couldn't see that CD to find out :)

Anyway, must go now, one because the Internet could crash again at any time, and two, because my YUMMY dinner of salted cummin crackers awaits (they were free in the room): "It's alright Dad, I AM looking after myself".

xxx

The Time Has Come :(

2007-07-30T19:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm finally off on Thurs to Dubai! If you haven't heard the story of how this whole thing came about, I'll tell you at the bottom of this blog. I'm going to do my best to keep this updated with pics and stuff - hound me if I don't!

Anyway, I'm moving in with two kiwi's and one aussie - ha ha, three against one! Vegemite vs Marmite, jandals vs flipflops - we sooooo have this villa sewn up.

The two kiwi's, Christine and Jenny, found a villa in the beach area of Jumeira 2 and I'm looking forward to seeing it on Friday. Maybe it'll look like this:

Crap - now when you see the real pictures it'll probably look like a dump in comparison! So keep this pic below in your head instead :)

Yep - nothing like a crumbling, dirty villa to call home. Except I do know the place is currently being painted. And my room's big. That's it. Haven't seen it, don't know how to find it so fingers crossed! Thankfully the complex has a pool and I'll be using it daily cause it's 45 degrees over there!!!

Some of you will have heard how this whole Dubai thing came about but here's the story for those who don't know. About a year ago I decided that it was time for a new job after 7 years at the Bank. I started thinking Wellington, but it changed to needing to get international experience. Why Dubai? Well, it got mentioned to me randomly about eight times - met someone on the street who'd just got back, got given a mag about it, had a friend get a 3month law contract there - the list goes on. Some may call in co-incidence, quite frankly I call it God :)

After pegging Dubai or NY, I looked on and off at the Emirates career site and NEVER any marketing jobs going. I finally finished my CV on Easter Monday - looked at the site the next day and there were two jobs going. So I did the online application and a week later had a phone interview. Two weeks after that they flew me over for interviewing. And the rest is history!

It's one of those rare moments in life where you know you're exactly where you're supposed to be. So it's pretty exciting and go the Dubai Sevens!

Let me know if you're coming over - come stay at Villa le Bex :)