Naif Jail, Central Prison and a Mass Fillipino Wedding

What do Naif jail in Dubai, the Central Prison located in the Al Awir desert and a mass Filipino wedding at the Philippine Consulate have in common ?

All three are new things that I got to experience last week ! What a week and some...

Just when you think you have experienced and seen it all in Dubai, you soon learn, that is not the case.

Unfortunately, several people in our church congregation have found themselves on the other side of the law in Dubai. One particular woman was arrested and has since been sentenced to prison because of bad debt. You ask , "why is she in prison?"....She did not make her payments on a loan and credit card as agreed. In the UAE you can get jail and or prison if you do not pay your debts.

There is one common thing everyone says about Dubai....Never, never end up in jail or prison here.

I would agree after being at both places.

When we eventually located this particular woman after a week of searching jails, we soon discovered that the conditions inside the jail are not good, they are not even marginal. The inmates are only given food and water, nothing else. Not a bed, change of clothes, toothbrush, etc.  The conditions are overcrowded and dirty. It really makes you think twice about being a good girl. The person that was with me , mentioned that a scared straight video for youth and adults could go along way if filmed from one of these jails.

I took this woman clothes and money after she had been incarcerated over a week. As I entered the the front door , I was pleasantly greeted by a man dressed in a Kandora. Not the usual guard uniform like every other person working at the jail was wearing.

I let him know why I was there and his pleasant tone got stern. He said, " too late, go home, you will not be able to see her" . "Oh come on", I said.
He asked , "Are you from Russia ?"  "No, I am from the U.S."
"OK then, you can see her."  Once again his tone became very pleasant and he proceeded to give me a number, told me sit down and wait my turn.

Tick, tock, tick, tock the time marched on.  The waiting area was dirty, okay filthy and I sat on the edge of the chair hoping not to catch anything.

Finally ! My number was called and the guard in the tan uniform and his barely recognizable English  said, "You are too late to see anyone, you will have to come back".

Really, I have been waiting a long time for my number to be called and and I was here on time, well within  the listed visiting hours.

The guard asked, "Where are you from - let me see your passport."
I gave him my passport, played a funny banter with him on her legal charge and then so nicely and quietly he said that I would be able to see her.  '
Go and be on your way through those doors and the guards will assist you," he said in a very stern voice.

Two large, scary women were guarding the big heavy wooden door with big thick metal bars and a sliding window. The jail was old, smelly and definitely could use a make over. The room next to the heavily barred door was full of suitcases that belonged to the women inmates. I am sure many of them were picked up at the airport on their way into the country.
I demanded to see the person I was visiting and the guard told me no at first. I persisted with her until she said , "wait 5 minutes."  What did that mean I thought to myself?

I never was allowed to speak with my friend but was able to see her from a distance. They brought her in to the waiting area so I could have a visual only, no talking , just waving.

The week in jail had taken its toll on her.

When she saw us, she burst into tears. Two minutes was all I got until the guard pushed me out the door and slammed the heavy door after me. Our visit was over.

Later the same week, Jeff and I drove 35 minutes to Central prison , that is located in the middle of the Al Awir desert to visit with another person that has found themselves on wrong side of the law in the UAE.
There is no place to go if you escape. Especially in the heat of the summer, it would be relentless. It seems appropriate that the jail would be where it is. More on the prison later....

The week ended with a happy event - thank goodness !

 To cap off this unusual week, Jeff and I were asked to participate as sponsors for a Filipino wedding.

Rowena and Lau are the cutest young couple and we were honored to be their sponsors.

It was a special event, @ 30 couples were going to be married at the same time on a beautiful Thursday afternoon at the Philippine Consulate. We all stood shoulder to shoulder in the small room, brides and grooms dressed in their wedding clothes, brides holding flowers, while the consulate authority had the couples face each other, exchange their vows, rings and kiss each other in unison.

Even the sponsors had a part to play in the wedding ceremony. We had to agree to support them as a married couple. In unison we all agreed.

You may kiss your bride, congratulations you are married !

Just like that  - @ 30 couples were married.

We signed as the witnesses to their wedding and we were on our way.
There was not a lot of fanfare - it was simple and accomplished the task. Hmmm...I could have saved boat loads of money if my three daughters would have been married in a similar fashion.

Our bride wanted to stand out, be different and she did. While all the other brides wore white, Rowena wore a red lace dress. She was stunningly beautiful.

When Lau saw Rowena for the first time on Thursday, he was stunned and speechless. When he could talk he said, "Rowena, you look like a brand new Ferrari ." I would agree !

It has been a crazy, interesting week to say the least. Some of these experiences and the emotion, sites and smells attached to them are forever etched in my mind.

Congratulations to Rowena and Lau ! Thank you for letting Jeff and I be the sponsors for your wedding and the opportunity to be part of your special day.

The Wacky and Wonderful - "Only in Dubai"

Dubai is quickly becoming the most recognizable city in the world. The city is filled with distinctive landmarks and it is ever evolving, always in a state of change and construction.

 

I have heard this over and over again, ‘you have to live in Dubai for at least two years to truly get it’.  
 Our two year mark in the United Arab Emirates has come and gone and I think I now fully understand that statement.

Dubai sucks you in from the very first minute you arrive; you are instantly captivated and mesmerized. As time passes and you get to know the city and country, you start to see things differently and gain a better understanding and perspective.

But it also has its quirky side, wacky things that make you shake your head and say, "only in Dubai".

The government is offering rewards of gold if you lose weight. The more weight you lose, the more gold you get - “Gold for your Load". When announced, masses of people stood in line to be weighed and measured for a chance to earn gold. Because of the overwhelming demand, the government changed the rules. Lose less weight - get more gold. What, that is so curious ....wouldn't you want to make it harder to obtain?! Of course, the public went crazy over the new rules.

People in Dubai, no matter young or old, wait patiently for elevators to come down from the 15th, 30th or even the 100th floors, just to give them a lift up or down one floor. The stairs could be very close but get rarely used.

Children at very young ages, quickly learn to operate an elevator, knowing what all the symbols mean. Our little Ellie Grace, age two, was with us in Dubai over the summer for one month, by the time she left; Ellie Grace was a master at the elevator and navigated it with ease. Little Ellie Grace is a city dweller at heart.

 Shopping is the national sport, with malls open 24 hours on holidays and special occasions as so dictated. Literally the saying, ‘Shop till you Drop’, is applied here. The malls in Dubai don't even get busy on week nights until 10:00 P.M, which also includes very young children being out with their parents until very late.

When you leave your purse, wallet, iPhone or anything else of value in a taxi, you can expect to get everything back in tact the very same day. Only in Dubai would that happen.

Street names are only now being posted in some places around this big city. You can have numerous villas or businesses on the same street with the same number which is so confusing. If one person liked the number 56 and the next door neighbor liked 56, then they both could have the address 56. Okay, that makes sense. Goodness gracious...You get around the city and give directions by landmarks, what's on the corner, closest store, what you live close to.

I have never given a proper address to anyone but surprisingly everyone seems to get to their destination.

Lateness is a given. No matter what it is ....plan on everyone being late.  Only in Dubai.

When you find yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere or stuck in sand, before you begin to despair, a complete stranger in a 4x4, most likely an Arab, will come to your rescue. No questions asked. They provide help and before you know it they have driven off before you can thank them properly.

Abandoned and sand covered cars litter the city. From expensive cars to junkers, there is no rhyme or reason; the owner has walked away and left them to deteriorate in the hot sun in the strangest places. 

When your monthly water bill is more expensive than your electricity bill, you know for a certainty you reside in a desert.

 When you are driving on Sheikh Zayed Road at the maximum speed permissible and are tailgated and flashed by a SUV bigger than yours, you know you are in Dubai. It doesn't matter the lane either-fast lane, slow lane or a crowded traffic lane-someone always thinks they should be ahead of you.

A Guinness World Record office was opened in Dubai last year. Dubai holds a ridiculous number of world records and has many more already in the works. Always striving to be the best, the biggest, the tallest, etc...I am certain it made perfect sense to put an office here. I myself am proud to say that I live in tallest residential tower in the world and the top floor has the official plaque proving it hanging on the wall.

Last but not least, when it is announced that a large canal, which will run across the city, will be built within two years thereby bringing beach front to places in the middle of the city, far away from the beach AND cutting in half the three main traffic arteries, you say to yourself, "only in Dubai".  

I love this wacky and wonderful city. There are days that it drives me absolutely crazy but I have come to realize that it is craziness that endures me to this city and keeps me interested.

Two Years In Dubai ...The Adventure Continues

It is true time does fly. Quickly...

Two years ago, one of our daughters was getting married, another was awaiting the arrival of her first child (our beautiful grand daughter Ellie Grace) and my husband and I were in the middle of preparations to shake up our lives and move to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

It is hard to believe that two years has come and gone. We have lived an adventure like none other. More than the adventure it has helped me grow and expand, change. I am a different person than I was two years ago.

My life two years ago was great. I was happy and content with the life that my husband and I were living. In my own little corner of the world, life was perfect. But now I realize that I was missing out and that there was more to life then what I was living. More people to meet, more countries to visit.

Like most Americans, we vacationed within the U.S. or right outside the U.S. boundaries. We had our usual vacation haunts...California/Disneyland, Hawaii, Caribbean or Southern Utah. All beautiful, amazing destinations, but guess what I have learned? There is more; so much more to see, live and experience outside the circle of the United States. Americans, get a passport and visit the world !

We recently vacationed in Istanbul, Turkey.  Istanbul! Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined vacationing in Istanbul. It is definitely a city that everyone needs to visit.
In a couple months, we are going to Ukraine. Ukraine - this is another country that I would have never imagined that we would have as a travel destination. The list of countries and places Jeff and I want to visit is lengthy.We can hardly wait to plan the next adventure/trip.

From the United Arab Emirates, everything is close (relative to how far those places are from the United States).  I just don't know if we will live here long enough to see it all.  

What else have I learned in two years living in the middle east ....

I have learned about the Muslim faith. The little I knew before arriving in Dubai was very sparse and not necessarily correct. It is a beautiful religion and I am impressed by the faith and dedication of its members. The call to prayer reminds me five times a day about how I need to be more dedicated to my own beliefs. If I am driving and hear the call to prayer, I love to roll down my window and listen.  It never gets old for me and I doubt it ever will.  The call to prayer will be one thing I miss when I return to the United States.

People are people, no matter your country of origin and we all want the same things for our ourselves and our family. What are they ... comfort, love, health and security. We all want to be happy.
Meeting and visiting with people from all walks of life has been an amazing experience. I would have missed out on not knowing these wonderful people had I not come to Dubai.

I have learned that I need an accent! To live and work in Dubai, you need to speak Arabic or English, but English is the connecting language. Believe me many of them say they speak English but I would beg to differ. When you need a person to translate another person's English then that is a problem, almost comical at times. Sometime I just give up and if the question is too complex ... never mind.

We have had repairmen that have shown up to fix something in our apartment and it is a struggle to understand one another. Before you know it, I am using incomplete sentences, leaving out words and speaking louder than normal. Why do I do that? Most the time the repairmen just shake their head, say "OK, OK" several times, then leave. I have learned to NEVER say "OK" back to them because it could get me in trouble if I agree to something that I do not want to happen.

More importantly, I have decided that I need an accent. First I was thinking an English accent, then French, then welsh, but my ultimate favorite is South African. Too bad I can't buy one. I would be the first in line at the store. My flat, monotone voice is not cute like everyone else that lives in Dubai.

In Dubai and across the UAE, Americans are fewer in number that most of the expatriates that live and work here. It is hard to tell a person's country of origin until they speak. When I speak, people will say, "oh, you are an American or " you are from the Americas". Then they proceed to tell me about their relatives that live in the U.S. and when and if they themselves have visited. Many people I meet or speak with want to go to the United States and cannot get visas no matter how many times they apply. I hear this a lot..."One day I hope to go to the U.S. It is my dream."

We Americans take what we have for granted. Live outside the country and you will learn to appreciate our country more than you do now, I guarantee that.

Who would have thought I would like apartment living ! Actually, I have found that apartment living suits me fine. The longer I live in an apartment, the more I realize that I do not need my big house in the United States. Jeff and I are thinking about selling our home and down sizing, sooner than later. We have a house full of stuff we never use and it is time to get rid of it. Sorry kids, if that is upsetting to you ! My good friend Kelly always says, " Before 50 you accumulate as much stuff as you can get, after 50 you get rid of it." That is exactly my stage of life. The less the better and no yard work.
Love, love, love living on a high floor. Being on the 58th doesn't seem that high anymore. Maybe we will need to go higher if we decide to move.

I have been surprised to learn that I am a beach/sea person. Now that I have lived by the sea and have a beach close enough to walk to, how can I go back to not seeing it everyday, walking along the white sand ?
Utah doesn't have a sea and beach front. Oh no, that could be a real problem. My overall love for the beach has surprised me. There is something therapeutic, calming when you are down on the beach, listening to the sounds of the sea. It seems to beckon me. When we decided to move into our apartment, one of the selling points was the full sea view. The view from our balcony is breath taking.
I know I am sounding a little strange but it is true. Alright I will stop....

When I first arrived in Dubai, everything was new, unusual and different to me. Two years later, I am getting used to the kookiness of this country and I have adjusted. Things do not seem as unusual or different as they did when I first arrived. The saying around Dubai is ..." If you fight the craziness it will eat you alive, if you adjust to it, you will thrive." I guess I am thriving.

What is life like now, two years later...
We have circle of friends that we cherish. Some of these good friends have already left Dubai, but others have come into our lives. Jeff and I have grown closer. Living 9000 miles away from home certainly will make or break a relationship. The good news is it has strengthened ours. We only have one another - that's it. I work part time (keeps me sane and out of the malls) and we have made a little home for us in our apartment in the sky. I think I have been here too long, my taste for shiny and sparkly has changed. Never liked it before but now I love it and camel encounters cannot happen enough for my liking.

The last two years has flown by so fast. We have one more year on our contract and after that will see what life throws at us. I don't think I am ready to give up this adventure just yet but thank goodness we made the decision to give it a try. We have been the ones that have benefited from this most. We needed it !





   

Camel Encounter On the Way to Hatta

The rumor is... if you are going to run into a camel on the highway it will be on the road between Dubai and Hatta.

On Saturday, we left Dubai in the early morning to make a visa run to Hatta for our son in law, Michael. An in and out visa was what he needed to get and Hatta is the closest border exit.
Even then the quick in and out over the border and back is a three plus hour drive.

The scenery to Hatta is different then you see in glitzy Dubai. The buildings and landscape are more of what I imagined the middle east would like before I arrived. One story bleached white buildings and homes with large colorful ornate gates that have peeling paint and goats running all around. I always wonder, "who do these animals belong to?"

On the drive to Hatta you can also see old watch towers, date palm farms and countless road side stores peddling pots, Persian rugs and other wares. I admit it - we stopped and purchased a few fun pots. How can you resist, the deals are too good and where else would I find an Arabian made pot ?!

As we left Dubai and headed towards Hatta the sand dunes become bigger, more orange red in color - they are breath taking.  In some places, for as far as you can see - sand dunes - nothing else. The sand shifts a lot out here, covering roads and changing the landscape daily. The wind is always blowing sand across the road, leaving piles of orange red sand piled up against the road barriers.

Today on our drive to Hatta, the animals were especially active and visible. As soon as we were outside the city limits of Dubai, camels were everywhere. The rumor is true, the possibility of us hitting a camel on the road from Dubai to Hatta is possible and today it seemed to be extremely high. There were times that camels were right on the highway or off on the shoulder.

We stopped several times to get pictures and at one point my daughter and her husband walked a few feet to pet and interact with a herd of wandering camels.  Yes, I did say pet ! As the camels strolled along, one of the camels noticed that our daughter and her husband were walking toward them. One by one the camels turned around and walked back to say hello to them.

One my most favorite things about living in the middle east are the camels. I find them to be a fascinating, grumpy animal and I never grow tired of seeing camels. Seeing them so active and visible on our ride to Hatta today made the drive so worth it.

We had a camel encounter (several of them today) and loved it ! Thanks to the camels, our three hour drive to Hatta and back went by very fast.

I Saw Dolphins Today and It Was Magical

I saw dolphins today and it was magical.

Khasab, Oman is a short, three hour scenic drive from Dubai. The winding drive along the coastline after you cross the Oman border security is breathtaking.

This was my second drive to Khasab and I think I enjoyed it even more than the last time.  We took our two daughters, along with their spouses and an exuberant grand daughter on a half day dhow cruise to Musundam.

Musundam is exquisite. Crystal blue green water and sheer rocky cliffs and only accessible by boat. Besides snorkeling, enjoying the water and seeing ancient fishing villages, the crew told us that the possibility of us seeing dolphins on our dhow cruise were pretty high - 98%. Great, I thought - 98 % is doable, it could happen.

The dhow crew were not wrong.

As the dhow turned into a cove, we could see dolphins playing the in the water. Pretty soon the dolphins were all around us. Dolphins were swimming in front and on both sides of the dhow. There were so many dolphins we didn't know which ones to watch ( we especially liked the babies). All of us on board the dhow would run side to side - it was as if they were entertaining us. Even though we were in the dhow, it felt like we were swimming and playing with them.

It was truly a magical moment for all of us on the dhow. To see these amazing creatures so close and personal, playing and swimming in their natural habitat.

When our other daughter and her husband come to visit we will be back, taking another dhow cruise in Khasab and I hope the opportunity to see these amazing creatures is still 98%.

Magical, beautiful and so worth the three hour drive.
 

Enchanting Istanbul - Let the Traveling Begin

Living in Dubai we are close to many cities and countries that years ago, Jeff and I only dreamed of visiting. Now we can make those vacations a reality.
One city high on my "bucket list" as a must see was Istanbul, Tukey.

Our daughter Taeler and her husband Mike were coming to Dubai and when we talked about what we could do for her birthday we thought, "why not go to Turkey ?! It's close and fairly inexpensive.

 

Our idea became an reality  - we spent four packed days totally immersing ourselves in nearly 3000 years of history. Breath taking "old" architecture, mosques, bazaars, yummy turkish food and lots of walking sum up our Istanbul adventure.

We bought an Istanbul Lonely Planet travel book, made a 4 day plan and stuck to it. We saw all the recommended sites such as Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, the Basilica Cistern under the city (so cool), the Blue Mosque, Kariye Church, tour of the Golden Horn and whiring Dervishes just to name a few things.

We changed our hotel accommodations at the last minute and stayed in the Sultanahmet historic district - most of the sites we needed to see were within walking distance and it ended up being a good change. Our hotel accommodation was priceless, infact I would not even call our room a "hotel" which is clearly misleading but added to our overall Istanbul experience. Our room was old and tacky but clean.

The shower had no enclosure and ran all over the bathroom, making everything wet, but we were only in the room late at night and then we would be up early, on the go the next morning until we could not walk or stand any longer.

We experienced four days of yummy turkish food. When we asked for a recommendation, the locals would walk us to their favorite restaurants which ended up being delicious ! Taeler had to have baklava every day and even then she could not get enough of it.

There is still so much to see and do, but before we knew it it was time go home. Things I would recommend to anyone that takes a quick trip to Istanbul:

• Stay in the Historic District. The accommodations may not be the best, but you could not get any closer to what you came to see and the local eating establishments in the historic district are amazing.
• Plan your trip and stick to the plan. There is so much to see you really need to plan out each day. Buy an Istanbul travel book.
• Ask for directions from the locals. There are so many alleys and narrow streets it is easy to get lost. The Turkish people were so good to help us when needed. Even when we did not ask for help they would offer.
• Pay to see the Whirling Dervish ceremony - awesome !
• Go off the beaten path, exploring and walk it. We witnessed sights and things that many tourists were missing.
• Wear sensible shoes. They may not look great or match your outfit but after four days of walking up and down cobble stone roads, you wish you had your sensible walking shoes.
• Carry both euro and lira. Some places only take one or the other we found out.
• Enjoy the food and eat local.

We were exhausted by the time we got on Turkisk Air to fly back to Dubai but each one of us loved the enchanting city Istanbul and would definitely come back.

Jeff and I are already planning our next vacation - where will we go.....Nepal, Jordan, Israel, Singapore, the Maldives. It is so hard to decide. But one thing we know for sure, we will go back to Istanbul, that's for certain.
Istanbul should be a must see for everyone. The enchanting city of Istanbul - we loved it!

 

Real or Knock Off ?

A few of my friends and I ventured into Karama - a older part of Dubai that is famous for "knock off " everything. As soon as Lori and I stepped out of the car, we were approached by a man that got very close and whispered....Rolex, Chanel, Gucci, Dior....we have it all.
Wow - like wolves on fresh meat. We had not even closed our doors yet !

We ignored him and met up with the other members of the purse shopping expedition.

One of the women I was with knows this section of the city fairly well and can bargain with the best of them.
First stop, a purse shop...inside on the first floor there are hundreds, okay, maybe thousands of hand bags, scarfs, wallets, etc. They even had a whole display of Uggs? ! Uggs in Dubai....doesn't seem practical but what does in this country.

One of the store keepers said, "first floor, this is the cheaper stuff "...even though there were Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Kate Spade, Chanel, Mark Smith, Gucci, etc., hanging all over..."would you like to see the good stuff ?" Does that mean real ? Sure why not we all said . The store owner took us to the back of his store to an old white door with a lock on it, unlocked it  and said, "watch your step at the top - small hole". The stairs were narrow, dirty, scary and there was a huge hole at the top on the landing, not a small hole as previously advised. One false step and you would be quickly back on the first floor. The one aisle we stood in was very narrow and crammed with goods. Beautiful purses, wallets and scarfs surrounded us.

Please, please - no one light a match, I thought to myself.

Is anyone else claustrophobic? Alright, it is time for me to go back downstairs.

Once back down stairs, the store owner asked, "would you like to go to my secret location ?" " I will drive you." Were we crazy?  Go for a drive to a secret location?  Okay, why not !? We all climbed in his metallic blue Honda and sped away to the "secret location". We ended up in an old apartment building blocks away from the store, it was run down and really not fit for living in. The apartment was filled with name brand purses, wallets, scarfs, shoes, jewelry. We kept asking - "real or fake" and "is this plastic or leather?"  Most of the purses smelled like leather but you never know. Once we all got inside the apartment, the dirty door was bolted behind us. I have to admit - that made me just a little nervous. Are they keeping us in or others out ?

The store owners brought over the merchandise we liked from the original location. Let the bartering begin ! When we were all done - I was very happy with the cute Prada bag and red Louis Vuitton wallet.

Real or fake - I don't really care ! Good price, very interesting experience and out with friends.

On the way to our car, we again were approached by multiple men, whispering to us about their goods. Maybe we will come back and visit their stores in the future, but not today.

I used to shop for a purse in Target but this was as different a purse shopping adventure as I had ever experienced.

Purse shopping fun in Karama. Yippee !!

Earthquake ? ! In Dubai

Before I moved to Dubai, I was assured that the UAE is one of the safest places to live. Besides the low crime, the chance of an earthquake, flooding, tsunami, hurricane or tornado are very rare. In fact I was told, it would never happen. The only thing that happens in Dubai are sandstorms.

Today @ 2:00 PM, our residential apartment, the Princess Tower, began to sway and shake back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Not for a few minutes, but over 5 minutes. Finally the swaying stopped, then it started up again. Here we go again. The swaying made me a little nauseous. Could this really be happening ?!

Come to find out, a 7.8 earthquake had hit Iran and we could feel it in Dubai.

Jeff and I sat and looked at each other in disbelief. Were we really feeling an earthquake shake and sway our VERY tall apartment building. Yes we were !!

On the 58th floor, the building really sways ! I could only imagine being on the 101 floor of the building.

When the swaying and shaking started up again, Jeff and I hurriedly found our shoes and made a decision to get to the ground floor - fast. Not thinking clearly, we got in the elevator with other nervous tenants that had come from higher floors. They wanted to validate what they felt. Yes we felt it too.

The elevator usually clips along so fast that your ears pop as it speeds up or down, Not this time, the elevator struggled to get to the ground floor, each of us commenting that we maybe should have taken the stairs instead.

Finally it made it to ground level - yippee -the door opened and we all popped out never happier to be on the ground floor.

The residential towers all around us had been evacuated. Nervous residents and workers standing around, talking on their phones or wondering what to do next.

I love my new apartment on the 58th floor, but after swaying and shaking I am now a little nervous and had so many questions. Is this super tall building earthquakes proof ? How far can one tall building sway ? How much swaying can one tall building experience ?

Tremors are expected to be felt in the future because of the magnitude of the earthquake ( 7.8) . Now that I know what to expect, I am even more nervous. 

Don't ever say "never". I was told earthquakes are never felt in Dubai. The "never would happen", happened today.



 

Arabian Castles, Old Forts and Sandstorms

 

The city of Al Ain borders the country of Oman and at its peak it held an important position in the ancient trading route from Oman to the Arabian gulf. It is an old city with 18 old forts, countless burial tombs and an over abundance of cool watch towers. One day does not give you enough time to see but only a few of them, if you are lucky.

The scenery is quite different from Dubai, more green, hidden wadi's and ancient villages. The ancient villages date back to 1,000 BC. Isn't that so fascinating!  I was walking among structures that are ancient. Visitors are allowed to get up close and personal with many of them, as long as we are respectful and abide by the rules.

Because the temperature is lower in the summer in Al Ain than along the coast, it used to be a summer retreat. It would take four to five days by camel to reach the city, but now it is a pleasant hour drive on a fairly new highway. Just make sure you have your passport with you at all times. If you happen to cross over into Oman, you will need it to get back into the UAE.

We ventured off on a recent Saturday to explore more of Al Ain, the "old stuff "... to see forts and other historic sites. Little did we know that a terrible sand storm was blowing in. Even with hard blowing winds we ventured on.

 

 

First stop, the camel market on the road to Al Ain. I love the camel market. You can get up close with the camels, taking their pictures (sometimes the handlers ask for a few AED). The camels and their handlers are "hanging out" waiting for perspective buyers to show up.

We couldn't resist stopping at the camel market souk and purchasing a "camel blanket" . The camel blanket can be used for many different purposes - a table cloth, blanket, bed cover,etc. Just make sure you ask for a "complete" blanket not one with a hole in the middle . The blankets with the hole in the middle, would be used specifically for camels, so their humps show in the middle. Of course you have to haggle with the shop owners to get a good price. We got two camel blankets for 60 AED. Pretty reasonable !

 

The camels in the picture above are for sale, camel blanket and all - for a mere 5,000AED each. It's a steal, too bad I do not have any place to keep them. These camels certainly won't fit on my balcony and who knows, maybe one of them is afraid of heights. I could spent the entire day with the camels, but it's time to move on.

 

After the camel market, we spent the day exploring castles, old forts and even drove to the top of Jebel Ha feet. The highest peak in the UAE. The drive is normally spectacular . Edmund's Magazine listed the drive to Jebel Ha feet as one of the best driving roads in the world, but today, because of the sand storm blowing, visibility was low and the view, not as spectacular.

 

 

 

There is so much to see and experience - every weekend we could venture off and experience things that we had never seen before. Another day will need to be spent in Al Ain. And as hard we tried, we never found the burial tombs. We will be back in the future.

 

One the way home, the intensity of the sandstorm had increased and was blowing sideways. Sand was covering the four lane highway and piling up like snow. Visibility was low and made the driving scary. Thank goodness we drive an SUV and can put it in four wheel drive if  and when we get stuck (like we did earlier in the day). I loved our day in Al Ain but was never happier to be safely home.

 

Even with the sand flying , we had to stop and take a picture of the road sign below. How often would I see this sign in Utah? Hmm....never !

 

 

 

The Garden of Eden ...In Dubai ?

Dubai's latest and greatest outdoor

destination opened on Valentine's Day, 2013 - "Dubai Miracle Garden". 

A little garden of Eden has bloomed in Dubai

Dubai Miracle Garden is dubbing itself as the largest natural flower garden in the world (is anyone surprised) and it contains more than 45 million flowers. Some flowers have never before been planted or grown in the United Arab Emirates. The owners of Dubai Miracle Garden are hoping to get the Guinness World record, "largest flower wall".  Keep your fingers crossed!
Dubai seems to be stocking up in Guinness World Records and this could be one more .

For 20 Dirhams (@ $5.00 USD) you can enter the Miracle Garden, walking around enjoying the beauty. The flowers are shaped into stunning designs and shapes. They have also shaped the flowers into pyramids, domes, birds (the giant peacocks are especially nice) stars, hearts, etc. Anything you would or would not imagine has been shaped with flowers. 

Little garden helpers in safety vests are running around, blowing their whistles when small children and adults get to close to the precious flowers. Give a man a whistle and they have power.

Besides the flowers, they have also done some fun things with umbrella's and cars.  Anyone have a car that they don't know what to do with ? Make it into a flower bed or a planter and stick it in your front yard. All the neighbors will be jealous.

The Miracle Garden was a site to see and worth the 20 dirhams that is charged to get in. With the cost of water high in Dubai, it must cost a lot to keep all 45 million flowers blooming.

Due to the hot intense heat that Dubai suffers through in the summer, the Dubai Miracle Garden will only be open October - May. I am so happy that we ventured out to see this beautiful garden in the middle of the desert. 

Elephants at the Dubai Miracle Garden ? These large pachyderm's are located right outside one of the gates. Hmmm...what could this be ? Only in Dubai !



This is NOT the Kentucky Derby - Camel Racing In the Desert

Since arriving in Dubai I have been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to see camel racing.
The camel festival is currently going on in Dubai, which includes camel racing. Yeah, I am finally  going !
Me and 5 of my new friends ventured off for a day at the races, about 45 minutes from the city, into the desert.

This is not like a day at the races at the Kentucky Derby. Certainly not ! No grand fan fare, no women dressed up in their best clothes and no fine dining. Camel racing is simple, unique, gritty and the sounds and smells are just what you would imagine. As we got closer to the race track, camels were everywhere.
Packs of camels were running with Bedouin trainers as they were being warmed up with on a separate race track (in the picture above), others were being led around carrying things on their backs, while hundreds of camels stood around patiently waiting for their time to race.
Interesting fact, the Bedouins trainers sit behind the hump of camel to ride them. It is almost comical watching a rider on a camel when the camel is running. The riders arms and legs are flying and flapping all over.

As we walk up to take a picture all the camels turn to look at us - almost instantaneously. It was almost like they were saying, "take a picture of us, aren't we amazing!"  Camels are amazing and we snapped several shots. Even when camels are standing still, they are snorting, growling, making disgusting camel noises.

We decided to stroll over to the grandstand and take a closer look at the actual racing. The grand stand area is simple, dirty and stark. A cement grandstand with bleacher type seating. In the stands we find a couple hundred Bedouins, camel trainers and other men wearing kandura's sitting around watching the races on an old school television. It is surprising on how advanced Dubai is, that we would see an old TV. There are also quite a few Bedouin trainers sitting on the grass, waiting for their camel to complete their race. Everyone is so calm.

The camel race track is 3- 4 miles around. Once the camels leave the start gate the people in the stands watch the little TV until the come around within view again. Once you know the camels are on the home stretch, the race track livens up -it is now all a buzz. While the current camels racers advance to the finish line, we hear a call for the next set of camel racers. The call is muffled and the english poor, but we think we heard,"Get your camels in the starting gate that are next to run". The race track seems a little disorganized and chaotic but we love it.
This is pure camel racing  magic. The cost to get in...FREE!

There is nothing else to do or see here - just camel racing. No shops,  no food ( that I can see ), no person trying to peddle their wares - just plain and simple camel racing, which is quite refreshing. It is also very obvious, the six of us, all women, are also among the few women at the camel race track today. We can count the number of women here at the races on both hands. Men are definitely minority.

A shout goes up, " All camels in their places."Another race is about to begin, the next set of camel racers are in starting position - but wait one of the camels is turned the wrong direction ( see picture above) but no one seems to care and the race begins. Everyone in the stands get up and watches the camels take off. The men are pressing against the worn red railing cheering the camels on to run. "Faster, run faster", the men are yelling and shouting and occasionally using the camels name. Did I really Barney yelled out ?

In about 15 - 20 minutes you can hear and see the first camels coming up the home stretch. Long, lanky legs everywhere, like a thundering herd. Camels can run a long race at about 25 -30 miles an hour and a short race at about 40 miles and hour,

Here comes the winner, electronic jockey in tow. The camels seem to know they are coming up to the finish line and they lunge forward, lips and tongues rolling back, flapping in the wind and their muzzles are covered in frothy spit.Yeah ! We have a winner.

Human jockeys fell out of favor in the mid 2000's when the use of small children under the age of 18 was banned by the UAE government. Almost too odd and weird to explain are the small electronic jockeys that are riding on their backs. As the camels sprint to the finish line the electronic jockey makes a last push with its crop. The electronic jockey is, operated by remote control, it can tug on the reins and whip the camel.

Even more astonishing to watch are the crazy camel owners who race on the inside track along side their camels, all of them in their SUV's, many of the owners are perched on top of the vehicles roof.  As the camels race,  the owners seem to be racing one another in their SUV's, yelling the camels name and making strange noises at their racer. Do the camels understand what the owners are saying ? Do all the noises and the yelling really help the camel race faster ? We are told that the owner of the fastest camels are going to win an outstanding prize today. What could it be ? We are told, "most likely a luxury car or luxury SUV. "

Today there is one camel race after the other. How many races today we ask, "Insha'Allah 15 this morning " we are told.  The camel races start early in the morning and go until 5:00 P.M. in the afternoon. The camel racing season runs from October - April.

This is definitely not the Kentucky Derby, but good ole camel racing in Dubai desert. With all of Dubai's glitz and glitter, it is so fun to see down to earth, dirty and smelly. Can't wait to come back .

Oh , I almost forgot...we got to see a one day old camel. So cute. Both the mother and baby camel were for sell as a buy one mama camel, get the cute baby camel for free. Only 5000 AED ( @ 1350 USD). Cutest camel face I had ever seen.

What Floor is it On - the 58th ? Yikes !

I love the serviced Hotel Apartment Jeff and I have lived in since we arrived in Dubai, but it time to move.
Some of my friends say, "are you crazy, you have everything done for you" - " you never have to lift a finger".  OK ,I agree, I am a little crazy to give all of this pampering up. More than anything, I really want my own place and need to be able to make it our own.

Apartment shopping in Dubai is not an easy task. It is literally a full time job and tries your every nerve.
If I even tried to explain some of the crazy rules of apartment leasing you would never understand, so I will not bore you with all of that. But I will say, that landlords would prefer to have their apartments sit empty then lower the price even the slightest and be realistic, in the ball park. The apartments will be left to sit empty for a year or more, until eventually someone will come along and pay the price they want. Makes no sense to me.

Question #1: Should we rent an apartment or a villa?
We choose apartment. Villa's are too big for only two people and if I had a villa I would want to fill it up with lots of "stuff" and furniture. I already have a house full of "stuff" in the US, I don't need another one.
I have lived in a house my whole married life. Lets do something different.

Question #2: Should we look for our new apartment on the sea side or desert side ?
Another hard decision but the sea side won. It is more expensive to live on the sea side and you don't get as big a place for the  money  but if you  get an apartment with a sea or marina view -stunning ! Another plus is having the beaches close. The sea side also puts you closer to the heart of Dubai, all the action.

Question #3 Is the new apartment close to Jeff's employment ?
We decided to stay close to Jeff's employment on the sea side. Traffic at 6:00 is ridiculous and if you are too far away or have to travel on Sheikh Zayed, getting home can be impossible.

The field is getting more narrow....and the winner is ...

We picked the Dubai Marina Area.

The first time we laid our eyes on the Dubai Marina area, we fell in love.

Above is a picture of some of the skyscrapers in the marina or "towers" as they are called in Dubai.
Our new home is the tallest in the picture - the Princess Tower. The Princess Tower also wears a crown.  How about that ? I am going to live in a tower that wears a crown everyday.

Our agent took us to the Princess Tower, newly opened and currently claims the official Guinness Book of  World Record as the tallest residential tower in the world. Wow, I am impressed and as you can see it is very tall.

The lobby was impressive and the number of elevators - there were many ! With 101 residential floors, they need a lot of elevators. Nimfa said, "we need the elevator that will take us to the 58th floor."

Did I hear her correctly, the 58th floor ? ! That is so high from ground level. Did I tell her I was a little nervous about heights? I must have forgotten to mention that little fact about me.

Here we go. The elevator was so fast, our ears popped as it rushed to the 58th floor.

I asked the agent - "if we have a fire, then what?" She replied so calmly , "you would take the stairs'. OK then, no problem , 58 flights of stairs, I can do that as I consider myself to be fairly fit. She continued, "the building is made of cement - it will burn slow". Oh , I thought , that really does not comfort me any better.

The apartment is charming, the kitchen has all new stainless steel appliances - no one as lived it this apartment before - the view is unbelievable. The view is of the sea and the Palm Jumeirah . As residents we have access to a function room on the 97th floor that we can use for parties, as well as countless other amenities. One of our favorite places in Dubai, the Marina, is a short 2 minute walk. Am I dreaming ? Pinch me now.

We will move in @ 1 week and could not be happier. I feel like we are living in the clouds - wait, I will be.  But will I ever have another chance to live on the 58th floor of the tallest residential building in the world? Probably not !

We now have a second bedroom, with a bathroom . Soon to be open for visitors...any takers? You now have a place to stay. 

Oh My Gosh ! I Think I Am Going to Cry

I had heard that a new Park and Shop was opening in the Green Community in Dubai but I had not yet seen it for myself. Besides, it was too far from my apartment to really enjoy or frequent. I was afraid if I visited it once I would be hooked. It is probably best to stay away.

There it was - the new Park and Shop coming up on my left. It was huge. I had to slow my SUV down and almost stopped in the middle of the road.  As I very slowly drove by and gawked at the new Park and Shop, I thought to myself..." If I wasn't late already for lunch at a friend's villa I would stop." A taxi driver honked at me to speed up and brought me back to reality. OK , later....on the way home.

The lunch with friends was fabulous but I could not wait to visit the new Park and Shop.

I walked through the temporary front door - OH MY GOSH ! It was heaven !! I stood like a statue, motionless and took it all in. It even SMELLED like a super store, full of items I love.

I had forgotten how much I loved super stores. Strange to say, but I felt like crying. Tears of happiness. There is not another store in Dubai that carries this many American products. I was overwhelmed with the selection of cereal and "real" Oreo's were stocked on the shelves - even double stuff.

A few other stores in Dubai give a good effort but nothing like this. Park and Shop is the winner ! Two floors of sheer, utter, happiness.

At any moment I was waiting for one of the employees to walk up to me and say, "please stop touching all the items miss."  They didn't say anything. I was left alone in my bliss. I am pretty certain I was not the first American to be in that store behaving like I was behaving. It was like being a kid in a candy store. I wanted to buy everything, even things I did not need.

Loved, loved, loved it ! I am now hooked and I will be back, even if it is a 30 minute drive out in the middle of nowhere.

Thanks Park and Shop.

365 Days in Dubai !

Yeah ! One year in Dubai. 365 days later ....

Seems like yesterday I was preparing to leave the United States and re locate with my husband to Dubai, United Arab Emirates for three years. It is hard to believe the time has flown by so quickly.  

Sad, anxious, nervous, excited, happy, concerned and many more feelings that I had never experienced or had not experienced for a long time all wrapped up together. I was a nervous wreck on what life would be like, what would I eat, how would I make friends, what if I hated it? 

So what have a I learned, experienced and how have I changed. 

Every day, I still cant believe we are living here.
When I see camels grazing on the side of the road, I still pinch myself as reminder we are not home.

 I have found it to be easy living in Dubai. As long as you behave, mind the rules and accept who is at the top of the food chain...life is great.
Things are the way they are - you can't change that. They are....because they can. Accept that and you will be able to thrive in Dubai. Fight it and complain, you might as well go home. You will never enjoy your time here. I have been pleasingly surprised that I like living in the middle east, even with all of its quirks and oddities.

There are so many things that I really like ...the white sandy beaches, the smell of spice in the air, all the mix of cultures and people, the stunning architecture, the old souq's, tall skyscrapers and the shopping malls.

Malls in Dubai are not like malls in an other country in the world. Malls in Dubai, IE, the Dubai Mall are tourist destinations. You need to see them to truly understand what I am talking about.

My day would not be the same without hearing the call to prayer. Five times daily you hear the call. It echos throughout the city, in the malls, everywhere you may be. With the call comes mostly men running to their neighborhood or the closest mosque to pray. They will stop whatever they are doing to get to the mosque on time for prayer. During and after the call to prayer, the streets can be a little dangerous. People run across lanes of traffic and cars making sudden twists and turns to get parked and inside on time. Cars will sometimes be left in the middle of the road or double parked . I love to roll the window down, turn off the radio and listen. 

My biggest concern one year ago was leaving my family, kids and grand children behind. We have a tight family and like being together. Hopefully, us leaving will give our grown children opportunity to rely more on one another and strengthen their own bonds. But I still miss them terribly - I know for a fact that those feelings will never change. Before I moved to Dubai, I spoke with my children almost everyday. Can't do that now...too expensive.. I miss that more than anything.

My grandchildren are growing fast and we even added one more grand daughter while we have been away. That makes three. When my grand daughter says to me ,"don't go back to Dubai", my heart melts. I can't write about it or I will cry.

I have learned I can live away but it is has not been easy to separate myself from my family back home. I doubt that it will ever get easy. All of them are scheduled to come visit this year and I am looking forward to that in the future.

When I first got to Dubai, no one knew me, my past, my family - I was "Jeff's" wife. That drove me crazy. I used to be a person that had an identity. In 365 days that has changed. People know me. Yeah ! I have a circle of friends and can be social again.

We plan fun outings, IE, camel races, book club, explore Dubai and the surrounding cities and have lunch together. My circle of friends has never been so international. Only a few of them are from the United States and I have learned so much from all them in the short time I have known them. Jeff and I now have places to stay in countries all over the world if ever needed.
You learn to make friends quickly, love easy and accept everyone. I have definitely become more tolerant and accepting and am ashamed at myself for not being more so years back. Take a person out of their comfort zone and they will change.  You view everything differently.

But as quickly as you meet people and grow to love them, their circumstances change and they are gone. Moved home or to another country. Just like that .In Dubai, change is imminent. But I am better from knowing them. But no worries, you will meet another new person and they will be as wonderful as the last. 

Another important fact I have learned after living in Dubai for one year ...nothing here is permanent. No expat can retire here (when you are done working, you have to go home), people come and go all the time and NOTHING is constant.

When I was child, up until I was @ 15, I moved around a lot with my family because my father was in the United States Marine Corp. This Dubai experience has awakened old feelings that I used to feel when I was a child and would move constantly. Always making and leaving friends. You had to be out going and able to make friends easily or you would never survive. Okay, here I am again, 35 years later in a similar situation. 

One year later in Dubai, I am still searching for things ( IE, a crock pot - when ever I ask at store if they have one, I am shown the rice cookers ), food or places that will bring me great joy. Specific stores , IE, Park and Shop and Safest Way  carry American products . They charge ridiculous prices for them but when you find it, you have to have it. It is a little piece of comfort and you cling to familiarity. I could not have been happier when a Cheesecake Factory Restaurant opened in Dubai....now there are two locations. Yippee ! At the first location grand opening , we were the first in line the night it opened and I enjoyed every bit of my meal.
My life would be complete here if Olive Garden Restaurant, Costco and a Target Super Store opened in Dubai! Come on, what are they waiting for ?

I know for a certainty that I do not like the beauty products that are made in Dubai, specifically from Saudi Arabia. Wow, never thought I would ever here myself say that.
I will hoard up on beauty products when I leave home. Hoping they last until I can get back and can re stock. 

I love, love the fresh fruit, plain yogurt and breads, especially Arabian bread that are made in Dubai. The bread as a shelf life of two days. That's it - no preservatives. And the fruit - the freshest and best tasting I have ever eaten.

I would have never in my wildest dreams, imagined that I would be living in the middle east, let alone Dubai. Here I am. I am thriving, making friends, have a daily routine, favorite haunts and store's. I am proud to say I can navigate the city by myself  (the scary driving doesn't even bother me any more) and can drive/ honk with the best of them. Many people that move here never drive, but I knew that I would not happy without a car or drivers license. No question about it, I had to drive. I would make a darn good tour guide - any takers?

Besides the draw back of being so far from home, it has otherwise been an amazing experience for Jeff and I. We have grown as individuals and as a couple and can see the world more clearly - there is a lot more out there than I ever imagined. We love exploring this part of the world.  

I have seen the moon on the other side of the world and it is awesome . I am ready for the next 365 days !

Update - I found a crock pot !!

Update - 4/15/2013....Olive Garden is coming to Abu Dhabi ! It may be an hour drive to get to the restaurant location but it will be so worth it !

Here Comes the Bride

On SKYPE one night, my youngest daughter said to me, "I met someone and we have been on two dates".

OK, I had heard that before and this was coming from the daughter that was NOT going to be wed before she was done with school and had lived life a little. No worries, he would end up like all the rest I told her dad.

Shortly after, in  May 2012, our daughter arrived in Dubai, staying with us for thirty days. The statement " I met someone" I quickly found out, was more serious than we had imagined. I could tell that "he" could be the one. Could this be true ?

Yep, it was true and when she got back to the states, they made it official - they were engaged and getting married at the start of the new year, 2013.

Let the planning of wedding 9000 miles away begin !

I have planned two other weddings, one just being a year prior,  for our oldest daughter, but this one was different. I wasn't home to help as much and I cried when I knew that I would not be home in the states on the day that our daughter went dress shopping. Thank goodness she has two amazing sisters that will be there for her every step of the way and my friends, well, they were awesome, taking care of and looking in on my baby girl as she prepared for the big day, with me off in far away land. I would not recommend that mother and daughter be away from each other - at least not this far - when planning a wedding.

In October 2012, I went home for one month and together we accomplished a lot. It was a whirlwind month of wedding planning/ organizing - wedding showers, making countless arrangements and family time. I even put up the Christmas tree before I left town. I don't know why, but this time it was especially hard to leave the states and head back to Dubai. I felt like I needed to stay.

On Christmas day 2012, Jeff and I were on our way home, excited and looking forward to the next three weeks. There would be an over abundance of family time, wedding festivities and what ever else we could fit in during our 21 days in the United States.

We enjoyed Christmas, heralding in the New Year, sledding, partied with family, friends and our daughters new in law family, finished last minute wedding planning, had a wedding, moved our daughter to San Diego and did an  open house in California. Wow, that was crazy.

By the time we got on the plane to fly back to Dubai, we were exhausted and could finally take a minute to recall what all had transpired in the past three weeks. We were amazed at all we had accomplished and done. The best part was all the time we spent with family and friends.

Most important  - Our baby girl got married !

When did she grow up? When did all of our children grow up ? How did that happen so fast. Don't let me think about it too long or hard because I will cry.

We have had a great time being their parents. We are the lucky ones. Everyone will comment when they find out we raised three girls and one son, "wow, three girls must have been difficult ". "No, not at all", I say. We had a few bumps and issues along the way but mostly we had fun, laughed a lot and loved one another. I  have loved them all as young children and have grown to love them even  more as grown adults. Our children,in  law children, and three beautiful grand daughters are the joy of our lives.

The wedding was beautiful and hopefully all that our daughter imagined it would be. The setting was  spectacular and the flowers outstanding. The morning of the wedding it was 2 degrees. Cold and frosty.

My favorite moment of the wedding was when I was with our daughter in the bride's room alone,  just me and her, helping her get ready to make her grand appearance. I am so happy we had that few minutes of quiet time together. It meant a lot to me.

I guess my life is changing...again...evolving. I no longer have children who need me. With all of our kids married, we have stepped into a new phase of our lives. I look forward to what it brings in the future. Hmm....We are thinking it is time to start traveling - Turkey, Jordan, Italy, England, etc. From Dubai, you can get anywhere in the world quicker, cheaper and we need to take advantage of it before we go back to the states.

This could be fun !