Dubai days

Today was a classic Dubai Friday - the first day of our weekend but due to my teaching at Jebel Ali being cancelled, the opportunity for a bit of a lie in and then - with clear blue skies (albeit a suspicion that the heavens might open later (it did get very dark in the direction of the sea at one stage - but the rain held off) planning and executing the perfect lunch (introducing E's Brother to the delights of PF Changs at Mirdif) followed by a relaxing afternoon and leisurely BBQ - spicey garlic prawns, Irish pork sausages and chicken skewers. All framed by a blood red sunset, warm but not hot temperatures and when night fell, fireworks from Global Vilage next door. Unbeatable!

Missing post?

I have found the post I was intending to post on Tuesday (honest) but for some reason I cannot copy and paste it from the email I created it in so it will have to remain in the ether until I have figured out how to make it reappear. Instead, I will recount my adventures this morning when I went on a corporate bike ride - slightly different from the normal run of corporate hospitality which tends to revolve around watching rather than participating in a sports event. This one involved a rather early start as we all met up at 7am at the desert cycle track and took a very leisurely spin around a path I had not been on before - very picturesque around rolling sand dunes and the odd oasis and we were also interrupted a couple of times by Oryx taking a stroll across the track. Although I have been on the desert tracks a number of times, this was the first occasion that I had seen them up close and they were an impressive sight - particularly the long slightly curved horns which definitely looked like they could cause some damage if you displeased their owner. Around 3/4 of the way around we took a detour and headed for breakfast at Bab AlShams - a 5 Star hotel somewhat improbably constructed in the middle of nowhere. We used to come out to it when we first arrived in Dubai as it is in a suitably remote location which was still driveable and the kids could ride on camels and watch falcon displays ( it also has a good curry restaurant). In those days it was rather affectionately known as Bab Al Shambles but certainly today the service was impeccable and after a good breakfast we made our way around the rest of the loop back to the cars (albeit into a bit of a headwind). A very pleasant morning and also counted as part of the 100 km cycle challenge preparations so pretty much perfect!

Burnt rubber

Slight delay in yesterday's post which is not only late but also appears to have got lost in the ether - will hunt it down and publish it later but the subject of this post is the Car exhibition - Dubai's equivalent of the Motor Show in London where the latest models and car related gadgetry is put on display. This years edition has just started next door and it's main claim to fame so far has been the kerfuffle generated by the "drift and slide" track which the organisers appear to have set up outside our window - basically a car park where various high powered cars are driven at high revs in a series of concentric circles - doughnuts - leaving plumes of exhaustion and rubber-framed circles on the tarmac amid a cacophony of squealing tyres and roaring engines amplified by the surrounding office towers. Not ideal for the environment or for concentrating on work.

Recap 2

The first part of this year rather rushed by. A. was focussing on his GCSE's so the school breaks were mainly spent in the UAE and E went to see her parants to check up on her Mother after her fall. I spent more time than usual travelling around the region in addition to my Korea trips. Indeed as well as going to Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, for the first time since arriving in the Middle East I have visited Saudia Arabia. KSA is an interesting place although perhaps less different to other parts of the ME than it used to be a few years ago before the current relaxation of the strict societal precepts - most clearly seen with the changes in the dress and driving rules for women - one of my colleagues who used to live there said that he could remember when women were not permitted to serve in shops (even shops selling Ladieswear which must have made things a bit awkward) or to drive and standards of dress and public behaviour were rigously enforced by the specially designated officers who patrolled all public areas. Certainly when I have visited this year women seem to be playing a much more prominent part in public life e.g. at the immigration/customs checks at the airport, in serving in the shops, driving and other public areas/activities which in the West (and indeed in Dubai)we would regard as commonplace but which old Saudi hands regard as completely un-heard of e even a very short time ago. It makes huge sense economically as the consumer base has been massively increased almost overnight. Nevertheless, some if the old practices remain - it is still a little disconcerting as a single male to be led to segregated areas in restaurants although even this is apparently becoming less common. Otherwise KSA (at least the parts of Riyadh that I have seen) is rather like Dubai in that there is huge amount of building work and general development going on - cranes, heavy equipment and teams of labourers everywhere - so it will be interesting to see whether this economic direction of travel is maintained and where it will end up.

Biblical

After a beautifully sunny weekend, today dawned a little grey and got greyer as the morning wore on. By lunchtime, lightening was forking through the skies and thunderclaps rattled the window frames of the office. By chance I had discovered an umbrella in the back of one of the cupboards near my desk during a fruitless search for an old CV a few weeks ago, so, appropriately armed against the elements, I headed off to my lunchtime meeting. By the time the cab arrived at the DIFC the rain was speckling the windscreen and by the tine I had exited the cab, it was absolutely hammering it down. Fortunately there was sufficient protection from the various canopies from surrounding buildings but boy did it rain!

Dubai does sunshine very well. However, on the rare occasions when precipitation occurs, it buckets down and the absence of drainage becomes very noticeable as do any defects in the weatherproofing of the buildings. Today this mainly manifested itself in deep pools of water wherever the roads dipped downwards and on the way back to the office we passed a stationary saloon car, in the middle of the road hazards on, up to its doorframe in water and a somewhat unhappy looking driver gazing morosely out of the window. A colleague showed my a video taken at the local mall where one of the shops seemed to have installed an indoor swimming pool. It was only on closer inspection that you could see the shop assistants trying to clear the stock onto shelves and tables as rain cascaded in through the ceiling. It never rains but it pours.

Fitness in Dubai

Although it has a somewhat hedonistic image, exercise and the encouragement of outdoor activities is also very much part of the Dubai lifestyle. The Government has been actively promoting the 30 X 30 initiative where the residents are encouraged to do 30 minutes exercise for 30 days in October and November. As I have commented before, cycle tracks are a big thing in Dubai - over 250 km both in the city and in the desert. And of course this is the best time of year to indulge as the mercury drops and the opportunities to live the outdoor life increase. Es brother D is in town so we took ourselves off to the beach for the first time since the beginning of the Summer. It was lovely and not for the first time we were asking ourselves why we do not do it more often. Finding time to indulge is always an a challenge but hopefully, having rediscovered the joys of fresh air and the great outdoors we will surprise ourselves.

Recap

It has been a pretty mixed year so far. It did not get off to the greatest of starts as Es mother had a very nasty fall over the Christmas/New Year (fortunately while we were staying with there) and understandably it has been a long road to recovery. The first part of the year was also focussed on A's GCSEs and after a certain amount of cajoling he eventually did a great job and is now embarking on A level Maths, Physics and Computer Science. I have already alluded to Vs broken leg in an earlier post and this has been a major theme of the Summer as she has worked hard to recover. Workwise it has been a very interesting year with various departures and new joiners. The focus of the work has gradually shifted to the wider Middle East region so I have spent considerably more time on trips to KSA, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman than in the last 10 years. Definitely interesting times!