Craig In Dubai


									The following is a collection of general updates, with the most recent at the top of the page, and the oldest at the bottom of the page. Due to space limitations, I've had to take many of the updates off this page. If you want to read older updates (prior to Dad's vacation) click here. *FINAL UPDATE* - AUGUST 17, 2006 It�s been a long time since I�ve had a chance to update this site! This will certainly be the last. Things have been non-stop since leaving Dubai on May 25 with my friends Ken and Ryan from Victoria. This is the first chance I�ve had to sit down and type, and I�ll try to keep it short, yet I know it won�t be! Between my last day at work (May 17) and the day I left Dubai for my trip around other Middle Eastern countries (May 25), things were absolutely insane trying to wrap things up. Nothing, it seems, is ever straight-forward in Dubai! Did a lot of running around settling my final utility bill, applying for my British passport, arranging for my money to be transferred out of the country from two different banks, trying to get my final settlement from my company, getting my apartment�s security deposit back from my real estate agent, and all that sort of stuff. Very frustrating and time consuming, but I got it done in the end. A note to all of you in Dubai who plan on leaving eventually � start the �moving out� process about two months in advance! Start figuring out everything that needs to be done, because there is a lot of paper-work involved!! Make a �to-do� list! Ken and Ryan had a good time in Dubai, as well as in Abu Dhabi, where we went to visit one of their friends from Victoria who works as a doctor. The night before leaving for Egypt we got about one hour�s sleep, then left from Sharjah International Airport�one hour east of Dubai. Finally, I thought, I�m leaving. No more hassles! Yet once I got to the airport, I was told they needed to hang on to my passport to �cancel� it officially. Nobody had told me this!! My flight was scheduled to leave at 7:20 am, but their office didn�t open until 7:30 am! Typical! I was pretty anxious as you could imagine, however they opened it early for me at 7, they did their thing, then we ran to our departure gate�only to find it was delayed by half an hour anyway! Ah, the Emirates! So, off to Egypt we go! To keep this as short as possible, below I�ve just highlighted some of the key attractions we visited, with a few thoughts about the three countries: Egypt, Jordan, and Israel. Egypt: from Sharjah we flew into Alexandria, an interesting city of roughly 5 million people, with some amazing architecture and history. We visited ruined buildings, historic sites, museums, churches, mosques, catacombs, forts, etc�.all of which you can see at the Photo Gallery. We spent the night at a hostel, then caught a train to Cairo the following morning, where we spent three nights at a 3-Star hotel, and hired a Canadian-Egyptian tour guide to show us around. We visited the pyramids, sphinx, Egyptian Museum (saw some great mummies and hieroglyphics), a citadel, a mosque, cave churches, old market places, etc. Next it was a 12 hour train ride (very relaxing, with great scenery!) along the Nile River to the city of Luxor. There we spent two nights at another 3-Star hotel, and visited sites such as the Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, etc�where we saw ancient ruins, hieroglyphics, temples, tombs, etc (again, all available in the Photo Gallery, as I don�t want to spend forever describing them all here). However, if there was a downside to Luxor, it was the constant hassling from the locals � all of them wanting you to buy this and buy that and look at this, etc. You could barely walk for two minutes without being hassled. On our last day, we spent the afternoon on our hotel roof, just enjoying the swimming pool, the sun, and the peace and quiet without anybody asking for our money! That evening we caught a bus to the Sinai Peninsula to a town just east of Sharm El Sheikh and Dahab � both of which were bombed within the last year! There were about a dozen military check-points along the route � which was comforting in one sense, but in another sense: if that many check-points necessary�how big is their problem of terrorism? What was supposed to be a 15 hour bus ride turned into a horrible 22.5 hour bus ride, which included a breakdown in the desert, a smelly toilet, and leaking brake fluid inside the bus, as well as getting covered in dust and dirt from this bus that probably hadn�t been cleaned in over a year! Once we got to our destination however, we had a great time staying at our beach �resort�, including snorkelling at a coral reef in some very warm water! Next, it was off to Jordan via a ferry (to avoid entering Israel first, which would have made it difficult trying to enter Jordan). Like Dubai, nothing in Egypt ever seemed to be straight-forward either. What should have been a routine 1 hour ferry ride turned into an 8 hour ordeal! They didn�t even know what time the ferry left, it was simply �en�shallah� � which basically means �the time at which Allah pleases�!! Jordan: upon leaving the ferry from Egypt, we asked a taxi driver to take us to a hostel, where we spent the night before visiting the ancient city of Petra the following morning. The Jordanians, for the most part, seemed much friendlier than the Egyptians � perhaps because things aren�t quite so crowded and chaotic there. Our taxi driver even stopped to buy us each a juice for the drive�and when we offered to pay him for it, he replied �you are not in Egypt any more!� English was much more widely-spoken there too, and things in general were a lot easier! Egypt, on the other hand, doesn�t exactly have the greatest reputation for non-Arabic speaking tourists. Petra is basically an ancient city carved into the mountainside of about 6 mountains, including tombs, monasteries, temples, and other buildings. Many visitors apparently take 2 or 3 days to see it all, but we did all 6 mountains in about 12 hours! We were exhausted, burned, and dehydrated by the end of it! Certainly an archaeologist�s dream site! After a nice meal, lots of water, and another night at the hostel, we took a taxi to the Israeli border, got out, walked through customs, and got into an Israeli taxi at the other side. Israel: entering Israel was like a breath of fresh air. The people (Jews, Muslims, Christians, and the non-religious alike) were all so friendly, and cool and calm. They had a very good sense of humour, and were quite patient, organized, and polite. It really was noticeable. Rather than explain everything in detail, I�ll mention briefly all the places we visited in Israel, and you can look at the photos for a better understanding: Masada Mountain (old fort where the Romans attacked the Jews), floated in the Dead Sea (amazing!), saw the famous Dead Sea Scrolls, stayed about a week in Jerusalem [visited the wailing wall, Dome of the Rock, Jesus� tomb, Mary�s tomb, two likely sites of Jesus� crucifixion, the Garden of Gethsemane, Mount of Olives, Muslim/Jewish/Christian/Coptic Quarters, Kirdon Valley, Pools of Bethsheba, Holocaust Museum (one of the best museums in the world in my opinion), Warren�s Tunnel (800m underground waterway), Israeli Museum, Herod�s Tomb, city walls, etc]. We then met a group of American�s who invited us to travel on their bus to the northern city of Tiberius, on the Sea of Galilee � where we went on a short boat cruise before leaving the Americans, and hitchhiking up to Zfat - a city known for Jewish mysticism, etc. After spending a night there, we visited a Jewish Community Center where we chatted with some of the rabbis. We then took a bus to Akko, where we toured a citadel, and were bought lunch by a Arab-Israeli who approached us wanting to ask questions about Christianity. The next day we went to Haifa (which at the time of writing isn�t the safest place to be right now with the ongoing crisis with Lebanon!). It was an interesting city, the most noteworthy feature was the Baha�i Temple, a religion of some 5-million followers, whose headquarters are in Haifa. After a tour of the temple grounds, we made a quick stop at Caesarea, before getting a taxi to the Israeli capital, Tel Aviv � a modern city with a train network, skyscrapers, nice beaches (went body surfing in the Mediterranean!), as well as the older part of Tel Aviv, called Jaffa. The next day I left my friends and visited a few market places before getting my flight. At the airport, the legendary Israeli security questioned me for about an hour about all the stamps I had in my passport (I�ve collected dozens over the last 14 months!), and why I was in Israel, and who I was with, and why they were getting their flight the next day instead, and all sorts of other questions! They then made me completely empty my suitcase and carry-on luggage, and they went through everything. They even listened to my MP3 player to see what kind of music I listened to! They exhausted me to the point where I almost DID want to suicide bomb myself!! :) After nearly two weeks in �the Holy Land�, Ryan and Ken flew back to Canada, while I went on to the British Isles for another 3 weeks in order to legally not have to pay Canadian taxes on my world income (I had to stay outside until July 1�otherwise Mr. Stephen Harper would have put his hand in my pocket and pulled out 30%). I first flew to London, England � where I stayed for a week with my aunt. I toured London�s famous sites, most of which I had seen several times before on previous visits. Also met up with a friend from Dubai, who plays on the English national rugby team! Spent a day in Canterbury with my aunt, where she teaches at Canterbury Christ Church University. Next I got a cheap �1 Ryan Air flight to Dublin, Ireland � where I had a job interview for a position as a �Sustainable Transportation Consultant�, which is similar, yet different, from my job as a �Transportation Planner / Traffic Engineer� in Dubai. Had a great time in Dublin, and stayed for 5 nights at a hostel � a hostel which was rated among the Top 10 in Europe! Next, I hopped onto another cheap Ryan Air flight to Glasgow, Scotland � where I stayed for two nights with my aunt on the west coast near Ayr, then a night with my cousin in Glasgow, where we watched the big England vs. Portugal game at the World Cup�the one where England lost in the penalty shootout � needless to say the local Scots at the pub were well pleased! My final three nights I stayed at my mum�s cousin�s place in another part of Glasgow. One of those days I went to Edinburgh to meet with a guy from the same company I had the interview with in Dublin. I suppose they wanted a �second opinion� about me. That interview went well too, and I spent the rest of the day exploring Edinburgh � with some great photos on the Photo Gallery page. On my last day in Scotland I went for a hike up a 1,000 meter mountain, Ben Lomond, just north of Glasgow with my mum�s cousin�s daughter, Fiona. Half way up the mountain, I got a phone call from the company offering me a job at their Dublin office! Ha! Next day I flew with Fiona to Vancouver, then onto the ferry to Victoria, where she and her friend (also named Victoria) would stay for the next month doing their university co-op work experience. I then had just 3 weeks at home, and wow were they busy! To make a long story short (not that this is a short posting after all!!!), but the three weeks were spent unpacking from Dubai, repacking for Dublin, trying to visit all my friends, look for temporary and full-time accommodation in Dublin, trying to transfer my money out of Dubai, investigating banks in Dublin, sorting through 14 months worth of mail, showing Fiona and Victoria around town and making sure they got to their work, making a trip to Vancouver to see friends, a camping and boogey-boarding trip to Long Beach, etc. It was just non-stop. I was hoping to have a vacation from my vacation, but I didn�t get it! In fact, I never even got time to show my family all my photos from my 14 months abroad in the Middle East and everywhere else I visited � probably the thing I was most looking forward to about coming home. Oh well, they can go to the Photo Gallery, which has been edited and finalized now. Alright, this update is long enough. This is the last posting to this website. Thanks to all of you for visiting and checking in regularly. It saved me a lot of time (which I just didn�t seem to have in Dubai) compared to writing at any significant length to each and every one of you�even though I would have liked to, believe me. It was a fun year in Dubai, and I certainly don�t regret it. I gained some amazing experience, met some great people from all sorts of backgrounds and nationalities, learned some of the basics of around 5 languages, and of course � the tax free income didn�t hurt either! Dubai is certainly an expensive city, but I managed to bring home just under half of my earnings � and that doesn�t include all the vacations I had when I was living away � including all those mentioned on this site previously like Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, Qatar, Oman, Singapore, Bahrain, Scotland, hosting visits to the UAE from my dad, cousin, and aunt�.as well as my latest trip to Egypt, Jordan, Israel, England, Ireland, and Scotland (again!)! Financially I suppose I didn�t do badly at all, and that�s maybe one of the few things I�ll miss about Dubai � but money isn�t everything�in fact, it�s nothing if you�re not happy, as I found out. The inequality in the Emirates just drove me crazy, coupled with the fact that nobody did anything to solve the problem � even at certain places where I would have expected them to know better. Anyway, there are brighter hopes ahead for me in Dublin, where I am right now, sitting on my couch already settled into my new apartment! I�ve begun work on a second website already. Can you guess the name of it? �that�s right, www.geocities.com/craigindublin! Can�t get any simpler than that. It�s already up and running. Check it out and add it to your Favourites. I�ll update it regularly. Alright, over and out for this website�.forever! Check out the new photos on this website before going to the new Dublin site! It may be a bit overwhelming, but I have uploaded EIGHT new albums today, including: 1) Final moments in the U.A.E. 2) Trip to Egypt 3) Trip to Jordan 4) Trip to Israel 5) Trip to England 6) Trip to Dublin 7) Trip to Scotland 8) Back in B.C. Salamat ! Danke sch�n ! Merci et au revoir! Merci. Bale, kare mon ta mon shod Omid! Thanks and goodbye! Craig ---------- MAY 21, 2006 This will probably be my last update from Dubai, so prepare yourself for a long one!!! The time has sure flown. It�s been a long, yet fast, year � filled with some incredible experiences and opportunities that I�d unlikely have had in another part of the world. For those of you that have been reading these updates from Day 1, you�ve probably noticed that my tone sounds a lot more positive lately � and that�s probably a good sign that I�ve enjoyed these latter days in the Gulf, which is a good way to end it�on a positive note. Work in particular has gone very well lately, in fact, I've loved it...I just wish it had been a bit more flexible. We more than doubled our staff numbers in the Transportation Planning department, and had a shuffle in management to make things more efficient. I�ve working with an amazing team, all of whom were friendly, had an amazing sense of humour, and are very sincere � and I�ll certainly miss them. While work was certainly the main reason for moving to Dubai, during my year here I�ve also got to travel to Amsterdam, Netherlands (twice!); Doha, Qatar; Muscat, Oman (twice!); Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (twice, and going again on Wednesday!); Fujairah, United Arab Emirates (three times); Manama, Bahrain; Singapore, and Glasgow, Scotland! I�ve also had three family members visit me in Dubai � my dad, aunt, and cousin � and tonight, a couple of friends are arriving from Victoria for a few days, then we�re going traveling through Egypt, Jordan, and Israel for about three weeks. My friends then go back home, while I�ll move on the England, Scotland, and Ireland for a further three weeks! So, while I may have sounded somewhat negative initially, I really can�t complain that much about my time here. I�ve had an amazing tax-free salary, a luxurious apartment building, and a very prestigious job to put on the resume. I�ve enjoyed living in luxury, dining at fine restaurants (Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Lebanese, Persian, Arabic, Thai, German, British, American, Pakistani, Afghani, Omani, Singaporean, etc), driving and camping in the desert, enjoying amazing entertainment and nightlife, etc! I�ve also met some great people from numerous nationalities, languages, and faiths � many of whom I�m sure I�ll stay in touch with and perhaps visit in their home countries some day, and vice versa. As such, I�ve also learned some of the basics of Arabic, Hindi/Urdu, Tagalog, Malayalam, Farsi, Russian, and even Bosnian! Another interesting highlight was simply the experience of living in the world�s fastest-growing city, which boasts having 16% of all the world�s cranes! Not only is the skyline changing on a monthly basis, but so are the politics. In the last year, there has been more law enforcement, a rent increase cap of 15% has been implemented (much needed here!), some improved labour laws have been introduced, and there are talks underway about minimum wages, unions, and even�.democracy!! It was also quite a unique experience being in the Islamic world after the recent deaths of both the King of Saudi Arabia, and the Ruler of Dubai. However, when you weight all the pros and cons, I�d still prefer to leave. Dubai is a strange place, and amidst all the glamour there is an overwhelming sense of oppression. I�ve been exposed to perhaps the world�s largest gap between the rich and the poor � and believe me, it�s very oppressing sometimes. It�s awkward, for example, stopping at a red light in an air-conditioned taxi dressed in my shirt and tie, holding a Starbucks coffee in one hand and a mobile phone in the other, while being stared at by a group of 50 labourers from the Indian subcontinent sitting outside in the scorching 48�c heat waiting to be packed like sardines into a non-air-conditioned bus back to their crowded and unsanitary labour camp after their 12 hour shift. ...and then they call you "sir" or "boss". Ah, couldn't stand it! I have to admit, that the only reason I have so much, is because they get so little � and it�s just not fair, particularly in Dubai, where there is so much money to go around. I think that there�s a difference between �cheap labour� and �exploitation�. When I was 16 I worked for McDonalds � there I was cheap labour, but I certainly wasn�t �exploited��.and my boss didn�t take my passport or withhold three months pay to ensure I didn�t run off in search of a better job, or force me to do overtime, etc! That said, on a more positive note it�s been very rewarding to have been able to help some of the less fortunate here, including letting them stay at my apartment, giving money, storing their possessions, or even simply say hello in their own language and make them laugh � something they don�t seem to do very much. Again though, when you weigh everything, there are still more cons than pros about the Gulf�especially in comparison to Canada and the UK. The work hours are long, with unreasonable deadlines, rude and inconsiderate clients, and very rushed projects. Because of this, the overall social life isn�t very good, and even if you managed to leave work on time, chances are your friends from other companies haven�t. It�s a very transient society, with people constantly coming and going. It seems like lasting, meaningful friendships would be hard to make. Many people here complain they can�t see their families as often as they�d like, don�t get enough sleep, and can�t find time to get into the gym, etc. Work is the main reason people are here, and as such it�s work-focussed, which doesn�t contribute towards a sense of �home� for many, and as such people seem to lack the care and respect for the city that you would expect to find in their home town � illustrated no better than by observing their driving habits! While this part of the world somehow has a reputation of being �warm� and �hospitable�, keep in mind they kick you out the country if you don�t have a job! Everything and everyone just seems to be �used� in one form or another. I�m tired of hearing about the poor being constantly oppressed. And, from the words of the UAE�s labour minister when being interviewed by BBC World, he said something like �we do this because we can. If one person doesn�t like it and leaves, there are 10 more people to replace him who would love to work in Dubai on a tax-free income.� An example of greedy capitalism at it�s worst. Interestingly, government offices and banks close at 3:00 pm however, where most of the Emirati nationals work! Besides the lack of human rights, fairness, and equality, perhaps the two biggest things that take away from Dubai are the summer heat � also oppressing, as well as it�s traffic � certainly oppressing! I�m also fed up with all the politics, procedures, rules, and regulations that you need to go through to do things here � and the only thing that makes that more frustrating is the poor communication and lack of organization. All that said, in a way it�s a shame I�m leaving, because I had just gotten past all that political and administrative stuff involved in gaining residency status here, including undergoing an HIV test, dealing with passports, embassies, real estate agents, phone companies, banks, my company, and the like. So, will I miss Dubai? Kind of, but more the people I�ve met here than the town itself. But do I want a change? Yes. It�s a big world to see, and we all know how short life is. I�ve been fortunate enough to spend a year of it in the Gulf, and am thankful for that � however, I certainly wouldn�t want to raise a family here, and the �live-to-work� lifestyle here certainly doesn�t make sense to me. I often hear people here say that they don�t take all of their holidays because work is too busy and they don�t have time!!! I view it the other way around, and would say the number one reason I�m leaving is that life is too full of fun things to see and do, and I don�t have time to spend it all at work! By the way, I still don�t know if/when I�ll be coming home. I have four job interviews/offers in the next month, including in Sharjah (UAE), Victoria, Seattle, and Dublin. The one in Dublin looks very attractive, and I would love to work in Ireland for a while, and use it as a base for exploring Europe. I hear nothing but good things about Ireland, and would love to settle there for a while, provided that I like the company. Well, as I�ve mentioned in previous updates, my friends and I will be travelling around the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, and Israel for about 3 weeks, then I�m off to the United Kingdom and Ireland for another 3 weeks by myself. The interview in Dublin will occur at that time (if not earlier by telephone), and depending when they need me to start (assuming I get the job), will determine when I�ll come home, and for how long. Currently, I have a flight booked from Glasgow to Vancouver on July 5, but if they need me to start, I�ll be happy to just find an apartment and dive right into the next adventure! I�ll have to create a new website � craigindublin, ha! Anyway, let�s see. But these are the tentative plans. As I�ll be doing so much travelling for the next few months, I doubt I�ll have the time to post many updates, so I�ll say my goodbye now, and I�ll be in touch en�shallah as the locals say in Dubai (at the time Allah wills)!! Craig ---------- APRIL 29, 2006 A couple of things � firstly, I�ve now uploaded the photos taken during my aunt Pat�s visit to the United Arab Emirates. Due to the number of photos we took, I�ve cut out a few which were similar to ones I already had in other online photo albums, and have had to create two albums to accommodate them all. As usual, you can access them from the Photo Gallery link on the left. Secondly, I�ve also uploaded a third album, which I just took over an interesting weekend. As I�ve mentioned from time to time in past updates, there is a lot of government corruption, racism, exploitation, and greed in the UAE. Last Wednesday afternoon I received an email from a friend informing people that there were some dangerously hungry construction workers at a labour camp in Sharjah, the emirate to the northeast of Dubai. As is typical here in the Gulf, it seemed like some developer hadn�t paid another company on time, and therefore that company couldn�t pay another firm, etc, and it had trickled down to the labourers � who had not been paid or fed by their company for over a month! These poor guys had apparently tallied up a debt of over 10,000 dirhams at a local grocery store, who could understandably no longer afford to lend them any more money. The email was requesting non-perishable food items and other supplies to help out these desperate guys, as well as to forward the email on to raise awareness about the situation. The UAE government seemingly knew about the situation, but hadn�t done anything. Did I ever mention that Dubai is nicknamed �The City that Cares�? Ha! Anyway, I passed the email around the office, and within hours had received around 1,500 dirhams in donations from staff, which bought three overflowing shopping carts full of groceries. I don�t own a car here, so had to phone a friend to borrow his car in order to transport everything! I work with some very generous colleagues! On Friday afternoon the volunteers met to organize the food and load all the bags into a pickup truck and two sport utility vehicles, then we proceeded to Sharjah, where we were greeted by about 300 desperate labourers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, and Afghanistan � who would typically earn around 450 dirhams per month (about CDN$140). As frustrating as it was, upon arrival we had to spend the first hour or so just planning how to distribute the food in a fair and efficient manner, in order to not get swarmed by these guys or create tensions within the camp. We were warned that labour camps are often quite segregated, with each nationality tending to keep to themselves, with internal fighting a common occurrence. It worked out fine in the end, and they were very thankful. I�d never been to a labour camp before until yesterday. The conditions inside were appalling, with about 10 guys sleeping in a room about the size of a typical bedroom which most of us are used to in the West, which were full of cockroaches, dust, and dirty laundry � while outside was spilled sewage, rats, and garbage, with many of the light bulbs not working, making walking around quite dangerous. Several of their kitchens also had no electricity, creating the need to cook on open fires � which in a place like this seemed like a recipe for disaster. I also met a Bangladeshi who had recently fallen 5 stories, but was thankfully okay and on crutches � with his hospital bill paid for by the volunteers. The photos taken at the site can be viewed from the Photo Gallery link. Certainly an eye-opening experience. The thing about it all however, as is the case with a lot of the poverty in the world today, I think it�s all so avoidable! It�s a very greedy world we live in, but in Dubai in particular, there is one of the biggest gaps between the rich and the poor. It's oppressing. Craig ---------- APRIL 27, 2006 Well, that�s the end of my 6th and final vacation!! Let me start by saying that my aunt and I had a great time. However, further to my last email, after somewhat of a bad start (me being in Scotland while she arrived in Dubai a day �early�), things continued to go wrong�again and again and again! But we both kept a good sense of humour about it all, as frustrating as it was sometimes. Pat was here for two weeks, the first of which I had to work. During that week, she spent most of her time exploring the older areas of inner Dubai � including souqs, markets, the �Creek�, museums, ethnic neighbourhoods, parks, etc - which are all within a short walk or cheap taxi ride from my apartment. An Islamic holiday, Muhammad�s birthday, occurred on one of those days, so I really only had a 4-day work week upon my return from Scotland. On that day off, I took her for a walk along the famous Sheikh Zayed Road, where we went in and out of luxurious hotels, took photos of the office towers, etc, and finished the night off at a nice Lebanese restaurant. The following week I took off from work entirely. The first day, we went for a tour of the Jumeirah Mosque, supposedly one of the nicest in the United Arab Emirates � and one of few that allows entry to non-Muslims. I was amazed at the number of tourists lined up to go in. It was quite interesting actually. Although I was now officially on holiday, I was actually asked to go into the office that afternoon to finish something only I could do apparantly. However, it only took a few hours and we didn't really have plans for the afternoon anyway, so it was ok. Next, it was off to the desert. We picked up a good quality 3-man tent at Carrefour for the equivalent of about CDN$23, and went out with my usual group of friends in 4x4�s. My aunt enjoyed the �dune bashing� (as they call it here), as well as seeing camels and a very nice sunset, and also liked the BBQ and time around the fire late into the night. Now, I mentioned previously that things kept going wrong. Let us begin! Several people in our group didn�t want to stay for the overnight camping, and wanted to go back to the city after the BBQ. We knew this in advance, and therefore purposely set up camp close to a paved road, which would lead back towards Dubai. There were three 4x4 vehicles in our group in total, and for safety, my friend and I �escorted� the other vehicle back to the road in case they got stuck or lost in the dark. It took literally 3 minutes to take them to the road, but over an hour for us to then find our way back to the camp site!! Fortunately, mobile phones work in this area of the desert, and we were able to find our group talking over the phone and referencing objects including electrical pylons, incoming aircraft, etc. Eventually one of them phoned back, and said they spotted our headlights (this was now around 11 pm!), and they stood on top of a dune shining flashlights to get our attention. We found them eventually. However, several hours later, after enjoying the fire for a while, just before going to bed my friend locked his keys in his car!! Ha ha! We were the last ones up, and I told him not to worry about it until the next morning, as we didn�t want to worry the others�and there was nothing we could do anyway. The next morning, my friend phoned his wife and asked her to drive to the nearest gas station and drop off the spare set of keys. My friend and I then drove to the gas station in the only remaining vehicle (leaving the rest of our friends in the quickly-rising, hot, desert sun and no shade really � besides that provided by the locked vehicle!). Sure enough, we picked up the keys from the gas station�.but then upon returning to the vast, open, barren desert, we couldn�t find our way back to the site again, just like the night before! This time, it only took us half an hour, but we were still anxious. The number one rule when driving in the desert is never drive with one vehicle! If we had got stuck (which usually happens at least once per trip) things could have quickly gotten very bad, as there were no other vehicles around to tow us out. What could we have possibly done � asked a tow truck to come to the dune with the little cactus with the vine on it?! Anyway, we did make it back to the site eventually, unlocked the other car, and got out of there, happy to get everyone back into the air conditioning again. Next - Easter Sunday. We went to a sunrise service on Jumeirah Beach next to the Burj Al Arab Hotel, hosted by the United Christian Church of Dubai, followed by a nice breakfast on the sand. We then went for a look around the neighbouring Jumeirah Beach Hotel, and phoned the Burj Al Arab to book a table for dinner � however it was fully booked for the next week � another thing gone wrong (yet not too big a blow, relatively speaking), as we were both looking forward to dining at the world�s only 7-star hotel. However, we enjoyed the Jumeirah Beach Hotel�s facilities instead (still a very nice 5-Star beach resort), and hired a car for the day. However, that�s another thing that went wrong � as they took forever to deliver the car to the hotel, and when it arrived, the guy locked the keys in the car, and had to go back to get another set � and he never even bothered to tell us! Frustrating, but again, it worked out in the end. After finally getting the rental car, I took my aunt Pat for a tour of Jumeirah, including the Ski Dubai, Ibn Batutta Shopping Mall (themed Chinise/Indian/Egyptian/Persian mall), etc. Then we went on to the Dubai Marina development, which is anticipated to become one of the world�s largest waterfront communities, and is certainly one of the world�s largest construction sites. They say 16% of all the world�s cranes are in Dubai � well many of them are at this specific building site. We finished off our evening at the Madinat Jumeirah � which to remind you is a replica of an old, traditional, Arabic souk/market-place, but westernized with several acres of air-conditioned passageways, dozens of international restaurants, upscale shopping, 5-star hotels, canals, nice landscaping, etc. Next, we planned our big road trip to Muscat, Oman � with a 1-night stop in the city of Al Ain, which is in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, UAE. Upon reaching Al Ain, we visited the Jebel Hafeet Mountain at sunset (highest mountain in the UAE), then went into the city and wandered around a little bit (after getting lost several times!!), and stayed the night at a nice, yet very affordable hotel on the city outskirts. The following morning we visited some natural hot springs, followed by a trip to an oasis � where we visited the same Pakistani gentleman I visited previously with my dad in February. His Emirati �sponsor� happened to be there too, and we had an interesting conversation using mixed bits of English, Urdu, and Arabic. Next, it was on to the livestock market in Al Ain, where we witnessed some interesting inspections and sales of goats, and had fun joking with the Pakistani workers. Ok, now onto our next �frustrating event�. We proceeded to the border crossing into Oman, paid for our visas and Omani car insurance, and was told to proceed to the next checkpoint. Here, our vehicle was searched, and we were told to drive to the third and final checkpoint, where we were asked by security to produce a letter from the car rental company giving us permission to take the car outside the UAE. To make a long story short, we didn�t get permission (although I had taken a car from the same rental company into Oman in February with my dad without incident). The officer suggested we drive back to Al Ain, rent another car from a company that would permit us to leave the UAE. So, we tried this, found a great deal for about CDN$30 per day for a little Toyota Echo, however was then told I needed to have an International Driver�s License � based on Abu Dhabi rules, of which Al Ain is a part. In the Emirate of Dubai, a Canadian licence would have been fine, however in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, it�s different � although they�re both part of the United Arab Emirates. To make things more frustrating, someone told us where to go in Al Ain in order to get an International Driver�s Licence, only to later find out that this place, a hotel, had never issued them!! Finally, after receiving many bad (and conflicting) directions from the locals (including taxi drivers!), we got lost a few more times in this confusing, �every-street-looks-alike-city�, and then just drove all the way back to Dubai, frustrated. What a day! The next morning we prepared to drive to the east coast of the UAE instead, to the Emirate of Fujairah. And we did just that without any complications�.except for the fact that there was a heat wave, with temperatures soaring to 40�c, which was 10 degrees warmer than Dubai! My aunt fell a bit sick during the afternoon heat, but was usually alright again by evening. We had a good time on the east coast, including visiting some nice beaches and mangrove forest, walked around a waterfront market, did some jet skiing, enjoyed several nice meals at some amazing 5-star beach hotels, and enjoyed the scenery. We stayed for two nights at the Breeze Motel, right on the Indian Ocean, approximately 10 minutes from the Omani border, just south of Fujairah. Her last night we were back in Dubai, where we went for one last walk along the Dubai Creek and around the old city, and enjoyed a nice Thai meal at the �Arabian Courtyard Hotel�, one of the best in Dubai in my opinion. The next morning I had to be back at the office, while she left for London that same afternoon. So, I�m now into the final three-week stretch of the contract, with my last day being May 17. The last few months here have gone very well, which will be a good way to remember my time here, as the first half-year was full of ups and downs, as I explained in previous updates. In fact, I've really enjoyed it recently, but the trend seems like there are too many "downs" to make it worth staying. In the last year, I've accumulated the equivalent of 4 weeks of uncompensated overtime - with no time off in lieu, no extra pay, and not even flexibility to come in late after working well into the night on several occasions. It pays very well, but still isn't worth giving up my personal life for. The future is a bit more clear now, with my friends Ken and Ryan arriving in Dubai from Victoria on May 21, who will most likely stay with me for 3 nights, after which point I have to vacate the apartment, so we�ll move on to the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi. Ken has a friend there who we�ll stay with a night or two, then we�re flying to Egypt, Jordan, and Israel � the precise plans of which are still in progress. I�ll most likely go to the UK after that � either to London, Glasgow, or Belfast � or perhaps a combination. I expect I�ll be back in Victoria in early July, after which point I�ll be looking for work anywhere. I�m willing to stay overseas, and in fact I could really get used to this �international lifestyle�, but just not in the Middle East, where the clients are rude and unreasonable, the traffic and driving habits are appalling, the work hours are too long, and where it�s too hot to even go outside for 4 months of the year. I�ve already started my next job search, and in fact had an interview in Singapore back in January � which I�ve now had official confirmation is a �no-go�. Next week, I have an interview here in the U.A.E. with one of the largest engineering firms in the world. They�re American, with many international offices (which could be a great opportunity), and employ more than 24,000 people apparently! So, we�ll see. I�ll get the photos of my aunt�s visit up within the next week. Just need to find time - as there are a lot of photos to go through, upload, edit, label, etc. I�ll post another update when they�re available. In the meantime I need to look into flight options to Cairo! Craig ---------- APRIL 13, 2006 Further to my last update, I flew to the UK for a week to attend my grandmother�s funeral in Glasgow, Scotland. Despite the sad occasion, I had a good time with family and friends - including my mum and brother Tom, as well as my aunt Bonnie and uncle Jim from Ottawa, my aunt May and cousin Denise from the Glasgow area, as well as other friends and relatives from the west of Scotland. After work on Wednesday, March 30, I first flew to Amsterdam, Netherlands � where I purposely booked a later connection to give me a few extra hours to explore a bit more of the city, which of course I looked around for half a day last year when I originally left Canada for Dubai. However, I wish I hadn�t stopped there so long, as it was pouring rain, freezing cold (especially after living in the Gulf!), my hay-fever allergies were triggered by some local plant species, and I was exhausted after an overnight flight straight from work, while also recovering from a cold for which I had to take antibiotics for!! But I made it! After spending one night at my aunt�s house in the village of Rankinston, Ayrshire (about 2 hours southwest of Glasgow), my mum and Tom arrived. As Rankinston is only populated by around 1,000 people, we generally went into Ayr � a city of around 100,000 on the west coast. We also went for a few walks and drives along the numerous country roads around my aunt�s village, and took some nice photos of the scenery. On Monday, April 3 we had the funeral for my grandmother (my mum�s mum, Elizabeth Cassidy, 94!) in Glasgow. The funeral was basic and simple, and fairly casual � which was nice, with a gathering of about 50 people or so to celebrate her life. On two separate days, Tom and I made train journeys into Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland and the third largest in the UK after London and Birmingham in England. Our two day trips included wandering the bustling streets and squares of the city center, visiting landmark buildings and attractions including a 13th century cathedral, the Glasgow Tower & Science Center, the historic River Clyde, the stadiums of the two rival football (soccer) clubs: Rangers and Celtic, Glasgow University, and others. Overall, I think everyone had a good time. It was good to see family again, and it�s always nice to get out of Dubai back into the �real world�. However, there was one �hiccup�, which was on my last day, April 6. I had been planning for a while for my other aunt, Pat (my dad�s sister from London) to visit me in Dubai for two weeks. She had indeed told me that she�d be arriving on April 6, however for some reason I had April 8 in my head�probably because that�s when I was suppose to return to work. Sure enough, at about 6 in the morning in Scotland, my mobile phone started ringing. �Hello?�, I said in a tired, groggy voice. �I�m at the airport � what do I do?!� came the reply from my aunt. �You mean London-Heathrow airport, right?�, I asked. �No! I�m in DUBAI!!!� she said with an anxious tone in her voice! Ha! Well, my heart just sunk. I couldn�t believe I had made such a big mistake. There she was alone in the Middle East, while I�m tucked in bed in a little village in Rankinston, Scotland!! How will Craig handle this one?, you�re thinking! Well, do read on my friend!! A stranger, actually a friend of a friend, had recently moved to Dubai, and my friend had asked if I would allow this guy to sleep on my couch until he found an apartment. I accepted, but told the guy that he would have to be out by the 6th, as my aunt would be arriving (yes, even though I had now forgotten the date myself!). Anyway, he did indeed move out soon after I left for Scotland. After receiving the phone call from my aunt, I phoned this guy on his mobile, and it just so happened that he was driving past Dubai International Airport at that very moment! He immediately turned around and met my aunt, drove her to my apartment, gave her my spare key, introduced her to the security personnel, gave her a tour of the building, the pool, grocery store, gym, etc. Amazing huh! Things always work out ok in the end...in one way or another, remember that! I went back to bed, and later that same day caught my flight back to Dubai via Amsterdam, arriving early the next morning while my aunt was still asleep. I slept for a little bit before she woke up. She had a good sense of humour about it all, which was a relief! She�ll be here for two weeks. I�m writing this update at the end of her first week � which she spent by herself for the most part, exploring the older, more traditional areas of central Dubai�as I had to work. Next week however, I have the entire week off, and am planning on taking her camping in the desert, giving her a tour of Jumeirah (the posh end of Dubai with all the new glamorous shopping malls, restaurants, beach hotels, mega-development construction sites, etc). We�ll then be renting a car and driving to Muscat, Oman�as well as Al Ain, a smaller �garden� city (like Victoria) in the UAE. Unfortunately, time won�t permit me to show her Abu Dhabi, but if you�ve seen Dubai, you�ve �seen� Abu Dhabi too really, so no worries. I�ll write more when she�s gone. Just finished my last day of work before my vacation. Looking forward to yet another break!!! The photos from Scotland have been uploaded, and can be accessed as usual from the Photo Gallery link to the left. Photos of my time with my aunt in the Gulf will come later, after she�s gone most likely. Craig ---------- MARCH 27, 2006 Some of you already know that my grandmother (mum�s mum) passed away in her sleep last Friday morning at the age of 94. The funeral is expected to take place next Monday, April 3 in Glasgow, Scotland. As Wednesday is the last day of the work week in the Gulf, I�ve booked a flight for late Wednesday night (actually early Thursday morning at 12:30am), and will arrive in Glasgow via Amsterdam on Thursday afternoon, then return to Dubai the following Thursday afternoon, April 6. I�ll be staying at my aunt�s (mum�s sister) home near the seaside town of Ayr � about 1 hour by train outside central Glasgow. Craig ---------- MARCH 24, 2006 I've finally got around to uploading and labeling the photos taken during my dad's visit. Go to the "Photo Gallery" link on the left to access them. Note that there are two separate albums: Part 1 of 2, and Part 2 of 2. Enjoy! Craig ---------- MARCH 23, 2006 Hi! Following up on where my last �update� left off, my dad and I drove to Muscat, the capital city of Oman � about 8 hours southeast of Dubai, right through the mountains. About 1 of those hours was spent at the UAE/Oman border, as we were given the �run-around� by security. The most frustrating thing was that GCC Nationals (Gulf Cooperation Council � such as Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, etc) were served first, and every time one of them arrived by car (it�s a fairly quiet check-point with only about one vehicle arriving per minute) the customs guy would stop processing our papers and serve the GCC National! Amazing! So much for equality over here! That aside though, Oman was certainly the highlight of the vacation. We stayed at Haffa House Hotel, a very cozy 4-Star hotel close to Muscat�s city center, with friendly staff, two great restaurants, and an independent tour company. I stayed with them previously on my last trip to Muscat last fall. Upon arriving late the first night, we had dinner then went straight to bed, tired after a fairly long day of driving. The next morning, after a nice buffet-breakfast, we went for a walk around the city center, mainly occupied by modern government offices, oil companies, and banks. Interestingly, a wadi (a dry river bed) runs right through the center of the city. For lunch we stopped at the �Traditional Omani Restaurant�, where we ate until we were absolutely stuffed! Definitely one of the best meals we had during the holiday. After lunch we drove down to Muscat Harbour � an absolutely majestic setting along the Indian Ocean, surrounded by towering mountains inhabited with old Portuguese Forts. It�s a real taste of �Old Arabia� in comparison with Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with a bustling fish market, old souqs, a long cornice (promenade), nice parks, and old flood-lit buildings. There was also a cruise ship in the port while we were there, bringing in several hundred mainly German and Dutch tourists�adding some excitement to the harbour. Muscat also has some amazing 5-Star beach resorts which we visited. One of them just opened the day we visited, and they gave us a complimentary kayak rental, bottled water, use of their beach chairs, etc. A nice surprise. On our last day in Muscat, we went on a dolphin watching tour. Our guide picked us up at our hotel at 7:30 am, and took us to the marina where there was a 200 horsepower boat waiting. It was just my dad and I, plus a family of three from Germany which was nice. The guide (an Omani national) took us about 30 kilometres off the coast, asking my dad to steer for part of the way! Sure enough, the dolphins were out there, feeding off sardines. There were also several local fishing boats after the sardines. On they way back to shore, we encountered another pod of dolphins, this time �commuting� dolphins, jumping out of the water, etc. After that, we had lunch, checked out of our hotel, and drove back to the UAE, after first visiting some nice beaches just outside Muscat, as well as touring the �diplomatic district� � where all the international embassies are located. An interesting area, with high walls, barbed wire fences, �no photography� signs, and young guys carrying machine guns � especially by the UK and US embassies. After yet another delay at the border, we continued along the UAE coast to the town of Khor Kabla in the Emirate of Sharjah. We stayed at a cheap motel for the night, then proceeded north along the coast to the Emirate of Fujairah, where we stopped at the Oceanic Beach Hotel. There, we hired a boat and a guide to take us to an island about three kilometres off the coast, where we went snorkeling at a coral reef. It was amazing! The water was beautiful, and we saw all kinds of tropical fish and coral � as well as a couple of eels, a turtle, and a three-foot reef shark! After a couple of hours, our guide came back to the island to pick us up with the boat, and took us back to the hotel, where we had a swim in their pool, followed by a sauna, then a buffet! Then, we continued onwards to Dubai, after stopping at one more 5-Star beach hotel for a quick look (they really are attractions in themselves!). We arrived in Dubai at about 2am, threw our clothes in the washing machine, and went to bed. The next day, we went to meet my cousin Denise from Glasgow, UK � who arrived in Dubai the previous night with her friend, Ann. We gave them a brief tour of the old city, hopped on an abra (old wooden motor boat) and had lunch on a nice patio in the Rolex Twin Towers, overlooking Dubai Creek. We then let them wander around on their own, while my dad went home to pack his suitcase for his flight that night. Later, my dad and I met up with them again for dinner at a 5-Star hotel, then took my dad to Dubai International Airport. That night he flew to London, UK for a few days to see his sister, Pat, before returning home to Victoria. He�s back at work again, after a very memorable and eye-opening vacation in the Gulf. The following day was my last day off work. I took my cousin and her friend for a drive around the city and dessert, showing them a weeks worth of stuff in about 12 hours! The next day I was back at work, but met up with them for dinner the next two or three evenings. They then went off to Manama, Bahrain for a few days, and are now back to the wind and the rain in Scotland! I just finished my third week at work after the vacation. It�s nice to be back. I feel refreshed, and it�s good to see everyone again. The workload has gone down significantly since our new Canadian manager started � in fact, two of the three weeks I actually logged less than the standard 45 hours! I�m sure things will pick up again soon though. My department just won a multi-million dirham contract in Saudi Arabia � involving the preparation of a Transportation Master Plan for an entirely-new city � developed by Emaar, the world�s largest construction company. These guys are proposing to build an entire city over 30 years, with a population of 1 million on the Red Sea coast. Should be interesting, and a great experience. It�s called King Abdullah Economic City. Over the next few weeks, I�ll be applying for work all over the world, as I�m pretty flexible where I can go. I just know I have to get out of the Middle East. I�ve had enough! I'm considering looking into Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Sydney, Johannesburg, London, Glasgow, New York, Chicago...and of course - Vancouver and Victoria. My Aunt Pat from London, UK will be visiting for two weeks in April, then after I finish my contract in May, two friends from Victoria, Ken and Ryan, will be visiting, then we�re going on to Abu Dhabi, Egypt, Jordan, and Israel for a vacation. After that, who knows? Maybe I�ll come back to Canada (at least for a vacation), then maybe off to another part of the world for work�we�ll see. I�d like to keep traveling, then again, every time I do travel, I�m reminded just how good things are in British Columbia: �the best place on earth� � as those commercials back home go. It�s a bold statement, but I have to agree! The vacation photos aren�t up yet, as there are a lot of them to upload and label. I�ll post another update when they�re ready. Should only be a few days. Craig ---------- FEBRUARY 24, 2006 I was close to forgetting what it feels like to relax! Yes, I�m finally on vacation after 9 months of working unreasonably-long hours, bearing temperatures up to 48�c, sitting in horrendous traffic jams with the rudest and most dangerous drivers on the planet, and adapting to this money-oriented culture they call Dubai, �the City that Cares�. I�ll gladly take this opportunity to suggest that Dubai � the world�s fastest-growing city and tourist destination � wouldn�t be the same if it weren�t for its cheap labour and exploitation, which is a result of government corruption, greed, racism, and a lack of law enforcement. However, I�ve made it! On the morning of February 8 my dad arrived. After meeting him at Dubai International Airport, I took him to my apartment where I let him sleep after his 30 hour door-to-door trip from the other side of the world, while I went into the office to finish off my work. At 10 o�clock that night, I finally submitted my last project � a traffic impact study for a 5-Star resort island development off the coast of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, where the price for a home starts at about CDN$2.7 million !! I�m writing this update two-thirds of the way through the vacation. So here�s what my dad and I have got up to so far: After leaving work the first night, I started my dad off with an Arabic dinner at a restaurant along Dubai Creek � the older, traditional heart of Dubai. The following days were spent wandering around the numerous souqs (market places selling gold, spices, fish, fruits, vegetables, souvenirs, clothing, etc), touring the Dubai Museum, sampling many different ethnic foods (Indian, Chinese, Arabic, Thai, Pakistani, Lebanese, etc), exploring the streets of the old city looking at numerous jewellery and electronics shops, etc. One day we caught an abra (an old wooden motor boat) to Deira on the other side of the Dubai Creek � an older and generally poorer neighbourhood � yet ethnically and culturally rich. It�s a real working-class part of the city, and full of �hustle and bustle�, and lots of interesting sights, sounds, and smells. We�ve also relaxed at three or four of the city�s larger parks � which have everything from man-made canals, ferris wheels, bumper boats, cable car rides, landscaped gardens, etc. After about a week in Dubai, for some variety we did an overnight trip to the �garden city� of Al Ain, about two hours southwest of Dubai, out in the desert near the border with Oman. We visited an amazing 5-Star Hotel at the top of the UAE�s highest mountain, toured the Al Ain Palace Museum, walked around a Palm Tree Oasis � where we were kindly invited into the home (shack) of a Pakistani labourer for tea after we briefly made eye contact in the street and I asked �how are you?� in Urdu! Of course, I also had to show my dad the desert � so we spent a day with my usual group of friends who regularly go �dune-bashing� in SUV�s. We conquered some big sand dunes, saw some camels�as well as the skeletal remains of a less fortunate camel and goat. After sunset, we made a huge bon fire, and had a nice BBQ, and just enjoyed the stars, the silence, and the company. Back in Dubai again, we�ve also had a good time exploring the trendy retail shops, restaurants, hotels, and office towers along Sheikh Zayed Road � the city�s famous main thoroughfare, lined by ultra-modern skyscrapers. I�ve also taken my dad to see several of Dubai�s famous shopping malls � which encompass everything from indoor ski slopes, to musical performances, community events, and themed sections featuring Britain, Italy, Egypt, Iran, China, India, etc. On another day, we drove around some of Dubai�s luxurious private residential developments, including many gated communities with golf courses, man-made lakes, etc. However, in my opinion, they�re not all that great. In fact, they�re awful! They remind me of footage you see on the news of deserted parts of Baghdad, Iraq with all their high walls, quiet streets, and lack of �life�. We also visited the Madinat Jumeirah � a modern high-end version of Dubai�s older souq market places, consisting of retail shops, restaurants, bars, canals, several 5-Star beach hotels, etc � all tastefully decorated with a touch of old Arabic architecture, and located next to the Burj Al Arab � the world� tallest and only 7-Star hotel. Next, we went on to Abu Dhabi � about 2 hours along the coast from Dubai. We stayed in a hotel for two nights, and walked around the modern city center admiring the towering skyscrapers, toured an old fort, walked along the picturesque �cornice� (promenade), explored the port, checked out a fish market, and toured the Emirates Palace Hotel � a 6-Star beach resort I believe�just enormous. We�re now back in Dubai again, and are getting ready to set off for Muscat, Oman tomorrow � approximately 5 hours from Dubai. We�re planning to spend 3 nights in Muscat, and 1 night in Fujairah, UAE (on the east coast) on the way back. Looking forward to some dolphin watching, driving through the mountains, watching giant turtles laying eggs on the beach, and snorkelling with tropical fish in the Indian Ocean. I�ll put all our photos up at the same time, once my dad leaves and I have access to my computer at work - which is much faster than the dial-up connection I�m using here at home. For your interest however, I�ve asked my dad to write a few of his thoughts about the Gulf so far, just to give you another opinion. Here�s what he had to say below: Craig Have been in Dubai visiting Craig for over 2 weeks now � here are my initial impressions. Dubai is a bustling, word class city, but already a lost cause from a traffic planners point of view (what Craig does here). The entire city was thrown into chaos twice this week with rain on Sunday and again on Thursday - the normally chaotic roads became scenes of absolute mayhem with over 500 accidents according to the newspapers! Pedestrians are regarded as "targets" here according to one developer I spoke to � and cycling�forget it !! Most people drive around in 4x4s which they regard as their private armored vehicles judging by the way they drive. Being a very wealthy populous, most vehicles are less than a year old but display the scares of many scrapes and bumps or worse !! The city (population 2 million approx) is a 24 hour city � last night Craig and I went to a movie at 11pm � it took a full hour to travel just 5 kilometers in the traffic. The city planners want to increase the population to around 5 million by 2020 - I'd hate to imagine the gridlock and stress of everyday life here then. According to the newspapers again, commuters from the neighbouring Emirate of Sharjah took 4 hours to travel an average of 15 kilometers to work in Dubai on Sunday in the rain (Thurs/Friday is their weekend so Sunday is a work day for most people here). Despite these negative comments, my son is giving me a great tour of the city and surrounding region - we've been to Abu Dhabi, the capital, which is a much saner place, and Al Ain a pleasant city to the southeast � a backwater in comparison (comparable to Victoria, BC). Tomorrow we are setting out to Muscat for a few days. Milk and butter are hard to get at some restaurants because of the country punishing Denmark (the regular source for these products) for the recent "cartoons", but otherwise no signs of trouble here. Today we're dining at the Jumeirha Beach Hotel courtesy of a friend of mine who works there and who earns in 3 years what most of us will take a lifetime to realise. The �dune bashing� 4x4 drive we did in the desert last Friday was a lot of fun, stopping for an evening BBQ as the sun set and sitting by a camp fire late into the night...all there enjoying a break from the hurley-burly of the city and enjoying the company of friends. Derek For older updates, click here.
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