October | 2008 | Living the Travel Channel

Archive for October, 2008

Deodorant?

October 17, 2008

So, it’s been asked:

“I was also wondering, do Arabs wear deodorant?”

Really I don’t know for sure. I can tell you one thing for certain: they DO wear perfume!

In the malls the third most common type of store- after the number-one-by-far category ‘Designer Clothing’ and strong second place finisher ‘Extravagant Jewelery’- would be ‘Fancy Perfume’. And we’re not talking a few varieties here. We’re talking more-kinds-of-perfume-than-you-thought-possible selection. I’ve seen fancy wine markets with fewer vintages. And picking out a perfumes seems to be taken no less seriously than choosing a fine wine. And why not? This purchase isn’t just going to linger on your lips and tongue for a few seconds; you’re going to be sharing it with everyone you meet all day long and possibly for weeks to come. If it doesn’t work out it’s going to take a thorough round of ablutions to start over again with a hopefully more successful fragrance.

And the fancy stores or not the lone bastion of such any array of aromatic variety. Most stores, even some small humble neighborhood markets have an ample selection available. The Gift Village store downstairs from us- rather like a large Walgreens without the pharmacy, but with a healthy sampling of souvenirs- has an aisle full of a remarkable number of perfumes for both men and women; many of them quite inexpensive and yet not unpleasant.

And therein lies the good news in that while there are certainly plenty of the overly flowery and froofie fragrances, (Say that five times fast, willya?) in such a grand selection there are also some that are quite tolerable, more along the lines of musk, sandalwood and other spices.

So while while we cannot yet answer whether the Arab people are prone to wearing deodorant, it is quite evident that they do were perfume. Happily, they seem to wear it in discreet amounts since one does not frequently come across someone reeking of it. (Kanga’s experience with this may vary since she works with a large number of well heeled young ladies!)

Admittedly this information has not been scientifically verified since we are not in the practice of going around deliberately smelling the Arab peoples, or any of the many other peoples that populate this teeming city. However I count it a very good thing that although we have often been out amongst large crowds, we yet remain largely ignorant of their aromas.

There have been occasions when we could not help but notice an individual’s smell; but then the construction workers that put in 12 hours a day toiling in the sun rarely have the opportunity to freshen up before walking down the sidewalk to the bus waiting to take them to their accommodation. That being said, I would wager that they would still compare favorably to the average Western construction worker. I suppose we Westerners are of larger stock and therefore probably have an exponentially greater number of sweat glands.

Always happy to impart to you the intellectual gleanings of our travel experiences!

(Posted by Daddybird)

Posted in answers to questions, deodorant, malls, perfume | 2 Comments »

Not Unusual Here

October 17, 2008

If you scare easily or are already afraid for our safety, don’t read any further.

Unfortunately, the driving exhibited by the SUV in the YouTube video below is not unusual here. Aggressive driving here is beyond belief. They honk, they flash their lights, they tailgate like nobody’s business and lane lines are considered mere suggestions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOW-3SCSDw0 (You might want to mute it for language content.)

Add rampant jaywalking and you have an average day in Dubai.

Amazingly, we’ve only witnessed one accident in the two months we’ve been here. We were standing at a bus stop and heard a delivery truck slam on his breaks trying to avoid the taxi that was cutting in front of him. He didn’t make it. He yelled at the taxi driver who acted like it was just another day on the job. No biggie.

Everyone drives aggressively, but they are also constantly aware of what everyone else is doing. Does that count as driving defensively? As a passenger, I’ve gotten fairly jaded and it doesn’t phase me anymore. It is amazing how close people drive to each other and manage to not collide. I suspect that Paul will do all the driving when we finally get wheels. He didn’t like my driving in the States, he definitely won’t like it here. I would fit right in. 😉

Posted in Dubai traffic, video | 1 Comment »

Lack of infrastructure

October 14, 2008

So, I may have mentioned the lack of infrastructure before, as in the heavy traffic on arterials is due to a lack of alternative routes on side streets and the randomness of buildings – both in size and placement. There’s also the lack of systematized addressing and residential postal delivery.

I have learned that there is another major piece of the infrastructure puzzle missing — sewer system. Actually, that’s unfair, they have a sewer system, a significant portion of it does not involve piping leading to the sewage plant. Sewage goes into storage tanks and is then pumped into trucks and trucked to the sewage treatment plant. Apparently, 3000 of these trucks are trying to keep up with the daily demand, so to speak. One would think that the inefficiency of this system in the long run would have occurred to someone before the population reached 1.5 million.

http://www.ameinfo.com/141407.html

Article about new treatment plant in Jebel Ali

So, the moral of this story is: If you are apartment/villa shopping in Dubai, add “how close is it to the sewage plant?” to your list of questions to ask. Just imagine — sewage plant + sewage trucks + 110F = reek!

Posted in construction, infrastructure | 2 Comments »

I’m just sayin’ …

October 14, 2008

So, it is time for a blog entry nagging (or encouraging) you to leave comments. It helps us know who is reading it and what you think. Leaving comments is easy. At the bottom of each entry, you will see a link “Comments.” Click on this link. You will then see a box labeled “Leave your comment.” Type your comment in, scroll down and click the “Publish your comment” button. You don’t have to have a blogger account, you can click on Anonymous.

If you have questions, post them and we will gladly answer them. We love talking about Dubai.

Posted in answers to questions | Leave a Comment »

Electrical devices and other trivia

October 11, 2008

This is what electrical outlets look like here. Each one has a toggle on/off switch. Below are two typical plug styles and an universal adapter that lets you plug in just about anything. The voltage is 22o, twice the 110 in the States. There are also switches for each of the major appliances – the kitchen stove, the clothes washer, and the clothes dryer. We’ve had to learn to check and make sure things are switched on, otherwise you’re waiting a long time for the frying pan to heat up.
Below is the light switch for the bathroom and the water heater switch. Each room that has plumbing has its own water heater switch. If you don’t switch it on, all you can expect is lukewarm water. If I want a hot shower in the morning, the water heater has to be switched on before I go to bed. Then the water will be HOT, the kind of melt plastic bottles hot that Paul was complaining about.
Below is the back of the packaging for the night light that Paul got for the bathroom. In case you can’t read it, I will transcribe.
“Nushi Night Lamp
This nigh lamp series is elegant in appearance. It adopts advanced electric circuit and material
It is safe and energy-saving.
There are several colors of light for choice.
The white color is high brightness, suitable for using at the corridor, staircase and bathroom.
The yellow, pink amd light blue coldrs are suitable for bedroom, their gentle light will not dazzle while sleeping.
The green color is suitable for karaoke room and decoration cabinet.
It brings comfort and romantic feeling to your home.”
The front of the package was labeled “Dim Night Lighting.”
I have been careful to preserve the spelling errors and grammar for your enjoyment. We are often entertained by the descriptions on packages here, like OMO laundry soap that declares “Dirt is good.” Makes no sense to me.
We discovered and purchased the world’s ugliest kitchen clock. As you can see it is a big ear of corn with eyes that swing back and forth with the pendulum, which has two onion headed beings in love on it. And, for some unknown reason, he has a picture of melon/cantelope on his stomach/clockface and a saying “Love – Thinking of you. All the best wishes. Benediction your friend.” It isn’t actually keeping time. We either need a better battery or a new clockwork.
Below is the advertisement in the window of a travel agency in our neighborhood and if you have seen anything South Park, you will recognize why I took this picture. There is a fair amount of trademark and copyright infringement here. At the very least, they walk close to the line — like SFC Southern Fried Chicken (knock off of KFC) and Frozen Slab Ice Cream (knock off of Cold Stone Creamery).

Posted in culture shock, Globish | Leave a Comment »

Wafi City Mall

October 11, 2008

This is inside the Khan Murjan. It is a recently constructed souk (marketplace) in which they pulled out all the stops to include traditional architecture and artistry. It is two floors and both are underground. There is beautiful carved wood everywhere and this picture shows the stained glass window ceiling. The souk was divided into different areas by regional areas – Egypt, Africa, Lebanon, etc. All the shops are supposed to sell traditional goods — carpets, Arabic garments, Middle Eastern style tea pots, jewellery, etc. There was a spice store, but it was closed 😦 The items were kinda spendy, so not exactly a real souk. I don’t know if they would have bartered and sold for a lower price. This is sort of a rich tourists souk.
The traditional souk is connected to a much larger modern mall — Wafi City — which is done in Egyptian style architecture (including a pyramid). These pictures are of the Eye of Ra, a stained glass dome in the mall. It was impossible to get the whole thing in one shot. The Eye is in the dome and then a tornado shaped spiral of glass extends to the floor.
Before we went to this mall, someone had mentioned that it is never crowded. Once we got there we discovered why. The shops are all high end (maybe with the exception of Marks and Spencer who are my friends where I can buy clothes and shoes in my size). We discovered Japengo, a multicultural restaurant that has SUSHI. Yeah! I’ve been missing my sushi! I also had the most decadent hot cocoa at one of the shops here. Yummy.

Luckily, Paul is a spatial genius. Otherwise I would get completely lost in these malls. We found the chocolate shop just after having eaten all that sushi, so we decided to come back later. Luckily, Paul knew how to get back to it. I would have had to locate a mall map and spend 10 minutes trying to figure out where to go.

Shopping here is like an extreme sport. Imagine the Clackamas Town Center mall (or any big mall in your area) the week before Christmas. That is what every Saturday is like. Madhouse. Very few of the stores have anything I would even consider buying, so I have a hard time understanding what everyone is shopping for every week.

Last night we walked down to the Lulu Hypermarket in our neighborhood. It was crowded with people. I was at the counter trying to pay for our items and a little guy (less than 5 ft tall) pushes up shoving his money and the item he wanted to buy toward the clerk, pushing me out of the way as I am trying to sign the debit card slip to finish my transaction. I am so amazed by the complete inability of people to wait their turn. They don’t know how to line up or wait. If there isn’t a physical lane leading to the counter that forces people to line up, there is a jostling crowd. And, unfortunately, the rude person is the one that gets served. I spent all my life learning to be polite, now I have to relearn to be rude.

Posted in culture shock, malls | Leave a Comment »

Road Trip #2 – Abu Dhabi

October 11, 2008

So, here we are in downtown Abu Dhabi.
This shot shows part of a mosque in the foreground and a beautiful highrise in the background.
They do love glass and shiny things here.
I didn’t take this photo for the reflection in the glass, but it turned out kinda artsy fartsy. If I had been trying, I’m sure it wouldn’t have come out this good.
It is not uncommon, in fact it is very common, to see large billboards and murals depicting one sheikh or another. This is probably Sheikh Mohammed, ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE.
Here we are sitting on the steps of the Presidential Palace, which is not the Presidential residence, but an amazingly posh hotel.
Here’s what it looks like as you drive up.

They do love their fountains here. Water, water everywhere!

This is looking down from the steps. Notice the construciton in the background. It’s hard to find a view that doesn’t include construction and cranes.
More construction to the left.
There was a large greenscape all around the hotel. Very beautiful.
This is the view down the steps including the fountain flowing all the way down the steps. Water, water everywhere.
We came to the hotel to have high tea. It was very expensive, but yummy and fun. We each got a tray like this with three layers of plates filled with little sandwiches, pastries and desserts. I’ve decided that I really like clotted cream. Mmmm.
This is Daddybird enjoying a sandwich. I told him to look pretty and took a picture. Looked at it, then told him to look pretty with his eyes open. The golden glow to these pictures is probably due to the golden hue of everything there — the walls, the furniture, the lighting. It was very beautiful.
This is a shot upward at the top of the rotunda. Unfortunately, it is blurry. I failed to check the setting on the camera. But, hopefully, you can get a feel for the grandure.

Despite the grandness of it all, we both felt comfortable here. We didn’t feel like poor relations who had wandered in off the street. The acoustics were amazing, too. There was live music being played a short distance from where we were sitting and we could hear it just fine, but were unable to hear the people at the next table talking. We could also easily hear each other as we talked at our table.

Abu Dhabi is a beautiful city, but I don’t think I would take it over Dubai.

Posted in Abu Dhabi, fountains, Us | 1 Comment »

Random and miscellaneous stuff

October 10, 2008

This is one of the textile souks. The souk shops are small rooms, much like the stalls that they have evolved from. Amazingly, the textile shops have only fabric. We indicated we were looking for thread, and they looked at us like they had no idea what we were talking about.

This is a shot of the lawn on campus showing how close to the surface the tree roots are.
I don’t remember where this mosque was. Somewhere on road trip #1.
This is the building across the street. I took this picture because of the satellite dishes on the roof. They attach the dish to the roof then drape the cable over the side of the building and into the appropriate apartment. You can click on the picture to get a larger version to see what I mean.
M.B. asked what American franchises we have here. Here is a Burger King somewhere between Hamriyah beach and Um Al Qwain. There are also KFCs, Starbucks, Subway, McDonalds, Chilis, TGIFridays, Carls Jr, Baskin & Robins, Dunkin Donuts, Krispy Kreme, Cold Stone Creamery, to name a few. It’s way to westernized here!

Posted in mosque, Souk | Leave a Comment »

Road Trip #1 – Hamriyah Beach

October 10, 2008

So, Paul already spilled the beans about our discovery of Hamriyah Beach, but here are my pictures. They don’t do the place justice. The water was an overwhelming color. Really amazing.

There were scads of beautiful shells on the beach. I picked up a couple just because I couldn’t resist.
This is the road along the beach.
This is the mosque by the beach.

Posted in beach, Hamariya beach, road trip, sea shells | Leave a Comment »

Road Trip #1 – Second Stop – Ajman

October 6, 2008

This is the gate to the museum which, unfortunately, was closed for the holiday. You can see the security guard walking away after delivering the bad news that we could not come in.
This is public art sculpture on a grand scale in the center of the street across from the museum. There’s a bow of a boat (behind the palm tree) and arches.
This is the view just a quarter turn from the last shot. I took it for the variety of colors the buildings are painted. It’s rare for a building to be anything but sand colored.
Here is the only graffiti I’ve seen so far. It wasn’t very imaginative. Apparently, the Vinny gang reign here. The graffiti was in English and Arabic and appeared to be all intelligible words, unlike American graffiti that is usually carefully crafted code and symbols.
Here you can see the public art in the background and the Vinny gang’s artistic talent in the foreground.