Posted by Kanga.
With the help of an Emirati friend, DaddyBird went kandora shopping.
First, a few measurements were taken and decisions were made on length and features.
Next, the fabric and colors were chosen. He ordered two black, one blue, and one white. After a bit of negotiation, a 50% deposit was paid. The total cost came to approximately $60.00 each.
When the finished product is ready, perhaps we’ll have a little fashion show.
Posted by Kanga.
DaddyBird usually cooks big, but discovery of some miniburgers in the frozen food section led to tiny cheese burgers on mini-bread.
They were rather tasty little bites.
Posted by Kanga.
We served as amateur tour guides for Sharjah International Book Fair visiting authors (Mike, Terri, Sophie, Nicola, Stuart, and Yahia – I hope I got that all right.)
We started with lunch at a Yemeni restaurant.
We shared a large platter of mandi (lamb and rice).
Eating rice with their hands seemed to be a new experience for everyone. It was enjoyed by all and mastered by some.
Then we were off to Fujairah Fort which is open to the public due to the 40th National Day celebrations that started November 11th (with the beginning of the Al Saif sword competitions) and will continue through December 15th. The actual National Day is December 2nd and commemorates the joining of the 7 Emirates into a single country.
It was a real pleasure to get to see the inside of the fort.
Sophie found a place to rest with an inspiring view and took a moment for contemplation.
Below the Fort many traditional activities are on display. This man is making a fishing net by hand.
These men are tying palm leaves together to make a small boat.
Eventually, it will look like this.
Then, of course, we had to squeeze in a visit to the bull butting. This competition is held every Friday afternoon and dates back to the 1600’s.
The dark bull was something to see. He started by kneeling and rubbing his head on the ground and then was up in a flash, catching the other bull by surprise and gaining the advantage.
Unfortunately, time ran out and the authors had to return to Sharjah for the book fair activities. We enjoyed giving them a taste of Fujairah and Emirati culture.
Posted by Kanga.
Snapped this shot when leaving the Sharjah International Book Fair. Beautiful night scene.
Posted by Kanga.
The Oriental Restaurant has added live entertainment.
Two of the softest, cutest puppies ever.
By the time we left it was nap time.
Posted by Kanga.
Another trip to the grocery store:
How do you want your choco – bits, flakes, pops, or bumps?
Don’t these fellows look happy to be eaten? Umm, appetizing.
Posted by Kanga.
There are at least two things wrong in the picture below.
The two pork cutlets are the only things undeniably right. They were a good size and delicious. The herb butter was tasty, although I don’t put it on the pork, because I think that’s just over doing it. My only complaint about the asparagus would be that I can eat three times that much because I love asparagus.
The two glaringly wrong things, in case you haven’t deduced them yourself, are the rectangular plate and tiny, tiny baked potato. This meal was served in a pub, a supposedly British pub. That is not a pub plate. That is a foo foo fancy restaurant plate (and a foo foo food presentation as well). As for the potato, I would gladly have traded one of my cutlets for a decent sized potato, or three of those little ones. We are frequently at this restaurant, so I will have to remember this experience when ordering next time. It doesn’t really make sense, because meat is always more expensive than potatoes. It also doesn’t make sense to have such an artsy food presentation in a pub. Pub food should be a hearty plateful for the working man. Of course, being Dubai, this pub is in a hotel, so not exactly working man territory.
Posted by Kanga.
Last week we were in Dubai doing some shopping and errands. We visited Mirdif City Center Mall for the second time, ever. We saw banners indicating that there was a display of student sculptures somewhere in the mall (which is massive). Luckily, we found the sculpture display around the central information desk. The theme includes recycling and UAE symbols.
The Emirates Towers
Arabian Horse
We were particularly impressed with the falcon. The artist(s) even included the hood. Very creative.
If you are in the Mirdif City Centre Mall soon, look for the display. In order to vote, you must present mall store receipts for a minimum of 200 AED to the information desk.
Posted by Kanga.
The weather has “cooled” enough that it is pleasant to be outdoors, although it can still be a little sweaty, if there is no breeze.
You never know what you might see at the park.
One source of free entertainment is watching others jet skiing. There are a couple of rental providers. One on which is “Titanic.” I’m not sure they are clear on what happened to the Titanic.
And if you are feeling a little peckish, stop by the “Sponge Bop” concession truck.
Posted by Kanga.
We spent a pleasant evening at the Hilton with our friend, Rupert. Where we sat near the beach, drank tea, and listened to the surf. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I had hot chocolate instead of tea.)
If you look very closely at the horizon, you might see the ships and tankers lined up out there.
I dipped my toes in the Gulf of Oman for the first time. The sand here is dark, an almost chocolate brown. (I don’t know if that’s because of the actual composition of the sand or the occasional addition of crude oil.) The sand was soft and the water was cool.
There was even an affectionate kitty who wanted to be petted, until he discovered how good cheese cake tastes. Then his priorities changed. After he figured out cheese cake had run out, he decided that being petted was still good. He came by several times during the course of the evening.
Living the Travel Channel 