Archive for the ‘signs’ Category

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One Last Look

June 17, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

One last post of pictures of Fayetteville, North Carolina.

kangaroo gasoline station sign

Of course, I couldn’t leave without a picture of a Kangaroo gasoline (petrol) station. As for the price, $3.609 per gallon (13.25 AED); 1 gallon = 3.785 liters.

sign for Dirty South Custom Sound and Wheels

I’ll let this one speak for itself. There were a couple of lingerie shops nearby, so this could have gone a whole different direction.

business sign for Chop Shop Tattoo

We’ve seen a lot of tattoos while here. Usually, on the forearm.

Crime watch sign with Sherlock Holmes sillouette

It appears that Sherlock Holmes has been a bad boy and now there’s a price on his head.

Posted in signs, USA | Tagged | 3 Comments »

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21 Gump Street

June 12, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

Apparently, someone ran out of ideas when it came to naming streets.

street sign for Attorney Drive

street sign for housemover drive

street sign for Forest Gump Drive

street sign for Hunters Run

Should the hunter be running? Toward or away from his prey?

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A Taste of the South

June 9, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

red brick church building

Here are a few sights to give you a taste of Fayetteville, North Carolina.

shelves full of barbecue sauce in a store

You can never have enough choices when it comes to barbecue sauce.

gallon jars of cheese ball snacks

sign for American Flag Storage

For your excess flag collection needs.

leather belt with the Confederate flag and the words we shall rise again

Divided loyalties.

sign for Dixie Music and Military Supplies

For all your shopping needs.

Posted in signs, USA | 1 Comment »

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Voyage, Not Particularly Bon

June 4, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

white cat sitting on top of suitcase

Oliver made his opinion about us packing baggage very clear. He did his best to get in the way and delay the inevitable.

golden decoration

We began our journey at the un-ostentatiously decorated DXB airport. The only frustration was the process required for paying an extra baggage fee for the third suitcase (because the website had stated clearly that we were allowed 2 each – LIE!). Instead of just being able to pay the person who was checking in our bags (as is done in any other airport) our boarding passes were carried to a different counter by a second person who turned it over to the staff of that counter. We then stood in line (too long) waiting for the first of the two people at this counter to match up our paperwork and ask us pointless questions. She then passed the paperwork to her coworker who actually took the money and gave us back our boarding passes. FOUR PEOPLE. Really, does it take four people to handle this transaction? No. It takes four people to delay you so that you stand in line saying, “we should have flown Emirates Airline.”

map showing a single line

We proceeded to Heathrow Airport where getting to your connecting flight is so complex it requires a map.

sign stating face direction of travel

And they give good advice.

It was not the best of trips. It was not the worst of trips. We really must stop this flying halfway around the Earth in one shot business.

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24 Hour Mirage, Beby

May 13, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

24 hour drive up ATM at a gas station

Yesterday morning the gas gauge was flashing, so this required a quick stop at an ATM near our apartment for cash followed by hope that we could make it to the first gas station on the route to work. We did make it and discovered the drive up, 24 hour ATM right there at the gas station. Good to know for the future.

van with "mirage security" written on it

Do you really want security that is a mirage? I think I might prefer Iron Fist Security or Safe and Sound Security or The Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers to Mirage.

business sign - smart beby saloon

And for that perfect juvenile coiffure go to Smart Beby Saloon.

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Cultural Expressions

May 11, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

Who would have thought that the “caution: children” signs on school buses would be a place for cultural expression?

sign on school bus showing children in traditional dress

I posted this picture before. My best guess it that this is an older sister and younger brother in Emirati dress. Since then, I’ve been watching for these signs on school buses and noticed that the silhouettes reflect the nationality or ethnicity of the school.

boy with headress, girl with bonnet

Again, I’m guessing, but these seem to be Pakistani children, a brother and younger sister.

brother and younger sister

This is a slight variation on the previous.

generic silhouettes of older children

The high school bus has generic figures, but they are clearly older.

two "caution: children" signs on a single bus

This one doubled up, just to be safe. The silhouettes seem to be generic Westerners.

Posted in culture, Dubai traffic, signs | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Signs: Gas the Happy Way

May 6, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

Time for some signs and sights.

large yellow sign apologizing for road construction inconveniences

Not sure why the Road and Transport Authority is in quotations.

car license plate taped onto the car

When life gives you lemons, make do as best you can, I guess.

natural gas canister delivery truck

There are many amusing natural gas company names. Here is Happy Way Gas Trading. Another favorite is Al Boom Gas. I don’t know if there is any delivery of gas via underground pipes (like in the States). I seriously doubt it. These delivery trucks are visible everywhere. So, anyone with a gas cook stove gets it delivered in canisters. I’m surprised that there aren’t more explosions and fires.

solar powered parking meter

These have begun to appear in our neighborhood on the street behind our apartment. These are solar powered parking payment machines. This means that the street parking will soon be more controlled, we hope. Parking in this area is chaotic including parking on the sidewalks. If you are wondering what it costs to park – 2 AED ($0.54) for one hour, 5 AED for two hours, 8 am to 9 pm Saturday through Thursday.

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Most Disturbing of Signs

March 4, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

This is the most disturbing Baby On Board sign, I think, I have ever seen.

baby on board sign with two naked toddlers

Why are there two? Why are they naked? Why are they embarrassed about being naked? Why do they have cloven hooves? And, the facial expressions are beyond description.

Posted in oddities, signs | 2 Comments »

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Speed Bump Ahead

February 12, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

There is a new GIGANTIC speed bump on our street. It appears to accommodate some very large pipes that start here.

pump machinery

And go along here, entering the speed bump…

large black pipes entering side of the speed bump made of bricks

The speed bump, itself…

large speed bump made of bricks and cement

At the other side the pipes continue…

pipes going down an alley covered in part by wooden boxes

Then end in this curly Q…

large black pipes that circle & attach to each other

Notice that the ends of the two pipes seem to be attached to each other in one big, pointless loop. We are assuming that is only temporary and that they will be eventually attached to something else. Also, even though the speed bump is made of cement and bricks, we expect it to be temporary, too. It is the Dubai way.

caution sign with a zig zag arrow

If this sign were to truly symbolize Dubai it would have to look more like a crazy straw than just a zig zag.

Posted in Dubai metro construction, Dubai traffic, signs | Leave a Comment »

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Caution: Children Running for the Bus

January 5, 2011

Posted by Kanga

sign on school bus showing children in traditional dress
I’ve been scolded by Rupert for posting just this picture with no text. Apparently, he thinks people will think bad things about it. Personally, I think you are all big girls and boys and don’t need me to tell you what to think about this picture. Also, a little reminder that this blog is not for people who live in Dubai. You all are welcome to read/view it, but you can look out your own window and see these things for yourself. This blog is for the few friends and family we have back home who will probably never travel halfway around the world to see these things for themselves.

I thought this picture was charming. In Abu Dhabi, there are pedestrian crossing signs showing a man in a kandoora crossing the street. I don’t have a picture of that, yet, or I would have added it here.

I was just appreciating a small difference in an all too homogenized world.

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