Posted by Kanga.
December is here and the weather is beautiful. Here’s what the weather stats are like.
It is Christmas at the malls. Every year the decorations are new. I wonder where the old ones go.
Nice, subtle decorations.
With the “cold” weather comes the winter wear. These are not just meant for wearing in Ski Dubai. People wear them outdoors.
I took the picture below just for the little, understated number in the middle.
Once again it seems that the manikins have been partying too hard.
Posted by Kanga.
Not culturally sensitive, to say the least.
Didn’t we get over this fashion statement back in the 1980’s? Plaid shirt and down vest? Really?
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, these are unlined rain coats being sold in an arid desert country. When it rains here, and it does, you don’t go out for a stroll. It rains hard and there is thunder and lightening. People have been struck dead while walking in the rain.
This just amazes. It is a dish scrub sponge shaped like Diana Ross with the sponge serving as her afro hairdo.
Posted by Kanga.
Apparently, if I buy this cereal, open the box, find the special code, and enter it online, I will have a chance of winning a tube of lipstick. Hmmm….
Dish Drop doesn’t conjure pictures of wise dish handling, but the bottle looks happy.
Stone Ground Nacho Rock Salted Tortilla Chips seems like quite a mouthful. So does Stone Ground Stars Traditional Tortilla Chips . I think I will just call them Saloon or Jail flavored.
The catalogue section of DVDs – what does this mean? Also, notice what movies make it into this country, uncut – Sin City, Pulp Fiction, etc. There was a copy of American Beauty, too.
Posted by Kanga.
I am puzzled. There are many, many lingerie shops, especially in Dubai (not so much in Fujairah) and, yet, the only thing sold at Victoria’s Secret is perfume.
One of the things that we found surprising in our first week in the country was the contrast in the malls where there will be abaya and gown stores right next to lingerie stores (displaying some pretty naughty stuff in the windows). These stores display things that I have never seen at a Victoria’s Secret (U.S.) store. More along the lines of Frederick’s of Hollywood.
Posted by Kanga.
Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, you are seeing zebra striped frying pans. Totally hip.
We may have thought Fanta Orange was orange flavored before, but the NEW flavor is deliciously orange. Completely different.
I’m not a Coke drinker, but I do find the bottles nostalgic.
I think some settling has occurred in transit.
Posted by Kanga.
When you move to another country, especially one half-way around the world from your home, you expect that there will be some things you are used to that will now be difficult or impossible to obtain. I was concerned about salmon sushi. What is really difficult to obtain? A common bed blanket.
We started out with a comforter, then moved up to a feather duvet. But, despite the constant airconditioning, these were too much. Too warm. There are cheap fleece blankets, but these are not enough and get all wonky once they are laundered. So, we began a search for a run-of-the-mill blanket.
The problem is that run-of-the-mill blankets don’t seem to exist here. When you walk into a store and ask the sales person if they have blankets, they say “yes, sir” then show you the duvets. We said that wasn’t what we were looking for and he asked what a blanket was. Seriously.
Throw blankets exist and I actually considered buying several and sewing them together. We have finally found a quilted bedspread. We’ll see how that works, or not.
Sheets can also be somewhat challenging. When we first arrived I bought packages expecting a full sheet set only to find a single flat sheet and two pillow cases, no fitted sheet. If you go to Ikea, it’s the other way around – one fitted sheet with no flat sheet. So, I ended up combining the flat from one store and the fitted from the other. I get excited when I find a complete set. It’s the small pleasures in life, they say.
Posted by Kanga.
In a desert where the temperature ranges from 75F to 120F, it’s important to have gloves, ear muffs, and furry caps.
There’s a great new Khaleeji family doll house. Why they live in a wood frame house is a mystery. Apparently, their neighbors, the King and Queen have their own Jester.
Down the street is the Cavemen family.
I am greatly amused by the bone in the hair.
“The seven innate emotions are joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hate, and desire.” I think this speaks for itself.
Streaky bacon.
Here are some “culturally sensitive” party glasses.
Posted by Kanga.
Here in the cheeps aisle, they are not talking about marshmallow cheeps. Surprisingly, they didn’t call them “crisps.” It’s a French store chain, so it would probably be treason to use the British “crisps.”
We are surprised and pleased to see Thums Up soda on the Carrefour shelves. (Apologies for the blurry picture, but I am trying to take pictures on the sly.)
It is always interesting to see what two products are taped together to form a special deal. Here two bottles of water are taped to a six pack of soda pop. In the freezer section, there was a small tub of mango ice cream taped to a huge tub of vanilla ice cream.
The variety of pet treats is interesting. Hamsters, exotic birds, canaries, parrots, guinea pigs, chinchillas, rabbits, and cockatiels. No cheetah chews or tiger bites though. I was tempted to get rabbit treats to see if Oliver, our vegetable eating cat, would like them. Bert is the one we have trouble finding treats for.
And for your reptiles – mixed carnivore. Does this mean bits of carnivorous animals? Tiger bites? Chewy cheetahs?
I remember the good old days when the bagger used to put more than one item in each bag. I need to be more disciplined about taking canvas bags, but that always throws the bagger into confusion. What to do?!?!?! It doesn’t keep them from putting one item in each bag, however. (Yes, that is Oliver sniffing around the bags. He’s trying to find the curry leaves, one of the many things he loves to eat.)
Posted by Kanga.
We ventured out for an evening of discount store shopping. It is always an adventure.
Melmac, anyone?
The coffee mug aisle.
The glassware aisle.
Facial tissues, anyone?
How could you not want a ladybug or spotted cow broom?
Or a dolphin shaped toy sewing machine?
This one takes a little explanation (picture too fuzzy). It is a tiger with a lamb on it’s back. The lamb has a cat mask or hat on it’s head. In front of the tiger is a mouse who also has a cat mask or hat on it’s head. And, yet, we did not purchase this toy.
From the candy section, the appetizing “Milko Lacto.”
But, of course, the big attraction of the evening was DaddyBird, whose beard gets the attention of everyone working or shopping in the store.
Posted by Kanga.
We opted for an uncharacteristically touristy activity – riding the site seeing bus. Let’s face it, we’re getting old and walking everywhere in humid heat is a bit exhausting. This way, we got to sit in air conditioning, see the sights, and learn some details from the canned tour commentary that we wouldn’t have known otherwise.
We started on the Heritage route which took us through Little India, Chinatown, and other older parts of the city.
There is a lot of high density housing here. At least they try to make it attractive.
We hopped off at Suntec City Mall for lunch.
DaddyBird had the “white carrot cake” which is a big, spicy omelette with white radish and shrimp in it. I had char siew and roast duck.
In the absence of lime juice, I tried the delicious celery juice.
Our ticket also included rides on water taxis, so we took another ride on the river on one of these.
We got off at the Marina Bay Sands complex. The complex includes hotel, shopping mall, conference center, casino, and probably more.
There is even a canal with boat rides.
We were headed to the Art and Science Museum for the Harry Potter Exhibition. No photography was allowed, so you will have to imagine what we saw. I stood three feet from Snape’s costume, unfortunately Alan Rickman was not in it. It was a well designed exhibit, although it was aimed at a younger demographic than DaddyBird and I. The Sorting Hat sorted us – I am Ravenclaw and DaddyBird is Griffyndor.
By the time we finished the sun was down and we were exhausted from a long day of tourism, so it was off to Brewerkz again for dinner. Above is potato skins appetizer with cheese, bacon bits and dip.
DaddyBird opted for the Cowboy Burger – bacon, cheese, and BBQ sauce. I had the Bangers and Mash. I am certain that the sausages were good, but they were overshadowed by the cheesy mash potatoes and sauerkraut. I very nearly asked for additional sauerkraut. Yummy!
Below is the sign that is posted in the area where the brewery vats are visible. We found it amusing.
I think they mean business.
Living the Travel Channel 