Driving in Dubai

First, a little video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-0J9TwZeMc&feature=related

If you don't have to drive here, DON'T! But since the metro is not fully running (more on the slick Dubai Metro later), and my job is in another Emirate, I have no choice. Having driven since 1984 in many many places, Miami, Bogota & LA were my former Top 3 worst. Now, it's Dubai, Sharjah & Abu Dhabi. There are numerous reasons:

Speed

Young inexperienced males

Unlicensed drivers

Sportscars

Traffic

Construction Zones

Cab drivers

South Asians

Fog

Young inexperienced unlicensed drivers who weave their sports cars at high speeds through heavy traffic and construction zones full of South Asian cab drivers in the fog...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nzIBJMvYPA

We are presently looking to buy a tank...

UAE Weather

The first 3 days we were here were completely overcast - but not by clouds. It was a dust storm that blew in from Iraq and covered the entire Arabian Gulf area. Since the sun was blocked, it never got above 90. Then the sun came out. And it was 118F. And humid. And at night, it rarely fell below 95. This lasted all through August and into September. We went to the beach and the water was over 100F. It felt like a hot tub. I never sweated in the ocean before. Very odd sensation. The heat continued through October and into mid-November, when the days were still frequently over 100, and the nights around 80. Then 1 woke up to dense fog 3 mornings in a row...a definite sign of change!

Then last Friday, the skies grew cloudy and the wind began to blow. There were thunderstorms in North UAE and a few showers at the beach by our house. By Saturday, November 21, the skies were crystal clear, and it failed to reach 80! The days since have been upper 70's to low 80's with nights in the mid 60's! We've turned the air off and are loving it. We went to the beach and the usually flat sea was crashing 3-6 footers on the beach! Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera. By 12 noon, the lifeguards put up red flags and closed Jumeriah Beach! Seas continued to rise to more than 10 feet by Tuesday. The water was so many colors it was amazing.

Last Sunday, we had between 2 and 3 inches of rain. There were floods everywhere!

Qatar Airlines

As many of you know, I am no longer the happy jet-setter I once was. For some odd reason, I am really afraid to fly and avoid it as much as possible - a major problem for someone who lives and works overseas! BUT, I am ok under the following conditions...

1. Very short flights

2. Day time flights

3. First or Business class

4. Very short day time flights in First or Business Class.

Hummm, the only way to do this was to fly from Tucson-Chicago (3 hrs), then to Toronto (1 hr) with a 3 day layover. Toronto - JFK (1.5 hrs), JFK - Doha, Qatar (13 hours), then Doha - Dubai (1 hr). I have flown both business and 1st class before, but never at the level of an airline like Qatar, which claims to be the world's only 5-star airline. I don't know what was going on back in coach, but this was the way to do it. When we got on the plane, I felt as if we were sitting in a large living room. There were 6 large recliner seats in pairs. There was cool lighting, mood music, and I counted 1 flight attendant for every 2 people! There was so much room for my feet that I couldn't stretch my legs far enough to reach the seat back in front of me. The menu was ridiculous. You could choose a multi-course meal at a set-time or a la carte when you were hungry. The choices were steak, chicken, fish, salads, vegan, etc for the multi-course, and things like pasta, personal pizzas, grilled hamburgers, ice cream sundaes, and freshly-baked cookies for the a la carte choices! Wait, there was also a wine, beer and liquor/liquer menu! I was so overwhelmed. Ingrid kept telling me to stop talking so much, or they would know this was our 1st time in such posh seating. I think they knew when I started video-taping the cabin, and asked a flight attendant to take our photo! Anyway, if that wasn't a clue, my inability to work my seat, which not only laid flat into a 180 degree bed, BUT also had multiple massage functions, clearly gave me away. The buttons were so sensative that 1 moment I was sitting up straight watching my 13" flat screen tv and the next minute I was reclining fully out of control to a flat position, hitting buttons, getting massaged in places I didn't need or want, and activating the flight attendant assistance button. Ingrid offered no help, acting like she had just met me on the plane. Thanks, Joanne!

So the 13 hours flew by. We slept for 7 or 8 hours. I ate and drank Bordeaux the rest of the time. Did I mention I was given Godiva chocolates every time I went to the bathroom? I could have flown to the moon and not complained. We landed in Doha in a thick dust-storm, with visibility only a few hundred feet. As we deplaned, there was a bus waiting for us to take us to the 1st class terminal. Not a 1st class lounge, but an ENTIRE TERMINAL! There were marble floors, crystal chandeliers, a hot & cold buffet, HOT TUBS in the restrooms, and wait, OPEN BAR. I thought we were in the Middle East?!? See http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news06/2811-QatarAirways.shtml It was at this point that I realized we were moving to a place that would always be full of pleasant surprises.

Toronto

After sweating in Madrid and Tucson for most of May, June & July, we thought it would be a "cool" ideal to spend a few days in Canada. (Actually, the real reason was the fact that it cost the same amount to fly Business class from Canada to Dubai as it did to fly coach from Tucson, so I got creative in my travel planning, "forcing" us to spend 3 days in Toronto!) The city is amazing - kind of like New York or Chicago, only MUCH cleaner, safer and with friendlier people. We stayed downtown at the One King West Hotel & Residence - perfect location. We walked all around, ate at great restaurants, and saw the musical Jersey Boys - The Frankie Valli story, which we highly recommend. http://www.jerseyboysinfo.com/

Happy Thanksgiving 2009!!!

Hello Everyone! Finally, after 4 months of absence, I have been able to figure out the Arabic blogger page, so I can access, upload and update this site. A special muchas gracias to Robert Martinez of San Antonio, Texas, who sent me the link. Well, it has been a great adventure since we stepped on the plane to leave Tucson last July 28...and the next several posts will be about the amazing experiences since we departed: Toronto, Qatar Airways, the weather, getting settled in Dubai, learning how to drive all over again, my cool job @ HCT, our 1st visitors, bowling club, big waves, UAE National Day bus trip around Sharjah with 1000 female students on 28 buses, why it takes 10 people to change a tire, and our apartment. Ingrid & I hope you all have a Happy & Safe Turkey Day 2009!