http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Al--n--Shez/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Al n Shez en-us Fri, 01 Jan 2010 21:35:05 +0000 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 21:35:05 +0000 Before I start and this may come as a surprise to some of you I am not really a massive fan of Christmas. Back in the UK it used to piss me off. Shops were packed pubs were full of people who never normally went in pubs and therefore did not know how to act it was a pain getting a taxi and when you did get one they charge you double and so on. If you have to wait until the season of goodwill b http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-461953.html I realise that the Middle East does not have a great reputation for Health Safety in the workplace or to and from the workplace for that matter but I'd like to redress the balance a bit and show an example of a company that is not only keeping up with European standards but knocking them into a cocked hat.Mushrif National Construction L.L.C. are building a 20odd storey tower right next to http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-435077.html I don't want to get into a big debate about ethnic origins of various races nor do I want to get into details regarding numbers but the fact of the matter is that the vast majority of the people on this planet are not white.The world population is currently estimated at about 6.78 billion. The bulk of the white people are to be found in Northern America Europe Russia and the Antipodes. Add tog http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-422526.html I've consulted an expert on this and yes a Golden Facial is exactly what you think it is. http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-407424.html Being a hub of international travel and major oil producer the UAE gets a lot of stuff that you don't see in Europe. To be honest most of these luxury goods are really aimed at a better class of shopper not something that the average Lakeside or Bluewater consumer could really afford.Behold a glimpse of the luxury clothing and scents that is on my doorstep but only in your wildest dreams. http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-402948.html While the standards of HSE don't compare to Europe at least in the Oil Gas industry a genuine effort is made to do things properly and incident rates are comparable with any installation or fab yard across the world.Once you get out of that environment and on the construction sites around town it is a totally different matter. This site is on the corner of two of the busiest roads in Abu Dhab http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-402940.html Since they have started the 1.4 billion dollar 3.1 kilometre tunnel from Fallah to Mina they have closed off a big section of Salam Street. Not only has this caused traffic chaos imagine shutting 2 miles of the busiest road in your town but it has also taken a few thousand parking spaces away from the area. The parking was never brilliant but 99 of the time you could park within 100m of your http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-398579.html Did anyone see this in the newsSea Ice Ends Year at Same Level as 1979 No and why not Because the media is being controlled.I did a search on the BBC for this and look what comes up Search BBC for Sea Ice Ends Year at Same Level as 1979 Think about that next time they show a photo of a poor ickle polar bear being forced to swim due to ldquolack of polar icerdquo.Did you know a polar bear http://www.travelblog.org/Oceans-and-Seas/Arctic/blog-361413.html as taken by someone with an eye for the puerile.You can take your BBC your National Geographic or even your Boston.com Big Picture but if you want to see the very best images of the year this is the place to be.Top 3 Albums of the Year1 Calexico Carried to Dust2 Devendra Banhart Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon3 Iron Wine The Shepherd's DogTop 3 Vehicle Accesories of 20081 http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-358102.html Yesterday afternoon on the way home from work I saw this Peugot balanced on the curb on the first roundabout from my office. Bear in mind that the curbs around Musaffah are all 10 to 12 high about 6 higher that the front end of your average car.I've got a fairly furtive imagination but I still can't see what he was doing or trying to do to get his vehicle in that situation other than being http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-337218.html On Friday Gerry Toby and I set off for the desert. Toby wanted to see how his Nissan Patrol handled in the sand I wanted to see how much of a difference my new Old Man Emu heavy duty suspension made and we all wanted to sod about in the dunes.We'd all made it down the saddle and were heading back in the direction of the track that runs parallel to the ridge when we came across a British woman w http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Hatta/blog-335990.html Just to prove I don't make this stuff up. Everything you read on this blog is 100 fact I deal only in one thing fact well two things fact and science and maths I've always said that.For example did you know that Colonel Sanders was never a real Colonel I wouldn't be surprised if Ronald MacDonald isn't a real clown. Come to think of it the pizzas at Pizza Express don't seem to arrive any q http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-327310.html I now know why they closed a big section of Al Raha beach a while ago they are building a Death Star.To be honest I thought it would be a bit bigger.Apologies for the quality of the photos but I was driving at the time.I've seen another Ramadan promotion Krispy Kreem doughnuts. The slogan is Get your Ramadan DozenThey should have gone with Ramadan Krispy Kareem http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-326243.html If you have had the misfortune to hear the craptastic pop song All Summer Long by Kid Rock you will know what I am going on about if you haven't then consider yourself lucky.I've written to my local radio station Channel 4 FM who are normally pretty good asking them to remove this rubbish but apparently it is the station's most requested song and has been for some time.This is why I find t http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Alabama/blog-324112.html As I shunted to and fro to squeeze my car out of it's space this morning I certainly was not feeling the joy of the blessed month.I had to deliver a technical and commercial bid to a national oil company's office. We were quite specifically told that the bids had to be delivered before 9 am on the 14th to a certain person on the 19th floor or the bids will not be taken.So at 0800 I am at recep http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-323372.html The Holy month of Ramadan started last week from ramadanplanner.comRamadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Every day during this month Muslims around the world spend the daylight hours in a complete fast.During the blessed month of Ramadan Muslims all over the world abstain from food drink and other physical needs during the daylight hours. As a time to purify the soul ref http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-318798.html Just Imagine that you've set off overseas to seek your fortune in the Land of Black Gold. You are a skilled machinist and you set up in a little workshop in Musaffah. You are proud of your skills on a lathe so you name your establishment accordingly so the Accurate Turning Workshop is born.All is well and business is booming you've been able to afford a few acetylene bottles and have a whole y http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-266949.html Every now and again you come across a sign that is so profound that it not only gives instruction specific to its intended purpose but can actually give instruction for your whole life.Consider these three instructions seen on the side of a dustcart.DO NOT WALK OR STAND IN THE WALKING ZONE OF THIS MACHINEIn this instance the walking zone zone is quite clearly a metaphor for life. This means http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-249465.html We've got some work over in Oman and I needed to see the client on site as well as our agent in Muscat so I had a bit of a road trip on my hands.It's only about 210km from Abu Dhabi to the Oman border just past Al Ain and then head south east another 130 to the town of Ibri. Once there you have to head West for another 130km to the Safah Oil Field.Due to security reasons you are not allowed to ta http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Oman/blog-246167.html I know I know. Poking fun at people's lack of understanding of the English language is not exactly Oscar Wild level wit but this is Standard Chartered Bank and they have a network of over 1400 branches in more than 50 countries so you think they'd know better. Apart from the slogan I like the imagery of a man hastily grabbing at another man's crotch area.Who doesn't http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-246175.html