Get up early, have breakfast, not unlike the previous, or any other, day for that matter. Today will be a getting-to-know-the-city-better day. Around 8:30 am, I go for a walk but since this is a holy day, jom’e, the streets are mostly deserted. Only a few people are about, making their way around this early, very likely only because, in Tehran, ‘they must’ for reasons of their own. I am able to take photos of deserted streets. I make my way westward along Taleghani to Felestin Square and then travel north on Valiasr; don’t know how far, but I am sure of it having been quite some distance. Along the way, I get stopped by a policeman, who speaking Farsi, tries to ask what I am up to and points out that I can’t take ... read more

Out to Le Meridian Hotel and the Culinary Village (http://www.lemeridien-abudhabi.com -- also good for drinking beer at a couple of the sports bars during sunny afternoons or weekends, like NRG Sports bar with many TV screens and happy hour between 7-9pm) with motley crew of teachers: 40+ country-Tom from Owen Sound; Cheryl from Louisiana; Felicia from Durban, S.A.; 2-year, going for a possible 5 yr.-teacher Tim from Chicago, et al. Talk focuses on, well what else, teaching, travel, UAE visa problems/solutions – like consider returning from Tehran with Etihad into Bahrain for day or 2, let them get 2nd visa which overall might be cheaper notwithstanding cost of buying return flight to Abu Dhabi. The dinner is a free-bee for Sahara guests, but I “worm in on the benefit” too, even if I have to pay ... read more

Upon landing in Dubai, and filled with concerns with an acceptable visa, I retrieve my baggage fortunately just making it way towards me on the carousel and I politely ask a fellow at the “visa” desk what I should do since I have only an electronic version of my visa. He directs me to Room No.1 on the left and down the big arrival hall area. To cut a long story short involving my going back and forth, I get my visa, having only to pay an additional 30Dhs or EAD (about $10Cdn, more or less). Now the how to get to Dubai – manage somehow to understand from bus and taxi staff that I can get a Dubai public bus pass for 20Dhs that will get me to the Ghubabai Stn. and from there ... read more