From Warqaa with love

SCUBA Saz and the wrongest day ever

So they’ve now been in Dubai over a week and knowing that Ficks has his open water diver licence, knowing that they could go diving together as they travel round the world, knowing that she loves a challenge, Saz signs up for an open water course at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. Such an amazing idea, such a beautiful location, such a professional bunch of instructors…such a shame she appears unable to blow out through her nose to clear her mask! 5 attempts later and close to hyperventilating she leaves the pool in tears…Ficks as always is amazing and they decide to get some food for dinner in Spinneys (the local supermarket) to calm her nerves, forget about the scuba for a while, relax…..the afternoon can only get better she thinks. Only to be proved drastically wrong as she falls UP the stairs at the guesthouse, drops the shopping, leaks fruit salad over all the food, bruises her knees, turns on the shower and realises the head is pointing the wrong way flooding the bathroom…..she goes to bed, it seems the safest option.

Flamingo beach titanic

It’s here? I don’t see it! It’s here!! It must be, we’ve already been past here twice and it says it’s here on the map! Now back at the “Department of fisheries and resource management research centre”, AGAIN, Ficks and Saz debate the location of the “Tourist centre” described in their “Dubai Red Tape guide book”. On their third attempt the building described as the Al Qaiwain tourist centre is now clearly the “Flamingo Beach Resort Hotel”. Ah that’s why we couldn’t find it! As Saz darts through the front doors and past the confused receptionist to the ladies, Ficks questions as to when the Tourist Centre became a beach resort?? Suddenly realising that the “amazing Dubai hand book” is virtually useless or at least 4 years out of date. Much to Saz and Ficks’s surprise they have finally, after a very long day of wrong turns and really really bad traffic, 40+ deg heat and constant beeping of horns, discovered that the “resort” still offers boat tours as per the old tourist centre. Perfect!! They board the small vessel and begin an enchanting afternoon cruise of Al Qaiwain’s turquoise waters which are full of killer jelly fishies (Ficks is now very scared!) They stop at an amazing shell atoll covered with mangroves and walk along the small beach in the setting sun. They depart from the island in the capable and trusting hands of their new Indian friend, who has been bribed for a safe voyage with Cashew nuts and Mentos. Racing back to the resort, now at full speed, Saz is sitting quietly pondering life as the captain stares off into the distance and Ficks not assuming that the Captain is competent and knows where he is driving the damn boat, brings to his attention the fact that they are about to end up as fish food in the large aquaculture enclosures! A very rapid drop in the throttle and sudden turn manage to avoid the sinking which is then sheepishly laughed off by the captain, knowing full well the disaster that was barely avoided! A lovely way to end a relaxing afternoon on the water!

Jack and the bean tower

So Saz and Ficks decide to accept Jacks (an old work colleague of Saz’s sisters) kind invite to watch the Liverpool AC Milan match at his house. Couldn’t be easier they thought, a great way to meet some fellow ex-pats, to get some tips on living/working in Dubai, to make some new contacts. Jack says to get a taxi..they decide to drive…momentarily forgetting that they are in Dubai, the Sudden City where nothing is easy. After driving through 2 building sites..literally, they come across Jacks place, a tall tower next to the tallest tower in the world. 190 floors up (or so it seems) a lovely couple, a great night, an amazing view from the ever so slightly precarious balcony…the sudden realisation from both Saz and Ficks as they sit on the sofa eating pizza, watching the football, surrounded by Brits, Americans, Swiss, Saudi’s, Syrians, New Zealanders, Aussies, that they are actually in Dubai..that they know no-one. So they hold hands a bit tighter and smile at each other.

Dune bashing

Saz and Ficks are chatting on their way home after the football when suddenly one jumps out from behind a tree, Al Warqaa this way! Ficks jams on the brakes and contemplates reversing the 200m they have now overshot the Warqaa exit home. Hmmm? Reversing? too complicated! Perfect…. Ficks accelerates and heads towards a small gap between some trees… and runs into a large mound of sand also known as a dune! Turning off the lights to avoid the attention of passing traffic, Reverse proves to do nothing less than cover the whole car in a huge sand storm and bury it deeper! Smiling reassuringly at Saz, Ficks (scared witless by the thought of Saz’s wrath of having to call a tow truck at 1:30am, IN DUBAI!) quickly rushes around to the front of the car and instructs Saz to reverse again. Brilliant! After a little wheel spin and some more flying sand the car is free! Told you we’d get it out! (just… he thinks to himself). They swap places and Ficks jumps back into the driving seat of the newly unveiled Toyota Sand Storm! The car begins to make a lovely smokey smell and lurches back with great effort as Ficks now reverses. We’re still bogged!! Or I could just take the hand brake off, Ficks smiles in recognition! They have now encountered the rare and endangered species called the Dubai road sign.

Sri Lankan Green beans

Only two nights left at their air conditioned oasis palace before Ficks and Saz move into their air conditioned one bedroom apartment in Bur Dubai and Ravi and Ranuka (who have been amazing hosts over the last 3 weeks) offer to cook them a Sri Lankan meal to say goodbye. Saz and Ficks are ridiculously excited about this..a hot home cooked meal, their first since they reached Dubai…woo hoo! They sit expectantly in their room waiting for 8 o’clock, for dinner to be served. At 9 o’clock it arrives with apologetic hosts (they are in Dubai after all). It smells incredible, they sit down at the desk (imagining it to be a dining table) and look at the amazing freshly prepared fish, rich sauce, fragrant rice, fresh vegetables. Ficks tries some of the vegetables: ‘carrots, green beans Saz..try them’. So ever trusting, Saz eats a Sri Lankan green bean, a whole Sri Lankan green bean..aka a chilli…one bottle of water, a tub of yoghurt, some ice cream and a cold can of coke later, she can once again feel her tongue…barely, but she can feel it.

Barter.com - get a grip

After 101 poorly answered phone calls Ficks discovers a Canon EOS 5D, with battery grip! The only battery grip for the EOS 5D in the UAE!
Perfect. Saz and Ficks head down to the local bollywood shopping strip to find the desired camera. “Yes we have, please sit” exclaims the bollywood shop owner. “We get from our other shop, 10 minutes, OK”.
2 and a half hours, some serious bartering and several trips to an un yielding ATM later Saz and Ficks leave barter.com in hysterical laughter! The “10min wait” and comical conversations had between Ficks and the four shop attendees about; cricket (of which Saz and Ficks know nothing), Kerala (known only by Ficks’ previous experience with Kerala Beef), the benefits of working in Australia (White Australians are lazy) and ensuing misunderstood jokes about the passing sirens bringing the camera and the possible need for a bed for Saz and Ficks whilst they await the cameras arrival, have left them in stitches!

360 Lounge

They found an amazing place, at the end of a long walk way that curves round the Jumeirah Beach Hotel marina, a circular building out at sea, open to the elements, a place to relax on a sofa bed and drink mocktails.. To watch the birds soaring and sweeping across the clear blue sky as the sun sets, as the day finally cools. To look back at the reflection of the Burj Al Arab on the glass crest of the Jumeriah..built to look like a wave against the sail of the Burj. To listen to the wind and the wailing from the mosques as the sun disappears over the turquoise water. A place to relax after a swim and a warm shower on the beach, after looking at the shapes the crabs make in the sand, the ripples the tide leaves. A place that is close to paradise.

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