Blogs from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Middle East - page 35

Anyone who knows me will testify that I am a deeply spiritual person. Over years of study, devotion, personal denial and temperence, I have gained an extensive knowledge of many belief systems and a great respect for religion of all kinds, and the values and traditions they represent. I am equally comfortable in a church as I am in a temple, mosque, up a mountain with my head shaved and wrapped in an orange sheet or in a police cell after a heavy evening expanding my mind on an astral plane trying to explain that I don't know how those mushrooms got in my car and could I please have my pants back. It is so easy in this modern day of email, intrawebs, internets, faxes, brushless tip-ex and mobile phones that allow you to send ... read more

Entry number three and much has happen since my last. Will keep it short as I need to go prepare to go offshore tomorrow morning on my first job, yay! Heading down to Abu Dhabi to board a South African boat to go and recover then redeploy some current metres (instruments to measure the current). Probably won't mean much to most but will explain later when I get back But before that both Bailey and I had the offshore training at the start of this week. Very very cool. Underwater helicopter escape, liferaft training and fire fighting. Again will talk more later.... read more

In is not a new phenomenon that the names of products destined for outside the English speaking market are a source of amusement. Oh how we laugh at a group of drunken football supporters mooning at the camera in front of a sign of the German town of "Wank", the mirth generated by a photo of the "Good Fuk Noodle Restaurant" in Bangkok is almost beyond belief. Personally I think poking fun at this aspect of other cultures, many of them much older than my own is puerile, childish and utterly reprehensible. So you can imagine my disappointment when I spotted these two items next to the coffee machine at the ADNOC Service Station in Musaffah. Before you know it, someone will have sent photos like these into Viz or some lad’s mag together with a ... read more

Just the other day Shez phoned me up to tell me she’d just seen a Land Cruiser roll onto it’s side in front of Abu Dhabi Mall. I know 4X4s have a slightly higher centre of gravity than an average saloon car, but the speed limit in that part of town is 30mph and there is less than 200 yards between sets of traffic lights, so you have to be doing something fairly stupid to tip one over. In the same area I have seen a Corolla on the pavement on its roof before now, again, that takes some doing. I know there are many places in the world where the driving is worse, but they normally have poor road conditions and badly maintained vehicles. Here the roads are superb, and there are strict vehicle controls. ... read more

The roads out here in Abu Dhabi are well laid out with proper junctions. They are wide, smooth and well maintained. They are well lit. There are quite strict MOT style checks every year and the vast majority of the vehicles are new and in good condition. The Police are visible, well trained and equipped, courteous and efficient. The traffic in the city is busy, but always keeps moving, and the further out of town you get the amount of vehicles drops to virtually empty status. Despite all this not a day goes past without me witnessing, hearing or seeing the outcome of some sort of altercation involving at least two vehicles. The screech of tyres blends in with the blast of horns and the hum of the air con as background noise that you don’t ... read more