UAE - Dubai

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The two days ın Dubai really was a bit of a blur. It had been an epic day of flying and after hiking through the mammoth terminal on arrival I made my way to Al Sabkah road (little India) and my cheapish accomodation.

My initial expectations of Dubai were a little dashed by the relative lack of towelheads. I had been looking forward to some Arabic interactions my friends and instead had to make do with folk from the subcontinent. Pesky little buggers some of them too. I think I just crossed India off my list of countries to visit.

After very little sleep on a larg brick wrapped in a bedsheet I called Kate at her plush 5-star hotel (one of hundreds it would seem ın Dubai) as she had just arrived the following morning, and we agreed to meet up after her interviews in the afternoon. I wandered around Deira and across the creek on an Abra (Cadabra) for the largest lunch I have seen. The food in Dubai is fantastic - big, cheap(ish), and fresh. Superb hommus too of course.

We took a taxi out to Mina A-Salam, near that famous Burj hotel (the one that looks lıke a sail). I didnt take many photos because there was no way to really capture the scale and absolute decadence of the place. You would have to visit to believe it. See the websıte : www.madinatjumeirah.com/mina_a_salam. We smoked shisha and had a beer as the sun set, looking across the gulf to Iran.

Wednesday I did some more wandering while Kate interviewed and we met again for lunch. I took a break at her hotel while she had her final unexpected meeting (at the expense of our desert safari - oh well, next time), and was just ready for a nap when she burst in - with a new job!! She is joining a firm that investigates and manages prosecutions for counterfeit goods (fake Gucci sunglasses etc). The job could see her setting foot in all countries in the region - most exciting! We went out for juice to celebrate.

After (another enormous) dinner with her new boss by the creek, it was time to put my tired and jetlagged head onto yet another flight to Istanbul (at 2.30 am). I guess I could have put a bit more time into Dubai, but I got the gist - lots of oil money, jobs, gold, glass, hotels, concrete, tax free flashy vehicles, shopping malls, hotels. Alright then, Turkey!!!!!

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Photos

Kate gets high
On apple Shisha!

Back at you
I never have liked cigarettes, but this is completely different. I could get used to it :)

Mosque
A significant one (I think).

Yay!
Kate gets the job!

Jugs
of delicious juice. Mines a mango-banana, Kates a strawberry-watermelon.