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Published: January 24th 2015
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Just some Random Camel
The Pics will get better.....I bought my new Camera as I left Dubai. My Tale from Dubai
Well here it is my first post to my new blog. I am three weeks on the road now so I have a bit of catching up to do.
It all began on the 2nd of January, after long and sometimes emotional good-byes in Spain and Ireland, I finally set off. First stop Dubai. My reasons for visiting to Dubai for more than a day or two was to catch up with Martin and Polina and, after 15 years, meet my old pal from my St Thomas´and ITU course days, Angie, her two beautiful little girls, Sophie and Molly and husband Johnny. Dubai was much as I expected really, a lot of glitz and glamour but not a huge amount of soul. Having said that Angie took me, with her Mum, on a little river ferry to some souks and the part of town where all the high-rises started which was nice, we had breakfast in a great little creek side cafe, the food was super, modern european with a middle eastern twist is a good description I think.
Then there was the desert jeep safari that Martin had arranged, well the name
conjured up a leisurely drive through the desert at twilight to watch the sun go down, a half dozen jeeps or so and a little picnic on the sand......wrong...there was hundreds of jeeps, yeah hundreds, which all line up across a vast area of desert terrain and then they let rip, ´dune bashing´ driving at great speed accross the dunes, metres away from the 4x4 in front. Its stomach churning, butt clenching terrifying stuff, not helped by the fact that, Martin and I, being the gentlemen that we are, ended up in the two seats which had been added to our 4x4, in the boot!!!! The quiet picnic in the desert turned out to be a full on BBQ cum Middle Eastern show complete with very wobbly belly dancer and a ´whirling dervish´bloke in a frock complete with flashing lights....he then removed one of the skirts of his frock, of which there were many, and made a little baby out of it. Bizarre...I personally think Dubai are trying to get into the Eurovision with this guy. A winner for sure. It was a great night though and fantastic to catch up with my old pal and soon to be Dad,
Martin, thanks buddy.
A couple of funny things that happened in Dubai, on my first proper day out and about, I arranged to meet Martin at a Metro station near where he lived. I headed off to the nearest stain to my hotel to find that it was absolutely mobbed. As a former London Tube user I thought I can easily handle this....I am getting on the next train no matter what. So it comes, the doors open and I go with the flow and get carried on with the throng. I make my way across the train to the opposite door, always a good spot, the train starts moving and I can hear lots of tut-tuting noises, I look around and realise I am in the ladies only carriage....I hadn't known of its existence. I am being stared at by scores of eyes, many from veiled faces. I am sort of stuck though so have to wait for a few stops before the crowd thinned a bit and I can move to the boys section. Funny now, but there were moments when I visualised myself in an orange boiler suit heading to a Dubai jail.
And finally
there were the ladies in the hotel bars. If you have travelled with me before you will know that I love to have a beer at the hotel bar and watch the goings on. So each night, on my way home I would either stop for a night cap in my own hotel or a nearby on. On each of these occasions within minutes I was being chatted to by some rather attractive ladies, usually but not exclusively, of eastern european extraction. Now I am no eejit, so I quickly realised that they were not really interested in my perspicacity and witt.....no, there would be a few bob involved if things progressed any further if you catch my drift. Then it dawned on me, I am fifty, sitting on my own in a hotel bar....you look desperate. A lesson learned I feel.
So thats my tale from Dubai
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Jan Hughes
non-member comment
Fab u lous
Never heard of dune bashing. A fantastic way to follow your escapades and adventures, Damo - fantastic. X