Blogs from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Middle East - page 27

Apologies for the delay. Back to where we started some 40 days ago, in Dubai. A final few days and then back to the UK. We are so lucky to have had the opportunity to not only travel to great places in Asia but for the Finch family to do it together. What a unique and special opportunity that will linger in our memories. So here we are are back in Dubai. We saw the impressive fountain show in front of the Burg Khalifa on the first day of our trip and finished by doing the same - still as impressive and a great way to finish. We enjoyed a relaxing time in Dubai with the girls having a bit of excitement with a desert safari - dune bashing, camel ride, henna, Arabian bbq and shisha! ... read more

To get away from the monotony of work in Qatar, I decided to invite two new Dutch girls to Dubai for a fun weekend of just girls. Melinda is married to one of my engineers, and had visited him while he interned in Dubai about six years ago - things had changed a LOT since then, so it was interesting to see her reaction. Tina had never been to Dubai before, and I'm a little worried because she seems to really like it. Like me like it - so I worry she'll ditch us folk in Qatar... Anyway, I always take the nightly United flight from Doha to Dubai - it is almost never full. But last time and this time it was!!! It took a while to check in, go through security, go through security ... read more

Arrived 5th Feb 7.50am, got to hotel in a taxi and was unable t check in, so dropped my bag and went out. Receptionist advised me which metro station to get to Burj Khalifa. Went to Dubai Mall and got lost in it! Walked around the food court twice without realising! I was looking how to get out to go and see the Burj, but literally couldn’t find an exit for about an hour! When I found one I walked out and couldn’t see the tallest building in the world! Walked around chuckling, thinking how have I lost the tallest building in the world? DON’T WORRY though I found it! Walked around the whole shopping centre at least twice, eventually found the ‘At the top’ Burj Khalifa entrance and it was fully booked until Sunday, gutted, ... read more

26th / 27thJanuary 2014 Where do I start?!!! The journey to Gatwick was uneventful, arrived, checked in our luggage – that was a new one as we usually only take hand luggage!! The plane left on time ( A huge Boeing 777!) and after a delicious 3 course meal we tried to sleep the remaining four hours of flight (6 ½ hrs altogether!) Managed to doze for a while but woke up in time to see a beautiful sunrise across the mainly sandy terrain and we landed at about 7.00am Dubai time (3.00am UK time!!) The airport was impressive – large as are most things here! Full of pillars, mirrors, coloured glass and palm trees. A guy was waiting for our taxi transfer to Cassells Al Barsha Hotel, and we were whisked off for the 40 ... read more

So far all of my work in music videos has consisted of me dancing, as part of a group of backing dancers, to support the star. So it came as a big surprise to me when I found out that I had been selected to star in a music video in Dubai! I had a couple of rehearsals in Mumbai beforehand, where the choreographer's assistants taught me a brilliant, fast - paced, commercial routine. After learning the choreography I was then told that whilst dancing I would be lip syncing the Punjabi song. This concerned me slightly as I had no experience of dancing whilst lip syncing in my own language, let alone in a language I cannot speak a single word of. Also the lyrics were a completely different rhythm to the choreography I was ... read more