Blogs from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Middle East - page 86

Ok let's not muck around- Dubai ("Do Buy") is big, really big. Nothing here is done by halves and if it's shopping you're after then welcome home. Dubai is home to countless shopping plazas, including the largest one in the world. Unfortunately, as Carissa will attest to, I'm not a very good retail buddy and found myself moaning about walking aimlessly around the bohemith shrines to consumerism (more commonly known as the mall). That said, it's hard not to be impressed by the sheer size and number of malls, offices, hotels, and residential projects underway here at the moment. Dubai has grown incredibly fast considering that there was not a whole lot here prior to oil exploration commencing in the 1970's. Carissa and I have spent the last week here hanging out with our mate Kyle ... read more

We had the pleasure of going out on a friends boat on Thursday. It was a public holiday (ascension of the prohphet) and we actually got a day off work. And even weirder they moved the day off to be on the Thursday so we would get a long weekend. They usually just cancel the holiday so we don't get anything. But not this time. This time we got three days off in a row. Fantastic! A friend of ours (Dave 2) has just bought himself a new toy boat - a lovely 23 foot speedboat. So we headed out on the water for a day of frivolity and fun. Dave 2 has waterskiis,a knee board and a donut, which is sooooooo much fun. My Dave tried water skiing a few times and we all ... read more

Hello again, We are having a fabulous time here in Dubai, but let me finish our African Safari saga. We had arrived at our lodge on the rim of the Ngogongoro Crater at what seemed to be sunset, but we couldn't be sure since we were engulfed with clouds. The driver said that we must hurry through the lobby if we wanted to get pictures of the crater because of the fading light. The pictures came out quite well. We probably should have been noticing that the staff were all wearing multiple layers of sweaters, sweatshirts and jackets. Their boiler for heating water for the radiators which was their source of heat was broken. You cannot imagine how remote these places are without even a village, much less a town, to pick up a few parts. ... read more

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek" "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Oh my! we're going to crash!" Scream the London girls in the back of the 4x4 jeep which is currently dune-bashing through the desert close to Dubai. We're on an afternoon adventure tour into the wilds of the Arabian desert where in a few short hours we get a stomach-churning jeep experience, camel-riding, sand dune boarding, dinner and belly dancing extravaganza! I'd enjoyed my first one so much 2days ago that I decided to squeeze in another before flying on to India later that night. Yes adventure really is my middle name. Basically I'm a sucker for punishment, and the desert which I love. I'm once again trying not to throw up from travel sickness and I'm sitting up front to see what's coming which adds to the adrenalin. The more the girls scream, ... read more

It's 49 degrees celsius. There are giant dinosaurs digging outside my window. It's fascinating to watch as giant breeze blocks are hoisted up towering skyscrapers. I can't imagine how difficult it is being a builder in this heat. Apparently they are no longer allowed to work during the hottest 3 hours of the day due to the number of deaths from heat echaustion. A piece of what could be cardboard breaks off the crane's goods and dances down slowly. The sun slips ever lower on the hazy sand-filled horizon. The city is a crazy sprawling place, shimmering towerblocks compete for attention and traffic zips everywhere. It's like stepping into a futuristic film set in 2101.... read more