Dinner with a St. Louis Friend

Tonight we went to dinner with Dave, a friend of my mom and dad's from church. He is in the area on a business trip and was able to meet us for dinner. He has been traveling to the Middle East for years and had lots of good insights to share. We went to El Chico, a Mexican restaurant on the "The Walk" at Jumeirah Beach Residence. It was great to see the walk at night, although it was still hot outside there were lots of people out and about. And of course, it was fun to have dinner with a friend from home!

The Dubai Museum

Today we went to the Dubai Museum. Entrance into the museum was three dirhams...which is equal to $1 so can't beat that for an afternoon of entertainment. The museum shows the early years of Dubai and how the city came to be on pearl diving and as a

trading post until they found oil in the 1960's. The museum is in the Al Fahidi Fort. Above is a picture of a tower on the fort. This is the oldest tower in Dubai. The boats are dhows which were used in the Dubai Creek. (Today, they use dhows as water taxis and tourism opportunities along the creek.) The museum is located in "old Dubai", which still looks very "old" and more of what you expect when you think of a city in the Middle East (in terms of building types, cleanliness, etc...) After our afternoon at the museum we went to Charlie's (a hotel pub) for a traditional "bar food" dinner.

Just Another Day

Even the tour buses here are Mercedes!

Chris giving his sister a tour of our hotel on Skype.

Our Temporary Housing

We are staying at the "Number One Tower Suites" while we wait for our shipment of "stuff" from home to arrive. Although, we have started housing hunting, it doesn't make sense to start a lease when we won't have any of our stuff until the first part of September. Here are a few pictures of our "studio".

The views are from the panoramic windows (and the 17th floor). That is also the sea out in the distance but it is usually so hazy that it is hard to see from our hotel. And yes, I am attempting to cook dinner several nights a week in that kitchen! And yes...that is the car seat in the corner. We checked it at the airport (and carried an empty car seat through the airport--just in case!)While it is nice...it will be great to have our own place and our own stuff.

Traveling Around the City

A friend of ours sent the article below to Chris, it describes Dubai's train system. Chris currently uses this to get to and from work each day. There is also a metro station right near our hotel so we have used it to get around. (You have to have your residency visa before you can purchase or lease a car.) Taxis are everywhere and easy to get so that is another great way to get around the city. Driving here is something we don't mind waiting a little while on. One of the main roads (and the one our hotel is on) is 12 lanes and has the most car accidents in the world. People here drive crazy...I guess that is what happens when you take many different countries driving styles and combine them into one city. We will have to leave the Detroit road rage at home, obscene gestures can land you 6 months in jail! Plus, everyone gets lost...there is construction everywhere and drivers tend to use multiple lanes.

We have also seen some amazing cars in our short time here. About 30% of drivers are driving a luxury vehicle. (Luxury meaning $100,000+).

http://www.devicemag.com/2010/07/28/dubai-metro-network-10-amazing-things-that-wow/

Just A Few Thing We Have Noticed

We finally found a grocery store that is similar to what we would find at home and that carries brands we are familiar with. Since Muslims don't eat pork, we will have to buy any pork products in a special shop inside the grocery store.

There are American chain restaurants everywhere. I went to a Starbucks today and there is an American fast food restaurant on every corner.

There are mosques everywhere and Muslims pray five times a day. At these prayer times all of the mosques play the "call to prayer" from loudspeakers. Since there is such a high percentage of expats in the Dubai area there are several Christian, Baptist and Catholic churches that expats are free to worship in.

Tonight we met some of Chris' coworkers for dinner at the Khan Murjan Restaurant inside the Wafi Mall. The restaurant is open-roofed, yet fully air conditioned. The menu is Arabic, Egyptian, Emirati, Middle Eastern and Moroccan. Luckily, Chris' coworkers did all of the ordering and everything was delicious. We ordered several "hot and cold" appetizers as a way to sample many different things. We especially liked the hummus and Egyptian Bread.

Dinner at the Atlantis Hotel

It is the weekend and we have decided that we need to take advantage of our time before Baby Girl" arrives. So tonight we went to dinner at the Atlantis Hotel's Kaleidoscope restaurant. When Chris made the reservation, the restaurant asked if we had any food allergies. He kindly told them that I was lactose intolerant. They said they would make a note in our file. When we arrived at the restaurant (which is a buffet) a chef (with the tall hat and everything) gave me a personal tour of each buffet station and informed me of what I could and could not eat. He then proceeded to tell me that he would make me a bunch of stuff (all cheese, butter and cream omitted) and bring it out to me. I think he brought out food personally prepared for me from each station at the buffet. There were about 5 different courses starting with salad and ending with sorbet! Good thing I am eating for two and Chris was hungry!

The Atlantis Hotel is very similar to the Atlantis in the Bahamas. It is located out on the Palm. The Palm is a man-made island that doubles the length of Dubai's coastline. It is in the shape of a palm tree and considered the "eighth wonder of the world". The island is connected to the mainland by a bridge and the top crescent (where the Atlantis is located) is connected by an underwater tunnel.

(The picture on the left is of the "cookie tower" at the dessert station...although they were not chocolate chip Chris loved the idea! The picture on the right is of us outside the hotel (and 34 1/2 weeks pregnant)).

Local Culture

Today, I went with the American Women's Association to the Blue Souk in Sharjah. Souks are open air markets that sell local crafts, jewelry, rugs, antiques, textiles (and some junk). Haggling for the best price is encouraged in the Souks.

The United Arab Emirates is made up of 7 Emirates or cities. Dubai is considered a very westernized Emirate. Sharjah is a neighboring Emirate and is the third largest in the area. It is also much more conservative. In this Emirate, the sale, possession and consumption of alcohol is banned. It also has the strictest decency laws in the UAE, with a conservative dress code required for both men and women (shoulders and knees must be covered). While at the Souk we learned about buying locally made carpets and rugs, which was interesting and definitely worth a potential trip back when we are in our own place and ready to decorate.

We also ate lunch at a Yemen restaurant. In this culture, you sit with your group on a large carpet and order food for your entire party. We had chicken, fish and lamb (although, I could not bring myself to try the lamb). Lunch also came with Arabic Bread and rice. It was all pretty good and a great way to try something new.

The group of women that I went with met at a "regular" mall so I did a little "regular" shopping at the Gap and a European Children's/Maternity store before heading back to the hotel. (This type of shopping is definitely much more my type of shopping.)

Chris Starts Work

Chris started work this week. The work week here is Sunday-Thursday, so another adjustment to get used to. We have also discovered that on Fridays (the Muslim Holy Day) many stores and restaurants are either closed or open late in the afternoon. Chris is enjoying work and is learning a lot about how business is run in the middle east. I am sure there is lots for him to learn in this new role as well as lots of knowledge for him to share.

Since I am on my own now during the day I have reached out to the American Women's Association. Through this group, I was connected with a woman who invited me to lunch with some women from the Australian and New Zealand Association. We had lunch at the Shangri-La Hotel. I also rode the metro train (by myself!) to the Mall of Emirates. I am enjoying that you have to go to a mall for everything! There is fantastic shopping in Dubai! Every time I go for something we actually need, Chris looks around the hotel room for any extra shopping bags.

Day Two

Today, we are still adjusting to the the time difference. We are 9 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time so there is definitely going to be an adjustment period. Today, we went to the Marina Walk. It was really HOT! We quickly discovered why we were the only ones out and about. This is the hottest time of year in Dubai. The average temperature during the day is well over 100 and it is surprisingly very humid. It is amazing how quickly we both decided that we were looking forward to winter in the desert! (The picture on the left is the Burj Al Khalfia-the tallest tower in the world. The picture on the right is a view walking toward our hotel. The humidity was so high that the camera lenses kept fogging up.)

Day One

Today, we quickly discovered what jet lag and lack of a clock in your hotel room can do. We accidentally slept until 2:30 pm. Once we got up and moving, we went to the Mall of Emirates to find something similar to a Target. Although, it is no Target, we found a store with the everyday items we were looking for---plus an alarm clock. While at the mall we checked out the indoor ski hill. It is a pretty small hill but an incredible concept...snowballs, snowsuits and cold in the middle of the desert. We ate dinner at a Lebanese restaurant overlooking the hill. Chris ordered a Lebanese beer with dinner, it cost about $10 and tasted like Busch! (You can click on the pictures to view them larger.)

We Arrived!

Chris and I arrived in Dubai late tonight. It has definitely been a difficult few weeks of goodbyes. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. We couldn't begin this journey and adventure without your love and support. Thank you!

The flight was long and uneventful. I had some minor swelling in my feet and ankles but what can you expect at 33 weeks pregnant? We checked into "Number One Tower Suites", our home for the next 6-8 weeks. The hotel is located in the Financial Center of the city. We will try to update this blog as our adventure continues!

Where Are We?

Dubai is one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula.The modern emirate of Dubai was created after the UK left the area in 1971. At this time Dubai, together with Abu Dhabi and five other emirates, formed the United Arab Emirates. Although Dubai's economy was built on the oil industry, currently the emirate's main revenues are from tourism, real estate, and financial services. Although, it was established in 1971, Dubai has really only become what it is today over the last 10 years.

The Persian Gulf borders the western coast of the emirate while the Arabian Desert borders the east. Dubai has no natural river bodies or oases; however, Dubai does have a natural inlet, Dubai Creek, which has been dredged to make it deep enough for large vessels to pass through. Dubai also has multiple gorges and waterholes which dot the base of the Western Al Hajar mountains. A vast sea of sand dunes covers much of southern Dubai, and eventually leads into the desert known as The Empty Quarter.

The presidency and prime minister of the UAE are hereditary to the Al Nahyan clan of Abu Dhabi and the Al Maktoum family of Dubai. Dubai's current ruler, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is also Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE. (His picture is everywhere.)

Dubai has been described as a collection of different ethnicity's living in parallel, rather than a mixed, multicultural society; "more of a salad bowl than a melting pot". Dubai is considered to be very westernized, with most of the population being made up of expats.

The climate here is blue skies and sunny just about everyday. The hottest months are between June and September with temperatures averaging about 115 and surprisingly very high humidity levels. Temperatures are slightly more moderate the rest of the year with the coolest months being December through March. Dubai gets very little rainfall each year. The average is about five inches per year. (Since we have arrived during the hottest summer months, I can honestly say that I have never looked forward to the "winter" as much as I am this year.

Many big name sporting events also take place in Dubai each year, including several PGA events, the World Tennis Championships, FIFA soccer events and auto racing. There is also the world's flashiest, richest horse race here this year (although gambling is illegal). Several events that could be fun to watch that also take place in the city are camel racing and dune boarding. Personally, I am hoping to participate in the Dubai Marathon while we are here as well. There seems to be a lack of ESPN in the region, so Chris has had to rely on the web to get his baseball and football fix although there is a lot of coverage on cricket and soccer here.

Some interesting things we have learned since arriving in Dubai is that the weekend is Friday-Saturday. Friday is the Islamic Holy Day. Islam is the most common religion in Dubai, although other religions are tolerated. Most Emirates wear the traditional dishdash, abaya and head scarves but western clothing is perfectly acceptable. In some locations of Dubai, they ask you (especially women) to dress "respectfully". Unlike in neighboring Saudi Arabia, women in the the UAE are free to work, drive and move around the city independently. Dubai is effectively bilingual...English is widely used and road signs, menus, daily newspapers, etc...You can drink here but have to purchase a alcohol license to purchase items for your home. You can also drink at particular restaurants and bars, usually inside a hotel but you will find a 30% tax on all alcohol. Everyday is sure to be a learning experience!