Out and About in Dubai

I’ll try to be better with my blogging in the upcoming year but for now - HAPPY 2008 EVERYONE!!

Here are some fireworks from the beach in front of our apartment:

Tags: holiday | no comments »

I was a little worried that there wouldn’t be any Christmas decorations in Dubai considering that I am in Muslim country. However, all fears were put to rest when I saw how decked out the hotels, malls, and many public areas were. Granted, some places didn’t even primp their fake trees properly (think kitsch) but most hotels were decorated fabulously:

But as I experienced in Miami as well as in Puerto Rico, Christmas just doesn’t feel like Christmas unless it’s cold and nippy. And DB is in agreement with this. And for the first time in DB’s life, he has a fake xmas trees in the house. I grew up with fake xmas trees so not a big deal for me but DB had always insisted on a real live tree. Well, that’s not always feasible in Dubai as (1) if you get your tree too early, it’s dead by xmas time and (2) if you get your tree to late, it’s slim pickings (think Charlie Brown) and (3) in most places here, you order and purchase your tree ahead of time and then pick it up later so you don’t get to choose that “perfect” tree. Well, we’re on the cheap this year so here is our fake pine tree, bought on xmas eve @ 50% off and with last year’s ornaments hung from paperclips stolen from the office:

We spent a lovely xmas eve with the family of DB’s colleague eating tons of fin de claire oysters (yum!), roasted capon (a castrated rooster - more tender, juicy, flavorful, and larger than regular chicken), and champers and wine:

MERRY XMAS!!

Tags: holiday | 1 comment »

Today, in addition to applying for my liquor license, I also applied for my UAE driving license. Couldn’t do so before as was waiting for my residency visa which was issued yesterday.

Woke up, went online to see if I could find out some instructions on how to apply for the license, found some info about not having to retake a driving test due to being in possession of US license, however nothing on office times nor locations. Finally found some info, printed it out, headed out the door, got in elevator, read the print-out, closed Thursdays!?

Grrr. Back up the elevator, online again to find a phone number to call. Busy signals all around, automated messages that just put you in a loop or hang up on you. Finally got thru to someone who confirmed that the license bureau is indeed open. Back out the door, into a cab, cabbie didn’t know where the place was (what do you mean you don’t know where the place is?? Where did you get YOUR license??? Oh, in Abu Dhabi, I see), quick call to DB to sort directions out, cabbie still took me for a ride, finally got there 30 min and AED50 later ($15). Mind you, the place is only 5 minutes from my apartment.

By now it is 12pm. The instructions I printed out said it can take 4-5 hours to go thru the whole process so I’m crossing my fingers that I can get it done by the 4pm closing time and that the ladies-only line is empty.

Am directed by lobby person to a small office with a lone Emirati (dishdasha and all) sitting at a desk in front of 2 copy machines. He is on his cell phone. When he finally finishes his call, he takes my passport with residence visa, 2 passport photos, and ….(pause)…he is now checking his text messages…now he is texting…okay now he is ready for me to hand him my NYC license. I hand him the license but before he has fully extended his arm to take it from me, he is on his phone texting again. He asks me for my mobile details to fill out on the form but before I can finish reciting my numbers he is on the phone again. When he gets off the phone, he continues with the application but I have to remind him that my mobile details are incomplete. Right, right, he says as he glances at his texts again. Perhaps I too should start texting someone, anyone.

Finally, after all documents were photocopied (Remember the copy machines behind him? He didn’t even have to get out of his chair!) and the AED40 payment of translation services were rendered (the driving application is in Arabic only), he tells me that the licensing office is closed.

Ooookay, so where I am? Timbuktu? He tells me that I must go to the other office, that it is open until 9pm. Where is it, I ask. Jumeirah Plaza, he replies. I don’t know where that is, I respond. You know Safa Park? he asks. I shake my head no and decide to make him work for the AED40 by asking him to draw me a map. Then I double-check with him the closing time and what directions to give to the cabbie.

Soooo I get in another cab, ask him to take me to this Jumeirah Plaza Center, pay him his AED45 fare, and as I exit I ask the cabbie if this is indeed the License Place. What, he exclaims, the license place is in blah blah blah. Oh, can I walk there? I inquire. No madam. Hmm, I say goodbye to the cabbie anyway and decide to check out this Plaza Center that I have been sent to. Inside, a security guard tells me that the licensing place is in Jumeirah Center Plaza, not here. Um, excuse me, I thought I was in Jumeirah Center Plaza. No madam, you are in Jumeirah Plaza Center. Jumeirah Center Plaza is next door. Sigh.

The eye exam for the license can be done at any optical so I enter the one pointed out by the security guard, go thru a series of A-B-Cs and 1-2-3s, some colorblind stuff (are those 5s or 8s?), pay my AED25, head over to Jumeirah what-ever-Center-Plaza praying to god that the place exists and is open for business.

Open it was with one person in line in front of me but the Emirati government official is…SURPRISE…on his cell phone.

Well 15 minutes later and 110 Dirhams lighter, I exit the office with a sparkly new UAE driver’s license - Woohoo! And then I noticed it. My last name was spelled wrong.

Tags: driving, red tape | 3 comments »

In Dubai, alcohol is only served at hotels and private clubs (ie. golf) so people tend to hang out A LOT in hotels. Our favorite haunts are the JBH (Jumeirach Beach Hotel) and the Jumeirah Madinat for the obvious reason (email me if you don’t know) and also because it’s a quick 10-minute drive from our apartment. Although it can take up to 45 minutes during the PM rush-hour.

I’m not sure why I haven’t eaten yet at the Burj Al Arab as that is right by JBH and is also a Jumeirah but we have been to JET (Jumeirah Emirates Towers) twice to eat at Vu’s (delish! and great views) and Tokyo (so-so sushi but the fried oysters are a must!). However, to get to JET we have to brave the craziness that is SZR (Sheikh Zayed Road) and it’s a good 30 minutes away if there’s no traffic. We also frequent the Noodle House (also Jumeirah-owned) in our neighborhood and another one will be opening up soon in our complex, but alas, neither are located within any hotels so no alcohol for us there. Whoops, I digress.

Now to purchase alcohol in Dubai, you can either do so at the duty-free shops in the airport or you can obtain a liquor license by passing a drinking test. This involves visiting the local liquor outlet, slamming down 5 shots of tequila followed by singing a Garth Brooks song of your choosing. I thought about doing “Friends in Low Places” but DB had already picked that one so I decided on the more alcohol-appropriate “Two Pina Coladas” which goes something like this:

I was feelin‘ the blues,
I was watchin‘ the news
When this fella came on the TV
He said that I’m tellin‘ you,
That science has proven
That heartaches are healed by the sea
And that got me goin‘ without even knowin‘
And I packed right up and drove down
Now I’m on a roll, and I swear to my soul
Tonight I’m gonna paint this town

(chorus)
So Bring me Two Pina Coladas
I want one for each hand
Let’s set sail with Captain Morgan
Or we’ll never leave dry land
Any troubles I’ve forgotten
I’ve buried them in the sand.
So bring me two Pina Coladas
She said goodbye to her good timing man.

Maybe my a Capella singing didn’t wow the liquor authorities because they then demanded that I also give them a copy of my passport with UAE residence visa (just got that yesterday, woo-hoo!), a passport photo, and DB’s liquor licence. And then I was told to come back in 2 weeks to pick up my license. Perhaps I should have showcased myself better with “Beer Run”:

Twenty-five minutes past quitting time
Seven of us crammed into that truck of mine
Paying no attention to them highway signs
Doing ninety miles an hour toward the county line
Quick sack, twelve pack, back again
It’s a B Double E Double R-U-N.

My buddies and their babies letting down their hair
As long as we’re together it don’t matter where
Ain’t got a lot of money but we just don’t care
Knowing half the fun is in the getting there
Aztec, long necks, paychecks spent
Oh, it’s a B Double E Double R-U-N.

Tags: alcohol, red tape | 2 comments »

Ah, another weekend. Another day at the pool in Al Qasr. Another attempt to visit Dubai’s Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary.

As you may recall, last week’s Ras Al Khor adventure entailed two hours of frustratingly circling between route 44 and 66 to locate three unsigned bird watching stations only to arrive at one and find a “Closed Fridays” sign.

This weekend, we ventured out on a Saturday and armed ourselves with better maps (including one printed from http://www.tommypedersen.com/ - a local bird watcher). I added the route #s for reference:

We drove along the 44, passing the bird sanctuary on the other side of the road, came upon a pretzel interchange where we (hopefully) made the correct choices of on-off ramps, and (hurray!) made it to the other side of the 44, slowed down the car to make sure we didn’t pass the little pink brick-paved side road that leads to Mangrove hide, found it and made it on the first try!

There were a few other cars parked there so that was a good sign. Upon entering the viewing hide, we were not greeted by a sedate park ranger (or whatever they are called here) who didn’t seem like he wanted to be there but he did get out of his chair to point at (literally) how to use the telescope as he didn’t utter a single word.

At Mangrove hide, we saw one Greater Flamingo (this one had pink legs but black wing tips), great white egrets, herons, black-winged stilts, ringed plovers, and a Greater Spotted Eagle (in flight with the Dubai skyline behind it - awesome!). Here’s a photo of some egrets we saw:

Next we managed to maneuver through another pretzel intersection onto route 66 and found Flamingo Hide without too much trouble thanks to the map above.

It’s no wonder why this viewing station is called Flamingo hide - there were tons of Greater Flamingos - and these had pink legs AND pink wingtips unlike the loner we saw at Mangrove Hide (although we did see a buddy of his walking away from his pink cousins). At this hide, we were greeted by a very friendly ranger who helped us identify some birds, even showed us an Osprey, and told us where to go to pick up some UAE bird books. We also saw Kentish Plovers, White Wagtails, and a duck that looked like a mallard. But the Flamingos stole the show:

As the third viewing station is closed due to construction around the area, I won’t bore you any further about bird talk but will leave you with a photo (blurry b/c it was taken from a distance) of the loner Flamingo. Notice it is not pink like the others:

Tags: birds, wildlife | no comments »

Today’s driving adventure involves an attempt to visit Dubai’s Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary. As it is UAE National Day on December 2nd (their Independence Day from the British), we were afraid our usual weekend beach haunt would be crowded so we opted for a little bird watching instead.

Into our little Toyota Yaris we went with birding binocs and the biggest Dubai guide book ever in the hopes that the enclosed maps would prove somewhat useful (wishful thinking). So, according to the guide book, there are supposedly 3 viewing stations at Ras Al Khor that were constructed in 2005: one is on Route 44, and two are on Route 66. Both routes intersect each other at one point so if you miss one viewing station, you could try the next one. Sounds simple enough?

Well, we arrived to where 44 meets 66. Many times. We think. But always on the same but wrong side of the road (go figure). Most of the time we weren’t even sure what road we were on, what direction we were headed (North?), let alone where the hell the viewing stations could possibly be as they were not marked with signs that say: Ras Al Khor Viewing Station - 500 meters. That would have been too easy.

At one point DB wanted to give up and go to Ikea as one of the detours we were taking led us to Festival City, aka Ikea-land. But I was not going to give up. We had been circling for nearly 2 hours - I better see some damn birds!

30 minutes later and we finally made it to the side of the road on Route 44 where the Sanctuary is. DB slows down the car a bit and we scan for any possible side roads nearly missing one but manage to pull in at the last minute into an un-marked little paved road and HURRAY we found it - a viewing station!!! And then we find our sign - “Closed Fridays” F*$#%*$#%*!!!

Here is DB happily walking towards the viewing station not knowing that his bird-watching dream would be dashed in mere seconds:

UNESCO huh? How about putting up some road signs!!

Lessons Learned:

1. Get a real map
2. Research and confirm operating hours (as Friday is the holy day in the UAE, many gov’t and private offices, and apparently some attractions, are closed)

For future bird watchers, please visit these sites below:

• Official Website of the Ras Al Knor Wildlife Sanctuary
• Birding the UAE - has more useful maps, lists bird sightings, and photos

Tags: birds, driving | 1 comment »