... Expat William

Holiday Gift Guide - Flavors of the Middle East

2010-12-02T02:51:00.006+04:00

A little help finding the proper gift for those special in your life.

This time of year I begin to panic a little. For me, the last two months of the year are like a jar of cookies guarded by a couple of children. Gone, consumed, devoured while you weren't paying attention. Ack, where has the time gone?

My level of stress and related blood pressure, especially in the month of December, do not benefit by the difficult task of finding gifts to gift. Which gifts to gift, is not a gift to my health. Fortunately for you, I hope to be of benefit to those looking for a gift with, flavors of the Middle East.

Food

1. My first recommendation is an easy one: Patchi Chocolate.

I became a huge fan of Patchi Chocolate last year. My favorite Patchi store was the one down the street in Khalidiya - staff was always friendly and helpful. And the chocolate, always delectable, premium quality with flavors unlike any other chocolate. When we returned to the States, I went through Patchi withdrawls - no other chocolate satisfies my cravings like Patchi. Luckily, I found Patchi on Amazon.com - hurray. I have now purchased Patchi several times from Amazon and remain a happy, tastily satisifed customer. Photos and links will take you to amazon.com so you can give the gift of Patchi. What a great gift idea.

Patchi Milk & Dark Chocolate Variety Box - The Signature Collection
At $20, this is a sure thing when gifting chocolate to your special chocolate lover. It's a 1/2 pound mix of dark and milk chocolate and a great introduction to the goodness of Patchi chocolate.

Patchi Chocolate Love Collection - Love Duo - 2 Piece Box
If you are looking for a great stocking stuffer, then this 2 piece box of Patchi chocolate will fit perfectly in any stocking. Caution: you will be asked to provide more Patchi after they devour these two delectable morsels.

The Love Ballotin (2 Pounds)

If you are gifting someone who is already a huge Patchi chocolate fan, then this is the box for you. This is a 2 pound box with a tantalizing array of milk and dark Patchi chocolate. Put this one on my wish list.

2. My second recomendation is: Gunpowder Tea.

Gunpowder Tea is a form of green Chinese tea in which each leaf has been rolled into a small round pellet. It is believed to take its English name from the fact that the tea resembles blackpowder grains. The flavor of brewed gunpowder tea is often described as thick and strong like a soft honey, but with a smokey flavor and an aftertaste that is slightly coppery. This type of tea is often seen as having a flavor that is somewhat grassy, minty, or peppery. Yes, I became a fan of Gunpowder tea last year. I was able to find two brands of Gun Powder Tea on Amazon.com. That's a good thing, because I'm almost out of tea.

Twinings Green Gunpowder Tea, Loose Tea, 3.53-Ounce Tins (Pack of 6)
At $27.09 this kit includes 6 tins of loose tea. That means you can gift six of your favorite tea lovers. Put me on the list too.

Davidson's Tea Bulk, Gunpowder Green, 16-Ounce Bag
At $12.50 this bag of Gunpowder Tea should keep your gift recipient well satisfied for a long time.

3. My third food recomendation is: Medjool Dates.

Dates are everywhere in the Middle East. They are important as a food, but also very important culturally. Dates have been a staple food of the Middle East for thousands of years. They are believed to have originated around the Persian Gulf, and have been cultivated since ancient times from Mesopotamia to prehistoric Egypt. The fruit is very important in the Arabian and North African Countries because the date palm tree grows well in the dry desert heat. In the past dates took a very important role for certain desert regions as the staple food crop. It was comparable to rice, wheat, and potatoes in other cultures. Dates are traditionally offered to guests, along with tea, and are the first food eaten when breaking fast during Ramadan.

While I can't find the Emirati Dates I grew to love in Abu Dhabi, I did find these Medjool Dates.

United With Earth Organic Medjool Dates, 16-Ounce Containers (Pack of 4)

Priced at $23.08 this pack contains four 16oz containters. You could gift three friends and keep a pack for yourself. That's win, win in my book.

Jumbo Medjool Dates (1 Pound Bag) - No Sugar Added
At $7.25 for a 1 pound bag of Medjool Dates, this is a great gift at a great price. Read the review on the product page description if you are not yet convinced.

4. My last food related recomendation: Vimto.

Not familiar with Vimto? I wasn't either until last year. You'll find this beverage everywhere in the Middle East and in the UK. I picked up a bottle on impulse at the Hypermarket last year - a big fan ever since. If you need to satisfy someones Vimto craving, here's a link to the product and a Vimto commercial (yes it's funny - Vimto is huge in the Middle East).

Vimto Black Currant Drink 700ml (Pack of 2 Bottles)

Video: Who will get the last Vimto?

Books

Here are some book recomendations, I enjoyed these titles and believe they will make excellent gifts too.

1. Books by Tahir Shah.

My wife purchased me a book by Tahir Shah, "In Arabian Nights." This book is a tale about Moroccan story tellers, and the author’s quest to define his life by finding a story of his own. This book is a good read, one you enjoy slowly, savoring the colors, and flavors of Morocco and the stories nestled within stories. He's an excellent and humorous teller of tales. Recommended.

In Arabian Nights: A Caravan of Moroccan Dreams

Tahir Shah has written other books too, here's a list in case your friend already owns In Arabian Nights.

The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca

Sorcerer's Apprentice

In Search of King Solomon's Mines

2. My last book suggestion is: Understanding Arabs: A Guide for Modern Times.

My time in Abu Dhabi was not all swimming, Shisha, cafes and business dinners. While living in Abu Dhabi, I found this book at Al Wahda Mall. The book, "Understanding Arabs: A Guide for Modern Times" written by Margaret Nydell, is what I consider essential reading.

Ms. Nydell writes very well. I found her book absorbing and difficult to put down. It became dog-eared quickly. For any expatriate living in an Arab country the subject of Arab culture and mores, is obviously relevant. That being stated, in today’s world of global tension, wars in the Middle East and a variety of voices, on both sides of the fence demanding attention – this book is more than relevant to anyone lacking an understanding of what it means to be an Arab and what it means to be a Muslim. I strongly recommend this book to anyone moving to the Middle East and to everyone in the States. Actually, I recommend this book to anyone reading this post.

Understanding Arabs: A Guide for Modern Times

* If this list did not satisfy you in your gift giving pursuits, then my final recomendation is a Website. I have not personally shopped on this site, but it is the only site I've found which seems to fit the bill when looking for all things Arabian (including Bahkoor, Arab perfumes/oils and incense burners) www.arabianbazaar.com/

M'a sa-laama-a (go with peace).

For a Friend Visiting Abu Dhabi

2010-10-11T04:06:00.003+04:00

A friend from Church will soon be visiting Abu Dhabi for a week. Here's the information I sent him regarding eating out. I'm sure there's something I forgot.

Restaurants

Here's a list of restaurants I know in Abu Dhabi. Which to visit really depends on where you are staying. Check out TimeOut Abu Dhabi for suggetions. Also, when you visit one of the many malls, Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi Mall, Khalidiaya Mall, Al Wahda Mall, etc. look for a free copy of Abu Dhabi Week, they are usually posted near the entrances.

At Marina Mall, eat at Hatam-Iranian Restaurant, 2nd Floor #332, great food, appetizer was a meal in itself.
At Al Wahda Mall, Beirut Restaurant, 2nd Floor Food Court Area, be ready to stand in line.
Lebanese Flower off of Defense Road (popular, locals should know where it is).
Chamas Brazilian Restaurant: Intercontinental Hotel. Expensive, but great if you want to eat a lot of meat.
Tche Tche Cafe: Corniche Towers, popular with Arabs, smoky from shisha, great iced smoothies, excellent hamburgers.
Al Safadi, our favorite place for shawarmas: Zayed The First Street, Khalidiyah. Yummy.
Indigo, Indian Restaurant: Butter Chicken and Buttered Naan! Beach Rotana, Abu Dhabi, Tourist Club Area. Very Expensive.

You must try the Hamour when you eat out. It's a firm white fish and very popular. For breakfast and lunch try the "Arab Breakfast" it usually consists of Foul (my favorite) Arab cheese or Labneh, olives, cucumber, tomatoe and sometimes falafel.

Oh, and don't forget to sample the Patchi Chocolate! We're big fans, luckily amazon.com sells it here, but you should buy some there.

TimeOut Abu Dhabi has a decent restaurant guide - http://www.timeoutabudhabi.com/

You can also read my blog for ideas: http://expatwilliam.blogspot.com/

Perfume/Bakhoor

If you are interested in buying perfume for yourself I'd suggest Ajmal Eternal. If you're buying for your wife the same, and also Yaz and Samdi Al Qurashi (but it will be more awkward). Perfumeries are in the malls and in different neighborhoods. You can also buy perfume at Swiss Arabian in the malls (they have good prices and also sell Bahkoor which is Arab incense).

Rules

I'm sure you know the rules: don't stare at locals, don't take pictures of people without asking, don't use your left hand to eat with, don't show the soles of your shoes, and DON'T take the GOLD taxis. Take the Silver taxis or have the hotel get you a driver.

Enjoy the heat! Wish I was going too.

What's That Smell?

2010-08-22T06:57:00.024+04:00

My Collection of Bahkoor/Bakhoor/Bukhoor

In the above photo, you can see various boxes of bahkoor I purchased in Abu Dhabi, some charcoal and a couple of traditional incense burners, all resting on the rug we bought from the local rug merchant (Corniche Towers across from La Brioche cafe - recommended).

Also Called Incense
Bahkoor/bakhoor/bukhoor, also called incense, is widely used in the Arab world – with scorching desert temperatures and sweating bodies covered by layers of clothing, bahkoor/bakhoor/bukhoor is as much luxury as social necessity. Incense plays an important role in Arab life, one I've grown to appreciate.

While living in Abu Dhabi, I found my sense of smell constantly stimulated by aromas of bahkoor, Arab perfumes and shisha. My head was often turned by a group of Emirati women, walking past wrapped in the exotic aroma of Bahkoor (always careful not to stare at them).

Composition
Typically composed of woodchips (Oudh the Arabic name for Agarwood/Aloeswood) and soaked in fragrant oils and mixed with other natural ingredients (resin, ambergris, musk, sandalwood, essential oils). These scented chips/bricks are burned in charcoal or incense burners to perfume the house and clothing with the rich, fragrant smoke.

Incense burner, charcoal and Swiss Arabian Bait al Arab bahkoor

Bakhoor is usually burned in a traditional incense burner called Mabkhara (also called a Majmor), using charcoal of wood or manufactured charcoal discs/briquettes - which I use.

Traditional Uses
Traditional uses of Bahkoor include: to perfume the house, for special occasions like weddings, for a romantic atmosphere in the bedroom, as a gesture of hospitality, and it's used to "boost positive energy" and "dismiss bad spirits". You'll also find it/smell it in commercial shops, stores and in the malls where it's used to attract customers. It's also used after cooking or smoking to quickly discard unpleasant smells.

I've grown to appreciate Bahkoor and its many varieties. I hope you have the opportunity to try some at home too.

Buy Your Own
* note: I found some Swiss Arabian Bakhoor for sale at Amazon.com. Found some incense burners/censers too. You'll also need the correct charcoal for this type of incense (the Japanese silver charcoal lights quick and burns clean). I've included linked images below.

Cautions
** note: Let the charcoal burn until it is glowing white before you add the bahkoor. It will smell burnt if you don't. Don't use too much bahkoor. If it's your first time using a metal incense burner/censer, use it on a heat proof surface with good ventilation until you are familiar with it. It will be hot, if you think you might have to move it, have a plan to move it before you light it (test it outside on the pavement if you are concerned).

Unposted September 2009 - Here it is

2010-04-17T10:53:00.010+04:00

I just found this post, which I did not post, written early September last year. Here it is, only gently tweaked.

Ramadan Kareem (Happy Ramadan)

Ramadan is the Muslim Holy month, celebrated every 9 month on a lunar calendar. It is a time of prayer, fasting and great celebration. I was lucky enough to be in Abu Dhabi this year during the beginning of Ramadan. Since Ramadan is dependent on a lunar calendar, Ramadan falls on a different month and day each year. A group of religious leaders watch the evening sky for the first sign of the crescent moon, signaling the beginning of Ramadan. August 22nd marked the beginning of Ramadan this year.

(photo above - Ramadan decorations on the Corniche in Abu Dhabi)

Fasting for Ramadan begins at sunrise and lasts until sunset. Ramadan fasting requires, no drinking, no eating, no smoking and abstaining from physical relations. All restaurants are closed during the day during the month of Ramadan. In Muslim countries, it is against the law to eat or drink anything in public. Some of the hotel restaurants may have a private, blocked from public view, location where guests can eat and drink during the day.

(Ramadan display in Abu Dhabi Mall)

The local newspapers and magazines encourage non-Muslims to attempt fasting, in order to better appreciate what the locals are doing and how they are feeling. I gave it a go for about a week. Have you ever gone without food and water during the hottest time of the year? August and September in the United Arab Emirates had the most brutal heat I’ve ever experienced. The heat and humidity kick up a notch and take summer to another level - I've heard it described as "hell on earth" - I just think of it as “oven-time”.

(Laborers taking a mandatory break between noon and 3 PM)

Fasting is something I do during the month of Lent. But the kind of fasting I've done, is not like Ramadan fasting. If you are indoors, out of the UAE heat, Ramadan fasting is tolerable in AC comfort. If you have to spend any time outdoors, under the brutal sun and humidity, Ramadan fasting is a true challenge and a test of one’s faith and resolve. By law, this time of year, the construction laborers are required to take a break from work from 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM. You'll see men in coveralls resting in the shade of buildings, trees and anywhere they can find a little relief from the sun. It was quite the experience, a humbling experience and worthy of respect.

Ramadan fasting is broken at sunset and after the Magrib call to prayer. Traditionally, fasting is broken with friends and family sharing water and dates. The Middle East, and UAE have the most wonderful dates you'll ever eat. Water and dates never tasted so good. About an hour and a half later is the evening call to prayer, this is when the feasting begins - these meals are called Iftar meals. Many of the locals will feast (and smoke shisha) with friends and family until late - some will pray all night, until early morning. Yes, this does affect office hours in the private sector, which tend to be shortened for Muslims to a work day of 9 AM - 2:30 PM (the shortened work day does not apply to expats).

Charity

Good deeds and giving to the poor are also aspects of Ramadan. It is said in the Quran "...giving during Ramadan..." I read in the Khaleej times, that some people come to the UAE during Ramadan, to take advantage of people’s good will and to beg for money. Begging is against the law in the UAE. I was only approached once in Abu Dhabi for money.

Ramadan Symbols

Lantern - symbolizes the light of God.
Crescent Moon - marks the beginning of Ramadan and the lunar calendar.
Stars - the Heavens and evening sky

(photo - posing by Dubai Creek - dripping wet - can you tell?)

We visited Dubai last weekend (late August) and attempted day-time, outdoor, walking and tourism.

Ouch - the heat and humidity of Dubai was more intense and brutal than we expected. Our first effort at escaping the hotel was rebuked; we ended up retreating back to our room and gulping down water.

The next day, we drank two liters of water before even attempting to walk in the oven outside. By the time we returned to our hotel three hours later, all that water was sweated out. My clothes were soaked; when I took them off in the room, they felt like they had just been pulled out of the washing machine, before going into the dryer. Late August in Dubai was a bloody oven. Even so, we managed to enjoy shopping at Dubai Old Souk and a late night boat ride.

In Closing

I found my time spent in the UAE rewarding and educational. I've gained new insights into the Middle East and Muslim Culture. Stereotypes have been broken and a deeper appreciation for the Arab world has been embraced. Truly an enlightening experience and time so well spent. If you have the opportunity to visit or work in the UAE - go there. I don't know when I'll return to the Middle East, but I look forward to that time.

Ramadan Kareem - A'slaam A'lakum

Etran Finatawa at WOMAD Abu Dhabi 2009

2010-03-16T22:14:00.003+04:00

Here's a 3 minute video clip of a performance by the group Etran Finatawa. What a great time.

Learn more about this band from Niger at their website, http://www.etranfinatawa.com/

*I've added linked images to Etran Finatawa music available from amazon.com.

WOMAD Music Stream

2010-03-16T20:03:00.001+04:00

They are streaming music from the WOMAD Abu Dhabi site.

click to hear WOMAD music stream
Makes for great background music.

Cheers!

WOMAD Abu Dhabi 2010

2010-03-08T00:25:00.005+04:00

With more than 35 artists from over 15 countries, WOMAD Abu Dhabi is returning to the capital this April. I attended last year and it was an amazing event.

The three-day open-air world music festival will take place on Abu Dhabi Corniche on April 22, 23 and 24 and at Al Jahili Fort in Al Ain on April 22 and 23.

The internationally-renowned WOMAD Festival came to Abu Dhabi for the first time last year. According to the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, last year over 80,000 people gathered on Abu Dhabi Corniche to enjoy the thrilling atmosphere of the festival and diverse musical offerings.

During the 2010 free festival, spread over three stages, WOMAD-goers will see performers from countries including the UAE, UK, Cuba, India, Palestine, Tanzania and many more. WOMAD Abu Dhabi’s far-ranging and musically adventurous selection of performers will have something for everyone’s tastes.

I strongly encourage you to attend the 2010 WOMAD Abu Dhabi. A list of artists should be available soon.

About WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance)

Founded in 1980 by former Genesis lead singer Peter Gabriel, the first ever WOMAD festival was held in 1982 in the UK. Since then, WOMAD has worked with over 1,000 artists and staged more than 160 festivals in 27 countries including Australia, the USA, New Zealand, Singapore and Sicily, and can be credited with bringing the sounds of global cultures to the mainstream, and introducing whole generations of people to the rich cultural musical heritage of North and Sub-Saharan Africa, India and Pakistan, the Americas and the Far East.

For more information on WOMAD, visit:

http://www.womad.org/ Or http://www.womadabudhabi.ae/

Below are some of my pictures from WOMAD Abu Dhabi 2009

Coming to My Senses

2009-12-08T09:06:00.013+04:00

Outside the temperature has dropped below freezing. The frigid wind from the north is an unnecessary, unwanted, redundant reminder that we no longer live in the Middle East. While I don’t miss the sweltering oven called summer in United Arab Emirates, there are things I continue to miss. It has taken me months to post again to this blog. Of course I don’t have any new Abu Dhabi adventures to share with you. But, I do have some personal feelings and comments I feel I must address.

My senses were stretched living in the United Arab Emirates; my common sense, my sense of smell, my sense of taste, my sense of style, my sense of standards, my religious sense, my sense of class and my sense of propriety. Of these senses, my inclination today is to reflect on my sense of smell.

The sense of smell is a basic, primal sense, it’s key to survival, attraction and socialization. My broad generalization of today is, “every culture has its own distinct smell”. Aside from the call to prayer, national dress and the humid heat, one of the first things I noticed in the UAE was the smell of it all. Because I try to emphasize the positive in my posts, I’m referring to the “good” smells. Particularly, the perfumes, bahkoor/bakhoor and shisha.

Shisha
Shisha is everywhere in the UAE. You can smell it wafting around the corridors of buildings and streets. The shisha is easily available at local cafes. I enjoyed the smoky aromas and flavors of grape, cherry, strawberry, pineapple and melons. A sisha session can easily last 2 or 3 hours. My friends, I enjoyed the shisha too much. Shisha and all tobacco products are off my list. For life. Period. No more shisha for me.

Bahkoor/Bakhoor
Bahkoor/bakhoor, or incense, is widely used in the Arab world – with scorching desert temperatures and sweating bodies covered by layers of clothing, bahkoor/bakhoor is as much luxury as social necessity. Bahkoor/bakhoor plays an important role in Arab life, one I've grown to appreciate and one I’ll explore later. For now, I’d rather focus on the smells of Arab perfume.

Eau de Parfum/EDP
Eau de parfum is one of the UAE’s key industries – outside of oil, gas and dates. The perfume manufacturing industry is largely centered in Dubai. You’ll discover a wealth of perfume shops in Abu Dhabi. Brands like YAS and Ajmal, among many others, can be found in the malls and shops around the city. Before we moved to Abu Dhabi I’d be pressed to say I enjoyed or truly appreciated cologne or perfume. After living in the UAE, it’s a new passion for me. How did that happen?

Seduced Senses
In a previous post, I wrote about my favorite EDP, Ghala by Ajmal Eternal. My western senses were initially unfamiliar with oriental perfumes. By the time we left the Middle East, I was seduced by the exotic, rich musky aromas of the orient. Two of these concentrated oil perfumes I now own; Oudh Almenthali and Shadha. A third EDP, Rakaan, is almost Western with its initial sharp scent, but a distinct oriental aroma finishes and tells you it’s not a Western cologne.

Following is a list of the perfumes I brought home. The Oud Malaki and Al Watani are two of the best bargains on this list – not the fanciest, but enjoyable and reasonably priced.

1. Mukhalat Malaki and Oud Malaki, about 15 dirhams each, I bought these at Lulu’s in Khalidiyah Mall. These are very inexpensive perfumes. Of the two, I prefer the Oud - it's very woody - and a little goes far. Recommended.

2. Al Watani, by Nabeel, about 45 dirhams, purchased at Carrefour in Marina Mall. Al Watani reminds me a lot of bahkoor/bakhoor, it's not very complex, but I find it very satisfying and comforting. Recommended.

http://www.nabeel.com/, made in Dubai, UAE.

3. Ghala, by Ajmal, 150 dirhams, http://www.ajmalperfume.com/ manufacturing facility located in Dubai, UAE. Visit their web site for a good history of the perfume business in the UAE. Still my favorite of the bunch.

4. Swiss Arabian makes Rakaan, price in the 100 dirham range, purchased at Abu Dhabi co-op in Abu Dhabi Mall, http://www.swissarabian.com/, made in Sharjah, UAE. I'm surprised I bought this one, it's a bit sharp for my taste, but the underlying oriental components appeal to me, recommended.

5. Rasasi makes the Oudh Almenthali, a concentrated oil, priced at about 100 dirhams. I purchased this at Abu Dhabi co-op in Abu Dhabi Mall. http://www.rasasi.com/ made in Dubai, UAE. An Oriental perfume, made of a blend of high quality oudh. This may be a bit intense for Westerners, some things you have to ease into.

6. Swiss Arabian makes Shadha, another concentrated oil I purchased at Abu Dhabi co-op in Abu Dhabi Mall. Since it's another intense oriental perfume, a dab will go far. Be careful where you wear this (we're told at work NOT to wear strong scented perfumes) strong and long lasting.

If you are living in the Middle East, I encourage you to visit the perfume shops. You'll find some scents instantly easy to understand and appreciate. You will also be introduced to a range of aromas outside of your cultural comfort zone - trust me on this. The more you experience, the more likely you are to find your senses seduced and you may even answer unasked questions of your own.

Culture Shift

2009-10-30T07:03:00.002+04:00

If you have not see this, you should.

CRUSH IT!: Gary Vaynerchuk

I've been thinking about this for several years, Gary Vanerchuk has nailed it!

Still going to post, soon, promise.

Best,

William

Missing Abu Dhabi

2009-10-01T07:16:00.006+04:00

Our assignment in Abu Dhabi is over, for now. We're back in Washington State. The change to a much cooler climate has had both my wife and son down with terrible colds. They are just recovering.

We've been back in Washington almost a month. There are many things we miss, but it's good to be back with family and friends.

I admit, there's a lot I've grown to appreciate living in the United Arab Emirates - I'm cooking foul tonight, one of my favorite Arabic staples (the local health food store has fava beans - hooray). I've been mulling over what to write and how to phrase my feelings. Our time in Abu Dhabi can be summed up as "positive" and "rewarding". Now that I've had time to digest my experiences and sentiments, I'm ready to share.

I have several topics to discuss and will do so, soon. I just wanted to let everyone know that we are no longer living in Abu Dhabi, but still have much to share.

My best to all of you.

"M'a sa-laama-a" (go with peace).

A Perfect Cup of Coffee

2009-08-01T07:10:00.012+04:00

Friday 31 July 2009

This is the last day of July. I’m posting under the wire, again. Oops, looks like blogger thinks it's Saturday.

This month began with a bad case of bronchitis, I’m almost fully recovered. It was my fault for abusing my lungs with too much shisha. I'm mostly healed up, and yes, I've sworn off all tobacco products - for good. I think my head is clear enough that I can finally write - you'll have to be the judge.

Okay, something has been on my mind all month and I’d like to share with you. My son and I were at Abu Dhabi Mall, http://www.abudhabi-mall.com/, early in June. We were not hopping, rather, we were not shopping, we were just wandering around, checking out the stores. Abu Dhabi mall has three levels of shopping, so it was no surprise that we were a little tired, and a little hungry, when we came across a Cinnabon store on the top level. We agreed we each needed a cinnamon roll break.

But what good is a cinnamon roll without something to drink?
Fortunately, next to the Cinnabon is a Seattle's Best Coffee shop. While I'm originally from Seattle, I have never been a big fan of their coffee. And I never imagined I'd find myself purchasing a cup of Seattle Joe in Abu Dhabi. I ordered a milk for my son and a coffee for myself. My son took no time devouring his cinnamon roll, while I waited for my coffee.

Coffee...I've enjoyed coffee for around 30 years. I take my coffee black and occasionally with a little cream. I believe if you are going to drink coffee, then drink it simple to appreciate the flavor of the bean. And yet, how memorable is 30 years of drinking coffee?

Some Memorable Coffee Moments
I recall the first time I had coffee from a French press - the company and the beverage were confusing and bitter that morning. I also recall my first cup of Greek coffee - made by a friend on the stove top, also strong, and sweet with a lot of grounds at the bottom (it was good).

But back to that perfect drink. My coffee was served in a ceramic cup - sniff and sip - perfect.

What is a perfect cup of coffee? A perfect cup of Joe, is dark, and strong, yet is not bitter, it is hot, but not burnt, there are no grounds in it, it does not taste of a paper filter, it is smooth, with a rich flavor that is immediately recognizable, but its perfection is elusive and seldom captured - the experience is positive, soothing and stimulating, akin to achieving a meditative state.

Yes, I truly enjoyed that cup of coffee, for me, it was a perfect cup of coffee - sniff and sip. A perfect cup of coffee - delicious. I was surprised, delighted and impressed. So there you go, I'll not forget a perfect cup of coffee, a cup of Seattle's Best Coffee, in Abu Dhabi, at the Abu Dhabi Mall, in the month of June, 2009. It may be that I never experience a perfect cup of coffee again, but I did, once. I feel better now that I have shared with you.

Yes, I'll go back, without expectations, without misgivings and I'll withhold criticism - but with a dollop of hope.

Re: Iran Protests

2009-06-18T14:27:00.004+04:00

If you are interested in tracking what "seems" to be happening in Iran, then I suggest you check out The Guardians Iran blog at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2009/jun/17/iran-uprising

Also, Alexander at Fake Plastic Souks has relevant comments too: http://fakeplasticsouks.blogspot.com/

Where do you get your information from and do you trust the source?

My best to all of you,

William

Awakened Ajmal Appreciation

2009-06-08T22:07:00.022+04:00

“Classic fragrance with contemporary ingredients captures the heart of the wearer craving for the perfect balance in life. Natural materials like fragrant sandalwood, amber and cedar wood are creatively merged with spicy hints of ginger, cardamom and clove, creating a sophisticated perfume reflecting effortless elegance and modern versatility.”

Richly Scented

The above quote is the description of my new eau de parfum (EDP) I recently purchased. Ever since arriving in Abu Dhabi, I’ve noticed that men and women wear a lot of perfume – to my Western sensibilities, the smell is exotic. I find these 'new to me', aromas of perfume, oil and incense intoxicating and exhilarating. Once I finally ‘tuned’ into the heady aromas worn by the locals, I wanted to learn what they were wearing and where to buy some. Unfortunately, I’ve heard some unkind expressions implying Emirati use a lot of richly scented perfumes. Whether unkind or ignorant words come my way, you can add me to that richly scented group. I am the proud wearer of my first eau de parfum made by Ajmal. Ajmal is the largest perfume manufacturer in the UAE. I'm sure it won't be my last purchase.

The Corniche Ajmal Eternal, near Corniche Towers in Khalidiyah.

The Malls in Abu Dhabi, and around the Middle East, are populated with a variety of perfume shops, Ajmal, YAS and Abdul Samadi al Qurashi, among many others. Often, there is aromatic incense burning at the entry to the perfumeries, enticing shoppers to enter. Shops are bursting with delicate, gold-tipped, perfume bottles. Among them are an array of mysterious unlabeled crystal decanters full of exotic oils and perfumes. If you have never been to this type of perfume shop, it can intimidate the bravest of men.

My First

My first venture into an Abu Dhabi perfume shop was with my wife. To my surprise, one day she just walked into Abdul Samadi al Qurashi in Marina Mall. Not wanting to miss out, I followed her in. Although a language issue made choosing the scented oils she purchased awkward, service was friendly and my wife was pleased with her purchase. And I received some confidence to go exploring on my own.

My Second

For a Mothers day gift last month, I decided on perfume for my wife. Confident I could find a wonderful perfume or oil on my own, I went shopping. My first attempt was rebuked by an overly occupied salesman. He was the only salesperson at the small shop I chose and he was consumed with assisting a customer. Half an hour later, he was still busy with the same woman. Sensing this would not be my day for a perfume purchase, I headed home. As I sat in the air-conditioned comfort of a silver taxi, I remembered the Ajmal Eternal perfume store in my neighborhood.

Call Me Sir

Living in the Middle East, I’ve become accustomed to being called ‘sir’. I’ve never been called ‘sir’ as much as I am here. Yes, I’m becoming comfortable with ‘sir’, however I don’t expect the words to always follow with ‘sincerity’. At Ajmal, I was greeted with ‘sir’ and with ‘sincerity’. Choosing a new fragrance for your wife is not an endeavor to pursue without trepidation. You can imagine how relieved I was to receive courtesy, guidance and genuine help in selecting a fragrance. My wife enjoys her Mother’s day gift. The Corniche Ajmal Eternal store became my third foray into an Abu Dhabi perfumery.

For an idea of the daunting task I set for myself, visit the Ajmal Website and browse the perfumes and oils they sell – bear in mind, this does not include the unlabeled ‘mix your own’ oils and perfumes (at some perfume stores, the unlabeled bottles can be half, or more, of the inventory). My positive experience at Ajmal encouraged me to stop by their store again to investigate their EDP and scented oils for men.

A New World

My return visit to Ajmal has opened a new world of perfume and scented oils to me. The ‘Oriental’ and ‘Asian’ scents are fresh concepts to my Western sensibilities. I’m gaining a new appreciation for the luxury of perfumes. An appreciation I would have denied prior to moving to Abu Dhabi.

Here’s the link to the fragrance I chose:
Ghala at www.ajmalperfume.com

If you are living in the Middle East, I encourage you to visit an Ajmal Eternal, or other perfume shop when you have the chance. You'll find some scents easy to understand and appreciate. You will also be introduced to a range of aromas outside of your cultural comfort zone. You may just answer some unasked questions of your own.

Wednesday Morning Walk

2009-06-03T15:48:00.000+04:00

In the Walking Mood

The Celsius has dropped a few degrees this week, down from 46 to about 39 C today - and a pleasant breeze bonus. The temporary cooler weather put me in the mood for some walking.

I invited my friend Rodney to join me today in a walk to Madinat Zayed Shopping Center. Madinat Zayed Shopping Center is one of the larger, older malls in Abu Dhabi and one neither of us had visited. We fueled up with some coffee first before starting our walk. Coffee finished, we headed for the Corniche. The paved route along the Corniche is an easy walk, no traffic my friends, and hardly anyone was out there this morning.

Madinat Zayed Shopping Center

According to my map at home, our destination was off of Lulu street, next to Zayed the 2nd street. Looked like an easy walk on the map. Without going into details, after a bottle of water, and a wrong turn, we made it to Madinat Zayed Center- a little hot and sweaty, but we made it. The extensive use of thick concrete on the exterior, tells you this is one of the older Abu Dhabi malls. It was a relief to step inside out of the heat. It's cooler today, but not that cool.

I suppose we all have preconceptions of what a place "should" be like - people, customs, food and shopping. Madinat Zayed Center is what I thought Abu Dhabi malls would be like. That is, an older building with many small shops selling abayas, sandals, scarves, perfume, watches, cell phones, ball gowns, and various home essentials. There's also an Abu Dhabi Co-op inside the mall (grocery). This looks like the place to pick out some items with a Middle East flavor.

A New Pair of Sandals

Almost immediately, we found a shop with an array of leather sandals. What the heck, let's check it out. We walked into the "Al Jazeera Trading Est." to check out the goods.

This is where I tell you that I've not been happy with the sandals I purchased for 199 dirhams at Marina Mall a few weeks ago (ouch, dang blisters). Finding a new pair of comfortable sandals was on my to-do list. Finding a good pair of sandals should be easy in Abu Dhabi. Almost everyone wears sandals here - if you are Muslim, they are easy to take on and off at the Mosque and prayer rooms.

The young gentleman who greeted us, "Welcome, my friends, my friends..." was indeed friendly, helpful, and eager to sell some sandals. Yes, I did find a pair of sandals. The sandals I bought are branded "Alonso" they are made for the UAE (in the UAE?) and I'm told are very popular. I'll know in a couple of days if I made a good purchase - priced at 175 dirhams, he sold them to me for 150 dirhams "So you'll come back my friend".

These are the sandals I bought - good price, and comfortable.

Al Jazeera Trading Est.
Phone: 02-6348422
Madinat Zayed Shopping Center
PO Box 3032
Shop No. 64,65
Abu Dhabi, UAE

Rodney and I kept exploring downstairs and upstairs. The mall shoppers were mostly women in Abayas, and a few men sitting at the cafes and Internet kiosks. Oh, I should mention, there are several shops selling watches, and some of the shops have hawkers trying to get you to buy fake Rolex's and other cheap watches "watches, watches, Rolex for you.." we passed on the watches. Another item I should tell you about is the gold jewelery. Yes, Madinat Zayed Shopping Center sells gold jewelry. If you can't find your gold here, head up a block to Hamdan Center - plenty of gold shops there. What we did not find here was a decent place for lunch.

Curry House

Hungry, and on the search for food, we walked back towards the Corniche and saw, "The Curry House" on Electra Street. Rodney said he saw it recommended in "Time Out Abu Dhabi". Curry sounded good to me. I ordered the Chicken Curry and Butter Naan with a cup of mint tea. It was a freaking delicious curry, just spicy enough to leave a touch of residual heat, the sizable portion of buttered naan helped me scoop out the last of the curry sauce - ooooh, so good, and just the right amount - rice not needed, it would have left me too full. Freaking great lunch - we grabbed take away menus - they deliver! I'm ordering in tonight.

The Curry House
Phone: 02-6328860
Fax: 02-6328861
Behind Janata Bank,
Electra Street, Abu Dhabi, UAE

After our morning walk, lunch, plus the leg work in the gym yesterday, we both felt a taxi ride home was an excellent idea. On the drive back, Rodney had the taxi driver go past a tailor shop he recommended to me. For about 600+ dirhams, the tailor will custom make a suit for you, you pick the material and color of your choice (better material = bigger price). Rodney has his own suit on the way. This fall I'm going to stop by and have a tailored suit made for me. Pretty neat day.

update #1: Well, we ordered from the Curry House - proves that the food is almost always better at the restaurant than delivered. The food was good, I have chicken curry and rice left-over for my lunch tomorrow. But it was much better at the restaurant.

update #2: The humidity returned tonight. I went out around 7 pm tonight, and the heavy, hot, humidity has returned. Thankfully we had a great walk in the morning. The heat is back.

update #3: Also had a great conversation with my friend Mohamed. He's originally from the Sudan, but worked in the States these last 12 years. Great guy, great perspective and a pleasure to talk with. I try to keep myself open to making new friends. And the grape shisha was good tonight too.

update #4: The left-over chicken curry made for a great lunch.

update#5: The new sandals are working out and proving comfortable. Maybe I should buy one more pair, fancy ones with some bling, in black?

"M'a sa-laama-a" (go with peace).

Thursday Heat and Restaurant Review

2009-05-21T13:18:00.000+04:00

Too Hot to Sit Outside

We have another sunny, hot day in Abu Dhabi – and getting hotter. Today I decided sitting inside was a better idea for lunch. Monday early afternoon, I attempted to sit outside at Café Special, next to Corniche road. Bad idea – it was just too bloody hot to enjoy being outside – and my mango smoothie was not cold. I’m back at Idioms Café, enjoying a watermelon shisha and a cold colada smoothie – strawberry, coconut and pineapple. My chicken sandwich with fries is tasty too.

Picture of me setting at Idioms earlier this month.

India Palace, Abu Dhabi

Last night we ordered dinner from India Palace. Many of our expatriate friends have recommended India Palace. Even though delivery is never as good as eating at the restaurant, it was just easier to have food delivered. Finding the phone number was easy, we have a large local phone book. But what to order? Google it of course. Okay, there are many positive reviews of India Palace online. The phone number listed in the phone book matched the online restaurant reviews for India Palace. Good. And the address for the restaurant agreed with where I was told it was too. Good. A menu of items to order was non-existent.

I’ve noticed that Websites for stores and restaurants in Abu Dhabi are almost non-existant. Back in the States, I’m accustomed to finding local restaurants advertising on the Web - many post their menu too. Well, you'll likely not find an online menu here ma'am, or sir. What I did find using google were a few, very few, personal recommendations of items ordered at the restaurant. Here they are:

“The Chicken Tikka, or delicious prawn or the traditional dal makhani”.
“…butter chicken will leave you with a smile on your face. The naan is most excellent”.
“..best dessert is rasmallay”.
“..tandoori boneless chicken with lashings of raita and plain naan bread. I make my own little naan bread wraps. My kids love the butter chicken masala, also with the naan bread. My wife is a dhal makani fan too and it’s great there.”

My before dinner research yielded some good recommendations. Taking charge of ordering dinner, I decided on a coconut prawn curry for my wife (can you go wrong with coconut curry?), then the butter chicken masala for my son and the tandoori boneless chicken for myself, oh, and don't forget the buttered naan and some cardamom rice.

According to the receipt we were given, what we actually ordered was:
3 Nan Makhani 18 dirhams
1 Murg Tikka Shole 30 dirhams
1 Prawn Moilee 55 dirhams
1 Murg Makhanwala 30 dirhams
1 Kesari Pulao 18 dirhams
Total: 151 dirhams
(not a bad price for delivery, but not as reasonable as what we typically order from the Lebanese restaurants – a feast for 100 dirhams - but certainly not as spendy as the Indian restaurant in Khalidiyah Mall).

The food was excellent, we ate everything. We ate everything, except for some of the condiments. I do not know the name of some of the condiments we received. There was a white sauce we did not care for, and a typical green sauce which is spicy, and tastes of pureed parsley and there was a small container of something red. I was the only one brave enough to sample the red condiment – wow! That red stuff was intense, hot, vinegar, with a lot of cumin, coriander, chili and something pickled. It took me a couple of minutes to adjust to that stuff. I think I liked it.

India Palace, Al Salam Street, Abu Dhabi, Phone: 02.644.8777

note: The Indian restaurant in Khalidiyah Mall is an excellent choice too. The food is very spicy, exotic, and authentic. The selection of chilled fruit drinks alone will keep you coming back (love the Delhi Devil). I’ll try to post a review of them at a later date.

Cheers.

Wrapping Up April

2009-04-30T17:47:00.000+04:00

Adjusting to the Heat + WOMAD Update

To say it is getting hot in Abu Dhabi is true, yet misleading. Yesterday, I stepped onto the roof of our building at noon, it smelled and felt just like a sauna. I was enfolded by heavy, hot air, thankful for the sandles on my feet. There were only a couple of people by the pool, so it was easy to find a lounge chair to sit and read.

My wife purchased me a book by Tahir Shah, "In Arabian Nights." The book is a tale of Moroccan story tellers, and the author’s quest to define his life by finding a story of his own. This book is a good read, one you enjoy slowly, savoring the colors, and flavors of Morocco and the stories within stories.

As I read, the heat gradually melted the glue binding the cover to the book. It was distracting as the book cover kept sliding around while I cooked in the sun. Even with sunscreen, I barely lasted an hour before I had to get out of the April Abu Dhabi sun. It's getting hot in Abu Dhabi. What will May be like? Much hotter I'm told.

Amazon.com link to the book "In Arabian Nights" by Tahir Shah

Busy April

April has been a month of activity for us. April marks the month I officially received my UAE resident visa. This means I can stay in the country with my working wife and our son who is attending school here. Now that I have a resident visa, I can even work in Abu Dhabi, if anyone is hiring. There was some question about having my resident visa approved. With that issue in mind, and my temporary visa about to expire last week, we made a quick round-trip flight to Doha, Qatar to extend my visa an extra 30 days.

Doha, Qatar

The flight from Abu Dhabi International Airport to Doha is quick, maybe an hour. We flew out of Abu Dhabi on Etihad Airways. Etihad Airways is very professional, and the seating is roomy and comfortable. The flight is so quick, we hardly had time to drink our juice and gobble down our sandwich before landing. The Doha airport is surrounded by construction. Don't even think of trying to walk away form the airport, you won't get anywhere. We stayed at the Marriot, which is quite nice on the inside, so don't go by how the exterior looks. We had dinner and breakfast at the hotel. Both were first rate and satisfying. I recommend the breakfast buffet, good selection of food and friendly service (I think the waitress liked me - possibly just my ego thinks so).

The city of Doha is spread out along the bay. It is not a huge city with a population of less than 350,000. Did you know that Qatar has a third of the world's natural gas reserves and the highest GDP per capita in the world? Even with all of this wealth, Qatar is taking its time developing itself; avoiding the rapid rise growth of cities like Dubai. I just read that the New York Times called Doha the 'cultural destination of the year', praising its urban developments. One of the strategic developments in Qatar is the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha. The museum houses the largest collection of Islamic Art in the world.

Museum of Islamic Art

Just a few of the many pictures I took at the museum (click for larger image).

It was only an over-night stay in Doha, but we did manage to spend four hours at the Museum of Islamic Art. The museum was designed by the Architect I.M. Pei. This is a new facility; it only opened to the public five months ago. I found the building quite striking. The exterior deserves to be appreciated over a full day, sunrise, afternoon sun, and sunset - worth another visit or two. The interior of the building really wowed me; the use of materials, light from the noon sun, shadows and the scale of the structure. There are five levels to this building; unfortunately, the top two levels were closed while we were there.

November Tribeca Film Festival

Also of note, the first Tribeca Film Festival outside of New York will be held in Doha this November. The daughter of Qatar's ruler Shaikh Al Thani attended Robert De Niro's summer-long intensive film course at Tribeca Productions in New York. She persuaded Tribeca to hold the Festival at Doha this year. Cool, I want to go.

I was impressed by how friendly and helpful hotel staff, taxi drivers, guards and airport personnel were in Qatar. We flew out of Doha on Qatar Airways. Qatar Airways was also very professional and their plane was quite comfortable and roomy. I'll take either Etihad or Qatar Airways for our next flight out of Abu Dhabi.

On a semi-related note, we visited the Duty Free stores in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. No complaints there. At the Abu Dhabi Duty Free, I managed to find some Jacobs Creek, Sparkling Chardonnay - Pinot Noir. This is a wine I've looked for back home in the States, without success. Five years ago I found a bottle by chance in a Washington Liquor store; I've never found another bottle since. Jacobs Creek has found another market for their tasty sparkling wine. I bought the last two bottles.

Abu Dhabi WOMAD Update

We returned to Abu Dhabi just in time for the first ever WOMAD in the UAE. WOMAD is a celebration of Music, Art and Dance. WOMAD events are held all over the world every year. This was the first time WOMAD visited the UAE - they were invited by Abu Dhabi. The venue was held on the Corniche, just minutes from our building. The entire venue was clearly visible from the roof of our building. And you could hear the music from inside our apartment building. You don't get much closer to a venue than that. Here are some images I took at WOMAD.

Some WOMAD photos: Sa Dingding, Mohammed Mounir, Robert Plant.

Red Bull Air Race

Going back yet another week, the Red Bull Air Race was also held on the Corniche. We had an excellent view of the races - it was my first air race and a blast to watch. Once again, access was easy for us. Living next to the Corniche, life is interesting and convenient.

Smoke and Perfume

I'm writing this post on my laptop at the Idioms cafe, smoking strawberry shisha and drinking a mango smoothie, of course. Idioms is located across from Tche Tche cafe, which is across from La Brioche. These cafes are at the base of Corniche Towers just around the corner from our apartment building. Abu Dhabi has certainly grown on me the two months I've lived here. On the return flight from Qatar, it felt good to be home. I've never described the smells here, all the scents of perfumed Emirati, shisha wafting along the tall buildings and the spicy foods. I've worn the Jasmine perfume the merchant at Heritage Village sold me (image below); I've also purchased some Oud and Mukhalat Malalki. I'm wearing the Oud, which I prefer; I like the woody, exotic scent, which lingers on.

On the first of the month we visited Heritage Village located near Marina Mall. I admit I was reluctant to go there, thinking it was only for tourists. Happily, I was wrong, and enjoyed myself. There truly are working artisans you can visit with. The friendly Artisans, interesting exhibits and crafts for purchase made the visit worth the time. The restaurant was closed while we were there. We'll go back for another visit when the restaurant is open. Recommended.

My April Restaurant Picks

Delivery from Al Sawarmi was fast and right to our door, what a feast for the price, recommended. Beirut take-out restaurant at Khalidiyah Mall has excellent food, cooked while you wait, expect to wait, recommended. The Iranian restaurant upstairs at Marina Mall, the food was fantastic, the appetizer was a meal in itself, recommended. Tche Tche cafe, my other favorite shisha cafe and the second cafe in Abu Dhabi to offer shisha, best hamburger in Abu Dhabi I've had so far, recommended.

Yogurt Results Soon

My son and I had a private yogurt tasting at home. We purchased three local brands of yogurt to find out which one we liked best. There was one we liked best, but all three are quite good, especially with a little honey. I'll post the results once I have some photos of the products.

I've come to realize that I'll miss Abu Dhabi when our time here is over. If you have the opportunity to visit Abu Dhabi, and the UAE, then come visit.

"M'a sa-laama-a" (go with peace).

WOMAD + More to Share Tomorrow

2009-04-11T23:12:00.001+04:00

It's a warm, humid Saturday evening here. The night air feels like a cozy blanket, except, I can't sleep. Maybe it's the coffee, or maybe it's because I'm excited about the news of WOMAD Abu Dhabi.

That's right, WOMAD is going to be held at Al Corniche in Abu Dhabi this month, 23 - 25 April 2009! WOMAD Abu Dhabi is a celebration of the cultures through Music, Arts & Dance. Here are some links with information to get you revved about the FREE music event. Yes, it will be a "FREE" event:

http://www.womadabudhabi.ae/home.html

http://womad.org/festivals/womad-abu-dhabi/

TimeOut Abu Dhabi magazine (link above) was kind enough to include with their current issue, a bonus CD with 8 tracks by WOMAD performers. I'm enjoying writing this post while listening to some great World music. Also thrilled that WOMAD Abu Dhabi is going to be minutes from my front door.

There is more I have to say about other things Abu Dhabi: Heritage Village, a restaurant, another restaurant, the beach, the sun, and another restaurant. But, that will have to wait for Sunday. It is getting late and I should get this hot laptop chilling somewhere other than my legs.

Sincerely hope those in the area can make it to WOMAD - it's shaping into an amazing show, suitable for all ages - children too.

"M'a sa-laama-a" (go with peace).

Emirati Greeting

2009-04-02T09:34:00.000+04:00

9:50 AM 02 April 2009

My U.S. cell phone started acting weird yesterday - and the roaming fees are killer. So I'm looking for a local cell phone.

While googling about UAE phones, I ran across another Abu Dhabi blog, http://gaialady.blogspot.com/. A good read, with a different perspective on life in Abu Dhabi. I too have seen the male Emirati greeting another male Emirati (shake hands, rub noses, hug). "Gaialady" found the *clip I'm also sharing.

Woo hoo! The sun is poking out - hope it warms up enough for a dip in the pool. The weather is supposed to be absolutely miserable the next couple of days (major wind, rain and lightning storms). I just hope the weather reports are wrong, wrong, wrong.

*note: It is considered very rude to video or take photos of locals without permission. So don't do it.

"M'a sa-laama-a" (go with peace).

Catching Up - Wind, Dust, Shisha and Arab Culture

2009-03-26T21:42:00.001+04:00

8:12 PM Thursday 26 March 2009

It’s Thursday night here – which makes it “Friday” night for us. The day began as windy and dusty as last night. We attended a business dinner last night at the Sheraton Corniche. We had to walk outside past the pool to the “beach” restaurant. The wind and dust made the walk unpleasant - gritty. The dinner and conversation were most excellent, so I did not mind the difficulty getting there. Getting to the Sheraton Corniche for dinner proved challenging.

We still don’t have our own car to drive. This makes us dependent on taxis to venture outside of our neighborhood. Last night, we assumed we could catch a taxi as easily as we can during the day. Wrong. Mornings and afternoons, taxis are plentiful; just raise your arm a bit to signal the taxi driver you need a lift. Easy, peasy. Last night we spent 20 minutes, in the blowing dust, trying to wave down a taxi. Reluctantly, fearing we’d be late for the dinner, we called for a driver. Our apartment building is new and not known by name; most drivers have no idea where we are. This makes it rather difficult to get a ride. Even with advance notice, it was looking grim. There’s also that pesky issue of the language barrier.

English is the most common language spoken in the UAE. Abu Dhabi is a cosmopolitan city with a diverse population. I’ve read that around 80% of the population in the UAE is non-native. This makes English the lingua-franca. You want to communicate with the majority of the population, speak English. Except… Except, this is an Arab country and one should expect to have to interact with native Arab speakers. Many of the taxi firms and their drivers are native Arab speakers. Calling for a driver can be challenging, we don’t speak Arabic, yet, and as I mentioned, most people don’t know where our apartment building is. Six phone calls later, directions were given during each call, and 25 minutes more passed. Our driver eventually showed and rushed us to dinner. Dinner was most excellent and well worth the effort to get there, even if we were a bit tardy. Having a car available to drive, soon maybe, will help. Speaking Arabic would help too, but the car is going to happen first.

Today I had lunch with my expat friend R. He’s from Colorado and has lived in Abu Dhabi about four weeks too. We went to a local restaurant called Idioms. It’s a short walk from the apartment to Idioms, which also serves Shisha. The restaurant was dark when we arrived, but the door was open, in we walked. Once our eyes adjusted to the dim interior, we noticed a group of five Emiratis in the corner, with Shishas, smoking. I found a waitress and she informed us that the power in the building was out. They were not able to serve food, but we could smoke Shisha instead. Hmmm…Shisha.

R. and I sat down next to the group of Emiratis, and joined in with the Shisha. I don’t think they minded, but I’m not always sure about the social rules here. Shisha, as I mentioned in an earlier post, is a water pipe you use to smoke a tobacco and treacle mixture (sugar water), flavored with fruit. We chose the mint and grape mix to smoke. It was the first time R. had Shisha and only my second time. This made me the Shisha expert. Inhale sweet smoke, exhale sweet smoke. So smooth, cough, cough; it was smooth smoking most of the time, although, even one of the Emirati’s was coughing a little. Shisha is a social activity, much like drinking coffee or tea with a friend. I’d never have Shisha by myself – it would feel wrong. R. and I spent the next 70 minutes smoking and talking. Power was restored to the building about 40 minutes into our Shisha. 70 minutes seemed to go fast, and by then we’d had more than enough Shisha activity (we both felt it).

We set aside our water pipes and moved into the open dining area to order lunch. Service at Idioms was excellent. Staff was friendly, polite and quick to respond. We both ordered sandwiches, mine was turkey on a baguette, and it was superb. I also had the mushroom soup and it was perfect! Even the mango smoothie was just right, and chilled too. R. and I plan on returning to Idioms. I recommend them for food and Shisha. Googling Idioms, I discovered that Idiom also has free WI-FI. Cool.

My time in Abu Dhabi has not been all swimming, Shisha, cafes and business dinners. I’ve been enjoying an excellent book I purchased at Al Wahda Mall, http://www.alwahda-mall.com/. The book is called, “Understanding Arabs: A Guide for Modern Times” by Margaret Nydell. Ms. Nydell writes very well, and I find her book engaging. It’s already getting dog-eared. Living in an Arab country makes the subject of Arab culture and mores, obviously relevant to me. That being stated, in today’s world of global tension, wars in the Middle East and a variety of voices, on both sides of the fence, demanding attention – this book is more than relevant to all of us who lack an understanding of what it means to be an Arab and what it means to be a Muslim. I strongly recommend this book to everyone I know back home in the States. Actually, I recommend this book to anyone reading this post. See the link following:
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Arabs-Guide-Modern-Times/dp/1931930252

If you are finding fewer spelling errors and grammatical mistakes, it’s because I’m composing this post in MS Word. The spell-checker built into my blogs text editor has not worked since I moved to the UAE. I can’t guarantee I’ll compose all of my future posts in Word, so don’t be surprised if the spelling mistakes and other errors crop up again.

I can still smell the sweet Shisha smoke lingering on me, time for a shower. The wind outside has stopped – good.

Foggy Morning

2009-03-19T07:46:00.000+04:00

7:46 AM 19 March 2009

You could taste the moisture in the air today. The morning was heavy with humidity. Fog clung to the buildings as I walked my son to the bus. The temperature was pleasant. Thankfully, it's only the middle of March.

After my cuppa, I'm expecting the repair men around 9 AM. Last night, they called us at 8 PM, and wanted permission to come up to the apartment to start working. At night! We politely told them we were going to bed and could they possibly come in the morning? To repair what? Oh, there are three A.C. units in our apartment. The main unit covers the living area, and the other two cover the bedrooms. We expect the A.C. will have a workout this summer - possibly starting as early as April. Of the three units, the unit in our bedroom is not working optimally. It hardly pushes air and does not cool as efficiently as the other two units. We will need that unit working.

The proximity of tall buildings to each other, and all the concrete they are made of, has keept the living accomodations very comfortable so far. Walking through the neighborhood, there are plenty of narrow, shaded corridors for walking around and between buildings - all in an effort to stay out of the heat of the sun.

I have some tasks on my computer to attend to. I'll post when I have something else to say. May have a good tourist photo opportunity tomorrow or Saturday.

Until then, all my best.

Changed the Blog Theme - Again

2009-03-18T09:59:00.001+04:00

I found this free blogger theme and feel it better reflects the mood of this UAE blog. It is diary/journal like. Some of the page elements do not work with this theme. I'll see if I can add them back or find another work around.

It's another sunny day in Abu Dhabi. Expected temperature in the 90's again.

Still sore from working out in the gym. Will hit the sauna today.

Best.

Two Cafes and a Walk

2009-03-17T19:58:00.000+04:00

7:59 PM Tuesday 17 March 2009

My little laptop computer is getting a real workout over here. I use the heck out of it. Back home I had two other computers to share the load. My main desktop was the power hitter (faster, more RAM, large hard drive, real video card) and my little Shuttle computer was a great bunter (it was just easier to keep Itunes on it for syncing with my Ipod - Apple needs to do some serious re-thinking on ease of use and migration of music libraries to other computers). Windows XP is noticeably slowing down and my laptop is running hotter - I just peeled off my shirt from the heat on my lap. What I need is a pinch hitter. Probably my sons computer. Hope my laptop lasts for one more season.

I don't know what's up with the baseball metaphors...

Argh... my touchpad and keyboard just conspired against me. I had to re-type the last paragraph.

With some time to kill before the dry cleaner opened at 9 am, I hit one of the loal cafes, La Brioche. It's just around the corner, across the street from the carpet store. The staff is very friendly, if not perky. Gazing at all the fresh baked goodness, I chose an "Opera" which is a multi-layered, coffee and chocolate cake. It went great with my black coffee. Having several cafes and restaurants within easy walking distance, is one of the perks of living in a city again.

You can just see the yellow canopy of the cafe above.

For lunch I stopped at another cafe. It was a cafe day for me. The above image is from inside the second cafe. It was slightly smoky, tolerabley so, and quite dark inside (I had to tweak the image to see the detail). The dark atmosphere was a relief from the heat outside. I can only imagine how hot, hot is going to become in the months to come. Looking at the menu, I chose something light - a Greek salad. Even though my salad was missing olives, the Feta cheese was spectacular. While I don't have the name of this cafe, I did listen to one of the staff (manager?) lecture an impatient customer with a "take away" order. She told him not to be in such a hurry, that he needed to learn how to slow down, relax and enjoy life. Really.

As you can tell by now, I took my camera with me on my walk. I had the camera in manual mode, so I could easily adjust exposure to compensate for sun and shadows. There was a lot of sun today. The picture below, of the guys in the truck, is here because they honked at me to get my attention to take their photo. So here it is (the image is larger than usual so you can see their faces better).

No pool action today. Yesterday, I hit the pool twice, and used the gym upstairs for the first time. There is some good equipment in the gym. Great for isolating muscle groups - which I did. Said muscles are still a bit tight and sore today. So doing more than walking was not on my list.

Not much exciting or interesting to share today. Except for the guy who tried to sell me a suit out of the trunk of his car (nothing fit). I managed to capture 217 images with my camera before the batteries were exhausted. I recommend using rechargeable batteries, which I do. Far cheaper in the long run, and they last longer than alkaline batteries.

Best.

Carpet Shopping Saturday

2009-03-15T18:19:00.000+04:00

6:19 PM Sunday 15 March 2009

Saturday we visited a local carpet store. It's just downstairs and around the corner from our apartment building. There's a distinction between a carpet and a wall hanging (multiply the price of a carpet by 10 and you are close to the price for a Persian wall hanging). Still, the prices seemed reasonable and the owner was very friendly. Hey, we're neighbors and we plan on living here for at least two years.

We finally decided on a handsome carpet for my sons room. It's a deep red color, almost purple, with an attractive pattern and soft to walk on. It makes a great rump saver to sit on too, the tile here can be tiresome. I think it is the carpet pictured above, under all those lovely Persian wall hangings. We're discussing which theme and color scheme we want in a Persian wall hanging. There are several tree of life themes we liked and a gorgeous gold/green mandala pattern all three of us agreed on. The wall hangings are made of silk and color shift when you move from side to side. Lovely.

Our furnished apartment, apartment furniture showed yesterday. All I'll say about it is, it may only be temporary furniture (which is good).

It was a warm day (weather.com said we hit 92 F) but humidity was low. I walked to Khalidiya Mall to pick up a cable and thank you card. There was a group from the police and traffic safety in the mall. They were promoting safe driving and traffic safety. A constant issue in the press. News media was present, and several important looking officials. They even had people dressed as Arab cartoon characters out talking to kids. Pretty neat. I'm all for some better driving awareness - and I thought it was bad back home.

Managed to hit the pool around lunch time. I'm trying to keep to moderate sun exposure. My face is looking a bit red lately, and I don't need a sun burn. Last night I took some slow exposure images from the roof. I'm going to transfer the images from my camera to this computer. I'll post some photos here if any are interesting.

Best.

No Furniture Today

2009-03-13T21:48:00.000+04:00

9:49 PM Friday 13 March 2009

The furniture did not show today - we sat in the apartment waiting all day. We're now expecting it tomorrow, Saturday morning. Joy.

I did manage to pop up to the 11th floor and visit with some new friends. Anice and John are originally form Australia. We had a very pleasant time, I spoke too much about Washington wine, of course, while enjoying their delicious Australian red wine.

Their daughter, son-in-law and grand daughter also stopped by for a visit. It was a very comfortable time, and I enjoyed myself. Did I mention they have good red wine?

Perhaps tomorrow we can hit the pool or take in a movie at the mall.

I see Facebook made the planned change to their site. Does anyone know how to find the Group page again? For the life of me I can't find any of the Groups I belong too.

Best to all, keep emailing and posting. We don't have a PO Box, so you can't write to us.

Quiet Thursday

2009-03-12T09:35:00.000+04:00

9:35 AM Thursday 12 March 2009

My son has a light cold today - his first in the UAE. He's staying home and resting. He's on the couch watching a Miyazaki cartoon, in Japanese, at the moment. I may connect the Wii to the TV later today. There are links in some of the local magazines I want to post to another of my blogs. I'll do that next.

The photo above is from September 2006. I took the image with an older cell phone camera in Seattle. We were in a shop below Pike Place Market - I forgot the name of the place. I've gently adjusted the original image. Thought it belonged on this blog.

Our furniture is supposed to be delivered Friday. I'm not sure what that means, since Friday is a Holy day, and those who work usually start work after 4:00 pm. Maybe Saturday will be Friday for us?

That's all for now. "M'a sa-laama-a" (go with peace).

It's Wednesday so it Must be Thursday

2009-03-11T19:46:00.000+04:00

7:47 PM Wednesday 11 March 2009

Thursday is Friday in the UAE - because Friday is Saturday and many companies take Friday off. Since it's Wednesday, it's Thursday. Maybe I had too much sun this morning. I do have a bit of that shiny, lobster glow about my face tonight. It was perfect swimming weather today, again. The swim goggles help and I'm getting more of my wind back. As a kid, I used to swim constantly. Feels good to be swimming again.

I resolved to have my hair cut today. It was time. So, where to go? One of the places I picked as an option is, New Wave Saloon. Over here, barbershops are called saloons. When I checked this saloon out last week, they looked clean, professional and approachable. So there it was, my decision made, I went to New Wave Saloon. When I arrived, one of the barbers was playing a mandolin. Really. And he's quite good. The other barber was available and sat me at his station. The easiest instruction I could give him was, "take half off". He replied, "you want it short?" "Yes." This was my first time hearing clippers accompanied by a mandolin. Very relaxing.

The cut was well done - "short" as asked for. A hair-tonic/antiseptic was applied afterwards (I like, I like) and then I was given a good scalp massage. Finished by some gell to my remaining locks. After, I asked for a card, and found out that the mandolin player is the owner. His name is Bassam Samara. Nice guy, with some gray in his hair like me. The hair-cut cost 90 dirhams, maybe a little high, but about what I'd pay back home with tip. I'll be back.

It's interesting how computers facilitate communication. Though I'm half way around the world from "home" I'm still able to interface with friends and family. Even when the news is not all good. While checking Facebook today, one of my long-time friends started a chat session. She had bad news about a co-worker, and needed to talk about it. I won't go into details, but we had needed conversation, back and forth about our lives. I'll have her friend in my prayers tonight.

That's all tonight. Best to all.

Easy Day

2009-03-10T19:55:00.000+04:00

Tuesday 7:57 PM 10 March 2009
(Yes, I changed the look of the blog again)

One could get used to the March weather in Abu Dhabi. Today began and ended sunny, with just a light breeze in the afternoon. To kick off my day, I'm developing a habit of hitting the pool on the roof. There's just enough sun in the morning to make swimming a treat.

Swim #1

This morning I had the pool all to myself. There's nothing better than doing several laps without the kiddies to avoid. While swimming, I realized that my previous statement that the apartment building has 22 floors was incorrect. The elevator goes up to the 20th floor, but there's also a Ground and Mezzanine floor (22 floors), and when you get off the elevator on the 20th floor, you have to walk up to the 21st floor to access the gym and spa (23 floors), if you want to use the pool, you have to go up another floor to the roof access (24 floors). So that makes 24 floors if you count the pool! What a view.

After my swim, I wandered around the pool area listening to my "Teach Yourself Arabic in 60 Minutes" CD. All I can remember is "no" and numbers "1 and 5". I'll just have to listen to the CD more frequently. At least I can recognize the Arabic numerals for 0 - 9. I enjoy reading the license plates on cars and translating the Arabic numbers.

Khalidiya Mall

There were still some odds and ends I needed for the apartment. So after cleaning up, I walked over to Khalidiya Mall. It's a 2.5 block hike from the apartment, which works out to over 1/2 mile on foot. My big discovery today is a pedestrian walkway which goes under Zayed the 1st street. The walkway saves time and energy crossing a major street. The only shopping I did was at Lulu's Hypermarket, upstairs where the computers and clothes are. I found a needed replacement power supply for our Nintendo Wii (the one that came with the Wii only supports 110v at 60Hz), also found a VGA cable for the TV and some swimming goggles for me and my son.

The walk back to the apartment was uneventful, just the usual dodging of vehicles, and constant twisting of my head looking out for cars in ALL directions. Feeling a bit peckish, I wandered into a KFC for a bite. KFC sure seems big around here. There are adverts everywhere for KFC - they even deliver via motorcycle if you can't drag yourself out of the house. Lunch cost 18 dirhams (about $5 U.S.).

Swim #2

After my son came home from school, and finished his homework, we hit the pool to try out our new swim goggles. We did have to make some minor adjustments for fit and to resolve some leaks. The chinese made goggles worked well and kept us in the pool a bit longer - if it wasn't for the cool breeze, we might still be there. Even though we needed goggles for the chlorine in the pool, the chlorine levels here have not been as wicked as in the club pool back home. I plan on hitting the pool again tomorrow morning - great way to start the day.

Dinner

For dinner I cooked stir fried rice with chicken, carrots and onions, I added the rice vinegar at the end for a little zing, and I baked terriyaki/orange chicken wings too. My son went to town on the rice, he even had thirds. Dessert was plain yogurt with honey drizzled on top and mandarin oranges.

Arabic Lessons

I received a quote from another Arabic Language school (this one is actually an Arabic school). Language lessons here sure seem a bit spendy. Back home I could take classes at about $100 per credit, or about $500 for a 5 credit class for an entire quarter (but not in Arabic). My quote for a beginner Arabic language course is 3 classes a week for 6 weeks at a cost of $8,000 dirhams or about $2,180 U.S.! I may have this wrong, I'm a bit confused by the wording of the email, it could be it's actually $1,800 dirhams ($490 U.S.) for a 6 week course and that there are a total of 5 courses (30 weeks of beginner studies? I doubt it). I'll have to investigate further.

Well that's all for tonight. Our apartment furniture is supposed to arrive within the week. We've been getting by with temporary furniture. And I do mean temporary. I was so jet-lagged and dead tired when I arrived in Abu Dhabi, that it took me 5 days to realize that the bed is lumpy.

Now I notice every night.

Best, "M'a sa-laama-a" (go with peace).

Reflecting on Two Weeks

2009-03-08T21:00:00.001+04:00

9:00 PM Sunday 8 March 2009

Tonight is my two week milestone. It's possible I'm trimming down. My pants do seem looser in the waist, which is the problem area for men. City life can require more daily walking than the rural, "I can't get anywhere without a car lifestyle." Which is certainly true for the part of SE Washington I've lived in for the last 23 years.

The fact we don't own a car in Abu Dhabi for me to drive helps. Not that I miss driving every day. I don't. It's easy enough to wave down a taxi when needed or to call a driver for a night out on the town.

The other factor in my aparent weight loss, would be from not drinking all of that delicious Washington wine. I am a Washington Wine Ambassador after all - and I have enjoyed promoting, selling and talking to anyone who would listen, about how fantastic Washington wine is -http://www.wild4washingtonwine.blogspot.com/. Also, it is illegal to purchase or consume alcohol at home without a permit from the UAE government. The permiting process is a bit involved to complete, and the application form is in Arabic and must be completed in Arabic. I'm not really missing my drinks. A quick trip to a hotel bar can solve that craving.

I also notice I'm not consuming much red meat here, except for some lamb. The little red meat I have tried was from Brazil and not up to my standards. Picky, picky me. The quality of fruit is first rate. And there is a tremendous variety to choose from.

One of my goals living in the UAE, is to learn some survival Arabic. Today I was given a link to a nearby Arabic language center. Their rates seem reasonable and they are recommended. Even though English is widely spoken, and the signs are bilingual Arabic/English, many of the taxi drivers and laborers speak little English. The drivers for our desert "safari" spoke no English (except for "okay" and "very good").

I have several favored cities in the world I would choose to live in: Walla Walla Washington, Portland Oregon, San Francisco California, Vancover B.C., London and now Abu Dhabi.

Best to all, "M'a sa-laama-a" (go with peace).

Under the Wire

2009-03-07T23:54:00.000+04:00

11:54 PM Saturday 7 March 2009

Ha! Posted just under the wire.

It was another beautiful day here on Abu Dhabi island. One could not wish for better weather. I will certainly miss this season when I start complaining about the stifling heat in a couple of months.

Not much to tell, pleasant breakfast at a local cafe and an agreeable walk along the Corniche. Life sure does revolve around the Corniche here. There is plenty I have not explored. But, time will cure that. I'm overdue for a haircut. So I'm told. Monday I think I'll try the barbershop on the 2nd floor of Spinney's. Or would that be the first floor of Spinney's?

Sunday evening will mark my second week living in the UAE. I do enjoy living here. I hope to learn some Arabic and make some friends. Yesterday, I even jotted down a little prose - perhaps more will bubble to the surface.

It is now midnight, and we're all still up...Guess a three day weekend will do that.

Best.

Walk Along Al Corniche

2009-03-06T22:03:00.000+04:00

10:04 PM Friday 6 March 2009

Today is Friday, so it is a Holy day and a day off for many. You can tell it is a day off by the light morning traffic. We headed out to the Sheraton Corniche for a wonderful buffet breakfast. After a most satisfying breakfast, we lounged outside the restaurant in some most comfortable chairs (see photo) and then decided to walk back to the apartment along the water side of the Corniche.

It was a beautiful sunny morning, with a pleasant, if steady, breeze off the water which helped keep us comfortable during the walk back. Even the brick pavement was comfortable to walk on, with no beveled edges like the sidewalks on the other side of the road.

If you had been following us, you would have seen me straggling behind, snapping photos with my camera.

Below you will find several photos I took this morning. Isn't the water a most beautiful color?

After a much needed rest, we headed out to dinner at Indigo in the Beach Rotana, http://www.rotana.com/ - an absolutely lovely dinner. The butter chicken was fantastic...everything was first rate and delicious to the extreme. Recommended.

A surprise for me was that the Abu Dhabi Mall is attached to the Beach Rotana - I found a great CD at the Virgin Music store, performed by Melhem Zein, a Lebanese singer (http://www.rotana.net/).

More errands to run tomorrow, time to get ready for bed.

My best to all, "M'a sa-laama-a" (go with peace).

Sore and Tired Feet

2009-03-05T20:36:00.000+04:00

8:37 PM Thursday 5 March 2009

(Photo of the Killer Bricks)

It's finally, finally, official - Sunday is a holiday in honor of the Prophet's birthday. The date moved around a few times last week, but it has been decided that the private sector and public sector have Sunday off. Private sector would include expats like my family, so we get to spend a three day weekend together. Time to make some plans.

You'll have to excuse the quality of the photos, again, I used my cell phone camera. Now that I have my real camera with me, it arrived yesterday, I plan on taking better photos around the area.

This morning I explored east, along Hamdan street. I found a large bookstore, a small mens barbershop, and crossed a couple of major streets on foot. Crossing streets can be exciting and dangerous. Two guys, in no big hurry, and not paying attention, were almost run over in front of me. You really must pay attention to the traffic here. Watch the street lights and watch what the other pedestrians are doing (as in standing on the sidewalk and NOT crossing on the road). Green means GO here (I have to admit, that the drivers did honk their horns, while acting like they were trying to run those guys over).

After a light salad for lunch, I headed west over to Spinney's. The parks along the Corniche are being fertilized, so the smell of manure was strong during that walk, and stung my eyes. At either end of the park, you could smell shisha from the cafe's, so it wasn't all bad. In one of the photos below, you should be able to see part of a brick sidewalk (and a bag of manure). Most of the city sidewalks are made of geometric red brick, with beveled edges. They look attractive, but are murder on my feet - the bricks with beveled edges are the worst (see Killer Bricks photo at top).

For my first walk I wore my light hiking shoes, for my second walk I wore my Merrells (the best walking shoes I own) and after both walks, I switched to my light Crocs. My dogs were burning after the second walk - walking on that brick just wears me out.

It was a bit overcast for most of the day, so not a great photo day. Soon I'll have the perfect weather for some stunning photos of Abu Dhabi.

Until then, "M'a sa-laama-a" (go with peace).

Two Favorite Finds

2009-03-04T21:03:00.000+04:00

Wednesday 9:04 PM 4 March 2009

Today was pleasant weather wise, cool enough for a light jacket in the morning, with warm sun later. Perfect for a late morning walk. Took a quick jaunt to Abela's, another grocery within easy walking distance. You should see the size of the skewers I bought there - puts the ones I have back in the states to shame - heavy duty size. I butter-flied the whole chicken I bought yesterday and used the skewers to hold it open, made for a tasty supper.

In the afternoon our personal items arrived via air-freight. I now have my suits, clothes, ties, and other miscellaneous items I can't live without (DVD's and my camera). The clothes I brought on the plane with me were getting a bit, too well worn.

The photos below are of a couple of items I've found locally, and recommend. The Arabic Bread unfolds to the size of a pillow case. It reminds me of a tortilla, but much tougher and thinner - goes well with most meals, just rip off what you need. The other item is the Arabic Mix nuts. It's anything but boring, interesting mix. Some of the nuts have shells, so be careful what you put in your mouth.

Doing the Math - Exchange Rate

2009-03-03T14:58:00.000+04:00

2:58 PM 3 March 2009

I thought it would be interesting to analyze my purchases from Spinney's to give you an idea what things cost at a local grocer in Abu Dhabi. Amounts are in Dirham (DH), with the $U.S. conversion at the bottom of this post.

Jasmine Rice Vinegar: 3.25
Lime seedless (2): 0.95
Athenos Feta Cheese: 15.00
Chef Knife (UK): 29.25
Powerstrip 3 socket: 45.75
Arabian Nut Mix (very good): 20.50
Twinings Green Tea: 9.75
Whole Chicken: 14.50
Magazine (TimeOut Abu Dhabi): 10.00
Metal Oven Tray (UK): 30.00
-----------------------------------------
TOTAL: $178.95 DH (which equals around $48.73 US)

We really needed another powerstrip for our computers and hand held games. Had to buy a chef knife because the set in the apartment does not hold an edge, and mangles everything I try to cut. The oven tray was needed because we did not have one here - and I figured out how to use the oven in the Bompani Italian range.

Hands Free on the Roof

2009-03-03T09:08:00.000+04:00

9:18 AM Tuesday 3 March 2009

The apartment is all hard surfaces, painted concrete walls and tile floors - creates an annoying echo when talking on the phone. After seeing my son off to school, I went up to the roof to call my mom on my cell. Great reception up there. I had to turn down the volume on my ear-buds to speak with her. All is well at home. Cold and windy of course. I counted 52 large cranes in the city while I was speaking with my mom. 52! And that's only from one side of the building (some buildings have more than one crane on them).

It looks like another beautiful day in Abu Dhabi. Sunny, with a light breeze - as long as the breeze is gentle, the dust should not be a problem.

While I was on the roof of the apartment building, I met Bassu. Bassu is one of the apartment security guards, he is from Nepal. He said that Nepal is a "too beautiful place" with mountains, rivers and cool weather. He's working here for two years, earning money for the family at home. He says he's from a poor village, so he could not bring his wife and son with him. He misses his wife.

That's my morning. I'm off to find a shop called "Spinney's." It's a good hike from here - I'll check the map before taking off.

*update: 2:47 PM
I had a very good walk to Spinneys. The sidewalk is wide along Al Corniche. My side is next to a couple of parks - so plenty of Palms to shield you from the sun for most of the walk. There are also two cafe's on either end of today's walk - both had people smoking shisha (smelled like cherry). There is also an under road walkway to get to the beach side of Al Corniche. I may check that out tomorrow (certainly a much safer way to get across the road).

"M'a sa-laama-a" (go with peace).

Domestic Duties

2009-03-02T19:46:00.000+04:00

Monday 7:47 PM 2 March 2009

Today began cooler, which was a welcome respite from the heat. Unfortunately, the wind gained strength in the afternoon making it a little nasty outside. So no pool today.
I made an effort to get some wash done. A not so easy task with the combo washer/dryer in the apartment. It's a machine made in Italy by a company called Bompani. If anyone has some advice on using this thing, please let me know how to make it dry clothes.

The miniscule manual states not to exceed a load of 2 Kilos, and not to exceed 1 Kilo if washing synthetics. Boy, they aren't kidding. We had to purchase a drying rack to lay out our clothes to finish drying them.

I did manage to get some billable work accomplished. As long as I sit next to my router, I'm able to get a reliable Internet connection. It didn't take long to adjust a couple of Web forms - once I get some feedback I'll tweak them again.

Tomorrow I'm checking out another grocer. It's more of a hike from here, but should be manageable. It's supposed to have a good selection. I'm still on the hunt for a VGA cable - I blew it this weekend and bought a VGA extension cable by mistake. Dang. I have a couple of good VGA cables at home that I could have brought with me, if I'd thought of it.

And any advice on using that Italian combo washer/dryer really would help.

Best.

Here's a Brief Dune Bashing Video from Friday

2009-03-01T11:17:00.000+04:00

Settling into a Routine?

2009-03-01T09:11:00.000+04:00

9: 14 AM Sunday 1 March 2009 - and a full week of living in Abu Dhabi

Today is Sunday - so it is "Monday" in the UAE. As I mentioned in my previous post, Friday is a Holy day, and is similar to our Saturday + Sunday. And Saturday is Sunday for us foreign nationals. Got it?

I saw my son off to school this morning and my wife headed to work. Which leaves me here in the apartment. One of my clients and I chatted online last night. So, I have a little Web editing work to accomplish today - minor change to a Web form.

My clothes should be ready for pick-up from the cleaners around the corner. I'll go do that soon.

Video Editing

I still have to go through the 55 minutes of video from our desert "safari." I borrowed my sons Flip video camera to shoot the video. My equipment has not shown yet (shippers promise it will be here this week). He's been good about lending me his sony digital camera too.

Here's a photo of me shooting video with my sons Flip video camera. It will record up to 60 minutes of video. The camera is easy to use and does an okay job of video and audio. It records in standard format. I'll drop the clips into Adobe Premiere and tweak them there.

No idea what I'm cooking for dinner tonight. But we're stocked up after shopping at Lulu's yesterday. Lulu's had a great selection of fresh seafood. We could not make it out to the Fish Market on Port Zayed. Pick out your fish/prawns and tell them how you want them cleaned - your cleaned fish is ready for you in about 10 minutes. Easy.

"M'a sa-laama-a" (go with peace).

Shopping Day

2009-02-28T16:46:00.001+04:00

4:44 PM Saturday 28 February 2009

We began the morning with breakfast at a local cafe around the corner from us. At our little table, there was a button you can push to summon the waitress to take your order - how very civilized. We also used the button to summon the waitress for our bill when we were ready to leave. I had the mushroom crepe, which came with french fries and coleslaw. It was quite good.

Today is Saturday. In the UAE, Friday is a Holy day and many people don't work on Friday. So, Friday is like Saturday + Sunday combined. Many of the foreign nationals don't work on Saturday so that they can have a two day weekend, Friday + Saturday. Which makes Sunday, tomorrow, a work day and a school day.

My son has his second day of school in Abu Dhabi tomorrow, so we needed to run out to Raja Mall to purchase some more school uniforms. There's only one store which sells school uniforms, and that store is in Raja Mall. It was very quiet when we arrived at 10:13 AM, the mall opened today at 10 AM. While my wife and son were finding clothes, I had a test drive on a coin operated leather massage chair.

For 1 dirham (DH) (100 DH is about equal to $30 US) I could pick the massage of choice and just relax while the chair eased out the tension in my back, shoulders, neck, thighs and calves. I had enough time to try out the massage chair 4 times. Every mall should have these things in them. Recommended.

We've had almost perfect weather since we arrived here last Sunday. Today began sunny with a light breeze, but the breeze picked up and the sand and dust started blowing. As I've mentioned before, there is a lot of ongoing construction in Abu Dhabi. Let me say that again, there is a lot of ongoing construction in Abu Dhabi. The soil here is fine and powdery similar to talcum powder. So the wind just picks it up and blows it everywhere - my eyes are itching as I type. You can see how dusty the day was in my cell phone camera photos here.

The Grand Mosque.

We passed the Grand Mosque on the way to Marina Mall. It is a most impressive Mosque. We're planning a visit soon. A visit on a day that the wind is not blowing. A very beautiful building this cell phone camera image does not do justice.

Next stop was Marina Mall. Marina Mall is one of the main malls in Abu Dhabi. You can catch a boat ride to Lu Lu Island there and it was also the pickup location for our desert Safari caravan yesterday. This is also the location where they are building SKI ABU DHABI. We saw the large ramp where people will be able to ski and snow board in the desert, just like in Dubai.

We were also looking for some other needed items. Luckily, I found a store downstairs that had a standard 15 pin VGA cable. I never thought of bringing one from home. This cable will let me connect my laptop computer to our digital TV, so that I can play DVD's from home here. We have a DVD player in the apartment, but it won't play DVD's from the US. I also found a useful English to Arabic phrase book.

Our third and final mall visit was Khalidiya Mall. Khalidiya Mall is the mall closest to us and it has a large grocery/shopping center called Lulu's. We enjoyed lunch at a Mexican restaurant upstairs. The Limonada was perfect. We asked for guacamole, and the waiter made it fresh for us right there at the table - 1.5 avocados, garlic, fresh lime juice, onion, cilantro, tomato and something else I missed. Perfect.

Long day of running errands. Hope tomorrow is not so dusty.

A Full Day

2009-02-27T22:41:00.000+04:00

10:39 PM Friday 27 February 2009

As I sit here typing, the aroma of smokey apple shisha lingers.

Today was a full day.

While smoking shisha in the desert with Mohammad tonight, he was one of the drivers in our safari, we exchanged words in Arabic and English. "Moi", is the Arabic word for water. "Ram l", (sound like Raman), is the Arabic word for sand and "qam-ar", is moon.

Mohammad does not speak English, but he told me to walk barefoot in the sand and I will become strong. He said he loves to sleep in the sand. Tonight he will sleep in the sand.

"M'a sa-laama-a" (go with peace).

Today was a full day.

I decided to add the following link below, which has some cultural information about smoking shisha and the water pipe used. Tobacco has become such a negative subject in many of our modern cultures, I felt some explantion was needed.

This was my first experience with shisha and I found it pleasant and not at all like other tobacco products. The act of smoking shisha is a social one. Mohammad and I had a very relaxing and enjoyable conversation together, two strangers, from two different cultures, not knowing each others language. A conversation which never would have occurred if we had not been smoking shisha together. Interesting.

http://www.smoking-hookah.com/editorials/History.asp

Heading Out for the Day

2009-02-27T12:25:00.000+04:00

12:24 PM Friday 27 February 2009

Pretty quiet morning. My son and I hit the pool around 9:15 AM for a wake up swim. The weather is just warm enough for us to enjoy oursleves - I see on Facebook that it is snowing back home. Back in the apartment I did a little ironing.

Last night was my first time cooking dinner in the apartment. The two small steaks were from Brazil, the potatoes were local and I cooked chinese peapods with onion and garlic. The yogurt is local and very good, we like to drizzle honey over it for dessert, the honey is from Australia. I've been drinking a lot of fruit juice here, last night I had melon juice. Pretty good.

We're getting ready to run errands and then we have a desert outing in the afternoon. I'll try to gab some photos and video to share.

Best.

Taxi Life

2009-02-26T09:26:00.000+04:00

Thursday 9:26 AM 26 February 2009

I just had to post this morning. Our driver never showed, so we went out to the street and flagged down a taxi - didn't take long to get a ride. Our driver today was, Muhammad Ali! A nice guy, Arab, heavy english accent. And a polite driver too. We had to get my son to school this morning for his first day of class. Traffic was heavy at 7:20 AM and it took some fancy driving, weaving in and out of lanes to get us there, cost was $15 dh (a little less than $5 US).

As I mentioned earlier, everyone drives. If you don't drive, you catch a taxi. I still don't see many people walking like you do in other large U.S. cities. My best comparison, city wise, would be Anaheim, CA. Warm, humid climate, a lot of Palms, very few people walking, but the density and bustle of Mexico City.

There's a lot to see here. Sometime soon, I'll wander over to Abu Dhabi Pottery. It's about 1/2 km walk from here (I should time how long it takes to get there) and inquire about fees to use the facility. There's also a Berlitz language school on 26th near Kalidiya st. I've emailed them about their Arabic language class schedule.

Well, I have to get some clothes to the cleaners down the street. Our little Italian made combo washer/dryer machine can only handle 2 kilos of clothes - so it takes many little loads of wash all the time.

Best to everyone.

Easy Day

2009-02-25T16:02:00.001+04:00

Took it easy today. We hit the pool at 9:30 am, had lunch, then strolled around the block. Big neighborhood. There are several high-rise buildings on our block next to the Corniche. Walking is tricky because there are no sidewalks like we are used to back home.

(above) We walked around the block across the street from us. Our block has a lot of construction going on, new and demolition so we headed back towards 26th st and Khalidiya. We walked back to our block along the green strip next to the road on the left.

(below) There's active demolition and construction going on behind and beside our apartment building. You can see our apartment building in the right image, middle building in back.

Sidewalks tend to be narrow, high and incomplete. So you do a lot of hopping up, down and then searching for the next bit of sidewalk. And always be on guard for traffic. People tend to walk slow and drive fast.

Though it is not summer, it sure seemed hot the more we walked. Thankfully, there are parks and palms on the Corniche side of the block, so plenty of opportunities to cool down. My knees are feeling sore from the walking and swimming today. We stopped by the local grocer and picked up some odds and ends. We needed more eggs, my son says the eggs are "really good" and better than back home. The yolks are really orange - he thought I had added cheese to them at breakfast.

My son starts school tomorrow and we have a desert outing planned for Friday. I'll take photos if I'm allowed.

Best.

3 Hour Tour of Abu Dhabi

2009-02-24T21:00:00.001+04:00

We were given an excellent tour of Abu Dhabi this afternoon. We drove out to the Date Market first, baskets full of fresh dates. If there's any one indiginous crop here, it is dates and palms. We stopped at a date shop and bought chocolate covered dates (coconut and pistachio covered dates too - the coconut is my favorite).

Then we drove out to Port Zayed. Saw the Dhows, traditional boats, that are still used for fishing. Popped into the fish market. Fantastic looking fresh fish. Definitely the place for crabs, shrimp, octopus and many varieties of fish. Hamour is the most popular local fish and a dietary staple for the UAE.

Just past the fish market is a another market and a cafe. We enjoyed Morrocan tea at the cafe. I'm told they pack them in at night. They also have shisha to smoke from a hooka. I did not try it this time, but it sure smells sweet.

More driving, this time out to Marina mall. There are many malls here and more being built. Marina mall will soon have indoor skiing, just like Dubai. The local cultural center is next door. I think we are visiting it this weekend. There is a great deal of construction going on all over the city. New areas of Abu Dhabi are being developed in 5 year cycles. The "main" area of Abu Dhabi is moving north (or is it south?) into a newly developing section of the island.

We also drove pass the palace and Grand Mosque. Both on our to do list. This place would be an Architects dream, so many interesting designs and use of materials. The Equestrian club, I'm told, has many facilities including, horse racing, tennis, golf, swimming and they just recently added a wind tunnel for indoor "sky diving." Must check it out.

Traffic is rather intense. This is a driving culture. Everyone wants to go fast. Fortunately, they have cameras for speeders and the red lights (you get all your traffic fines when you go to renew your license, plus late fees). But be VERY careful walking across streets - drivers zip out of nowhere.

I sort of have a feel for the city. Sort of know where we live. And I'm completely confused about names of streets. Evidently, the name of a street is not the name of the street, locals have different names for streets and one area calls the streets something from another part of the city (a street may have at least three names it is referred by). Also, there are no addresses here. You navigate by landmarks (banks, car dealership, parks...). You have to get a PO Box if you want mail delivered here.

Very tired after the afternoon tour. Still a lot to see. Tomorrow we're hitting the pool, maybe the beach too.

Best to all.

Location Fix for Internet Access

2009-02-24T12:37:00.000+04:00

I found a utility which blocks my IP location. It works, but access is even slower than before. Streaming video does not work at all (and the main reason I want it to work).

When I access my blogs, English is default (hurray) but posting is painful (dang). I will probably uninstall this utility if it is always this slow. And it just dropped me. Will try to save.

Posting at 12:39 pm, Tuesday 24 February 2009.

Best, William

Time Date Issue with Posts?

2009-02-24T12:30:00.000+04:00

I'm posting this at 12:31 PM Tuesday 24 February 2009, local time.

What time does the post display on this blog?

William

Another Beautiful Day

2009-02-24T09:56:00.001+04:00

Lovely morning. Sunny and warm.

We visited my sons new school today. Everyone was friendly and he's excited about going there. He starts Thursday, so today we're going to a local Patisserie and then we have a tour of Abu Dhabi in the afternoon. Tomorrow I think we'll check out the pool and then walk along the Cornich.

I really need to learn some Arabic. I have a couple of books and podcasts and CD's. But I learn best in a classroom. We'll see.

The Call to Prayer is quite loud and broadcast througout the day. Last night I was quite tired. While I was trying to sleep, my head was full of Arabic words and music. I take that as a good sign I'm trying to acclimate.

There must be a trick to get blogger to display English as the default instead of Arabic. Google now remembers to display in English. My workaround is to go to google.com, then to my blog's Dashboard, which is in English. Otherwise, the blogger header is in Arabic, I don't know how to access my site to edit it. Only minor peeve so far. And the blogger Spell Check is not workig either, so excuse my typo's - I'm computer dependent.

Adjusting to the Weather

2009-02-23T18:56:00.000+04:00

Wow. 80 degrees F and humid. Big change from freezing conditions back home (I know, weather report says a high of 50 F - that's what they said last week and it barely broke 40 F).

Took a walk along the Cornish. Very pretty, I like the landscaping and the beach looked inviting. Did not have time to take it easy today, but will soon. Had to sit in the shade of a palm to cool down. I have not seen many people wearing hats - probably because it's not really hot yet. It's not even Spring.

We took a taxi over to Abu Dhabi Mall to purchase some clothes for my son. I packed most of his clothes before moving, and they won't show up for a week or so. Nice mall, but I'm exhausted from the combination of heat, humidity, walking and the 12 hour time change. Ate Lamb Souvlaki at the food court.

Driving - yes, traffic is fast. The speed limit along the Dubai highway was 120 km/h and once you hit Abu Dhabi the speed limit increased to 160 km/h. Everyone wants to go fast. The taxi drivers have been speedy and polite, if a bit reserved. We don't have a car yet, but may in a week or two. I'm not sure about driving here. Once I have a feel for the area, it may not be that bad. I'd much rather hang out at the rooftop pool and hit the apartment gym and sauna.

I haven't found my voice for this blog, but intend to continue posting about what seems interesting and different. It sure seems like learning Arabic would be beneficial. I have some study aids, book, CD and podcasts. Although, I learn best in a classroom environment.

Just Arrived - Long Flight

2009-02-23T00:30:00.001+04:00

After a long flight, we arrived at Dubai. We're now in the apartment in Abu Dhabi.

It was too dark to see much of anything. We'll start exploring in the morning.

Best.

International Driving Permit

2009-02-18T20:53:00.000+04:00

Picked-up my Internation Driving Permit (IDP) yesterday from AAA. If you live in the U.S. and plan to drive overseas, you must purchase this before leaving the country.

A valid U.S. driver's license must accompany the IDP. It's valid for one year.

They were kind enough at the local AAA office to provide me with two passport photos as well.

Things To Do

2009-02-17T01:42:00.000+04:00

Yikes. I just remembered I still have to get my International Drivers License. Have to go to AAA tomorrow morning.

Still Coordinating Resources

2009-01-26T08:21:00.000+04:00

Getting close to the move.
Housing, school and transportation are coming together.
Should have updates by end of February.
We're deciding what goes with and what stays.