Anne's blog travel 06-07

Saturday 23rd December 2006 Dubai

Well, I won't say I've seen a lot of Dubai. We went to the horse races on Thursday night which was interesting. The track was beautiful and we were in the VIP lounges sipping wine and eating finger food. In the middle of this amazing track is a golf course of all things. The evening was lovely. The temperatures are milder here than in Doha were evenings and mornings were starting to be cold. We had great company in colleagues of my father who have been living here for 6 years. Also, an australian couple and others. The most interesting thing at the track is that betting is illegal so the races are for racing sake. I know there is money up for grabs but I'd say the Sheik here provides the money.

In Dubai as in Doha, photos of the ruler abound everywhere. Here it is the Sheik Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. There it is the Emir. The currency is different but worth exactly the same as in Doha. Both the currencies are linked to the US Dollar at 3.65 Dirham or Riyals to the US dollar.

Back at the hotel we bump in to Charles and Josee, both French Canadians who are going out so we join them. Charles is a prof at the University here and has been here also for six years. Josee is a chemist and has been here for five and spent one of those years in Saudi Arabia practising there. Surprinsingly, she tells me she did enjoy her time there. She wore the Abaya which is compulsory for women. She also wore a scarf losely over her head to hide her blond hair as it was the war at the time and no one wanted to be mistaken for Americans in this area. Both Charles and Josee say that when they cannot express themself in Arabic they revert to french rather than english. It's better to be french here. Josee says that her time in Saudi was very communal. She lived with her co workers and it was more like the old university days. Alcohol is illegal in Saudi and she tells me that everyone was making their own wine from grape juice. It's funny how you miss something when it's forbidden she says. It's lovely to meet them. They both tell me I must come and live in Dubai for a while and please to come and visit.

And the world seems like a small place when you start traveling. Charles even says that he'd consider living anywhere now that he has left Canada. "Once you've left home, it's easy to continue" and it's so true. Rather I find it's hard to feel that you will stay anywhere permanently as the options are always visible and there is so much to do and see.

We end up back at the hotel at 2:30am and with an early start Friday I'm pretty tired all day. We do a bit of shopping but my heart I not into it. It takes a bit for me to feel like shopping I must admit. Dubai is like any mega city with lot's of shopping. Perhaps it's more than that. Shopping is a past time here and it's the shopping festival now. People come here to shop.

My father left this morning early with an 8am flight out. I must check out by 2pm, very soon and catch a flight to Doha just after 10pm tonight.

My time in the middle east is coming to an end. Time for a new adventure in Asia.
Bye for now