Will It Work?

We are very close on the new apartment after a week spent by yours truly making nice with a multitude of real estate agents. We may be out on the Palm Island!

Got a Dubai cell phone as my US iPhone keeps cutting out. It's a cheap Nokia pay-as-you-go, or as Neal likes to call it, a terrorist phone.They say I can unlock my iPhone so I can use a local sim card, but I am wary of whether it will still work with the US sim card when I get home so I will live with two phones for now.

Adjusting

Just woke up and it's only 12:46 am--body still adjusting. Braved a 6 hour adventure today via cab, metro and bus to the Financial Centre (where the closest metro stop is), the Mall of the Emirates and back.

The metro just opened, 10 stations to start but lots more to open soon. It's quite nice with a first class cabin (for those buying a gold card and paying double fare) and a cabin for women and children only. Bus also has w&c section. No apparent accommodations for persons with disabilities but there seem to be elevators and lots of families with their elders walking around.

Saw the famed indoor ski slope (pictured). It's not nearly as big or glamorous as I imagined but amazingly busy. I bought some new sandals--my leather soled ones were really slippery on the marble floors. Could use a pashmina--I definitely need something to wear inside with the crazy cold a/c--so that will be my next purchase. Surreptitiously raised the thermostats in apartment from 18 to 20 degrees.

My back is better but still some pain which may be sympathetic or real--maybe I'll try to work it out on the elliptical tomorrow. Will be making several calls about apartments which we hope to see on Saturday.

Tomorrow night (Thursday) is the big night out here (like our Saturday) and we also have plans for Friday (like our Sunday) to eat at Burj Al Arab. That's the iconic building that looks like a sail. Fortunately, we are not paying for that one, although my dear husband acts as if we are made of money here. He is in great spirits despite my somewhat pallid and subdued state. Maybe I need more sun.

Nighty night!

Pretty Normal?

Spent the day getting my bearings. Jet lag not too bad but Neal says the second day after you get here is worse. There's a great fitness center in the hotel which I have no excuse not to use. Things do not seem as strange as the first time I came to Dubai.

People seem pretty normal, despite vast differences in garb. Service people are exceptionally nice and always smiling and greeting you. The Gold Souk at the Dubai Mall (pictured) was amazing but empty.

Arriving in Dubai

The flights were fine and we had no problems getting here. Neal's hotel apartment in The Address Hotel is really nice. I'll be very comfortable once we get some groceries. The wifi works well so I should be able to stay in touch pretty easily.

We're going for an evening walk around Burj Dubai. Not too hot, only around 90 degrees. Glasses fog up whenever I go outside.

Photo shows The Address Hotel on the right and the Dubai Mall on the left.