Most of the other loose ends have been tied up. Did I mention my car accident? It shouldn't have happened, and it wasn't my fault, but it was an embarrassing and very not fun experience, not something I'm anxious to revisit, but the good news is that all the damage has been repaired and our practically brand new car looks brand new again! We bought our car at the largest dealerhip in Dubai, and I must say that the body shop and service centers are truly stunning in their size and pleasantness. The police were very cordial and efficient in issuing the accident report that is required before insurance will cover the repairs. I couldn't read it, because it was in Arabic, but I was just happy to get the green copy which means I was not at fault.
Neal and I went back to the Carpet Oasis on the next to the last day of the DSF (Dubai Shopping Festival) and got better acquainted with the Ghanbarinia family, which has been a leading dealer for five generations. We met both Amir and his father. Armed this time with a specific size and price limit, we felt more comfortable. And we got a very good price on two lovely carpets! There's a lot of trust involved as the prices vary tremendously. You do get a sense of why after seeing many carpets. They wouldn't even let us buy the first one we were considering for the large living room area, insisting that another was more alive and unusual! They were eager to make some sales, as the market is down. We hear that Persian carpets are now out of style, as the younger generation wants something cheaper that they can replace every few years to go with more modern decor, plus they face cheap competition from China etc. making good-looking fakes.
We decided against looking at the pricier silk ones, the ones with the finest detail that look like paintings and are signed by the "artist" (and are not suitable for the hard wear they would get in our house!). Maybe we will brave this market at some point now feeling more comfortable with the dealer. Sheikh Mohammed visited them for the first time in several years and bought several carpets!
Venus Williams had a relatively easy time beating Victoria Azarenka and defending her title in the women's final of the Dubai Tennis Championships, 6-3, 7-5. Novak Djokovic was also able to defend his title in the men's final against the Russian Mikhail Youzhny, but with great difficulty, as the match was suspended for rain last night and had to be resumed today, which may have helped Youzhny come back and win the second set after being down 5-7, 0-3. The final score was 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 in favor of Djokovic but it could have gone either way.
The rain and thunder last night was a bit scary so we didn't venture out. Some schools were closed today due to rain, which caused flooding and power outages in various areas, including our garage and other buildings on the Palm. The drainage systems apparently aren't designed to handle sudden large downpours, with the overflow taking any available path (including on the security guard's head at one nearby building). Treacherous ponds build up on the roads and in the tunnels and are hard to see at night, with accidents bound to happen. One is well-advised to stay off the roads in a rainstorm here!
The big rainstorms seem to follow days of haze and sand, as we had three days of limited visibility with heavy winds and blowing sand before the rain came. (I wondered how the tennis players were able to manage with the sand in the air.) Neal and I were scheduled for another training dive for our scuba course yesterday, and we assumed it would be cancelled, but they assured us the conditions underwater were okay so we were able to get our dive done. We found that the dive masks come in handy even out of water to keep sand out of your eyes, but we must have looked ridiculous. One woman burst out laughing as I walked past her in my mask and wetsuit. Nobody looks good in scuba gear, so I didn't take it personally.
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