Time to Say Goodbye, Dubai

Since my last post, I've been away from Dubai with no plans of returning, so it's about time for me to wrap up this blog. Here's what happened. I spent the summer of 2014 back home in Pittsburgh, and found myself increasingly reluctant to return to Dubai in the fall. My husband was very busy managing the Dubai office--even taking on a senior management role--with a major case going to international arbitration, so there was no way he would be picking up sticks in Dubai anytime soon. I, on the other hand, had very little keeping me there, other than my husband, which, granted, could be enough. However, with him working usually six days a week (including Fridays for the U.S. office and Sundays for the UAE office) and often into the evening hours to deal with his U.S. office, we did not have much time together, and I had way too much time on my own. Contrary to what I would have expected, what to do with all that free time in Dubai became a problem the longer I was there.

In the beginning, back in September 2009 when I first joined my husband in his short-term hotel accommodations, I was fully occupied with our quest for an apartment, furnishings and a car, while getting to know the other expat spouses like me through the American Women's Association. Having to move three years later to a new apartment also kept me busy for a while. Meanwhile I was doing a lot of traveling back and forth to the U.S. with my sons still in college and coming home to Pittsburgh during breaks. The back and forth was made easier by my ability to fly standby on United Airlines through my pilot sister's largesse. Getting to fly with her on a few of her trips to Dubai was the best part, and the rest was kind of fun, too, until it wasn't. When things get old, they get old fast.

The main issues with being in Dubai with more and more time on my hands? Hard to stay in touch with friends and family in the U.S., mostly due to the 8-9 hour time difference. By the time I was ready to reach out, it was usually nighttime in the U.S., and vice versa for folks on the U.S. side. Hard to stay connected with new friends in Dubai, because I was away so much and most of the people I met left within one to three years of arriving. The AWA meetings and events constantly involved meeting new people, which was fun and interesting, but difficult to develop relationships. All the women I met were incredibly warm and welcoming, often opening their house for lunches and dinners, so that part was really great. But I had no ongoing, close friends. The closest I came was a book club which met monthly, but then they asked me to leave when I missed too many meetings!  Not much in the way of cultural or sporting events, apart from the occasional mega event like the Dubai Sevens, Tennis, World Cup (horseracing) and performers like Madonna and Justin Bieber (not to my taste). Given the lack of cultural offerings, I saw just one play and no concerts while in Dubai. The movie selections are not as extensive as in the U.S., unless you happen to be into Bollywood, and you can't be sure what you're seeing is even the full version due to censorship. I gave fleeting thought to taking a job when I was offered one at a local health agency for autistic kids, but I didn't want to be tied down like that in Dubai. I liked the flexibility of being able to leave and fly standby on a day's notice.

So in the fall of 2014 I didn't return to Dubai as I had done the previous years, with my husband's blessing. I signed up for a writing course, to see if I really wanted to finish writing a book I had started, based on the life story of a friend. (I didn't, and cured myself of the writing bug in the process.) I pulled out my resume, beefed up my LinkedIn profile and paid more attention to job postings on LinkedIn. A friend told me to check out the Indeed website, which I had never heard of. I found a few postings for jobs that sounded interesting and that I thought I could do, despite my 15-year leave from active employment. Fortunately, I had kept my lawyer's license active and in good standing, faithfully taking continuing legal education courses each year as required. Explaining my 15-year layoff seemed easy enough, as I spent it getting my two sons through high school and off to college before following my husband to Dubai.

I ended up applying for two, very different jobs. The first was a full-time, high profile position with the largest health care company in town. Coincidentally had I gotten that job I would have returned to the same floor in the same building where I started my legal career. While I felt the interview went well, I did not get the job, which was actually a relief as I was ill-prepared to go back to work full-time in a new field working with high level management. What was I thinking? But it was a helpful experience to prepare me for the second job interview, a much more manageable, part-time position for a well-regarded nonprofit. That job I was glad to be offered and quickly accepted, starting in early 2015. So now I had a "good" reason not to go back to Dubai. My husband seemed fine with it and even a bit impressed that I had actually gotten a job.

The anticipation, of course, was much better than the reality of going back to work, and now a whole new kind of fear and trepidation set in. What to wear, how to work the new systems, meet all the new people, learn new areas of law as need be. To make matters more difficult, I started out working in very cramped quarters, basically in the hallway elbow to elbow with the next person, not even a cubicle wall between us. That was only temporary, as we moved within two months to new space where I got my own cube. Fortunately, most of my worries were quickly relieved, and the new workplace has turned out to be very flexible and friendly. But work is work and not so much fun, which is why we get paid. The thrill was gone within a few months of starting, and I started to wonder what was I thinking, again. Now having stuck it out for six months, I can say that I'm glad I have the job, for which I am well enough paid with not a lot of stress. Being on my own in Pittsburgh, I would be at my wit's end by myself in the big house in Fox Chapel, where you need to drive four miles to get to the nearest store.

The worst part, though, is the separation, me, home alone--Maggie the dog is some comfort but hardly qualifies as human--while Neal trudges by himself through the desert of Dubai. Indeed, parting is such sweet sorrow. I'm hoping that frequent reports of the goings on at home will entice him to plan his exit strategy soon, so he can say goodbye to Dubai, too.

Roll Jordan Roll

We spent four days in Jordan over Easter weekend. It's a popular trip from Dubai--Sheikh Mo's second wife is from Jordan--with a three-hour flight and an hour's gain on arrival due to the time difference. We headed straight to the Dead Sea, with a driver picking us up at the airport. I am glad we chose not to rent a car. Unlike Dubai, there are very few signs in English, and our comprehension of Arabic road signs is nonexistent.

Our driver was a Palestinian named Ibrahim. He quickly offered to pick up any other drives we might need, and helped us map out an itinerary for our visit. We were staying at the Dead Sea Kempinski for one night, then heading south to Petra for two nights, then back north to the Kempinski for our final night. He would drive us to Petra the next day along the Desert Highway, and then pick us up there two days hence with several stops planned along the King's Highway on our way back to the Dead Sea. We would not be able to spend any time in Amman or to make it as far south as Wadi Rum or Aqaba on the Red Sea.

The first thing I noticed as we drove from the airport was litter everywhere. Mostly it looked like paper and plastic bags, white and black, but it was all over the place, along the roads, in the fields, in the bushes and trees. Coming from Dubai, which puts a real premium on cleanliness and appearances, it was a sharp contrast. Ibrahim didn't say anything about it, and I didn't want to mention it. The next thing I noticed was that Jordan looks nothing like Dubai in terms of modern development. The houses, shops and towns look old and worn-down. There's little to be seen in terms of local industry and no sign of US chains which seem ubiquitous everywhere else. We passed a big cement factory, chemicals factory and salt factory, but mostly we saw a lot of shops and small produce stands. Apparently Jordan does not have oil like the Gulf States and relies mainly on tourism to support its economy. Which makes for tough times given that tourism is down due to the Arab Spring and the continuing unrest in Jordan's neighborhood, especially Syria, Iraq, and the occupied territories including the West Bank. We discovered after our arrival that Jordanian warplanes destroyed a number of cars thought to be affiliated with Al Qaeda along the northern border with Syria. It occurred to me, belatedly, that Easter might not be the best time to visit Jordan.

Arriving at the Kempinski, we passed through heavy security with armed guards. Everyone is checked going in and out of the hotel--reservations definitely required. The police presence in Jordan is very obvious and somewhat reassuring. Despite it being the high season, we had no trouble booking a room a few days ahead. (Petra, however, was a different story and we had to settle for less than ideal accommodations there on late notice.) After being greeted at the front desk of the Kempinski with portraits of the late King Hussein, the current King Abdullah II and his son Hussein, the crown prince, now 19 but looking about 12 in his portrait, it was like we left Jordan behind as we entered the fancy resort.

View of Dead Sea from Kempinski.

We enjoyed tremendous views of the Dead Sea and the West Bank across the way. The Sea looks invitingly blue while the hillside beyond is a golden brown. But then you notice that there are no signs of life on the water or across the way--no boats, no houses, no people. There are places roped off along the shoreline where hotel guests can venture into the sea for a float and mud bath, but that's where all activity ends. After that, there's nothing. Since the Dead Sea is the border between Jordan and the West Bank, which was taken from Jordan by Israel in the Six Day War, it is under constant guard and anyone attempting to cross would be immediately stopped and suffer dire consequences.

Going down to the beach, we passed a sign that told us we were at the lowest place on earth, 420 meters below sea level. It is considered healthful due to higher oxygen levels, ultraviolet-filtered light, and the concentration of vital minerals. Of course, we went for the obligatory float, which was very comfortable provided you only attempted to go backwards, as going forward was much more difficult. Reaching down you could grab a chunky of salt crystals, but you definitely wanted to keep your head above water and avoid getting anything in your eyes. We applied plenty of Dead Sea mud as instructed, using the handy mirrors to ensure full coverage and removal. Some people even applied mud to their hair and heads, which seemed disastrous to me--my hair would never survive the salt. Not to mention the smell of the mud, which I found moderately repulsive. What amazed me most about about the water, in addition to its well-known salinity, was its oiliness. The water, which looked so refreshing and blue from afar, was rather murky and oil-streaked close up--not terribly inviting--but pleasant enough once afloat. But it didn't take long before I had had enough of the Dead Sea. I was glad we were heading to Petra the next day.

Dead Sea beach at the Kempinski Hotel. Note people in black waiting for mud to dry.

I've been wanting to go to Petra ever since reading "Married to a Bedouin," the fascinating story of a young Kiwi nurse named Marguerite van Geldermalsen who goes backpacking in Petra in 1978 with a friend. Petra is the ancient city of caves, tombs and monuments built into walls of rose-red rock, made famous by Indiana Jones, and now considered one of the must-see wonders of the ancient world. Marguerite and her friend stayed too long and missed the last tourist bus out, so a Bedouin named Mohammed put them up for the night in his cave. The friend leaves but Marguerite decides to stay, eventually marrying Mohammed and learning to live the Bedouin life in his cave, where she had two of their three children. After he passes away, years later, she returned to New Zealand, thinking she was leaving Jordan for good. But then she wrote her memoir and decided to go back. She lives near Petra to this day, as does her son, who runs a tour company. She has a jewelry stall in Petra past the theatre, where she sells autographed copies of her book. Sadly, I didn't find this out until afterwards so I didn't know to look for her there when we visited. Families like hers who used to live in caves in Petra were moved to a nearby town in the mid 1980's to protect the site and improve their quality of life; many of them open souvenir stands and return to the site on a daily basis.

This might be Marguerite's jewelry stall on the left. There's a poster outside with a picture of her book. New bathrooms are on the right.

Petra was definitely the highlight of our trip, even more impressive and expansive than I imagined. We were told to start early and got there by 7:30 am, with a line for tickets already forming. The big new tourist center was not open, so there was only one ticket booth. The tickets are expensive--50 Jordanian dinar, or $80. Two- and three-day tickets seemed like bargains at 55 and 60 dinar, but we were going to see as much as we could in just one day. We opted to hire a guide for another 20 Jordanian dinar, well worth it since we were mostly uninformed about the site and it seemed massive. Mahmood took the two of us straight away so we didn't have to wait for a larger group. It's a long walk from the main entry gate, where there are stables and horses, and even horse-drawn carriages for visitors who can't walk. The rocky gorge leading to the city was spectacular and reminded me of Utah (Moab, Arches and Canyonlands). But the city to follow was even more amazing.

We were offered many chances to ride a donkey but they seemed dangerous, especially on the steps. Camels, horses, and horse-drawn carriages are also available for hire.

The most famous site is the Treasury, which you can't see until the last minute when the gorge opens into a large expanse. This is also where souvenir stands, donkeys and camels first make their appearance. The city is so spread out and huge that it never seems crowded, although this space by the Treasury is probably as crowded as it gets. Mahmood told us that the people selling souvenirs are still mostly the former residents of Petra who live nearby but are allowed to run the stalls. Many of them ride donkeys to work each day and leave them parked by their stall. I noticed that most of the locals wear scarves wound tightly around their faces, for good reason as the wind picked up like in a tunnel and we could feel the sand whipping around.

First view of the Treasury.

My husband and I found the donkey handlers and souvenir sellers annoying, as they were pretty aggressive, trying to get you to stop and buy something, but there was never any pursuit, except for a few small boys and girls pushing postcards under your face. It got more irritating as we lumbered up the 900 steps to the Monastery at the top of a big hill. Around every turn we encountered yet another stand, and the donkeys seem crazed charging up and down the rocky steps with passengers in various states of upset aboard. But learning of the history and tradition behind the practice, and the fact that Jordan's economy needs every dinar it can get from the tourist trade, we found we could ignore the minor annoyance and wish these hard-working people the best. I found it absolutely necessary to stop and rest with refreshment a couple of times along the way. Prices seemed high--2 dinar, or $3.20 for a coke--but worth it, considering. By the time we got to the very top--picking one of three possible places which claimed to offer the "Best View"--I found that my feet were too small for my Nike Free shoes and each step involved considerable pain. I did see a few people who seemed even worse off, including one man who needed medical attention and had to be helped onto a donkey "ambulance" to get down the hill. Even after a good rest at the top, I grimaced the entire way down, which was probably disconcerting to those still heading up, some of whom I could not help but notice were wearing even more inappropriate footwear (flip flops! heels! wedges!). When I was finally able to take my shoes and socks off, I found that they were filled with red sand. We celebrated our climb with a barefoot buffet lunch at the very busy Basin Restaurant right where the steps start for the Monastery trail.

One of the best views of the Monastery, from a Bedouin tea stand at the top of the hill.

After this leg and foot-busting climb to see the Monastery, I had zero interest in making a similar climb to see the High Place of Sacrifice, as I was sure to be it. There was plenty more to see down below, so we visited the Royal Tombs and other parts of the city. I was beat up enough from all the hiking (we covered at least 12 miles, according to my husband's pedometer) to gladly accept a horseback ride back to the visitor center, the price of which was included in our entrance ticket. I enjoyed talking to the horse guide, a young man named Saddam, who had worked in Dubai for two years before returning to Jordan to finish university in Amman, working three days a week in Petra. He offered me the chance to have a candlelit Bedouin dinner in a cave in nearby Little Petra, transportation included, which sounded great to me, but my husband was not interested, having been put off by the pushiness of the souvenir sellers. The people in Jordan are nothing if not resourceful in trying to get the most out of the tourist dollar. So instead of going to Little Petra to have dinner in a cave with a stranger named Saddam--which does sound a bit ominous--we stopped off in the nearby Mövenpick Hotel for refreshments in their high class bar before heading off to dinner and our much less nice hotel up an unfortunately located hill.

We tried to go to dinner that evening at the Petra Kitchen, which was recommended, but they were having cooking classes so we went elsewhere. Later I discovered that cooking classes are what they always do at the Petra Kitchen--that's their thing, with dinner to follow. My husband probably wouldn't have been up for that anyway. We lucked upon a place that served beer and wine, which cheered him up, as well as free wifi, which was great for me since I have no service otherwise. Free wifi seemed to be offered in most hotels and restaurants, and also at the airport. It even worked sometimes--service at the Kempinski was especially good.

Ibrahim showed up as expected the next morning to take us on our tour of sights along the King's Highway, which is the more traditional south-north route between the Dead Sea Highway and the Desert Highway. We saw both Shobak and Karak Castles, from the time of the Crusades. We saw the Wadi Mujib, like the Grand Canyon of Jordan. We saw the famous ancient mosaic map of Palestine in St George's Church in Madaba, happy to find ourselves in a Christian church on Easter Sunday. Madaba is famous for its mosaics to this day, and we also stopped by the Mosaic Center where we got a chance to see how they were made and make a purchase.

Karak Castle, along the King's Highway.

By the time we got to Mount Nebo, clouds and rain from earlier in the day had lifted a bit. But it was still very hazy and hard to see much of what Moses was said to have seen and called the Promised Land. On a clear day you can probably see considerably more green, the Dead Sea and perhaps even Jericho and Jerusalem. The church on site built as a memorial for Moses was not yet open but should open later this year with another famous mosaic being restored in situ. A large group of Spanish tourists all wearing orange vests celebrated Easter mass in a room next to the museum.

Looking out towards the Promised Land from Mount Nebo.

Ibrahim rushed us along so we could get to Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan before it closed, the site of Jesus's baptism by John. Since it's on the Jordan River, which forms the border with the occupied territory of the West Bank, security is very tight. The site can only be accessed by shuttle bus with a guide, for a 45 minute tour. Our guide was there to meet Pope John Paul II when he sanctified the site in 2000, as well as Pope Benedict and Hillary Clinton, with Pope Francis scheduled to visit in May. The Baptism Site was located based on archaeological finds of the earliest Christian churches built near the spot. The Jordan River, however, is just a shadow of its former self and no longer reaches that spot, so a small channel was dug to connect them. There's another spot where you can go down to the Jordan River, with a large baptismal font for ceremonies, near a new gold-domed Greek Orthodox Church. Directly across the river on the other side is another church (or perhaps a synagogue? our guide didn't know the name) with three flags, including the flag of Israel, marking the occupied territory. Although the distance is quite small, less than fifty feet, it is quite clear that no one is crossing this river. It must be strange to have prayers and services with guards watching from both sides to make sure no one tries to go across. Sad to see what the mighty River Jordan has now become, a fitting metaphor for the plight of the Palestinians. Like Moses, they can't go to the Promised Land.

River Jordan with Greek Orthodox Church in background near Baptism Site.

Ibrahim drove us back to the airport the next day, where I saw the first signs of US chains in Jordan (Starbucks, a welcome sight, and McDonalds, not so welcome). He'd asked for the day off but his boss refused. He said he'll probably work more or less nonstop until the end of tourist season. In the summer things get really slow with mostly only tourists from the Gulf States, who are used to the heat. I was interested in hearing his story and asked him about it, but he didn't seem to want to say much. He was ten years old living with his family in the West Bank at the time of the Six Day War in 1967. Now that he's in Jordan he can never go back. He and his fellows feel like second-class citizens in Jordan, where Jordanians come first. He didn't have to say any more. Just being able to put his weary face to the Palestinian dilemma said it all.

Done Fishin'

There's a new outdoor fish market very close to where we live, right off the beach. It's called Souq Al Bahar, which is confusing because there's a fancy shopping area with the same name next to the Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa. Since "al bahar" means "the sea" in Arabic, I'd say the fish market has the more authentic claim to the name.

Places use the same name all over Dubai. People do not seem as intent on branding or as concerned with finding and protecting unique business names as they would be in the United States. It's also the result of having old and new versions. There's the original, old Gold Souq in the old part of Dubai, and then there's several other versions of Gold Souq in the malls and as stand-alone shopping areas. There are two Crowne Plaza hotels (I found this out the hard way). There are three Address hotels. So tourists need to be armed with good information about where they are going to avoid confusion. If you were looking for the Dubai Marina, for example, you would find many confusing possibilities, including several actual marinas as well as that new part of town past the Palm Jumeirah.

The new fish market is right next to a marina (which some probably confusingly call the Dubai marina) and a sailing club (unfortunately, fully booked for sailing lessons). We bought what we thought was hammour the other day and got it cleaned and deboned before taking it home--very economical compared to what we would pay in a restaurant. It was delicious cooked on the barbecue grill on our balcony. We use real charcoal here and the food seems to taste better grilled that way than with the propane grill we use in Pittsburgh. Hammour is now mostly off menus in Dubai due to overfishing, so it's very possible what we bought was something different. Fish don't come with labels. The lobster, which I think were local, were downright scary looking.

For something new and fun, we booked a deep sea fishing trip for a recent Saturday. Dubai has its own fisherman's wharf of sorts, not far from the fish market. There's a special service entrance and lodging area for fisherman, and a guarded entry gate for boaters and tourists. It wasn't very busy when we arrived. All fishing trips had been cancelled the day before due to a bad storm, which caused a huge pleasure yacht to crash at the Palm Jumeirah, not a good sign.

As we headed out into the Gulf, the after effects of the storm were more obvious. It was like riding a very rough roller coaster as we climbed up and crashed down each wave, getting splattered with spray. We couldn't stand up or stay dry. The captain stopped the boat before either of us got too seasick, and we got the rods out and tried to do some bottom fishing. The fish were not biting, and the boat was getting tossed about, so we didn't last long in that spot. The captain suggested heading back closer to shore where the water was calmer, and we readily agreed. But the catch was not so great. The views of Dubai made up for it. The only two fish of any real size were not caught by us. We got them cleaned at the fish market and cooked them up that night--not bad at all. I had a hard time eating, though, perhaps due to having seen them alive or maybe I was still a bit seasick.

Now I can put deep sea fishing on my list of supposedly fun things I'll never do again in Dubai. I'm very happy to find the fish market, which will do just fine for our fresh fish from now on.

They Paved Paradise

I was looking forward to some nice, long walks on the beach when I returned to Dubai in late March, so I was more than a little dismayed to discover a big paving project underway. Someone decided to pave a road right on the beach. A staging center for heavy equipment is now located in front of our building. The beep-beep-beep of the machines backing up and the low rumble of the ground are constant background noise. I also hear a weird marble rolling around sound, which seems to be located somewhere in our apartment.

This is not just a small road or bicycle/foot path. It's black asphalt, over a foot thick and two lanes wide. Why it's needed or wanted is anybody's guess. Only the police and other official vehicles are allowed to drive on the beach, and they seem to do okay without it.

Dubai just can't seem to stop building and leave well enough alone. Plus when you have all these migrant workers over here already, and money is no object, I guess you might as well keep them busy. I'm starting to understand how the natives must feel in seeing the beautiful parts of their landscape get built over and covered up. 

I wouldn't be surprised if I'm not allowed to ride my bike on it when it's finished. There's a bike path along the main beach road, two blocks away, but most other areas, including parks and shopping areas, are not bike friendly.  But I'm guessing with such a big road, they must be planning to allow cars. If so, they better put up a parking lot.

Doha, Pearl of a City

I got a chance to visit Doha, Qatar, last weekend for the first time. It's not far from Dubai--a distance comparable to that from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia--but getting there requires going by plane with all the complications of international travel, including early check-in and obtaining a visa, not cheap at about $25 per person.

Travel by road from the UAE is not possible since Qatar occupies a peninsula bordered by Saudi Arabia, which does not permit through travel by foreigners. A new airport is opening soon; the old one we landed at seems undersized for the traffic and lacking in amenities. Travel from the airport to town would be quick given the short distance except for the traffic, which seemed heavy along the main roads.

We stayed in an older part of town, the Souk Waqif area, which is not that old, just in comparison to much of the city, which looks brand new. From the souk there's an excellent view of the spiral shaped Fanar Tower, the Islamic cultural center, and the fabulous Museum of Islamic Art, the I.M. Pei- designed masterpiece of a building, known as MIA locally. The corniche, a lovely waterfront walk, connects the MIA in a big loop to the modern downtown area, which rises like Oz across the water. Rustic dhows offering boat rides line the waterway, while across the corniche road there is plenty of green with parks open to pedestrians. The feeling of openness, walkability and green space was a striking difference from Dubai.

We started the walk from MIA to downtown but got waylaid in our search for a restroom and something to drink, finding the first but not the second. It was Friday and nothing would be open until later that afternoon. The Museum finally opened at 3 p.m. (free admission!) and we spent two hours there, emerging in time for sunset. There was a pleasant chill in the air, a bit cooler than Dubai, with many people wearing coats or jackets. It was spring festival time at the souk, with friendly crowds and family entertainment. Household goods, fabrics, jewelry, spices, antiques, and native handicrafts were on display, with many coffee shops and restaurants. There was also an amazing bird market, with all kinds of birds and other animals, including a few cats and dogs, turtles, and squirrels. Locals took part in live auctions for the choicest items.

Not far from Souk Waqif is the Falcon Souq, with many small shops and thousands of falcons on display. Doha must be a falconry center. Beyond that we found some beautiful horse stables. We had dinner at one of the boutique hotels in the souk, the highlight being the best mint tea I have every had. No alcohol is served in any of the establishments in the souk. Restaurants in the larger hotels downtown have bars, but none were visited during our stay. Unlike Dubai, alcohol is not available for purchase at the airport duty-free, so visitors looking for drink may be out of luck. What Doha does offer is a welcome view of more traditional Arabic culture, with less westerners in the way.

There was lots of building going on, just as there is in Dubai, so it will be interesting to see how these two cities compare in another 10-20 years.

UAE Drivers, Pedestrians, Cyclists Beware

Road safety is a huge issue in the UAE. There was an alarming rise in traffic accidents in Dubai with 148 deaths last year. The police catch many offenses, especially speeding, using their system of closed circuit cameras, but they are not often seen on patrol. The penalties that currently exist, including fines, black points, license suspension and vehicle seizure, do not seem to be deterring unsafe drivers.

The main problems include excessive speeding, not wearing seat belts, not using child restraints, running red lights, using mobile phones, tailgating, drunk driving, not giving way to pedestrians and cyclists, and driver inattention to conditions. Usage of seat belts and child restraints are not mandatory, nor are there any restrictions on cell phone use. It seems obvious that those safety precautions should be enacted, but even if they were there would still be a big problem with enforcement.

While vehicles can be impounded for driving in excess of 200 kph (124 mph), speeding below that level results in fines that can be paid with no limit on the number of tickets.  Getting speeding tickets does not appear to affect insurance rates. For many drivers, that's a good thing, because the cameras, which now seem to be everywhere, make it incredibly easy to get tickets, sometimes more than one, before the driver is even aware that the camera has been activated. The system of black points, which provides for a driver's license to be seized at 24 points, is only triggered at the highest speeds or for certain offenses, like running red lights. The National reports that more than a half million drivers received black points last year, but only 2,500 had their licenses suspended upon reaching the limit of 24 points.

Various campaigns have been instituted to address the problem. One such campaign, called "Kulluna Shurta" or "We Are All Police,"  encourages people to report traffic offenses immediately using a dedicated free number, 8004353.  Private motorists are also encouraged to send photos and video of offenses. This week a new campaign started to bring attention to the danger of sudden swerving,
where drivers change lanes unexpectedly without proper signaling. News reports said that 41 deaths in Dubai last year have been attributed to that cause alone.

What makes enforcement more difficult is that speeding seems engrained in the regional culture. Other cultural differences compound the problem. Safe driving practices that are well-accepted in western cultures, such as signaling and checking the rear view before changing lanes and yielding way to a merging driver, are foreign to many drivers here. Such drivers may be used to smaller roads and slower traffic jams, but the high speed highways of the UAE leave little room for error.

Some seem to believe that the solution is more driver education, rather than more penalties.  More education is always a good idea, but it seems obvious that there also need to be more penalties and license suspensions. In the U.S. it only takes a few speeding tickets before the license is suspended and insurance rates go up dramatically. Even well-educated people will not learn their lesson and drive more carefully until it affects them in the form of an accident or cost. Increased police patrols in high problem areas would also have a deterrent effect. Putting cameras in cars is another idea. Beefing up the penalties seems the best place to start.

Sadly, another sudden swerve death happened just this week, as a driver changed lanes suddenly causing another car to overturn and its driver to be killed. On the same day three pedestrians were mowed down on a side street near Emirates Towers. Reading such reports makes me fearful to take the road in our car. Biking along the Jumeirah Beach Road bike path seems more dangerous to me now as well. How many have to suffer death or injury before more effective measures are taken?

Best of Dubai for Visitors

I get asked all the time about the best things for visitors to do in Dubai, so I'm putting my thoughts down for easy reference! Here's my list:

New Dubai/Downtown Dubai/Dubai Mall area: the Dubai Mall is where you'll find the best high-end shopping, a full-size skating rink, the Dubai Aquarium, and the entrance to At the Top of Burj Khalifa (the world's tallest building). You can buy timed tickets in advance for 125 AED or pay 400 AED for immediate entry to the observation deck of the Burj Khalifa ((http://www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/ObservationDeck/TicketInformation.aspx). Walk across the bridge over the fountain area to see the Souk Al Bahar (many small gift shops and nice restaurants--Rivington's balcony has a great view of Fountain show) and the Palace Hotel (Asado's Argentine steak restaurant)

Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC): (where many business offices are located) is a short drive from the Dubai Mall with many offbeat art galleries and restaurants. Especially good are Zuma, La Petite Maison and Ivy

Jumeirah Mosque: tours are offered at 10 am every day except Friday, arrive at 9:45, no reservation needed, 75 minutes long (http://www.cultures.ae/index.php/ouractivities/jumeirah-mosque-visit), have lunch afterwards at Lime Tree Cafe nearby, cross Jumeirah Beach Road and take a walk on the beach 

Old Dubai:  Dubai Museum in Bur Dubai (open every day from 8:30 am-7:30 pm except Friday opens at 1:30 pm); stop in the XVA Art Hotel/Gallery nearby with nice restaurant and gift shop; visit old souks--textile souk is on the Bur Dubai side where the museum is, take an abra to cross the creek and visit the gold and spice souks on the Deira side of the creek. Stop in the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding, which offers cultural meals (breakfast and lunch) and heritage tours (http://www.cultures.ae/index.php/ouractivities)

Jewelry: try the Gold & Diamond Park at Interchange 4, Sheik Zayed Road; Mamiya's shop is recommended for Arabic influenced pieces, cheaper than gold souk

Desert Safari: many of these involve "dune bashing", which is not recommended if easily nauseated--look for a different type of tour, maybe in early morning or evening. Check out Platinum Heritage safaris--breakfast with a bedouin and falconry and wildlife offerings sound interesting (http://www.platinum-heritage.com/heritage-collection). Consider visiting Bab Al Shams--classic desert resort, good place to start desert excursion

Jebel Ali Shooting Club: skeet, trap, sporting clays, pistol range and archery 

Mushrif Park: desert hack on horseback at the equestrian club, nice track for running and biking (bring your own)

Other malls: Mall of the Emirates (Ski Dubai), Mercato (small, on Jumeirah Beach Road with new movie theatre)

Unique restaurants: Bu Qtair fish shack in Jumeirah, Ravi's in Satwa, Antique Bazaar (Indian with alcohol and live entertainment) at Four Points Sheraton Bur Dubai. Decent restaurants close to our apartment in Jumeirah 3: Arz Lebanon, Reem al Bawadi, Barracuda, Smiling BKK, Jones the Grocer, Marita Bonita, Shakespeare & Co., Rock ‘n Sole Plaice

Seawings flight: (http://www.seawings.ae/scenic-tour/dubai/) leaving from Jebel Ali Hotel: aerial tour of Dubai, expensive, highly recommended, and by far the best way to see the man-made islands, which do not look like islands from the road level

Global Village: amusement park with booths from countries around the world selling arts, crafts, clothes, and foods, very cheap, opens late afternoon winter season only so check before going

Palm Jumeirah: Atlantis Aquaventure and Rostang, the Italian restaurant at Atlantis; Jumeirah Zabeel Saray (Turkish theme luxury hotel), especially the coffee bar and Voi, the Vietnamese restaurant; 101 restaurant at the One and Only the Palm

Madinat Jumeirah: nice shops and theatre near Burj Al Arab, favorite restaurants include Anar (Persian), Pierchic (most scenic) and Friday brunch at Al Qsar (highly recommended)

Camel Racing: the new camel racetrack is in Al Marmoum--take the Al Lisali exit off E66 (the road to Al Ain) before Rugby Sevens stadium--winter season only--races at 7 am and 2 pm. Call to confirm race days and times before heading out--Dubai Camel Racing Club (04 832 6526). Admission is free, very few spectators, mostly locals. 

Timeout Dubai: the weekly magazine and website (http://www.timeoutdubai.com) are a good source of information about local events and special offers. Meal deals, special offers and coupons are very popular and widely used by expats in Dubai to counter high prices.

Further afield, a few must-sees:

Abu Dhabi: the Grand Mosque, tours daily except Friday, Palace Hotel, Corniche

Al Ain: Jebel Hafeet mountain (good lunch at hotel at top), Wildlife Park, Palace Museum (former home of Sheikh Zayed, UAE's founder), National Museum, Oasis

Doha, Qatar: Museum of Islamic Art, designed by I.M. Pei; Damien Hirst's new series of monumental sculptures outside Sidra Medical and Research Center; the "Relics" retrospective of Hirst works at Al Riwaq (may be fully booked through November)

Really Big Book

Dubai is known for going after records for large things, but even I was surprised to come across the latest record breaker. It's the world's largest book, as certified by the Guinness Book of World Records, on display at the Dubai Mall during Ramadan. What is the book about, you may ask. It's in Arabic, of course. Its title in English translates as "This is Mohammed, Peace be upon him."  It tells the story of the Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him (a phrase you are supposed to say whenever you say the prophet's name, which can be abbreviated as p.b.u.h.). No author is noted.

The world's largest book is now on tour, and small versions of the book are to be distributed in Arabic and other languages in various countries in the Middle East, Europe and America. Fifty thousand free copies were already handed out at the London Olympics. You can get a copy at this-is-mohammed.com, but, surprisingly, it's not free. The sale price is $27, and it will ship to you in one week, "Inshallah" (God willing). Better be a good book at that price.

My Cell Phone, My Identity

Another thing I have overlooked is the UAE's campaign to register all UAE cell phone numbers. This has been a requirement for over a year, with several deadlines already passed. According to an SMS I just received, my line will be disconnected if I fail to register within 90 days.

Looks like this will an easy process. I can use my passport OR my Emirates ID (which I still don't have), so no problem there, with many different locations where I can get this done. Unless I forget and leave the country without doing it. Better put it on the calendar.

Tourists don't need to do anything unless they get a UAE cell phone, which should include this registration in the SIM card activation process.

The stated goal of the policy is to protect consumer's rights and confidentiality and to fight fraud. Am I worried about privacy? No, not any more than I would be in the U.S. The systems here, being newer, are probably more protective. I am worried about fraud so anything they can do to prevent fraud is a good thing in my book.

At Loose Ends

Having nothing better to do during Ramadan, I decided to clean up some loose ends. Ever since I got my UAE residency visa, I've been needing to get a UAE driver's license. My Pennsylvania license was all I needed to drive legally when I was here on a tourist visa, but that's not the case any more. I kept putting it off, dreading the hassle and taking the risk of getting caught. Not knowing what would happen if I got caught combined with the increased risk of accidents during Ramadan (see prior post), got me thinking it was time to get legal. My husband's office gave me explicit instructions and paperwork to get started, so I headed off yesterday to get this done.

Long story short, I got my UAE driver's license, good for 10 years. Hooray! It put me out a few hours and a pretty penny, and it was all bureaucracy and paperwork--nothing substantive involved whatsoever. I could be the worst driver in the world for all they know. First off, I got some passport-size photos at the Kodak store, minimum of 8. Then I got my eye test, requiring one photo and my reading a line of letters on an eye chart, which I actually had trouble with, but they passed me anyway. Then I found the window for the driver's license, pulling out everything I needed--eye test, passport, UAE residency visa, Pennsylvania driver's license, no objection letter from my husband, my husband's passport and UAE residency visa--which was all fine, except for one thing. I did not have an Emirates ID card. This is a relatively new requirement, put in place a few years ago, whereby all UAE residents are required to get an ID card. I never bothered, not understanding the need for it, even though there were well-publicized deadlines. Now it came back to bite, as they said I had to have the ID to get the driver's license. Chicken and egg sort of thing.

The good news was, I could apply for an Emirates ID that day in the same building, and the application would suffice to get the driver's license. The bad news was, I would have to pay a fine of 1,000 dirhams ($272) and go to the Emirates ID authority elsewhere to complete the application. They didn't seem to think I was going to pay the fine, but I coughed it up and they prepared the application, which enabled me to get my UAE license with only an hour's extra wait. They didn't ask for a photo, taking a new one there.

Emboldened by my success with the driver's license, I decided I might as well finish up with the ID. I took a cab to the nearest Emirates ID Authority, in the middle of nowhere in Al Barsha. I could have gone to the one in Al Satwa, like my husband's office suggested, but the people at the municipal building told me to go to Al Barsha, so that's what I did. When I got there, I was pretty surprised to be told that I needed to get fingerprinted somewhere else, and I told them so, vociferously. They then directed me to the almost empty ladies reception area, where I got fingerprinted. (Why they didn't just do this in the first place, I have no idea.) They took a new photo as well (leaving me with 7 unused photos), certainly the worst of the day since I was kind of fed up by then. I did not have the satisfaction of leaving with my Emirates ID, however. They told me I would be notified to pick it up at the nearest post office at a later date. Nearest to what and when, I have no idea. Not sure I'll ever need the actual ID card, but you never know.

All told, the requirements cost me AED 35 (photos) + 25 (eye test) + 1,000 (fine) + 410 (driver's license) + 270 (ID card plus application), for a grand total of 1,740 dirhams, which is around $474!!! A Pennsylvania driver's license seems very cheap by comparison.

When people say Dubai has no taxes, it's worth noting that the fees here are pretty high. When you add up the high cost of speeding tickets (automated to catch you everywhere and impossible to contest), tolls (also automated), and the various fees for leases, utilities, licenses, visas, and ID's, it's a hefty bundle.

My husband still has me beat on UAE ID's, since he also has the "alcoholic license" needed to buy alcoholic beverages in Dubai. It expired and he's trying to renew it, but it could be a while before that happens, especially considering it's Ramadan.

One loose end I did not manage to clean up: getting my husband's car fixed. It suffered some minor damage months ago in the parking garage--passenger side mirror cracked, bumper gashed, after someone nicked a column (not me!). The dealership says they can't fix it without a police report, even though there was no "accident" the way I think of it. I offered to pay the cost, but that didn't work. (They said it would be very expensive, so probably best to have insurance cover it anyway.) I tried going to the police station and asking them for a police report, but they refused despite my taking it to a higher level. They insist that my husband have the police come to the parking garage to fill out the report. Seems ridiculous, and I told them so, but that's the way they do it here in Dubai.

Maybe it's just me and the effects of Ramadan, but I don't think I'll be missing this place much.

Ramadan Kareem?

Somehow I managed to avoid being in Dubai during Ramadan, until now. I find myself here for a good part of the holy month, which started on July 10. Muslims must fast from dawn until dusk, and most places serving food and drink are not open for service during that time period. The coffeehouses I usually frequent when I'm out doing errands are, sadly, closed. At dusk, around 7:10 p.m., the fast is broken with the "iftar" meal, and restaurants and coffee shops are open for business. Many restaurants offer a special iftar buffet with traditional foods and sweets.  Muslims take another meal before dawn called the "suhoor", which may be eaten later in the evening or very early before dawn.

Non-Muslims, including tourists and the many expats who live in Dubai, are required to respect Ramadan customs by not eating or drinking anything in public during the daytime. Hotel restaurants can remain open during the day for tourists provided they are well-hidden and not observable from the outside. A few places also offer takeout during the day for those not required to fast. The supermarkets remain open, and, of course, it is perfectly okay to eat and drink where you cannot be seen in public.

The UAE dress code--which calls for modest clothing in public places like the shopping malls--seems to be more in force now. Women should wear clothes covering their shoulders and knees, while shorts and sleeveless shirts are frowned on for men. While rarely enforced, it's worth observing if only to avoid embarrassment.

McDonald's and KFC offer special value meals for Ramadan, including the sparkling fruit juice called Vimto that is popular here during this season. There's festive signage--"Ramadan in Dubai brings us closer"-- and Ramadan special sales.

Tourist attractions are also open. My two sons and I visited Aquaventure, the waterpark at the Atlantis resort, and it was nice not to have to fight any crowds. The tickets were not on sale, unfortunately, and it felt a bit weird to be in a Ramadan-free zone, even temporarily.

The combination of Ramadan and the summer's heat makes for a very slow time in the city, with the exception of that brief period between the end of the work day and the beginning of the iftar dinners. All the fasting Muslims speeding to dinner makes for a very dangerous time on the roads. Finding a taxi can be difficult as many of the cabbies are Muslim and go off work to break the fast. Entertainments are also in short supply, although movie theatres are open.

Ramadan Kareem means Blessed Ramadan, but I dare say that is not the term that comes to mind for those us stuck here for work or family. I did not expect it to be a problem for me, but I have to admit that I'm tired of it already. I can't believe it lasts a whole month. How do businesses survive this dry period? I've seen many employees of restaurants and shops just standing around, twiddling their thumbs. Definitely not a good time to visit! It moves up ten days every year, based on the lunar calendar, so make sure to check before you come.

Washed Up on Jumeirah Beach

Here are photos of what my husband found when he went out to the beach in front of our apartment recently. Dubai was hit with unusually high winds and choppy seas last week, with one woman swept to her death while trying to photograph the waves along the crescent of Palm Jumeirah. Neal reports that the kite surfers are out in force, despite evidence of what looks like a brown tide below. Let's hope it's algae and not something worse.

Twelve, Twelve, Twelve

Today is Wednesday, December 12, 2012, or 12/12/12 for short. Some people believe this repeating-number date brings luck, planning marriages and even scheduling caesarean births for today, while others see it as an ominous sign of an imminent doomsday, coming sooner or later, depending on what calendar you use. There's even a horror movie called "12/12/12", but you won't be seeing it anytime soon--it sounds atrociously bad according to reviews on IMDb. 

Earlier today, at 1:21:02 a.m. in the morning, I missed the once-in-a-lifetime palindromic occurrence of 2012/12/12 1:21:02 = 201212-1-212102, while at 12:12:12 this afternoon, I missed the equally unusual passing of 12/12/12 12:12:12.

All the other repeating-number dates that could occur in my lifetime have already passed me by: 1/1/1, 2/2/2, 3/3/3, 4/4/4, etc. I celebrated the Festival of San Fermin in Pamplona with a big party on 7/7/7, but I don't remember doing anything special for any of the other dates. If it seems strange that all of these dates have occurred in the 12 years starting January 1, 2001, it's not magic, just basic arithmetic. The numbers won't start repeating again until we get past all those years with numbers after 12--such as 2013, 2014, etc.--all the way past the years 2099 and 2100 to the first day of the next year, January 1, 2101. Whoever is alive then gets to enjoy the next set of repeating-number dates, starting over with  1/1/1.

While the whole idea of lucky dates seems a bit ridiculous, I'm glad people are finding reasons to celebrate today, even though I don't have any. My husband's firm is having their Christmas party tonight, but, unfortunately, spouses are not invited. Some people seem excited that the iPhone 5 is available in Dubai starting tonight, for those willing to shell out the equivalent of $750 for the 16GB model. That's a bit pricy for me, especially if I plan on getting Christmas presents for anyone else, so I'll hang on to my iPhone 4 for a while longer.

The main advantage I see to having things happen on repeating-number dates is that you'll be more likely to remember the date. As we get older, those familiar dates for birthdays and anniversaries, which seemed so unforgettable in our youth, start to fade and no longer spring to mind so quickly. It's a good thing I have a smart phone with a calendar app that helps me keep dates straight.

Numbers can be fascinating, however, even if math wasn't your favorite subject. Here are Twelve Notable Twelves, as published today in USA Today:

12 months in a year.
12 hours on a clock face.
12 inches in a foot.
12 strikes to bowl a perfect game.
12 people have walked on the moon.
12 face cards in a deck.
12 days of Christmas.
12 apostles of Jesus.
12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.
12 jurors in felony trials.
12 signs of the Zodiac.
12 pairs of ribs in most humans.

Source: The Cincinnati Enquirer

Hey USA Today! You missed a few. What about the 12 Olympian gods? 12 labors of Hercules? 12 sons of Jacob? 12 tribes of Israel? 12 Imans? The Big 12? The G12? 12 members of OPEC? The 12-tone technique? 12 grades of high school? 12 Angry Men?

Better stop there, since it's getting late, and I need to get this posted before the big date passes. After which, it will promptly be forgotten (like the bad movie version), since I have nothing to celebrate. Cut!

41% Off, Today Only

Kids waving flags on UAE's 41st National Day, December 2, 2012

Our fourth National Day in Dubai was pretty much the same as the others. With the December 2 holiday falling on a Sunday this year, however, Neal enjoyed his first real two-day weekend in a while. (Friday and Saturday are the weekend days in the UAE, but Friday doesn't work as a weekend day for him since it's a workday in the USA.) We have yet to attend the parades downtown, and some of the planned festivities had to be rescheduled due to the recent storms.

The theme for celebrating the UAE's 41st year was "Spirit of the Union." All seven emirates join in the celebrations, which involve a massive display of flags in all different sizes and forms, as well as pictures of the ruling sheikhs everywhere. One of them, I noticed, bears a striking resemblance to Ringo Starr with a beard. Emiratis show their patriotism by draping huge flags on their houses. One is never enough, and they seem to be engaging in friendly competition for largest, longest, highest and most flags. The black, white, red, and green colors of the flag are everywhere, with many skyscrapers adopting that color scheme for the holiday.

The emirates also seem to join in the competition, with Ajman trying to set a Guinness world record by launching 40,000 Chinese lanterns, and Sharjah building an enormous flagpole to anchor a new Flag Island display. Sharjah must be paying deference to big brother Abu Dhabi since the 123-metre height of the new pole equals but does not exceed the height of Abu Dhabi's highest flag pole.

Many Emiratis decorate their cars in the national colors and then drive like crazy to show off, but there was a lot less of that this year, as the Dubai police issued a big crackdown on unauthorized car parades. There was an official car parade downtown for those in the right kind of spirit. The parks and beaches were full of families having picnics and parties, and today looking down as I walked the beach I noticed strange colored wads of string, which I immediately recognized as "silly string." Remember when that was big in the USA? It must be a craze here now. Another new thing I saw this year was the electricity dress, which includes strings of light in the colors of the flag. An interesting way to get lit up in a country where it's illegal for Muslims to drink alcohol.

Since shopping is the national sport and main attraction, many stores offered special sales, some going as high as 41% off for the holiday. If the stores in the malls ever offer that kind of discount, maybe I'll go shopping.

The highlight for me was getting a text message from HHSHKMOHD, who, of course, is Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai. He congratulated the citizens and residents of the UAE, and his brother, Sheikh Khalifa, the President of the UAE, in celebrating the UAE's 41st anniversary and looking ahead towards "a bright future of endless possibilities." Nicely done, Sheikh Mo!

Men decked out in "electricity dress."

Small Change

I'm back in Dubai again after a long hiatus. Except for a week in August, I haven't been here since mid-May. I had to go back to the states in May to pick my son up from school and ended up spending most of the summer with him in Pittsburgh. The two of us came for a visit in August--my son's first trip here--and made the usual tourist rounds before leaving Neal again to his own devices. He seems to handle it well, working very long hours. In his free time he has a routine of going horseback riding and shooting. I'm not sure he really needs me here, but I feel like I should be here for him anyway. It's hard living together again after spending so much time apart, especially when our sleep schedules do not yet coincide.

I can't believe it's our fourth fall here. Most Americans don't last more than two years in Dubai, three at the most. Neal's deal is open-ended and he doesn't want to call it quits yet, hoping to put a pipeline in place for the future. But it's been a slow process, since the office opened with just two lawyers and no clients right when the Dubai economy went into a tailspin at the end of 2009.  Since this was the firm's first de novo office, we were pretty much on our own to find housing and get settled, no small feat in a foreign country. Fortunately, since Dubai is very safe, largely English speaking, and loaded with friendly expatriates, we have not had any major difficulties.

I probably shouldn't complain, but Dubai is getting a bit repetitive. It's the Dubai Rugby Sevens tournament weekend, and I have little desire to go for the fourth year in a row. It's a fun party-zone atmosphere, but those of us who are beyond that do not seem to have as much fun as the partiers. The first day opened with a thunderous downpour, which provided the perfect excuse for me to beg off. I don't even have an umbrella or raincoat here. My husband had a more exciting day, serving as judicial officer for the international matches. He upheld sanctions against the captain of the English team, who had to sit out three games, but as far as I can tell the English fans didn't notice.

I ventured out to the Sevens Stadium when the weather cleared for the final day of the tournament. My husband had more hearings, and I stood at the rail to get a good view of the games and avoid the drunken fans in the stands. I was happy to see Samoa win the international men's final with a decisive upset of New Zealand. The women of New Zealand dispatched South Africa earlier in a lopsided shutout, so Kiwi fans also had reason to cheer.

What has changed? Not much it seems...just a few small things I have noticed so far. The recent storms were a lot more intense and severe than before. The driving seems a tad less dangerous, at least when it's not raining. There are new dressing huts on the beach and buoys to keep boats off shore. On a much smaller level, drink cans now have a push-in tab, instead of the dangerous old-style pull-off can tabs. There's progress!

Our apartment building is the one in the center. You can see the Burj Khalifa behind the building to the right.

Here's the view looking the other way down the beach, with the Burj Al Arab to the right.

Keep moving

I returned to Dubai in April facing the not fun task of finding a new apartment and moving, all to be done before our lease expired in early May. We did not want to move--we had settled into our place at Tiara on the Palm, installed window treatments, hung pictures, bought three bedrooms worth of furniture and gotten all the kinks out of the plumbing. But our landlord, a Russian investor, would not renew our lease so we had no choice. Meeting with other Americans living on the Palm, I discovered that quite a few were in the same predicament. Being tenants, many of us have found that the owner/landlords do not want to renew the leases. So moving seems to be a built-in part of the Dubai expat experience.

It did not take long to find a new place. But this time we made sure not to rent from an individual owner who might not renew. We couldn't have asked for a better landlord or location--the sister of Sheikh Mohammed, who owns a set of beautiful low rise apartments right on the beach off Jumeirah Beach Road. Moving was also easily arranged, after getting bids from several companies who were all anxious to undercut the others. The hassle of moving and connecting utilities, along with the expense of having to sacrifice the furniture and curtains we couldn't use from the old place while needing to buy curtains for the new place, were the primary aggravations. The Dubizzle website is a great way to buy and sell things but the buyers are looking for extreme bargains so it's hard to do well as a seller. When moving day came, I was happy to find someone who would take the stuff off my hands so I didn't have to move it.

That should be it for us, we hope, unless we get ambitious and decide to try villa life. Since we are away so much, it didn't make sense for now, and we could scarcely fathom all the work needed to make a villa and garden look presentable. And we love the amenities of our new apartment--walkway to the beach, gym, pool, and sauna. There's even a shopping mall next door with cafes and stores, which we can walk to from the parking garage without going outside, especially nice during the summer.

Y'all come now, y'here!

Winging It

Dubai can get boring at times so we sprang for some quick thrills by going on a seaplane ride. We spent 40 minutes in the air, plenty of time to see the main sights of the city from Jebel Ali, sight of another undeveloped palm-shaped island, all the way to the airport and back. Seeing the Palm Jumeirah where we live and the crazy-quilt patterns of the other developments in between, as well as the spooky deserted islands of the World, was worth the trip. The sandy man-made islands must make great soft landing spots for the crews of parachutists that are often seen floating to earth.

The takeoff and landing were remarkably smooth. Paying the bill was the only tough part--no cheap thrill!

Rolling out the red carpet

Besides shopping, folks in Dubai go crazy for films and celebrities, so the 8th Dubai International Film Festival is a big deal here. It opened with Tom Cruise and the Dubai premiere of Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol. Dubai features prominently, including harrowing stunts around the Burj Khalifa, but we won't be seeing the film here anytime soon as the showing was by invitation only.

I just got around to watching what was billed at the festival two years ago as the first UAE/Emirati movie, called City of Life. It features an ensemble cast and intermeshed stories of a privileged young Emirati who lives it up too much, an Indian taxi driver who dreams of being a Bollywood star, a pair of Romanian flight attendants, and a wealthy western expat playboy. All very stereotypical, with lots of cliched dialogue, but even so I really enjoyed it because it features Dubai with all of its flaws, including a horrific car crash. It's not a flattering portrayal, which surprised me since you don't see that very often around here, the local media being always upbeat. (Not to mention the occasional story of someone getting arrested for disparaging the country.) But then again it's fiction, so I guess there's more leeway. Or maybe the movie is just dying a quiet death. I couldn't find it for sale anywhere--I had to rent my copy.

I hope with celebrities like Tom Cruise and Bollywood legend Shah Rukh Kahn as a draw for the festival, the region continues to support filmmaking with projects exploring the real issues. I'd love to see the next film by the director/writer of City of Life, Ali F. Mostafa. He is said to be working on a comedy featuring a road trip with four Arab friends in a sober version of "The Hangover."

Better Watch Who's Driving

My husband got eight electronic speeding tickets in one month before he realized what was happening. It starts with a sudden flash while you are driving. He either didn't notice it or couldn't tell where it came from. Then he got a notice by email, stating that he was speeding at such and such location and the amount of the fine. Each time it happened, he thought it couldn't be right. So I went online to check, and sure enough, there was a little picture of our license plate for each one.

The flash is from a camera at roadside taking a picture of your license plate while radar clocks you over the speed limit. The cameras are placed at strategic points along the major roads, and the tricky spots are where the speed limit suddenly decreases without much warning. Now that Neal has been flashed at various spots, he knows where to slow down. There is some margin, believed to be 10 km/hour.

The good news for Neal is that there are no ramifications to getting all these tickets--no points, no problems with insurance, no interest or late fees. He can clear them all by paying them when he goes to renew his license.

Given this system, it's no surprise that there are chronic abusers and plenty of unpaid fines. As of last month, unpaid fines added up to 369 million dirhams (over $100 million, with 3.67 dirhams per US$). One UAE woman accumulated 152,000 dirhams worth, while another woman collected 146,000. A teenager racked up 70,000 before getting stopped. One man seemed to be trying to set a record, scoring 42,000 dirhams in fines in 5 minutes of speeding at 180 km/hour past 12 checkpoints. Even an 88-year old Saudi with no car got hit with some hefty fines.

So what's a country to do? More good news for Neal: the UAE decided to celebrate National Day by granting a 40% discount if the fines are paid prior to January 10. Of course, many people believe that providing such a discount sends the wrong message to speeders. At the same time, authorities vow to crack down on the worst cases, such as the 3,600 drivers who exceeded 200 km/hour. If they can find these people, they will confiscate the car. Some people think they should try jailing the drivers, but how do they know for sure who was driving? In any event, if it's your car, you'll be paying.