Today's conservation effort

We love to walk down the free beach at the north end of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, and when we do, we stop to pick up all the pieces of glass that we come across and dump them in the bins.

Today, we gathered a lot of glass - mainly due to the surf tumbling onto the beach, as it's uncovered, or washed up, a lot more than usual.

We also rescued some wildlife!

On the last of our usual 6 laps of the beach, we came across 2 Indian gentlemen throwing something back in the water. It was a small turtle and unfortunately, due to the men still having their shoes on, they didn't throw it back far enough.

We waded out to rescue it, and as J refloated it, it was obvious that it was ill. Covered in barnacles, it made a feeble attempt to swim away but was very weak.

We carried it down the beach and gave it to one of our dive instructor friends from the Pavilion Dive Centre at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, who promptly took it into the diveshop to receive some TLC.

We hope that it will survive. We know that it has a better chance of doing so now, than if it was left to fend for itself on the beach.

Wth all the disturbance occuring to their natural habitat in the shapes of palms and world maps, these little guys need all the help that they can get.

Winter Beach Walks

Although it's now cooler in the UAE in comparison to other months, it's still warm enough to go for walks on the beach, barefoot and strolling along the water's edge to catch the waves as they wash onto the sand.

Our nightly view as we walked

We're going to miss this as we now head back to Germany for Christmas in the cold!

Our new temporary view

This is our view for the next couple of nights – not bad, is it?


We’re at the beginning of our next adventure which sees us leaving the UAE, at least for a few weeks.

The last 4 months in particular have been stressful. Through a series of events which I don’t want to go into again, (because we’re over it!), we are both jobless and looking for new opportunities. Over the same time period, our landlord decided that he was selling up and moving back to Greece, so our rented apartment is now on the market.

The past week has been spent wrapping up our responsibilities at our ex-work and also packing up the apartment.

Today, we moved out of the apartment which was made all the easier due to a fantastic removal firm run by the fabulous Mr Mohammed Ali. If you need a fast and reliable removing company, he’s your man – Ph: 050 548 1357. His team arrived at 7:30am, packed up all our furniture and moved it into U-Store Storage by 4pm. I’ve never seen 4 guys work as hard all day – they were fantastic. Our furniture is now packed so well, it could be moved anywhere around the world.

So we’re ensconced in the Jumeirah Beach Hotel until we leave.

Tomorrow, we’re going diving - I've been diving since 1992 and am finally completing my PADI Advanced Open Water certification which I signed up for in October 2004! It’s only 5 dives, but because of all the travelling and work that we’ve had to do over the past couple of years, I haven’t had the chance to finish it.

We fly out to Germany in the wee hours of Saturday morning. J has a few things to tidy up in Berlin, and we also want to spend some time with her kids.

We’re also planning what to do next. We really do want to come back to the UAE, but we’ll have to see how soon that can be.

Blogging will be minimal while we travel, settle in Berlin and get the internet hooked up.

We’ll see you on the other side!

At home (Dubai) in New York

Blogger has had problems with image uploading, so this post has been delayed.

We’ve been in New York for a couple of days attending meetings – and loving our hotel room! As a Jumeirah Sirius Gold card member, J had a few points that were due to expire, so she’s used them on this trip to book our NY accommodation. We’re staying at Jumeirah’s NY acquisition, Essex House which is on the southern fringe of Central Park.

It’s been a wonderful stay. To start, we were upgraded to a suite – YAY!!! The rooms are tastefully decorated, and for us, the most important test of any hotel room is the quality of the beds and pillows. The Essex is on our yes list!

We had the best view! 30 storeys high and overlooking Central Park – a huge rectangle of green surrounded by tall buildings. Plus, it’s the quietest NY hotel that we’ve ever stayed in – hardly any traffic noise, and the wonderful sound of music coming from the park as the free summer concerts occur nearly every evening.

Last night, a knock on the door saw us opening it to a valet arriving, complete with complimentary goodies for us. Chocolates, fruit, champagne, canapés and Voss water – wow, we were in heaven! I can tell you that we gave thanks to the special shareholder of Jumeirah!

The evening brought spectacular rain and thunderstorms to the city. It was thrilling to watch the rain obliterate the buildings from view, the lightning streak across the sky and down towards the park, and listen to the thunder crash overhead – close enough to rattle the windows. The humidity dropped too.

We were sad to leave today. Luckily we had a late checkout so that we can watch the Germany – Argentina soccer game before we caught the train to Washington!

The only 7 star hotel in the world

When we meet new people overseas and they learn that we live in Dubai, we get one of 3 reactions.
1. They don’t know where it is, or;
2. They say, "Oh yeah - the US ports deal." or;
3. They say, “Is that where the amazing hotel shaped like a sail is located?”

The Burj Al Arab hotel is a very distinctive landmark on Jumeirah Beach. You know when you've acclimatised into Dubai life when you stop looking for it from Sheikh Zayed Road!


Built on its man-made island, the 321m building (the Eiffel Tower in Paris is only 300m) is deceptive in appearance as there’s really no other building around it to give it scale. At present, it’s the second tallest building in Dubai after the 355m Emirates’ Office Tower.

The closest building in proximity to the BAA is the 26-storey 104m Jumeirah Beach Hotel (JBH), and this amazing piece of architecture, (we actually think that it’s technically more brilliant than the Burj Al Arab), looks insignificant next to the white towering sail.

The curved front of the Burj is covered in canvas. At night, the hotel is usually lit up by colourful lights shining on the canvas, and which change colour every few minutes. Every hour or so, a little light show takes place. As well as the coloured floodlights, 4 towers outside the front entrance shoot gas-powered flames high into the air, and rows of white lights race up and down the outer frame. The JBH responds with a show of its own.


Inside the Burj Al Arab, the 3-sided structure is hollow, with the sail taking up one side, and the suites built around the 2 other outer edges of the building. Every hour, the central indoor fountain shoots a spurt of water high up into the air. To the sides of the 2 escalators that transport people to and from the main floor of the hotel, there are 2 HUGE saltwater aquariums.

There is an abundance of gold plating, chandeliers and wealth. It’s all very civilised, although we've recently noticed that with the package tours (special 7 night deals giving nights in the JBH, Burj and Bab al Shams hotels), being offered by the hotels’ parent company Jumeirah, there is now a more “Tommy Tourist” class of guest, instead of it being only for wealthy businessmen and people who look as if they were born rich.

The 2 outer elevators located at the back corner quickly rise to the Al Muntaha restaurant and bar on what is officially known as the 27th floor, but in reality is more like the 60th floor.


The décor at the top is amazing – a cross between a 70s disco and the movie “Tron”. The view is spectacular – the Jumeirah Palm and the World are visible on less hazy days, as is the financial district with the distinctive Emirates Towers. Directly below your feet, you can see the Jumeirah Beach Hotel and the marina.

Yes, the round huge helipad at the top is where Tiger Woods hit golf balls into the Arabian Gulf, and where Roger Federer and André Agassi played exhibition tennis. All in the name of promotion, and it worked. Just about everyone we talk to overseas has seen TV coverage or still photos of these events, or the Emirates Airlines' ad where the elderly woman is being taken for a helicopter ride from the helipad.


What about the 7 stars? They are self-awarded. Yet another Dubai publicity machine creation, and one star for each of the 7 emirates that make up the UAE!

Your presence is required...

Well, it wasn't really a gilt-edged royal invitation – it was more in the form of a general mailout from ITP to their customer database.M is bemused to be invited to the 4th Dubai International Wine & Beverage Fair to be held at the Madinat Jumeirah (pictured above) on Feb 28th and March 1st.

It seems incongruous to be invited to an event that promotes alcohol-based products in a country that follows Islam.

We all know that Dubai is tolerant and lenient when it comes to alcohol - possibly to its detriment given the number of people being pulled up for drink-driving, and the high proportion of UAE Nationals caught driving under the influence - all of which was published in the Feb 9th edition of Emirates Today.

Expatriates caught D.I.C. are threatened with deportation, but what will the Emiratis face? The authorities can't deport them from their own country!

It also makes us wonder which is the greater sin for followers of the Islamic faith - drinking on its own, or drinking and driving?

We guess that it depends on whether they're caught by a mullah or by the police!

The times they are a-changing – sing it, Bob!

Image Inspiration

On her blog, Kaya reckons that I inspired her to post her images that bring back memories of good times had.

I think that it's the other way around - she has inspired me to start some random image placement in our blog inbetween the articles. So on some days, there'll just be images posted that we've taken in the UAE and other parts of the world.

Like Kaya, our images also carry memories of good times, fun places and great company. Although a lot of you won't know the backgrounds to these shots, we hope that you enjoy them all the same.

The first one is a panorama of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel and the Burj Al Arab, taken from the rooftop of the Marina Seafood Restaurant.

If you want to see it as a larger image, click onto it and it will open up in your browser on a separate page.

Emirates Airlines' New Planes

The weird, wacky weekend weather that hit the Emirates over the past 2 days brought freak winds on Friday lasting for about an hour, and then rain on Saturday. Not heavy rain, and not for very long, but enough to count as rain in the UAE.

The Dubai Air Show is on this week, and this brings a lot of people to town. Certainly there are the plane enthusiasts, but more importantly, there is a heavy business and military presence. Bigwigs from all over the world congregate at major airshows such as the Dubai show to look at what's new, who's offering the best bargains (bribes), and in front of myriads of press cameras, they sign up to purchase aircraft.

Between the rain showers early on Saturday morning, Emirates Airlines showed off their latest acquisition - the Airbus A380. It paraded along the beach in front of the Burj al Arab and Jumeirah Beach Hotel for about an hour, with the pilot putting it through its paces as he banked the plane into turns around the Burj, and displayed the enormous Emirates logo painted on the underneath of the massive fuselage.
Later in the afternoon, we were treated to a fly-past of another new plane for Emirates - the Boeing 777 - for which Emirates placed a US$9 billion order for about 40 planes with an option on 20 more. It only flew past once but, from what we could see, it wasn't as manoeuverable as the Airbus, and the turning circle appeared to be a lot wider.

The best entertainment came from a little Lear (or similar) jet that was flying with the 2 aircraft. It was having a great time chasing the bigger jets through the sky, and flying alongside them as they passed down the beach. It was probably a film crew filming footage for future Emirates' ads, but we had more fun imagining that it was Sheikh Mohammed checking out his latest big boy's toys!

Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa

With the recent spate of visitors flowing through our place, we’ve been exploring places far and wide in our efforts to be entertaining hosts, and to allow our guests to see more than the metropolis of Dubai.

Although it’s a recent and modern facsimile of a fortified desert dwelling, the Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa gets our vote as a place to take people to get a 'refined' feeling for the desert.

If timed for 30mins before sunset, the 45min drive from the SZR Interchange #4, past the Autodrome and heading for the Endurance Village through the desert, is a goody. Watching the sands turn golden red as the sun sinks is a major hit. We're puzzled by the speed limit on this road - 80kph – what’s with that? Plus, as you reach the T-junction and turn right, the plethora of speed cameras is enough to give the brakes a good workout, as yet another and another of the dang things come into view. On the last visit during Eid Al Fitr, with Aussie friend Terri, we were cruising along at 100kph and were passed by the Bab Al Shams courtesy coach doing 125kph, so we happily followed it to the hotel. Obviously none of the cameras were activated, and the driver knew it!

The hotel is very attractive – and it’s fun to wander through looking at all the interesting features that have been artfully designed to appeal to avid photographers.

The biggest attraction is the Al Hadheera Desert Restaurant which is a meandering 5 minute walk from the hotel along a winding paved pathway. Nestled behind sand dunes, it resembles a fortified town, and upon entering the gate you can’t help but smile and be in a good mood. The dining area is a mix of tables, benches and sunken dug-out seating areas, and the whole area is carpeted in rugs laid over the sand.My first impulse is to kick off my shoes and wander barefoot. The food serving area is set up like a food souk, and the chefs are keen for you to try their specialties. There’s a market-like feeling as they call out to you, enticing you with their culinary offerings. Although pricey, it’s a great experience to sit out in the open air under glittering stars, listening to music played by a live band, and eating delicious food. If you’re not careful, you’re full after the entrée, and there is deep compulsion to sink back into the huge cushions for a quick nap between courses.

On our visits, there has been a very entertaining dancer who is incredibly energetic. On one occasion, he was the front half of a dancing horse that made its way from table to table greeting the guests. On another, he resembled a whirling Dervish as he twirled around and around on stage for at least 2 full songs. I don’t know how he did it, and why he didn’t fall over after he finished. His pièce de résistance is to come into the diners to get the women on the tables to try on the skirt and – literally – give it a whirl. J was chosen, and managed a very credible 3 spins in the heavy garment, until gravity made her stop before it all came to a sticky end!

Out the back of the restaurant is an area where there are animals for the children to pat, and you can even go for a horse or camel ride.

The drive home in the darkness is always very quiet, as the passengers either nod off to sleep, or sit in quiet contemplation. It’s one of our favourite ‘touristy’ Arabian experiences – a great night out.