EVERY DAY, I LEARN MORE....

I don't know if I am a country bumpkin but this place still amazes me at every corner. We went to the Oasis Mall last week and just browsed around and I stumbled onto this shop ."Gourmet Station" Now I am a sucker for all deli and food related subjects. Recipe books are like story books for me. BUT this place blew me away. Stocks are from all over the world. Just ask and they have it.....

The salt section was amazing. There was Bali beach salt !!!! We bali Btches never saw that in bali on the tables did we????????????

The salt that actually caught my eye was pink in colour. It is called "Diamond crystals sea salt". It is packed in a tiny holder with it's own grater added. About the size of a whole nutmeg. This salt is mined at Kwela Mines in the Himalayas. Apparently the mine is 260 Million years old. I did not venture to the price................. Who thinks to mine this and eat it????
I moved to the flour section and there you can get flour from a specific mill in the world..... Thanks heavens the recipes I use only say flour or self raising.....................

The list of what is available just goes on and on and on.......There is a coffee and tea section with a tea connoiseur at hand to blend your tea for you from specific plantations.......The coffee was just as bewildering.... The sugars that you can serve with tea and coffee............WOW.........I am still on sugar crystal sticks, but here are sugar towers in colours and flavours.... Life has a very funny sense of humour............I can deal with this stuff and serve and buy it and enjoy it BUT I cannot afford it..........The story of my life.............The good thing is that I then go and try to find whatever is in my price bracket and make it work for me. It keeps this very ADD mind of mine occupied..... I have to tell you to get permission to take these to photo's was not easy...I had to get permission from the store manager and the head of PR and had to e-mail the pic's to them for "clearance"

HH. SHEIKH ZAYED BIN SULTAN AL NAHYAN

HH.SHEIKH ZAYED BIN SULTAN AL NAYAN was the ruler of Abu Dhabi since 1966. Living in the bedouin style. On 2 December 1971 the federation of the 7 Emirates was formed and he was the first president of the UAE. he was a very forward thinking man and the 7 Emirates were formed to keep peace in the region and to see that the Emirates grow and flourish.
Now this makes the Emirates 38 years old. To see what they have accomplished here is mind blowing in itself. Oil helped for the wealth of the region but also caused wars for possesion...From bedouins living in the desert to this first world city liKe Abu Dhabi and Dubai......WOW.......
It is known that he was very religious and forward thinkng and had great vision. He is known as the father of the UAE.
Let me explain the names.:ZAYED(his name)BIN (son of)SULTAN(his father)AL NAYAN (family name or clan) This keeps you known to all as who you are, who was your father and who do you belong to. HH.SHEIKH ZAYED BIN SULTAN AL NAYAN had 19 sons. It was important to have SO May sons as the region was harsh and life here was harsh and to ensure that your blood line continues. Amount of daughters are not really known. I think he had 4 wives. Now the wives are also interesting in the sense as you may only take more than one wife IF you can afford it and every wife must be treated exactly the same. He started every thing in the UAE that is only 38 years old.....AMAZING to see and to now this makes it even more interesting. He did many more international things...Stil working on the full info.....
The only thing I knew about him was that the shopping festival was cancelled when he died (PBUH)in 2004. How ignorant we are of others..............................
One of his son's is now the ruler of the UAE. HH KHALIFA BIN ZAYED AL NAYAN.

HH SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL MARKTOUM is the Vice president of the UAE, Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai. One of his sons HH.SHEIKH HAMDAN BIN MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL MARKTOUM was named to succeed him in future.

Do you still remember the 7 Emirates?
ABU DHABI. DUBAI. SHARJAH. AJMAN. RAS AL-KHAIMA. FUJAIRA . UMM AL-QUWAIN.
The UAE is not a country but an Independant Federation of these 7 emirates. It is estimated to have 4.7 million inhabitants. 3 million are non nationals.(63%)
Ok that was the information lesson for the day.

Hannes and I did a trip to AL AIN for 2 days. It is in the Abu Dhabi emirate. About 140km from Dubai.
This is a photo of Al AIN in the distance. We went to Jebel Hafeet ( the mountain from where the photo was taken.) You can see lots of green too. That is called Mubazzarah....Now I stand in awe at the amount of green you see here in the middle of the desert. It is watered well and even in blistering heat is green............The temperature that day was 44C......and it is not really summer yet.....


? PALACE AT TOP OF JEBEL HAFEET

This is but a portion of the building at the top of the nountain. I presume it is a summer palace for one of the royal family as it is cooler in Al Ain than in ABU Dhabi......It was clearly marked private so I had to stay the distance.

In Al AIN was where HH SHEIKH ZAYED BIN SULTAN AL NAYAN lived after the desert. It is a typical UAE city. Dusty and very hot. Big buildings and very busy streets. The palace of the ruler of Al Ain is MASSIVE.......There are lots of forts all over the UAE. And in the middle of Al Ain is this oasis.
OASIS IN AL AIN.

We tend to think an oasis is a water in the deset with palm trees around it.....BUT it actually is this that the photo shows. It is a lot of land owners who cultivate dates. Each ones plot is surrounded by a wall and has water canals running through. This oasis is 3000 hectare in the middle of the city of Al Ain. The dates are still "farmed" We preferred to drive through the oasis and not walk it...... Another thing here is everything is allowed with respect..... You can drive in look and wander. Nobody will pester you or chase you away. I still have not found my "date" teeth. i do not like them much BUT if you go into shops you are very often offered arabic coffee and dates. It is custom to accept. I accepts and rinse down the dates with the coffee. the coffee is strong, black ,small ,sweet and with cardimom. An aquired taste.

OLD SOUK AL AIN

A souk is the market like shopping area. This is the old souk in Al Ain. Every shop is seperate and has aircon. You can find anything in the souk. You just have to look for it. Language can be a barrier. And always be properly dressed in the outlaying areas. Which only means no shorts and string tops. Cover legs and shoulders. head does not have to be covered. Will still get to the woman and their way of dressing in a later blog.Dubai and Abu Dhabi are a little more enlightened .

HANNES AND I READY FOR SUPPER AT THE SOUK

We had done a lot of walking around and were getting peckish. So we ventured into the souk for a bite to eat. We checked out the cleanest and safest "cafe". This one was clean and had tables outside. We hardly reconised anything on offer except the arabian bread.....and Fanta.... The English Language was non exsistant. The Eqyptian behind the counter was very friendly and gave us a little something to sample. We then realised it is Falafel...It is made with chick peas and ?????? and then made like a fritter and deep fried.... We settled for Falafel as the taste was devine.

DINNER

This was what we received after showing hin we want for two people. Falafel (back left) Eggplant curried and fried (Top middel) bread (top right) Humus and beans and ???sauce (bottom left) and a fresh salad (bottom right) It was very very good and totally vegetarian...... We also had 2 fanta's each. The locals passing by were very pleased to see the two of us having dinner at the local joint..... The biggest surprise came when we had to settle the bill....... This whole meal and 4 tins of colddrink came to 15 dirhams..... We pay 10 dirhams for 1 colddrink in restaurants in the marina................
It was a very good meal and we felt stuffed and ready for bed, but before we left the Muezzin began to sing for the last evening prayers. I wantched all the men close their shops and head to the Mosque. Some of the shops were "closed" by only draping a small cloth over all the goods....no locks, no doors and no security guards....

AFTER PRAYERS.....................

This was at the door of the Mosque. After prayers the men file out and collect their shoes. This is also on a side walk in a very busy street........Did not see anyone leave without shoes on their feet. AMAZING....... We took the road back to our hotel and had a wonderful "light show" as we were high on a mountain.

VIEW FROM OUR BEDROOM WINDOW

We had had a dip in the pool the previous afternoon as we were very hot after the drive. We also went for massages which was lovely....AND affordable.....
Dubai is a very expensive city to live in.....

After breakfast we went to the Al Ain Zoo

Entrance to the Zoo i Al Ain. Please just look how clean it is. The entrance fee was very cheap and we just had to go to the Zoo. It was fantastic as all the animals are housed in very nice enclosure and have cooling sprays around them all the time. We are talking serious heat here hey....45C in the bleddie shade.....

The flamingo were happy in their enclosure and after this my camera did not like the heat so no more animal shots....Also keep in mind we are in the middle of the desert...Green trees...

Still in the Zoo this is the area were you can have picnics and kids can play. Very clean very green.

AL AIN PALACE MUSEUM AT NIGHT.....

Beatifully lit up at night.

This was the orinal palace of HH.SHEIK ZAYED BIN SUTAN AL NAYAR and his family. It was also where he spoke to his people with problems or receivd other statemen on official visits.
We went the next day to look around.

Entrance to the palace. It is well kept and has a lot of artifacts that were really used. Even his Jeep with which he visited the desert is in the yard. The layout is done to their custom and near the Majilis (meeting place) is always a coffee room. There is a small school where the royal children would have been schooled to read and write and study he Koran.

I said that this is a learning curve and not all is in history... Here is a "parkinson disease bobbing" Now this is my name to explain this action to you. The Indian community here have a very strange way to nod "yes" They bob their heads in short motion from front to back and left to right in this "parkinsons bobbing" It confuses the hell out of me. What is it man yes no or I do not know......The head goes up and down (looks lke yes) then the side rolling (looks like no or I dunno. I giggle every time I see it.

The Dubai mall opening night was chaotic. hannes and I were all dolled up to go and see as it was a huge festival like opening of this mega mall next to the the Burj (Very tall tower) The Sheik would be there too. We sat in traffic for about an hour trying to get into the parking lot and then gave it up as a bad job no sorry decision. All 4.3 million people in the UAE had the same idea as us to attend........ We went home and had toast with cheese and tomato....... Dubai sure as hell is not bankrupt...........

I have started to read books (all about the region and its people and traditions and stuff) now before you fall off your chair laughing AND SPLUTTERING.... This was out of need. In SA I used to buy every magazine I could lay my hands on as I like the quick and easy reads....never been a book person...BUT magazines here are very very expensive... So I had to start reading books. Now I do not need the books in the lounge......We al know where the biggest file of magazines always are.... Need I say more..... Hope you all are impressed.

Lets get to me personally. As I said before my life has done a 360...... I cook and bake and clean and shop...... I am slowly getting into a routine as not to be doing chores every day and to take some me time as well......The spa number is still going strong as the ironing is still in the basket every week...... I love the new stuff every day and to explore the area. So in a nutshell it is good, except for the fact that I miss my boys badly.... Not long to go until we visit them in June. Then they go through ups and downs i get so frustrated as I have to handle all by phone with the eye on the clock due to costs... I have now also been introduced to VOIP. (Voice over internet protocol) It is much cheaper than phone costs.....

Hannes is getting busier at the hospital but he is still not at full capacity with pasients. The hospital is getting very busy and much sooner than expected.

GHALAS (arabic for finished or enough)

L

WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?

It is so difficult to explain how upside down my life has turned. Mostly good but I have had some very tearful times lately. I seem to be fine when things are rough and a lot to handle but the calm after the storm is my nemesis. I just miss my boys and friends too much at times. Normally it is music that send me on memory lane...
I also have to adjust that Hannes is home so much. I am not complaining as it is very nice but I have to learn not to be on my own most of the time.We tend to go all over the show and then the blog is left behind and all the news accumulates. I have now diarised the log for weekly entries.... so lets hope I keep to that.
I want to be near when things go rough for my loved and dear one's.......BUT I keep on reminding myself how fortunate I am to be having this experience and boy oh boy that it sure is.......
My dear friend Clydene has gone through a vey rough patch and I can only hope things are sort of sorted out.
Gesi my other friend has had to cancel her trip to Mexico due to bovine flu. Luckily she has an alternative which is also good.
I miss my boys so much......I miss Jinny and chats....
Ok let's get to the update.
ABU DHABI MOSKE

I drove myself and a friend to Abu Dhabi to go and see this very mpressive moske. It can host 30 000 people for prayer....AMAZING is an undestatement. It is beautiful and has inlays in the pillars of mother of pearl and gemstones. All cut to make a very flowery mosaic. The chandelier in the main hall is apparently the biggest in the world. I won't be ordering that for our flat, and not due to size......It is a little too blingy for my liking but also made of precious stones and hundreds of globes.....I have to wonder who replaces the globes.
The whole moske is surrounded by water and fountains. It is amazing to see these Emiraties and water. never does it stop to amaze me as we are in the desert and water is every where. 90% of Dubai water is salinated... the grass and gardens are somthing to see.
Rina (the friend) and myself had a lekker day out and we did not get lost once....I was very proud of myself. We also went to A mall in Abu Dhabi. Not as mpressive as Dubai.....
Abu Dhabi is the richest emirate. Here they beleive the 7 emirates are one in good and bad times. So all work together to a better future for all.
The drivers in Abu Dhabi are terrible. I thought Dubai was bad but hey Abu Dhabi takes the badge.....I am getting the hang of hooting to show my annoyance (every one does it here and nobody takes offence) You must just never get abusive on the road or heaven forbid show the middle finger to another driver as that will give yu 3 months jail sentence and immediate deportation after term served. So nobody here gets bad road rage only hooters....
Rina even made a comment that I am better at driving n the UAE than her husband (He has been here 4 years and still gets totally lost......


LUNCH AT SOUK MADINAT

This is a favourite place of mine in Dubai day or night. Hannes and I had lunch at a small restaurant (thanks to our vouchers...)and it is so nice to sit and watch the abra's (small boats) tansfer people up the water ways. One of the "laniest" hotels n Dubai (hell there are so many here) is here. It also is very close to the Burg Al Arab. It was hotting up this day and we wanted to sit outside....We just dived for a umbrella. It is not high tourist season yet but you see so many tourists....
It is very high class and expensive at Souk madinat. Now to get to the vouchers. You buy a book here calld the entertainer. It gives vouchers to most eating and entertainment in Dubai. The deal is buy one and get one free.....We tend to carry this book all over and then try the restaurants who offer the deals. very nice as you get to eat at placs you might never have ventured in. Either due to price or unfamiliar tastes....

GIRLS NIGHT OUT IN DUBAI

My South African friend Marlene is on my left. her friend Terry is on my right. We decided to do a ladies night. We started at Buda Bar in the waterfront. WOW.....FANTASTIC......FLIPPEN EXPENSIVE.....Marlene paid the equivelent of R48 for a half full glass of wine. I had a lime daquiry at almost the same price. It is an amazing place and seems the hip place to be seen.....It is in a 5 start hotel. The music is different and the bar snacks on the table are never ending.....We decided to nurse our drinks and eat our fill so we do not have to go to a restaurant for dinner. I saw a girl at the bar chatting to a very interested man....,Boy he must have been hard up or very lonely. SHE(if that what she was) is like huge. Looked like a sumo wrestler with long blonde hair. Red shoes (dead give away) blue shiny TIGHT dress, and very very short, and the worst was het yellow plastic handbag.....Well she went to the loo and I followed. Wanted to see if she sits down or just to see her hands......No luck at any .....I did not want to look for trouble as she would have hurt me badly...So I could not put those puzzle peices together.
From Buda bar we went to the rooftop bar at "The one and only". The veiuw form the top was so good. All the lights and ocean.....Sitting outside under the stars and the smells of sisha around us I really felt as if I was again in a movie. The smells here are so typical of the middle east and nice.
I ordered coffee and the two girls had wine again....Prices much similar than buda bar.
We left after a good chat and they were closing so we went to marlene's house at abut 00h30. There we got stuck into more coffee and chatting. I looked at my watch again at 04h30....... NOW i have to get a taxi home. Wonder what it looks like. A lady well dressed going home alone at 04h30.....What the hell I don't care had a good night.
The taxi driver was a very "skelm" pakistanikanniverstani......He suggested he puts off the meter and only chages me a flat rate of 20 dirhams. The poor fool....I did the same trip earlier in the evening and only paid 8 dirhams....I told him "forget it pal" put on yur meter or I report you...he was very unhappy as he then realised this "lani" is not stupid. In the end he did not charge me anything and asked me please not to report him as he will loose his job. I was on a roll at 04h30 in the morning and gave him a speech on his conduct and explained that he makes all of us expats distrust taxi drivers.....I also told him that for 12 dirhams he sold his dignity.....
Oh well I felt better and krept into the flat as not to wake Hannes.
Marlene and I get on like a house on fire. She is an amazing cheerful woman and very good entertainment. Unfortunately she will not be in Dubai permanently and she only jets in to see her husband who is also at The City hospital.

Dubai is like a huge passenger liner. Nobody here is permanent and they embark and disembark from time to time. Maybe that disturbs me also as you find very good people and know they are fleeting in and out of your life...You then tend to take everythig to and from that relationship as you know it will not be permanent.

SOUK BAHAR

This place is another wow. It is next to the new Dubai mega mall and also the Burg (that very "hightest in the world" tower....)
The mall is so big that when you enter the mall from the parking bay, you print a card form a machine that tells you where to find your car again. I promise you without that "Parking ticket" you might take days to find where you parked....
The whole area in the Burg vacinity is very nice and even has housing developments in old arabic style and again lots of water.


ENTRANCE TO SOUK BAHAR

The bridge goes over water to the souk from the mall. To the left in the picture are the appartments. It is called down town Dubai. Very nice but too far from the ocean for my liking.

Sorry this foto was placed incorectly in sequence but this was Hannes at lunch at Souk Madinat.

CARLUCCIO'S AT DUBAI MALL

On one of ouroutings we had lunch at Carluccio's. Why you might wonder is it in the blog......I always enjoyed Carluccio on the carlton food network on TV. Now I get to lunch at his restaurant.....Food was good but not better than Clydene's home made pasta or Nonna's GNochi...or even la Casa Nostra in Umdloti

I was impressed with the cuppachino's as you can choose your blend...either Milano or Napoli....and strength.

Lunch was good and we had to laugh at ourselves as we are very critcal of any restaurant. It even irritates us ......

Carluccio also has a deli where you can buy the products. I thought of buying some home made pasta BUT will have to wait until we have finished the pasta we have as I do not have space for 1 packet of pasta extra.....

That reminds me I will have to start searching for a new appartment as our lease ends in August. We want a little bigger and more space but want to stay in the marina.. The rentals have come down nicely due to the credit crunch....So now the rentals are high but a little more realistic and not so out of the fricken ball park.

The rumour that Dubai is bankrupt is absolute untrue. There have been lots of expats leave Dubai and all are in the building sector as most new projects have been shelved for later. Also most of the visa's cancelled are labourers in the building industry. Pakistan will suffer....

That is why the real estate sector has been hit due to more empty appartments so we can now choose a little and not be forced to take what is available. You can see in the traffic that Dubai has lost expats but in the malls it is still very crowded and in the streets there are still plenty of people. Most people who have lived in Dubai for years prefer Dubai this way than the over crowded one of last year.I do not think it is any different than to any other country. Everybody has been affected in one way or another...

Hannes even got an increase at work.....

Abu Dhabi has come to sponsor Dubai with some projects BUT that is how the UAE works. Every one helps out for a better tomorrow for all.

I struggle to know what day of the week it is as here Friday is the religious day (like our Sunday) and only the malls are open for bussiness and everybody is off.

Saturday is like our Saturday. It is just the second day of the weekend.

Sunday however is the first day of the week. Like our Monday..... So I never have a clue what day it is as I try to keep up with where my boys are in the week and mostly I get it wrong. Also April was hell with al the public holidays in SA.....It is like standing with each foot on a different vibraion.

We went to the SA embassy to vote. It was a long lie of South Africans chatting away and I must say most were afrikaan speaking. We only needed coffee and rusks or milktart............. I am glad the elections went off with out any hitches.

I found a jeweler in Dubai. I needed one of my chains to be fixed and charms from Jordan to be added to my charm bracelet..... Daunting to find some one after so many years of knowing your jeweler. In the end I was recommended to a juweler in the gold park and he was fantastic. gave all in and fetched 3 hours later. They encourage you to sit and watch when your jewelery is cleaned or fixed to show you that they do not switch stones and to show you their workmanship. The jewelers here do not like our 9ct gold as all jewelry here is either 18 or 24ct.

Hannes and I go to the beach on his off days. The sea here looks like mauritius. very clear and that colour too. To swim now is nearly like getting into a cool bath. Summer is starting and it is hotting up very nicely. We are at 39C already. I am waiting for the dust storms which should start in a month. I cannot beleive the foto's so I will have to take some myself.

My dental experience went off well. The tooth was removed and a bridge put in. I had some pain for about 2 days in the area but all fine now. Hannes should have done dentistry as they are so expensive here.............Just so nice not to have that crown that would fall out at very inconveniet times. I did loose it....................Not telling how..................but found it again..................so all that is now over.

So the settling starts and all new adventures continue.

MY FABULOUS FUDGE

I found a fudge recipe in my recipe book that Myrtle always used to make. I tried it and violla.....fantastic fudge.....Everybody who has tasted it is up in arms to how nice it is. I am contemplating in making the fudge to sell as nowhere in the UAE is decent fudge to be found..... Might just give me some nice pocket money..... have to consider this is a muslim country so will have to check on halaal status and rules.

Well that is all for today. Keep in mind that spell check does not work from the UAE on the blog.

Could be interesting to read hey...........Have to keep you all onyour toes.

L