Dubai

Dubai is amazing! For those of you who haven’t visited it, put it on your list of places to go!

The skyline is just unbelievable; the shopping is a shopper’s paradise; the beaches are some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen (on tv, since I’ve not been to many in real life!).

It took us 4 hours and 15 minutes to drive from our house to the hotel in Dubai, spending around half an hour at border control. We had to stop to buy a ticket (a leaving tax) to leave Oman; then we had to stop to have the ticket stamped; then we stopped to hand in the ticket; then we were out of Oman and in a kind of no-man’s land as we drove for around 10 minutes before we came to the UAE border! We had to get out of the car and go to passport control for them to be stamped; we had to show proof of Simon’s insurance that he is insured to drive in Dubai and also that we had an orange form which all drivers in Dubai must carry with them, in case of an accident. We were given another ticket at passport control which we then had to hand in once we were back in the car and then, finally, we were in the UAE!!

During the drive we saw donkeys and camels, both in Oman and the UAE. In Oman, the donkeys were being used to pull carts full of stuff, but I’m happy to say they looked well cared for. We saw a herd of about 8 or 10 camels in the UAE, all resting in the shade under an electricity pylon. Unfortunately, there’s no time to take photos when on the main roads.

Driving into the UAE was interesting, as the landscape became less rocky, as it is in Oman and more like a desert with orange/red coloured sand interspersed with bushes and trees for as far as you could see. Sand had blown onto the road and was piled up in sand drifts against the central reservation in the middle of the road. It felt like we were in a real desert.

Then Dubai. A city in the desert. The skyline of buildings are very faint as first, almost ghostly. They get bigger and bigger as you approach and more clear and you can see that the skyscraper buildings are along either side of the main road through Dubai, Sheik Zayed Road, which in some places widens to 7 lanes on either side!!

Our hotel, the Crowne Plaza Dubai, was directly opposite the Trade Centres, which are somewhere in the middle of the stretch of skyscrapers. They are tall twin towers, with triangular shaped tops. One of them is a hotel and the other is a business/commercial building. Our room overlooked the Trade Centres and also the swimming pool for our hotel below us on the 3rd floor (we were on the 9th, with a total of 23 floors in the hotel altogether).

We checked into the hotel (which is very nice, 5 star!!) and took half an hour or so to unpack and refresh ourselves. It’s Ramadan at the moment, which means that the Muslims fast during daylight hours and we are not supposed to eat or drink in front of them as it is offensive. However, the hotel, which has around 6 or 8 restaurants/bars, remained fully open, serving food and drinks. The restaurants were all screened from public viewing by curtains, which are obviously there for this 4 week period every year. The Harvester Pub didn’t serve alcohol until after dark, but this seemed to be the only restriction.

We then jumped in a taxi outside the hotel and asked to be taken to the Mall of the Emirates. The taxis in Dubai are very good because they are all metered, so white people aren’t automatically charged double the fare, which is what happens in Oman. The drivers are all uniformed and the cars reasonably well cared for. The fares are extremely cheap and cost us no more than about 3.500 RO or about 5 GBP for a 25-30 minute journey.

The Mall of the Emirates is heaven on earth for those inclined to shopping!! It is a massive building, beautifully decorated, very clean and well laid out. The home shops were all together, as were the ladies fashions, mens fashions, etc. Ski Dubai is attached to Mall of the Emirates and is the largest indoor ski slope – not something you expect to see in the middle of a desert!! From the viewing galleries in the shopping centre, you can’t see all of the ski slope as it turns a corner, but what you can see is amazing. The photos really don’t do it justice. The prices for Ski Dubai are also quite reasonable.... next time!!

The shops are a mixture of well known brands from UK and USA, as you would find in any nice shopping mall in UK, with a few touristy shops selling souvenirs as well as some of the nicer shops that are found in the Gulf region.

There is a large food court and plenty of restaurants and cafes in the mall, but unfortunately, due to Ramadan, they were all closed, only opening after the sun had set. However, the shops are open until 1am so there is plenty of time in the evenings to have something to eat!!

After wandering round the mall for a few hours, we went back to the hotel for a brief rest, then down to the Harvester Pub for a quick drink. It was so nice to go out in the evening for a drink; I’ve missed that, even though it wasn’t something I did very often! Then we went downstairs again to TGI Fridays and enjoyed a very nice dinner.

The next morning we got up and jumped in a taxi and headed for the Gold Souk. This is a small area of shops, along 3 or 4 streets, plus a tiny shopping mall, full of jewellery shops. It was great fun wandering along looking in the windows, some of the pieces were so outrageous that anywhere else you would think they are made of plastic, but here, you know they are real. They were also some beautiful pieces and I know someone in particular who would have spent many a happy hour here, not to mention a great deal of money – you know who you are!!!!!

Unfortunately, the roof over the streets meant the temperature was very high and it was extremely humid and you are also hassled every 10 steps by locals wanting you to follow them down a street to look at fake watches and Fendi bags. The owners of the shops are nearly as bad, trying to persuade you to come inside the shop if you spend more than about 30 seconds looking in their shop window. It made me feel very guilty for getting their hopes up by looking at the jewellery but also very annoyed that we couldn’t just wander and look in peace.

We then went back to the hotel to recover in air conditioned comfort and to have a much needed drink and something to eat in the Harvester Pub (they did nice food!) which is where we discovered the hotel’s temperature related food discount! During the summer months they discount the food in the hotel restaurants according to the temperature outside. On that day, it was 42 degrees outside so we received a discount of 42% on our food bill.

We went to Madinat Jumeirah Souk in the afternoon, which is on the coast very near to Burj Al Arab, the world’s only 7 star hotel, built to resemble a sail. I loved this place! Although it is a new building, it is built in the traditional Arabian style and it feels very authentic (plus its air conditioned!!). The shops were a nice mixture of touristy shops and rather posh shops selling pictures (of which we bought a few), furniture and other things for the house, plus a few clothing shops. There were also several cafes and restaurants, many of which were open, although screened from public sight. Simon and I spent several happy hours wandering round here and could happily have spent the entire day there, however, Daniel soon became very bored!

We decided that evening, after a quick drink at the Harvester Pub, to go back to Mall of the Emirates for some dinner and to see a film at the cinema. We had a very yummy meal at the Chinese restaurant called Chop Chop, sitting at a table by the window overlooking Ski Dubai. Then we spent a couple of hours wandering round the shops waiting for the film to begin. We had missed the 10pm showing, as we didn’t arrive at the mall until about 8.45pm, which wouldn’t have given us enough time to eat first, so we decided to see the midnight showing!! When we went into the cinema at 11.30pm, the mall was very busy and there were lots of families with young children – in fact, lots of them were also going to see a film. I guess no one gets up very early here, nor in Oman, or they all spend the afternoons in bed asleep?!

Anyway, we watched Ice Age 3 and thoroughly enjoyed it. The cinema was very nice and there were very few people in our screen. We came out of the cinema and walked through the mall to the taxi rank at 1.45am; although the shops were all closed, there were still people in the mall...!!

We had a late start the next day, due to our very late night the day before and got up in time to have lunch at the Harvester Pub (again!). Simon had spotted the all day English breakfast with pork sausages and bacon on the menu and was desperate to try it out!!

We had decided to go back to Madinat Jumeirah that afternoon to take some photos of us all (Daniel had been in a bad mood the previous day and refused to have his picture taken) which turned out to be a fabulous idea!! We were wandering around outside of the souk by the water canals taking some photos and we saw that you could go on a boat ride around the canals, which is what we did! It took about half an hour and it was pretty hot, though there was a canopy over the boat for some shade.

The canals wind their way through a very nice resort, with a hotel connected to the souk plus villas and another hotel. They are all linked to Jumeirah beach and are quite simply stunning. The man steering the boat gave us a tour as we went, mostly pointing out the resorts 42 restaurants and cafes. We had some excellent opportunities to take photos of the Burj Al Arab which was right next door as well as some photos of turtles which were in a part of a canal which was screened off so they couldn’t escape. This place is just so beautiful, I could have spent several weeks there on holiday and words are unable to describe it sufficiently. I hope the photos give a better idea of just how lovely it was there.

We later dropped Daniel off at the hotel and Simon and I went on to the Burjuman Mall, which is the designer label mall for a quick wander round. I guess it is a sign of the times because a few of the shops were closed and it was very empty. However, it is a very nice mall and I expect in the evenings, it is much busier.

We then went back to the hotel to pack and a late check out and we started our drive home. It took us about 4 hours and 20 minutes to get home including stopping to obtain a new tourist visa for me at the border.

I would recommend Dubai to everyone. There is something for everyone there and we only touched only a couple of the things to do there. It suits for a long weekend, shopping and seeing some of the tourist places, but would be as equally nice for a fortnight’s holiday, relaxing by the pools or on the beach and seeing more of the sights in the evenings. I expect it would even nicer when it’s not Ramadan as then you would be able to sit and enjoy a drink and meal and people watch.
I’m certainly looking forward to going back there in the future. I hope you like the photos I’ve uploaded.

Nakhal Fort & Muttrah Souk

Nakhal Fort – Friday 10th July 2009

About 70km from our villa and 100km from the centre of Muscat is the town of Nakhal. The name is derived from the Arabic word “nakheel” meaning date palm.
The old fort, set on a hill, dates back to when the Portuguese were in control of Oman and overlooks the largest date palm plantation in Oman.

Simon and I visited on a Friday afternoon when it was supposed to be closed but we were charged 1 Omani Rial (approx 1 pound 50p) for both of us and welcomed inside!

Apart from an Indian family, we were the only people there.

It was about 45 degrees and being outside climbing steps by the dozen really makes you feel the heat! Half an hour was as much as I could stand and we didn’t climb all the way up to the Watch Tower as I simply couldn’t face any more steps!

However, we plan to return lots of times in the future as it is a great place to explore and has some beautiful views from the top.

Some of the pictures that I will attach are from when Simon first visited the fort last year.

“The Tree of Life”

For Oman, the date palm is their tree of life. There are estimated to be over 8 million date palm trees in Oman (including two in our back garden!!).

Date palm trunks are used for everything, from beehive containers to structural roof supports. Waste wood is burned and the ash is used as fertiliser.

Palm fronds are used for making baskets and other woven goods as well as a roofing material called barasti.

Camel Sighting!!

I saw my first wild camels on the way home from Nakhal Fort. Unfortunately they were too far away from the road to take a photo. There was one standing up next to a tree and another laying down under the tree.

And not ten minutes later, whilst on the motorway, we saw more camels!! Four of them were on the grass verge of the motorway eating a tree!! Again, I wasn’t able to take a photo because we were going so quickly, being on the motorway.

Other animals seen here so far have included some wild dogs, kind of a cross between a greyhound and a dingo! Also some feral cats, which are very tiny with big ears.

They are very cute! I think they are very much like Egyptian cats (though not having been to Egypt I can’t be certain!).

There are lots of geckos here too! We have a pet gecko who used to live in our downstairs loo! Not actually in the loo though, just in the room! I think he’s recuperating and growing his new tail, as he only has a stump at the moment. We call him Stumpy! (Original, huh?!) Stumpy has a pal who lives under the fridge in the kitchen, which is where Stumpy now lives.

We also have Gigantor the gecko who lives in the air con unit in the kitchen. He must be able to squeeze through the gap that the air con unit must leave in the wall (the unit goes right through the wall from inside to outside) as we’ve seen him in the kitchen and outside on the wall next to the air con unit. He’s pretty big, about 4 or 5 inches long. Stumpy and his pal are quite tiny, about 2 – 2.5 inches long.

Since I wrote this blog in my notebook, I have seen a massive lizard, though I don’t think it is a gecko, in our front garden. I was watering the plants and grass and he ran across the wall from behind one flower bed to another. He is a dark colour, unlike the other geckos and was very big, I reckon about 12 inches in length!!

Muttrah Souk

In the evening of Friday 10th July, after we’d been to Nakhal Fort, we went to old Muscat, to the souk – Muttrak Souk, one of the most authentic souks in Arabia. We didn’t stay very long as it was just for a quick look around to give me a feel for the place, but it was very interesting. It was a particularly humid evening and the souk is kind of inside – it’s a maze of winding corridors lined with little shops and stalls and the roof is palm tree fronds, which helps to keep the heat, the noise and the smells (spices, frankinscense, etc) in!!

The stall and shop owners all stand outside their shop/stall and call to you, holding things up in front of you, right under your nose as you walk past. It is particularly bad if you are white, as they presume you are a tourist and want to buy one of everything! I felt quite guilty ignoring them, but meeting their eye, smiling or saying something was taken as invitation to show you more things, so it was better just to keep moving. A lot of the things they were selling are tourist tat, but there are some genuine Omani things there too. The souk is actually quite large and is split into sections, with each section selling a particular type of product, including textiles, houseware, spices, gold and silver.

Muttrah is the next bay along from Muscat, with old dhows (Omani wooden ships) in the harbour as well as the odd cruise ship and some very fancy motor boats! It’s really a very pretty place to visit and I’m looking forward to returning soon.

More blogs to follow, detailing trips to Jabrin Castle, originally built as a palace in the 1600s and a trip to Sun Mountain and Oman’s very own Grand Canyon....

Oh and I’ll be posting some pictures really soon too, so please bear with me!!

Some history and info about Oman

Oman – A Brief History

Firstly some interesting, some bizarre and some possibly little-known facts about Oman:
1. The capital city of Oman is Muscat. The population of Oman is about 2,402,000.
2. Muscat is one of the hottest capital cities in the world.
3. Oman is one of only two Sultanates in the world – do you know the other one?
4. Nearly 50% of Omanis are under the age of 15.
5. Oman has its own Grand Canyon in Jebel Akhdar (Green Mountain), with vertical drops of 1000 metres.
6. McDonalds made its first home delivery in Oman!!

Now a basic timeline in history:
• Evidence of coastal and inland settlements is found dating back to c.5000-3000 BC.
• An area roughly corresponding with UAE and northern Oman, known as Magan, supplied the city states of southern Mesopotamia with a range of raw materials including copper c.3000 BC.
• C.2000 BC – 1st Millennium BC – Arab tribes arrive in Oman from the southwest and Central Arabia to find coastal communities and inland wadis (valleys) inhabited by people originating from Persia.
• 630 AD – Islam is brought to Oman.
• 751 AD – Oman elects its first Imam (leader/ruler).
• 8th and 9th centuries – Arab seafaring and trading is at its height with voyages as far as China.
• 1507 – The capital city of Oman, Muscat, is captured by the Portuguese.
• 1650 – The Portuguese are expelled. Many of the forts you can visit today were built by the Portuguese.
• 1646 – A commercial treaty was signed by the Imam of Oman and the British East India Company.
• 1742 – Persians establish control of Muscat...
• 1747 - ...but not for long. Persians are driven from Oman.
• 1967 – Oman begins to produce oil in commercial quantities.
• 1970 – Ascension of the current ruler of Oman, Sultan Qaboos bin Said (aged 30).
• 1973 – Oman’s first airport opens – Seeb International Airport.
• 1986 – The first university of Oman opens – Sultan Qaboos University. Women are allowed and encouraged to attend.
• 1991 – Majlis Ash-Shura, a consultative council of 59 members is inaugurated.
• 1995 – Sultan Qaboos’s silver jubilee.

Sultan Qaboos

The Al bu Said Dynasty began in 1747 and is ongoing. Said bin Sultan succeeded his father in 1804 and reigned until 1856. He was passionate about Africa and sought alliances with local queens in Madagascar and Mozambique and controlled main Arab settlements on the East coast of Africa, making Zanzibar the second capital of Oman and transferring Omani state archives there.

He had 36 children and on his death in 1856, two of his sons both claimed the leadership. Though the Sultanate had always been regarded as an independent state, the matter was referred to Lord Canning, the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, who decided that Majid should rule Zanzibar and must pay 40,000 crowns per year to Thuwaini in Muscat, to adjust the inequality in inheritance, as Zanzibar was the richest part.

From this time until 1964, they remained separate but governed by members of the same family. In 1964 Zanzibar was incorporated into Tanzania.

The basic law of state issued in 1996 specifies that the Sultan of Oman “shall be a male descendent of Sayyid Turki bin Said bin Sultan”, who is also “a legitimate son of Omani Muslim parents”. Turki was another son of Said bin Sultan and the Governor of Sohar, who won the day in a battle in Wadi Dhank in 1870 and was recognised by the British.

Sultan Qaboos is the 12th member of the Al bu Said Dynasty and he proclaimed his faith in the future by announcing that his country would be known as “The Sultanate of Oman” instead of “Muscat and Oman”.

When he came to power in 1970, there were only 3 schools in the entire country, no newspapers, radio or tv, no civil service and only one hospital with 23 beds. The average life expectancy was 47; Muscat still closed its city gates at night and apart from the road to the little airport at Baital Falaj, there were only 2 graded roads in the whole country.

In 1971, successful applications were lodged with the Arab League and the UN.

One of Sultan Qaboos’s first acts was to encourage education. Sultan Qaboos University opened in 1986 – for male and female students. The Medical School degrees are recognised in Britain, USA and Western Countries generally and Omani hospitals are recognised by the Royal Colleges in Britain and similar bodies elsewhere.

Nowadays, free state education is provided to secondary level in nearly 1000 schools. The birth rate in Oman is the highest in the world with the average number of children in an Omani family numbering 7.4. This explains why state education is not free after secondary level.

The general health of the Omani people has changed dramatically with life expectancy increasing from 47 to over 70. The complaints common to the Third World no longer concern Omani people, but diseases such as heart disease and cancer, of the First World. There are now over 50 hospitals and around 120 clinics country-wide.
Music has also been encouraged as it was virtually unheard of on 1970. They now have military bands and a Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra.

The Sultan’s Armed Forces now consist of an Army of infantry brigades, each with four battalions, together with armoured artillery, parachute, reconnaissance and training troops, a special commando unit and tribal militia, in addition to the Royal Guard.

The Sultan himself trained at Sandhurst in England, which gave him a good knowledge and deep interest in military matters.

The Royal Navy of Oman has 8 fast patrol boats, patrolling 1000 miles of Oman’s coastline. They also have 4 province class fast attack craft.
The Royal Air Force are equipped with Hawk, F3, Jaguar and Hunter aircraft and are educated and trained (unlike other Armed Forces) to handle the most sophisticated weapons.

By 1990s, Oman had diplomatic relations with 135 countries.

In 1981 a state consultative council was formed consisting of 55 members including government officials. This was replaced in 1991 by the Majlis Ash’Shura consisting of 59 members selected from citizens nominated by the people of each wilaya (governate). There are no official members and they are involved in considering and questioning the process of government.

In 1994, Omani women were among the first in the Arabian Gulf to be enfranchised. Oman was also the first Arab country to appoint women police officers. Women not only hold high rank in the Police Force but also the Armed Forces and in government. They are also represented in the Majlis Ash’Shura.

Hope this was interesting reading? I'll write some more about the places we've visited etc soon. Let me know if there's anything you'd like to know about and I'll do my best to oblige!!

Laura xxx

Arrival and first few days (finally!!) 30th June 2009

The journey here was fairly eventful, although I think the pilot misjudged where the runway was by approximately 6 miles when we landed in Amsterdam!! Admittedly it was extremely foggy and we couldn’t actually see the runway, but we banged down onto the tarmac and everyone went Ooohhhhh!! I thought the man sat next to me was going to hit the roof of the plane he jumped so high!! We arrived in Muscat about 25 minutes ahead of schedule, after a brief stop at Abu Dhabi along the way, which was very nice because by that point I was bored, tired and feeling grumpy!!

The first thing to say is that it is HOT here! It reminds me of when you open the oven door to check on your dinner and you get that waft of hot air... However, it isn’t that unpleasant and whilst I wouldn’t want to sunbathe just yet, I think it will be very nice to sit outside for half an hour in the shade and read. It is very dry though and I can feel my skin losing moisture – I can see that I’m going to spend a fortune on body lotions!! Good for my hair though, as its not as frizzy!!!

Last night we went out for dinner and a wander round a couple of the shopping areas. The humidity had increased drastically when it got dark and that really was uncomfortable – so humid that when I stepped out of the car, my sunglasses immediately steamed up!! However, the car, restaurants, shops are all air conditioned and it is very pleasant inside.

The cold water out of the tap is not cold... In fact, its rather warm – warm enough to shower in and almost too warm!! The hot water is scalding. Anyone coming to visit, remember this, just in case I forget to mention when you arrive!!

The shops seem to sell a lot of the brands that we see in England for both toiletries and food and there is a really good range of fruits and vegetables to buy – I’m looking forward to after we’ve moved (and bought an oven!), stocking up the cupboards and fridge and making some lovely things to eat. And just in case my cooking goes horribly wrong, I counted about 8 Macdonalds in the space of 15 minutes of driving!!

Driving is interesting over here. It pretty much appears that you just go wherever you want to go (within reason, a bit) without much regard for other road users! It reminds me of wacky races!! However, it does appear to work quite well. There is no road rage and not much in the way of beeping or gesticulating, unlike England!

Having a 4 wheel drive came in handy last night when there was a bit of traffic, Simon just drove off the road and completely around the traffic!! The main road which is like a motorway, with 3 lanes either side, goes from one side of Muscat to the other, is called Sultan Qaboos highway. You have the mountains on one side and the coast on the other. It is lined with grass on either side and lots of trees and shrubs. People are working on these bits of green all day and sprinklers are moved around to keep them lush. The Omanis like to have picnics on the grass verges on the side of the motorway apparently – actual picnics with a tablecloth to sit on and a picnic basket, with the car pulled over on the side of the motorway!!

We went to see the new villa yesterday lunchtime, just a flying visit of about 10 minutes as Simon had to get back to work. The garden is big! There are a couple of trees with fruits on – one of them is a date palm but I’ve no idea what the other is. When we move in, I’ll put some pictures on here of the tree and the fruit and we’ll have a competition to figure out what it is!!

I’m looking forward to seeing what I can grow in the garden. The plants you can buy here for the garden seem to be planted in concrete – the soil is so hard and dry!! I think that tomatoes should do very well and in fact we could have a business opportunity there as the tomatoes in the shops are very expensive! So, I shall be looking to get some tomato seeds after we’ve moved and we’ll have a go and see what happens. I also think any kind of greenhouse veg or fruit would do well here, such as melons and cucumbers – also expensive to buy in the shops!

Inside the house is big! The dining room in particular is absolutely massive – we’ve calculated that a table seating 40 people (20 down each side) would comfortably fit in the room. Simon’s 8 seater dining table is going to be lost in there!! Still, it will serve as a great place to store everything whilst we unpack and re-arrange. I’m considering filling it with bunk beds – we’d fit loads of guests in there!!

When we’ve moved in and the furniture is in place and the house is looking relatively tidy, I’ll get some pictures put on here.
Oh, Laraine will be pleased to note that whilst the guest bedroom is not pink, the bathroom suite in the guest en-suite is pink...!! (Sorry to those of you who don’t like pink!!)

Well, today I’m enjoying another peaceful and relaxing time at home whilst the boys are at work and school. I was attempting to install The Sims 3 on Simon’s laptop (couldn’t fit my own in my suitcase and let’s not get me started on all the other stuff I couldn’t bring, like handbags ...) but it requires his password as administrator so I’m waiting for him to bring Daniel home after school... They leave the house at about 6.40am with school starting around 7.30am and finishing at 2pm. Daniel has a school fete this afternoon for which his class had to form groups and then design and manage a stall for the fete. Daniel’s stall is a pillow fight and raffle!! You can either pay to enter the raffle or enter the pillow fight and if you win, have free entry to the raffle!

The saying – home is where the heart is – is true... Although this is half a world away from home and I’m missing everyone like crazy, I am soooo happy to be here. Life with Simon and Daniel has become familiar to me and to them as well, I think, very quickly. I feel settled and comfortable and I’m looking forward to moving to the new villa, unpacking and settling in and creating a comfortable home for us.

Okay, so the next blog entry should be after we’ve moved house on Thursday and hopefully it will contain some pictures. Hope this hasn’t been too mundane or boring reading – what can I say, apart from the obvious heat, its just like being at home, sort of!!!!

Take care everyone, lots of love, Laura xxxxxx

PS. If anyone wants to come visit, you have to bring me a handbag – just pop by my nan’s to collect them – I’m having withdrawal symptoms....!!!
PPS. Went to a really nice shopping mall this evening; they have the best Borders bookshop I’ve ever seen! Its huge and there are so many books – bit on the pricey side though. They also have The Body Shop, Mango, Next, La Occitane, LaCoste, Pierre Cardin, Starbucks (they love their coffee over here), Dunkin Donuts, Baskin Robins, Zara...