Anonymous Comments Now Allowed

While I still have comment moderation turned on, I'd like to take this opportunity to encourage those not registered with Blogger to post their comments anonymously. Of course, I'd much rather call you by some name!

Slow: The Opposite of my Current Existence

Bear with me as I make the transition to life in Abu Dhabi over the next couple of weeks.

Hatta 2004

A few of our guides on a trip to Hatta in 2004. This is a scanned image.

This map from Expedia shows you where Hatta is located.

Shisha, Hubbly Bubbly, Hookah, Nargila

I've heard it referred by all these names in various Middle Eastern countries. The glass base you see is filled with water that you must change after each use. Below that silver top is a ceramic base, and in that ceramic base is where the tobacco is placed. A piece of foil is placed over the tobacco and wrapped around the ceramic base. That silver top keeps the wind off the coals; helping to prolong the heat. The actual tobacoo is mixed in with fruits and has the consistency of what I can only liken to sticky dates. The tobacco, in my opinion, smells fantastic. It comes in many flavours: apple(my fave), melon, grape, cherry...every fruit you can imagine, mint, cappucino (yep)...it's limitless. Personally, I think a lot of the fruits taste the same.

When you sit down to order shisha, the shisha guy (typically Egyptian in the UAE) delivers and sets up your pipe. He'll add the coals, test it himself, provide you with your own disposable tipp and then wait to make sure it's to your liking. He'll come back and check the heat of your coals throughout the evening. As they cool down he'll replace them (or upon your request).

I'm not a smoker, but every now-and-again I enjoy shisha. The taste in your mouth is quite sweet and for the non-smokers out there it will leave you a bit light-headed. Non-smokers might also experience a sore throat the next morning. Even those who opt to not try shisha will comment on how sweet the smoke smells.

The most commonly-asked question:
Does it have drugs in it? The answer: Generally not-at least not in the cafes I've visited! I'm sure that this might happen in private residences, but shisha cafes wouldn't dare do this in the UAE. I have heard some people like to replace the water with vodka, but I cannot attest to whether or not this affects the experience.

The image above was taken at a water park in the emirate of Um Al Quwain. I took this shot of a colleague about ten years ago. It was a hazy and somewhat cloudy day, so my colleague (whom I've lost touch with) seems a bit lost in this cloud of smoke and background behind him. I know that it seems odd to have shisha at a water park, but it's perfectly in place for the UAE.

Time to Make a Move

^Jumeirah Beach in Dubai-2004 (scanned image) We often visted the beach behind the KFC on Beach Road. Though there were no facilities, it used to be quieter than other stretches of the same beach.^

Can one re-expatriate? Is that a word? If not, it should be. I'll be re-expatriating once again in less than 3 weeks. I've lived in the UAE in the past and visited friends there often after I left (hence all these photos I've been sharing up to this point), but in the first week of August I'll be making a move to Abu Dhabi. In the meantime, I'll continue to post images from as recent as last year to as old as ten years ago. As I am moving, things are hectic, so I don't know that I can promise a daily photo, but I'll try.

A Mosque in Jebel Ali

A mosque in Jebel Ali

As I've mentioned in a previous post, Jebel Ali used to be the end of the earth for some Dubai residents. This area is now very much built up with housing, a large shopping mall, and a few supermarkets to choose from. Things have changes so much since 1998 when I first set foot in the UAE.

Sandstorm from a Car Window

I suppose this doesn't look like much to others, but the winds blew our little rented Toyota Echo all over the road. When sandstorms are predicted (which isn't on a regular basis), the public is often advised to stay indoors. Driving visibility can be affected, and if the winds are strong it truly does sting!

Feline Rescue in the UAE

Feral cats are extremely common in the UAE. There are organisations like Feline Friends who do catch and release sterilization for feral cats. Feline Friends also facilitates fostering and adoptions of non-feral cats. Feline Friends looks for volunteers who can give at least 1 hour/week for a 1 year commitment. "Cat cuddlers" are on the list of volunteers as are those willing to foster cats, trap feral cats, and/or fundraising activities. Check out their site for details on how to help.

This little furball wandered into a friend's garden in Dubai last year. She was clearly not the typical feral cat-perhaps a pet that was left behind and cared for by other residents. She settled in nicely, but there was a lesson learnt here. My friend adopted her but failed to get her fixed right away. Sure enough, the tomcats made their way over the garden wall (a cat in need will do just about anything) and kittens came not long after.

El Premio Arte y Pico

Dina over at Jerusalem Hills Daily Photo flatters me by passing along the Arte y Pico award! I don't know that I create art, but I do hope that my blog gives readers a glimpse into daily life (and not-so-daily life) around the UAE.

The transmitted rules are these:

1. Recipients must pick 5 blogs they consider deserving of this award for creativity, design, interesting material, and for contributing to the blogging community in whatever language.

2. Each of the 5 selected blogs must include the name of the author and a link to his/her site to be visited by readers.

3. The recipient must show the award and indicate the name and link to the blog of the one that handed it to him/her.

4. All award recipients must include a link to the Arte y Pico site to inform all readers about the origin of this award.The best part of receiving an award is the opportunity to pass it on, to play matchmaker between you and some of my favorite bloggers.

Here are my 5 choices for this award:

1. Maryanne Stroud Gabbani for Cairo/Giza Daily Photo: No one tells the story of modern Egypt like this long-term resident. Fantastic stories accompany each of her photos.

2. Kim of Seattle Daily Photo: Brilliant photos and a wonderful peak into life around Seattle.

3. Mitch of Daily Minneapolis Photography: Mitch is a very talented photographer who does a fantastic job representing one of my favourite American cities!

4. Pepe of Photoblog Alicante: I've got a soft spot in my heart for Spain. Pepe's does Alicante such justice!

5. Meead of Mashhad Daily Photo: Meead provides us a with a glimpse into this Iranian town!

About the photo above:
I struggled to find a UAE daily photo to fit the image, but I did manage to come across this old scanned image which I've cropped. I work in education, and ten years ago I taught in k-12 school in Sharjah. At the end of the year parents sent in many gifts with their children, and I received a set of plaster vases and dishes-purely decorative and not necessarily my style. I still appreciate the thought behind it.

View from a Sharjah Window

I took this from a friend's living room window. It must be the witching hour, because most of the time traffic in this part of Sharjah (very near to the Sharjah Mega Mall) is horrendous.

Frolicking in the Sand

There are a lot of billboards around the country with what would appear to be Emirati citizens enjoying the marketed product. However, it's been suggested that the models used are typically from other Arabic-speaking countries. This sign advertises Emirates Bank's sponsorship of the Dubai Shopping Festival for 2006-2007.

Sand as Far as the Eye Can See...

A scanned image of the desert landscape. I'll post some contrasting shots later this week.

Ibn Battuta Mall-Dubai

I'm not a mall person, but this particular mall is my favourite in the UAE. It's located in the emirate of Dubai (about 120 km from the capital, Abu Dhabi) in the area known as Jebel Ali. When I first moved to the UAE 10 years ago, Jebel Ali had very few inhabitants and nothing that appealed to the general public (I'm sure some long-term residents of Jebel Ali Village might disagree). A few years ago the Ibn Battuta Mall was built. Ibn Battuta was a famous explorer of Moroccan origin. The mall is themed aroundthe explorer with several educational exhibits that pertain to Ibn Battuta's inventions. Imagine that: a mall with something educational to offer. In a country where museums have not yet caught on, this is seemingly a step in the right direction. The mall's design is fantastic with six different themed courts: China, India, Persia, Egypt, Tunisia and Andalusia. As I said, I'm not much for shopping, but I enjoyed having a look around this around. This photo was taken from the outside. The Paris Gallery is a popular chain that sells perfumes and various beauty products.

Little Pods for Which I Have No Name

A Very Old Photo

This is a print I recently scanned. It was taken about 10 years ago when I first moved to the UAE(first of 3 moves to the UAE). I lived in Sharjah at the time. There was one place to buy booze in Sharjah-the Sharjah Wanderers Club. I'm not sure how the Wanderers gets around serving booze in the dry emirate of Sharjah, but they just do. This shot came on a dive trip with the Wanderer's BSAC. We were in the Gulf of Oman for this one.

Window Shopping for Some Bling Bling

Out with a friend just trying things on...

Calling All Residents of UAE, KSA, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar

A friend of a friend of a sister blogger is doing a thesis and needs feedback in the form of a short survey. The survey is looking for feedback from residents of KSA, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar only. Please share your two fils!

Sharjah Blue Souq

I must give credit where credit is due! My friend Lynda took this photo recently, and I asked if I could use it for my photo blog. We always called this the Blue Souq or the Gold Souq when I lived in Sharjah(one of the two buildings has more gold vendors than you can shake a stick at). Lynda said the taxi driver referred to it as the "Islamic Souq." I had never heard that reference, but it makes sense since given the style of the building. In recent years they sealed everything off to make way for air conditioning. Having experienced the sweat the trickle down the back of my leg as I bargained, I can appreciate the desire to shop in a climate controlled environment. That said, isn't sweat trickling down the back of the legs part of the experience?