The Net is coming together

As you may know from my previous blog, I shipped my truck to Dubai with a lot of question marks still bouncing around my head. Well, since then, I did find out that Toyota plans to export the Sequoia to Dubai and the Mideast this fall (same chassis and I hope the same engine). Also, I was walking from the mall in Mirdif back to our villa (about 20 min walk) and what did I see? A black 07 or 08 Tundra. I told you I wasn’t the only fool out there!

As for the rest of my first full day here…I met my roommates finally. They were out drinking til 330a; I was crashed out by midnight. Rod is about my age, retired FAA (ORD, LAX), and just spent a year doing contract ATC in Basra, Iraq. He and I are new here. He showed me an aerial photo of the base in Basra with little red dots showing where all 353 mortars fell during his year there. Smartly, their quarters were right next to the US Embassy building, so they dodged quite a few close calls.

Daniel is from Scotland…10 yrs at Aberdeen; he has been here 5 weeks and he will be working at Jebel Ali when (and if) it opens. Opening has been pushed back from March to June 09.
I had to get a couple things done today, before work tomorrow. One was an eye test for my driver’s license. And I needed some passport photos. We walked around an outdoor mall here in Mirdif and found a photographer. When I told the woman that I needed passport photos, she said ’12 for 50AED’. I told her I had some passport photos on my memory stick and can I just get a couple prints (12 photos)? Not a problem…they printed out a sheet, cut them up and put them in an envelope. And she gave me a bill that said 12 for 40 AED. I only counted 6 photos and asked her about the price. She saw I was right and crossed out the 12 and wrote 6…but the price stayed the same. A few seconds I walked out of the store shaking my head and Rod told me that was an argument I was never going to win. Chalk it up to experience and having a funny story to tell.

Then back to the optician for my eye test, which lasted about 8 seconds.

I also needed a phone, which consisted of going to the Fone store, buying a phone, going to the Supermarket (Spinneys) and buying a Sim card, going back to the Fone store to have them insert the SIM card, and now charging the sucker. Tomorrow I will have to buy some time—it’s all prepaid here. If you want the number, email me.

We did find a nice, friendly pizza place—very delicious. Tonight we will be back at the mall to use the free internet at Caribou Coffee (so that’s why I am downloading 3-4 blogs at once tonight), and then tomorrow we get started at the airport. Yeehaw!