Tiger and the Nanny

Was sitting around work the other day when one of my Emarati friends showed me a photo in the local Arabic language paper. The photo showed Tiger Woods, with his wife Elin, and Tiger's Mom holding baby Sam. My friend translated the caption as Tiger, his wife, with the nanny (Tiger's Mom is Thai) holding baby Sam.

Love it!

Dog Days of August

As you can see by the title, this draft has been sitting around for awhile--I have sort of gotten away from the blog since so much winds up on facebook. So I will leave this mostly uneditted from when I wrote it in August (I don't even remember what the pics are that are imbedded in the text). So here goes.

Added to the list of things I did not know: Merry-go-rounds turn clockwise in the USA; and counter clockwise in the UK. Speaking of the UK, I get my first taste of driving around in the left hand lane this month. Another oddity I have stumbled on is the phrase 'half eight' or 'half ten' which are Britspeak for 8:30 or 10:30. I first heard this from some friends I met in Istanbul last April, but now I hear it often. Of course, my Afrikaans friend tells me that to her 'half eight' means 7:30...so I think I will just stay digital; or go with the old reliable 'half eight equals 4'.

Value of a Penny? When I was home last month (July) I went to mark my ball on the green. I pulled a penny out of my pocket and was shocked to see that they had changed the penny while I was gone! Receiving change is a curious thing here in Dubai. Alot of rounding goes on--most of the time in favor of the consumer. If the total is 61.60 and you give the clerk 70.00..chances are you will get 8.50 back. .10 (10 fils) is about 2.7cents. No one, including me, seems bothered by this, but if the trend spreads we will probably see the demise of our penny in the foreseeable future.

I've enjoyed a nice view from my bedroom for the past nine months. I can see the coast, the Burj Al Arab, The Burj Dubai, The Dubai Mall, The Dubai Fountains, Raffles Hotel, Nad Al Sheba Racetrack, and even Dubai Int'l Airport

I saw a magazine when I was back in Georgia--that you will probably only see in Georgia: Garden & Gun: The Soul of the New South. What? No College Football?

Found 3 wheat pennies in the space of two days...rare.

Kiev

The genesis of this trip was formed enroute between ATL and DXB. The flight almost always passes over Ukraine and alot of other places and you get to wondering what it's like down there...so the next few days, I'm satisfying my curiosity.

I flew Air Arabia out of Sharjah to Kiev. Flight was 5 hours but passed uneventfully. When we landed I strolled into a very empty passport control. Of course, the woman behind the window informed me that I had not filled out an arrival card. So I went to a desk and filled out an arrival card. By now there were about a dozen people in line ahead of me...about a 20 minute wait. I got to the window again and was told, while I had filled out the arrival portion of the arrival card, I also needed to fill out the departure portion of the card...out of line again. Now, to fill out the arrival portion I had to list name, passport #, nationality, DOB, Visa type, Purpose of journey, flight #, and a local address, and a signature...to fill out the departure portion I AGAIN entered my name, citizenship, DOB, Passport #, and signed--ALL IDENTICAL TO THE ARRIVAL PORTION OF THE CARD.

Back in line, which is now about 50 people deep...about a 90 minute wait. They stamped my passport, stamped my card, and now I have to present both when I leave Tues...please pray I don't lose that card.

When I arrive in a new foreign city, the first 2 things I try to figure out are the local currency and the public transportation. ATM machine at the airport took care of the cash. Transportation was next. I hopped a bus at the airport that stops at a Metro station and then at the Rail Station, which, theoretically, also has a metro station. I decided to bypass the first Metro stop and stay above ground on the bus and enjoy the ride into the city. We passed alot of depressing looking soviet era high rises, but also some nice upper middle class neighborhoods, then crossed the river and wound thru the city. We passed a cemetary with a large flower market in front doing a booming business in grave arrangements. Also noticed alot of the stones had photos of the deceased imbedded in them.

When we pulled up at the train station there was a church across the street and the priest was pulling about 8-10 ropes to ring the church bells. This went on for several minutes, but not long enough for me to get my camera out of my bag. So far things were going well...but at the train station, there was no obvious signage to direct you to the Metro station. I walked a bit, asked several people--none who spoke English, and walked some more. I finally stumbled across a map of the station and found the metro--outside and a half a block down the street.

To buy tokens, you needed 2uah or 10 uah bills...I had 5s and 20s; so I had to go to a window and purchase tokens. There are no metro maps posted, but fortunately I had the Lonely Planet and it had a system map. I figured out which train to get on--and they were very crowded trains. Travelled about 5 stops and got off about 2 blocks from the hotel.

Nice stroll, walk up 8 floors to my room, and I have made it! The recptionist was very pleasant, spoke English and pointed out the highlights of the neighborhood--including grocery, nightclubs, and tourist sights.

Kiev was a very clean, beautiful city straddling the Dnieper River. There are many parks, monuments, Plazas; and it is a city still straddling the two eras before and after the fall of the Iron Curtain. Outside of the airport, their was none of the paranoid checking of documents that I was expecting--movement was pretty free (except for at the Mat Rodina, which was cordoned off for some ceremony--and I was told not to take photos).

Language is a huge barrier. English speakers are few and far between. I stumbled upon a restaurant with English on their menu, but was told they would not serve a single person--I needed someone else to help me occupy a table for two. I went back to pointing at stuff in the deli case.

I also saw alot of stuff--but have no idea what I was looking at since all the signage was in Russian or Ukranian.

The highlights were the park that flanked the river--it was very lovely and went on for miles. I wish I had time to walk around the island forest park that sits in the middle of the river (connected by a pedestrian bridge). Another curiosity was a wrought iron bridge covered with padlocks--apparently by newlyweds with their initials and dates painted on them. Surely this doubled the weight of the bridge as their were thousands of them.

St Micheals was beautiful...especially the unrestored parts which had held their beauty for over a thousand years.

The Larva Monastary was also quite a sight, though I didn't understand how all the buildings tied together.

It was a good way to spend a few days, but I was ready to go when my Aeroflot flight left for Moscow. And now I have an idea of one little corner of the world I'm flying over on my way back and forth from the USA. Enjoy the pics

Be the first in your neighborhood!

This billboard appeared a few days ago along the road as I exit the airport parking. I can have my own Mosque erected for as little as $7500. Of course, being in a 2 bedroom high rise apartment, I'm probably not going to be able to come up with the necessary space. However, Downtown Burj Dubai is a bit underserved in the Mosque department--as yet, none has been constructed. We only have prayer rooms at the mall and a make-shift mosque for the workers just outside my window--but no speaker system.

I thought it curious that the advertisement is in English, so it's obviously aimed at ex-pats like myself. It would be pretty cool to get on the speaker system 5 times a day, starting just before dawn and read the Holy Qoran calling my neighbors to prayer, or I could read them the baseball and football scores from last nights action. Or play some country music, which is sorely lacking here.

Pilgrimage to Scotland

It started with playing golf in 45C (114F) weather last week and a sudden urge to get out of the heat for a few days, as well as an excuse to build my Emirates miles to get to 25k. I looked at South Africa (too pricey), Bangkok (saving it for Emirates fam trip), Kuala Lumpur (schedule didn't work), Singapore (same), Jakarta (earthquake), Anywhere in Europe (too expensive), and India (no visa). So that left Colombo, Sri Lanka...until I stumbled on a sale price for a flight to Glasgow on the exact dates I needed to travel. Travel a day earlier or a day later and the price is more than double, so I decided it was time to try and fullfil a little dream.

There are a couple things I have always wanted to do, but just have never made the time, or had the means to accomplish. One is a pilgrimage to Cooperstown. To play a round at Augusta National. Another is a trip to St. Andrews to play the Old Course. Here was my chance.

I booked the flight, booked a B&B in St Andrews and gave myself 2 full days to get on the Old Course. The Old Course is booked months and months in advance, as well as tee times reserved for locals and members of the R&A. Then a daily ballot is used to fill any open tee times. As a single you normally can't book a tee time and you can't be in the ballot. The only way to get on is to show up at the Starter's window and wait for an opening. If you don't make it on, there are still 5-6 other courses that you can try to get on.

So I arrived at the Old Course just after 6am, first tee time is 7am. It was a clear, crisp morning, probably about 50F. I was #18 in line and my chances didn't look good--some people had been there since 3:30. We caught a break when the first tee time didn't show. A couple others got out with groups over the next 30 mins. Then the gentleman who was #7 in line got a tee time. And then a miracle happened--and everyone else between 7 and 18 had disappeared. In 2 minutes I went from sitting in the cold on the bench, to plunking down $210, grabbing my bag and stepping on the tee box to meet and greet 3 other players and 3 caddies, including mine, grabbing a club and hitting a tee shot cold...plus my driver was missing. I don't know if I left it in the car, someone stole it while I was waiting, or maybe it was in Dubai. There wasn't anytime to really do anything about it, so with all these wonderful swing thoughts and a some nerves, I teed it up and managed to top my drive (with my 3 wood) about 50 yds. The hole was a complete shambles of topped shots and shanks--two lost balls and a 3 putt at the end for a 12. But it was perfect weather and I was playing the Old Course. I took a triple bogey on the second. On the third, I finally stripped off the jacket and got over my fear of hurting the pristine grass and started playing better with 3 straight bogeys and then a birdie on #6.

My Caddy, Kevin, has been at St. Andrews for 6 years and he has seen it all, so I just followed his advice, tried to hit it where he aimed me. (Remarkably, Kevin had never actually played the Old Course; but was scheduled to play it for the first time that afternoon).

I never kept a scorecard, but best I can figure I probably fired in the mid-90s, with alot of pars and bogeys, 2 birdies (also birdied #14, the #1 handicap hole!), and a few Others.

The course was pristine and in immaculate condition. It's not an especially long course, but there are so many bunkers and splotches of rough and gorse to dodge, that you have to be thinking on every shot. And then you have greens the size of football fields with hills and valleys to deal with. I had a couple putts where I would have bet my paycheck that it would break one way but Kevin was telling me to play the opposite break...and you hit it and still can't believe it breaks that way. I had one putt where I was only 5 feet from the hole, but it was the wrong hole of the double green.

It was a wonderful 4 hours. I saw some wild carom shots out of bunkers (mostly accidental, but remarkable still), putts from 50 yds off the green (they say the fairways are cut to run at 14 on the meter during the Open), I saw a putt pass the hole, turn around and roll in, and I saw skulled shots (my own included) roll forever and wind up on the green. Sometimes you are hitting to wide open spaces (with invisible bunkers lurking) and sometimes you are hitting to a fairway no wider than a bowling alley (with invisible bunkers lurking). The rough was thick, but you could usually get the club on the ball and get it headed up the fairway--the Gorse (dark green bushes in the pics) is nasty and unplayable. I topped one tee shot and my caddy says "I think you're in the bunker" and I say to him "why would they put a bunker 75 yds off the tee?" Turns out I rolled about 200yds and missed the bunker (but there was still a bunker 75 yrds off the tee). It's a magnificent, quirky and historic course...I can't wait to do it again someday.

After my morning on The Old Course, I put my name on the list for The Jubilee Course. It looked like a couple hour wait (it was actually a shorter wait for the Old Course), so I went and bought a new Driver at a shop my caddy recommended. Finally teed off around 2pm. During the morning we were treated to an airshow with planes arriving for a weekend airshow at Leuchars AFB just across the water from St. Andrews. The first arrival we saw was a B52 which did a low pass before landing. My partners for the Jubilee course were two of the crew members on the B52. Good Show Guys!

The Jubilee was opened in 1897 and is a bit tighter, but more straight forward than the Old Course. I think overall it was a bit tougher and stingier course for scoring.

The next morning I waited about 3 hours to get on the Eden Course (built in 1914), which was probably the most scenic of the 3 courses I played. A little more wide open and more forgiving. Again, the weather was perfect and we enjoyed a whole round of aircraft demonstrations.

I haven't walked 18 holes in probably 2 years, and I walked 36 on Thursday and another 18 on Friday (carrying my bag for the Jubilee and Eden). I was very sore but very happy with a wonderful weekend.

But I'm still 400 miles short on my Emirates miles!

Ramadan

Ramadan started last week. I was gone to England so I dropped back into a slightly changed culture. Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar based year, is the holiest month of the year. For Muslims, this means fasting (no food or drink) and abstaining from smoking, sex, and other niceties of the world from sunrise to sunset. This is done to commiserate with those who suffer on a daily basis throughout the world. They are also expected to be charitable (2.5% of gross is recommended), visit family and friends, and reconnect with those they have lost touch with.

At work, we adjust our work schedules to allow our Muslim controllers to spend a majority of the daylight hours at home, so consequently, we westerners are coming in late in the mornings and going home early in the evenings.

As visitors in this country, we are expected to respect the traditions of Ramadan by refraining from public eating, drinking, smoking, and public displays of affection during the daylight hours. Many businesses close during the day and stay open til the wee hours of the morning. Restaurants will only sell carry-out, which you take home and eat in private. Many bars are closed and there is very little music or live entertainment.

Iftar is the breaking of the fast and is one of the more enjoyable parts of this tradition. Many places have awesome Iftar buffets in the evenings. The Muslims prepare large meals for the evening, so inevitably, alot of leftovers and treats wind up at work...nice! The donuts are deadly.

There are a few issues that we Westerners do wonder and worry about. For instance, since the fast is based on daylight hours, what about a pilot who wakes up in Sydney at 8am, fasts for the day until his 2pm departure time and then is fasting for another 14hrs on his flight to Dubai which gets in just before sunset. Is he/she really in the best of shape for flying after 20+ hours of fasting?

As controllers, we also have to know what time sunset is locally...pilots do ask!

It's a very interesting time to be in Dubai. I will also be in Cairo before the end of Ramadan and I'm curious to see if/how it differs.

Fortunately, we can still drink our liquids on the golf course, since there aren't many Muslim golfers out on the course during Ramadan.

Ramadan Kareem, Y'all!

What's in your wallet?

I have had alot of turnover in my wallet this past year. Clockwise from the top right:

Emirates Golf Federation Card: Used for handicap and discounts at many golf courses.

Dubai Driver's License: Always fun to pull out for rental cars and ID in the states.

HSBC ATM Card: which is only good for HSBC ATMs; I also have an HSBC Visa which I use for other ATMs and as a debit card.

Scan card for Apartment building (the white card covering my acct #)

Emirates Pilots Club: Discount club which is good for many dicounts around Dubai (and the world)...golf, restaurants, bars, tourist attractions, etc.

My Health Insurance Card in the UAE.

Airport Driving Permit: Let's me drive around the airfield just for fun, but not in the Tundra. We have a couple ATC vehicles with lights and radios.

Alcoholic Drinks License: Allows you to buy a set amount of alcohol every month. My limit is 1000aed ($270). And you better have it if you are driving around Dubai with alcohol in the car.

I also have my Airport ID (not pictured) and I am still trying to get Emirates ID card, which is required for every resident. I made my appointment in February, first date I could get was in November.

Curiously, I have handed out a myriad of passport photos for many of these IDs and not a single ID can be used for age verification--not one has my date of birth on it.

This and That July 2009

Just got home from work in time to watch the ninth inning of Mark Buerle's perfect game. Fortunately, I went to the TV before I went to my computer, so I didn't know the outcome (it's 1pm here, so it's a replay of last nights game). Anyway, great catch by Dewayne Wise in center to save the day--good theatre. I enjoy football, hockey, basketball; learning to enjoy cricket, rugby, and soccer; but Baseball will always be the best game there is. No matter what Bud Selig, striking and cheating players can come up with, the game always rises above it. Now if someone can just cool off the Phillies.

Humidity has kicked in for the summer in Dubai. As the monsoon season swirls thru the Indian Ocean and India, some moisture is pushed up into our desert region. May and June were hot, 105-115 EVERY DAY. But it was a dry heat. Now in July, temps are down, 95-100, but with the humidity it can feel pretty nasty outside. Really, it's no worse than back home where I can remember bending over a putt and sweat dripping from the bill of my cap onto my golf ball. Guess this will be status quo for August and September. If I had the choice, I would take the heat over the humidity.

Someone pointed out to me that the soft drinks out here use real sugar...even Coke. Probably better than the high fructose corn syrup that is fattening up America. Brings back memories of New Coke in the 80's when they went back to the Original Coke, but with substituted corn syrup instead of sugar. I'm still drinking the yucky diet stuff most of the time anyway.

Here are the results of a search for flights between Atlanta and Dubai leaving Sept 13, returning Sept 27.

British Airways $716 fare $591 tax/fees $1307 total

Luftansa $856 fare $479 tax/fees $1336 total

United $832 fare $411 tax/fees $1243 total

Delta $1102 fare $45 tax/fees $1147 total

Now, if I look at these figure (keeping in mind, figures lie and liars figure) it looks like the cost (fuel, depriciation, salaries, and other services and expenses) of flying one seat from Atlanta to Dubai appears to be roughly $800; yet Delta can take advantage of a lower tax structure and charge $300 more...pure profit! Even a Delta flight connecting thru Amsterdam is only subject to $90 tax (+1102=$1192 total)

Considering most Delta flights between ATL and DXB are mostly full, there is no incentive for them to be more competitive (Ok, even though they have the lowest fare and it's non-stop, something doesn't taste right). Perhaps they can add another daily flight and lower their prices! It's just not much of a free economy when one player has a $300 advantage.

I brought a dozen books back from the US this month. Barnes and Noble is much cheaper than anything over here...typical paperback is $12-13 (and almost nothing is ever on sale). Anyway, a dozen books eats up alot of my wieght allowance in the luggage, so I took the books out of the boxes and bundled them in saran wrap (every ounce helps). Well, turns out this was a great move. I was flying from Boston and changing planes at ATL for Dubai (I know 2 hours of backtracking...but it was cheapest--see above). Our flight from BOS landed just before a Thunderstorm hit the airport but not before they closed the ramps due to lightening. We sat just outside our gate for about 2 hours waiting for the weather to clear. When we did pull in it was still raining and the luggage got a good washing. When I unpacked in Dubai, all the clothes were wet, but my books were dry! Sometimes you get lucky.

Helsinki, Finland

Helsinki was a wonderful place to spend a few days. The waterfront is beautiful and alive with boats and open air markets. The downtown Esplanade Park softens a lively, contemporary city. A transport system of ferries, trams, and a subway line make the city very accessible.

I stayed in a hotel that used to be a prison, third floor of the cell block. The cell doors were small, but opened into very nice accomodations. There were still bars on some of the windows in the common areas and the perimeter wall surrounded the hotel. They also sold handcuffs at the reception desk. The Tram stopped right at the front gate, so escape was easy and convenient.

Helsinki has a couple very nice museums. The Kiasma Contemporary Museum had some mind boggling displays. They also had alot of art created behind the iron curtain last century which was very interesting to see. Lot's of dark themes, worker themes, but also other's celebrating communism. Unfortunately, alot of the commentary about the artwork was not in English--it would have been cool to know the back story to some of the pieces.

The Finnish Museum had an awesome collection of art celebrating the Kalevala, the collection of Finnish mythology. These stories, set in verse, are held sacred and tell about how the world and Finnish people came to be. From what I gathered, it's a colorful story. There were also a few Picasso's and Van Gogh's on display.

Other sights around the city included Sibelius Park, The Church in the Rock, the Helsinki Zoo (an island of it's own) and Suomelinna (which means Fort of Finland), an island fortress set in the mouth of Helsinki Harbor. The Fort, mostly constructed in the 1700s, consisted of over 6 miles of fortress walls and more than 80% are still standing. It was considered an impenetrable Gibralter of the Baltic--but the Swedes and Russians both dispelled that reputation. Today the island is a beautifully presevered UNESCO Cultural Heritage Site and still home to about 800 residents who live in many of the original barracks and commute to Helsinki by ferry.

I guess the oddest sight, was the Carnival Samba Parade through downtown Helsinki which was loud, festive, colorful, and lasted for over 2 hours. There must have been 2000 dancers with accompanying floats and bands. Apparently, the weather in Finland isn't agreeable for a Mardi Gras parade in February, so they hold it in June, sponsored by the Brazillian Embassy and peopled by the hundreds of dance clubs throughout Finland. The costumes were incredible and would rival anything you would see in Rio. I have photos on my cell phone and if I can figure out how to get the downloaded I will post them.

I do have other photos if you want to take a look.

Tallinn, Estonia

I took a trip to Helsinki in June. I couldn't find a reasonable hotel room for the first few days of my trip, so I flew in and a few hours later I was on a boat across the Gulf of Finland to Tallinn, Estonia where rooms were available and reasonably priced. The ferry was a hydrofoil capable of crossing the 70 mile Gulf in about 90 mins...little slower this trip since the seas were a little rough (nice Six Flags ride for a good part of the trip).

Tallinn is the Capital of Estonia and has been around for over 700 years. There is still a wonderfully preserved Old Town area still surrounded with the original city walls and gates and a Castle area overlooking the Old Town on a rise known as Toompea. Toompea is now used as the seat of the Estonian government.

Old Town was wonderful for walking and was filled with shops (from your modern Gap store to shops selling homemade leather-bound journals and other medevial crafts), restaurants, bars, nightclubs and casinos. The main square was surrounded by outside cafes and with sunlight til 11pm at night it stayed busy til the wee hours of morning--I should know. Estonians also enjoy breaking into spontaneous song--I ran across this a number of times. Sadly, the food was pretty bad. Remember when you order a pizza with sausage, hot dogs are a variety of sausage. I also had a meal with a large hunk of Wild Boar on the plate--it was very tender and tasty, but sure could have used some southern BBQ sauce.

Estonia has been independent from Russia since 1994 and there is alot of new construction too. There is a very lively town center with restaurants, bars, and malls.

There is also a wonderful park area just a short tram ride from Old Town (or I actually wound up walking back). Kadroig Park borders the Gulf of Finland and is the site of one of Alexander the Great's Palaces, now a preserved estate and museum, and the Estonian Contemporary Museum, KUMU. There is also a popular memorial dedicated to a vessel and sailors lost at sea in the late 1900s.

The Estonian people were very friendly, helpful and easy to talk to. I also met one American who worked at the US Embassy, some Irish men who were building a conservatory at a nearby estate, and a couple Latvian high school students on a working weekend (no, I didn't do business with them).

Tallinn was beautiful and fun from the minute I stepped on shore until I left. It's probably a well kept secret for most Americans (I'd never heard of the city until last month). If you are in the area, do yourself a favor and plan a few days.

Sorry, there are alot of photos...enjoy!

June

I apologize. I've gotten a little slack on my blog. I've been here 8 months and I guess the new is wearing off Dubai and most days are getting pretty routine. Every now and then I still raise my eyebrows at something. I have also done a little travelling this month, so that gets in the way too. July will be no better.

The Dubai Mall has been screening a popular local kids cartoon called "Freej." It is being shown on a big screen with English subtitles, and there is a big pile of bean bag chairs for kids to sit on. I watched about 5 mins today and it was a little disturbing. The first line I saw said "Open the damn door!" The episode also dealt with characters possessed by different spirits, including ex-pats who wanted freehold property and executive positions. Of course, these demons were exorcised in due course. None of the kids seemed to be laughing, so I guess I'm wondering who the program is really aimed at. If you want to learn more go here.

Working at DXB, I do get to stroll the ramp just about everyday. It's getting pretty toasty these days and I'm just amazed that these guys can work on the ramp in this weather. I've been in the belly of a few planes and it heats up in a hurry when a plane is just sitting. Unlike ATL, the ramp workers in DXB don't wear shorts. Also, all the tugs have black seats and steering wheels and most have no cover over the seating area. Then again, when I worked summers on the ramp in Macon, GA it was one of the best jobs I ever had--hope that's what these guys at DXB are feeling.

So far, none of the big Middle Eastern airlines belong to any of the big code-share alliances. EgyptAir belongs to the Star Alliance; Royal Jordanian is OneWorld are the only 2 I have noticed. I wonder why no one has paired up with Emirates? (thought Emirates miles can be applied to United mileage plans). I wonder if it's Emirates resisting? Same for Etihad in Abu Dhabi. As for my SkyTeam, I do have a few choices. Delta, of course, but they are a one-trick pony. KLM can get me to the USA; so can Air France (absolutely the worst air line); Kenya Air gets me to Niarobi and other points in Africa; and China Southern can get me to China.

Rents have tumbled in Dubai. From the absolute peak when I signed my lease in November, rents have fallen almost 50%. I hope my landlord is in a dealing mood in the next couple months when I go to re-negotiate. I like my place here, but I'm not so much in love that I won't move--there are alot of nice places available around here. I will probably stay in the Downtown Burj Dubai area though.

I got Max an Omani flag for his collection. It was hand-tailored. It is also missing the official emblem from the red vertical panel. I guess I'm going to have to make a 3rd trip to Oman. That's ok, Muscat is on my short list of places to visit.

Being American, ice is a pretty important part of my diet. Usually, it's no problem to get ice in a drink when I am out and about--sometimes it's only one cube, but you can get ice. For home, forget icemakers, ice cube trays are too much hassle, so I purchase a bag of ice and keep it in the freezer. My freezer is pretty small, so it's pretty important to dedicate so much space to ice--it's that important! If you're curious, a large bag of ice cost 3.75aed (about a $1); pretty reasonable.

That's about all for June. It's gotten hot (105-110+) and the last couple days the humidity has kicked in--good time to get out of town for a few weeks.

I had a Theory for about 46 mins...

Ok, if you are one of the 8 people in the US who care about the USA men's soccer team, then you were pretty excited about what happened this week. For the other 250 million of you, the USA needed to beat Egypt by 3 goals, and have Brazil beat Italy by 3 goals (the equivalent of a 14-0 drubbing in baseball) to advance to the semi-finals in the Confederations Cup. The Cup is a big warm up event for next years World Cup in South Africa. It happened. Then the USA pulled off a huge upset Wednesday by beating #1 ranked Spain to advance to their first world class tournament Final against Brazil (who drubbed the USA in pool competition, 3-0)

The game was a pretty big deal here in Dubai, so I went to the local hangout to catch the game last night. Big crowd, lots of Brazilian fans and probably the most Americans I've seen in one place since I have been here (there were 8 of us). Shockingly, and very easily, the USA took a 2-0 lead against Brazil into the locker room. At this point, I'm thinking conspiracy...

South Africa is holding the World Cup 2010. The power houses of Europe and South America are all going to be there in force, but what about those 8 Americans and their 250 million friends? How do we get them to jump on a plane for 17 hours to follow their team? Voila! we get them excited by letting their team pull off a huge soccer miracle. Beat Brazil and tens of thousands will be filling up their credit cards with tickets, planes and hotels Monday morning. Is Delta Air Lines in on the fix?

Alas, Brazil scored in the first 40 seconds of the second half and pretty much ruled the rest of the game, winning 3-2.

It was a good theory, and I'm not sure it's totally baseless.

I Wish

For those of you outside aviation, general aviation aircraft usually use their registration ID when communicating with air traffic control. In the USA, those callsigns start with "N" followed by some numbers and a couple letters (N404BS, N501RW, N1AU). In Dubai, they start with A6 and then usually 3 letters (A6ALP, A6FDB). In other countries, it will be all letters--up to 7 (HGSTVEK...pronounced Hotel, Golf, Sierra, Tango, Victor, Echo, Kilo). It can be a mouthful, even when we shorten it to the first 2 letters and the last 2 letters.

But every now and then, you get a pretty cool callsign.

Oman, here we go again!

I finally decided to give Oman another try. If you keep up with the blog, you know that I made a farcical attempt to drive to the Oman coast in January. Well, this time I was going to the coast again, but there is only one road to get there--so I liked my chances. I was headed north to the Musandam Peninusla, a part of Oman that is cut off from the rest of the country by the UAE, and also forms the southern coast of the Straits of Hormuz. It's also known as the Norway of the middle east with it's fjords and islands. I also took a navigator with me this time, Greg, ex-FAA from DFW, who is training on my crew--thus we have common days off.

Anyway, we took off early in the morning for Kahsab, Oman. It was about a 3 hour drive with an uneventful border crossing.

The road in Oman hugs the coast with some sections of the road carved out of the mountains and cliffs that fall into the sea. We saw several areas that had suffered rock slides, which seem to be pretty common. But the scenery was pretty awesome. The day was hazy, so I imagine a nice clear winter day will make an even better trip.

We stopped at a little fort along the way and took a few pics. We arrived in Kahsab around 10am. We signed up for a dhow cruise up the inlet and since it wasn't til 1pm that gave us a little time for lunch and finding souveniers. I'm collecting flags for my son, Max, and we actually stumbled on a tailor who sews flags. Other than that, souveniers were pretty few and far between. Kahsab, is the biggest city in this part of Oman and it is pretty small...like about the size of Hamilton, GA.

Lunch proved interesting. The diner we picked also doubled as the school lunch room for the local boys school--mostly middle school age. So we had lunch with about a dozen youngs kids. A couple of them tried to talk to us in English, but most of them just talked about us.

Our cruise was pretty nice; we had the dhow to oursleves along with 2 guides. Spectacular (if barren and devoid of life) scenery, lots of geese and some playful dolphins. We also stopped to do a little snorkelling...saw a few fish.

On the trip up, Greg was reading from the guide book and it mentioned that alot of smuggling went on, with boats running cigarettes across the straits to Iran (about 45 miles). We had about forgotten about it until we were coming into the harbor and saw about 7-8 boats headed out laden with large boxes wrapped in grey, and trucks loading more boats at the quay. The boats were about 20-25ft, open, with a couple outboards on the back. Obviously, if it's in the guide book, the authorities on either side of the straits care little about this enterprise or are recieving their cut of the profits.

On the way home, we stopped at the famous Barracuda, a tax-free liquor store in Umm Al Qaiwain (alcohol is taxed at 35% in Dubai). Many folks make what are called "Barracuda runs." The danger lies in bringing the product back to Dubai since you have to travel thru the dry emirate of Sharjah. The odds are small, but if you are stopped or get in an accident, you can be in serious trouble. There are also stories of people being followed from the Barracuda until the get to Sharjah where they will get 'bumped.' For a price, the bumpee promises not to call the authorities.

We made some calls, bought some for ourselves and friends in Dubai and hit the road--we weren't followed and the trip was uneventful.

Overall, it was a good day trip--but wait til a nice crystal clear day in the fall or winter. Until then, enjoy our trip.

The Big Game

On the non-American football landscape (aka, soccer) tonight's UEFA Champions League Championship is second only to the World Cup. It's the Super Bowl of European soccer. (So I ask you, why are they playing on Wednesday night?)

Anyway, after an early threat by Manchester United, Barcelona played stifling defense...ah hell, I know you don't care. Barcelona 2 Man U. Nil

Oh, and if you've never seen it, rent Eurotrip (rated R). The scene with the Man U fans driving the double decker bus thru Paris will split a gut.

Why Can't We Be Friends?

I have met alot of folks from all over the planet since I have been here. Almost without exception, everyone has been very friendly...even the folks at HSBC. The group that intrigues me though are the Iranians. These are supposed to be the crazy, nuke building, flag burning jihadist who are terrorizing the middle east and a thorn in America's side for the past generation.

Well, I have met quite a few and they have all been very engaging, generous, intelligent, and just the nicest people you would ever want to meet. My buddy Rod and I were chatting out by the pool one evening last week and 2 Iranian couples who were grilling out insisted that we join them (even though they only had food for 4). We ate small portions and wound up talking to them for a couple hours. By the way, Iranian food is very delicious too.

We talked about normal Dubai things, but we also talked some politics. They are very proud of their country and insist that we must visit some time--and we told them that as US citizens, we may not be welcomed (as in, we may not be issued a visa). Like many US citizens, they are frustrated with their government--elections are next month in Iran and these Iranians believe the outcomes are fixed. Unfortunately, they also get alot of their news and history from YouTube--which worries me a little. But they all seem to love Americans, Westerners, actually they seem to like everyone--even the Isrealis (though not big fans of the recent shellings, and neither am I)--It's just the people in power who can't seem to get along.

I know these folks I'm meeting are living outside Iran, but their families are still there and they are very connected to home. I'm sure I would get the same warm welcome if I were walking the streets of Tehran (which is on my list). It's a shame that so many good folks are misunderstood because of politics, because I think we are missing out on making some great friends around the world.

Tidbits al a May

I spent an hour before I left on my Istanbul trip knowing I was forgotting something--something I had kept reminding myself to pack all week. I thunk and thunk and thunk, but all I could come up with was that it had to do with wires and electronics. I had all the right adapters packed for the cameras and computer. It sucks getting old. When I sat down in my seat on the A330 to Istanbul, I remembered what it was! I forgot the adapter for my earphones--the B777 I rode from London last month needed the 2-prong adapter. For whatever reason, the A330 uses the single prong, so I need not have worried. Unfortunately, the A330 also doesn't have the very nice in-flight entertainment system that Emirates is known for--so I just read my book and listened to music.

I thought Turkey censors the web like the UAE...maybe more so since Youtube is blocked there. However, they do have liquor stores everywhere and women's loungerie shops. Thank Allah that they are spared from watching my daughters spring musical on You tube! Just this week, I did find out that Youtube is blocked because of some material that makes fun of the country's hero Attaturk (his image is on everything and there are plenty of busts and statues of him in Istanbul).

Friggin HSBC update...first thing I see when I clear customs in Turkey is an HSBC ATM. I stick my card in and I'm asked if I want to withdraw US Dollars or Euros? Now I'm under the impression that Turkey uses Turkish Lirasi but that's not one of my options; I think they must take Euros too here...wrong! After being turned away at the train station ticket window, I'm back at the ATM right next to HSBC--withdrawing TL! My Lord HSBC, do you spend your time thinking up ways to seem idiotic??

Had to get full insurance coverage on the Tundra (something I wasn't able to do back in December). But after a couple letters from the bank asking about the coverage, I decided to renew my search for full coverage. I found coverage--but it's not as simple as just signing up since insurance is tied to your car registration. So I had to re-register the truck. I was told by the insurance agent that it would have to be re-ispected and it would cost 400AED ($110) to register the truck--but it actually was a very quick, simple process and only cost 55AED. Getting a copy of my insurance to send to the bank took a little longer--Bureacracy will keep this place in the 1900s.

What's the difference between Swine flu and other flu outbreaks? The Media! I'm sure if you check the records of flu outbreaks in 3rd world countries (aka, Mexico) the death rate would not be much different than the "swine"outbreak. At the Istanbul airport, all the workers were wearing masks and they were making everyone pass by a thermal scanner--checking for fevers. The UAE has their first case now--and thermal scanners are on the way.

Enjoyed walking around Istanbul. Only saw one Starbucks and 2 Mc Donalds--not much else as far as US-Western influence. Unfortunately, the only folks who seem be fluent in English are pushy carpet salesmen and rogue tour guides.

I paid $24 for a bourbon and coke at the hotel bar in Istanbul! My first thought was "call the police!" Good thing I was paying as I went and not running a tab. After that, I switched to the cheap local beer, Efes (not too shabby).

Did you know Kevin Costner does commercials for Turkish Airlines? They are in Turkish and he has no speaking parts...wonder if he got paid in Dollars or Euros?

Back in the UAE the summer heat has kicked in--over 100 everyday with several days reaching to 110-115 range. Humidity is low (they say it gets worse) so it's not been too bad--hasn't stopped me from doing anything.

They do alot of big raffles here...Harleys, Porsches, Bentleys; but they aren't for charity--they are for profit! I refuse to buy the tickets..usually $50-125. Dubai Duty Free (where nothing is free) is the worst offender, though the Dubai Mall has gotten into the act this month.

I asked an exterminator in our building what the micro bugs that I mentioned a few months ago were. He didn't know what I was talking about--so I'm thinking he is just a low paid sprayer of pesticides. He actually told me they were roaches when I persisted--but I'm not buying it. They have pretty much disappeared with the hot weather--maybe they went to the Ukraine for summer.

We had a small fire in our building this month...some cloth left in a trash disposal room caught fire--it happened on Rod's floor and he did leave the country, so I'm suspicious. Anyway, the water from the sprinlers ran into the elevator shaft and knocked out 2 of the 4 elevators in the building. Of the 2 remaining, 1 is the frieght elevator, so most of us in the building were sharing 1 ride. Waits got pretty long during the busier parts of the day. Now on the plus side, I did get to meet alot of my neighbors--I have a theory that when all the elevators are running, they are programmed to keep people from meeting each other. I have been passed by so many times waiting to catch the elevator. I know an elevator guy in Columbus--I will have to ask him about it. How about it, Henry?

I've read a bunch of books since I have been here. I need to sit down one day and put down some recommendations...now you have somethng to look forward to!!!

Istanbul

Since we get a nice 4 day break between work cycles, I took a 'weekend'trip to Istanbul, Turkey. Great fun and I highly recommend it if you are ever in the neighborhood. It's a very old and historic city, with history and surprises everywhere you turn. Great restaurants, bars, rooftop dining, sidewalk cafes, tea gardens (usually in a cemetary), and yummy bakalavars. 1000+ yr old mosques, churches, and other buildings and ruins everywhere you turned. The Grand Bazaar is a great place to get lost for a few hours--just have to keep saying 'no'to all the hawkers.

If you go, do go in numbers. The vendors and tour guides can be very aggressive--but once I teamed up with a couple new friends from England they were less of a nuisance. Also for ladies, I heard that there is alot of harassment--so take a guy along with you to fend off some of the static. But do go--it's well worth it!

The photo album is quite large--I haven't had a chance to edit it down, but if you have some time enjoy!

April Tidbits

I've learned you don't read books with black covers at the pool when the weather heats up in Dubai unless you want blisters on your fingers. Summer arrived in Dubai today (April 27) as the mercury had climbed to 41C when I left work at 1pm (that's 106F for you folks in the mother country).

Bought some tickets online for the cricket match this week (Australia v. Pakistan). I think something was wrong with the website and I got away without paying a 'çonveinence charge.' Or could it be they don't use service charges here? Take that TicketMaster!

I had an interesting and expensive experience with the IRS this April 15th. I did wait til the last minute to file my taxes--had them all ready to go electronically. But when I went to hit 'send', I was rudely told that I can't file electronically from Dubai--has to be mailed. Well, this was a problem, since I also owed taxes. No Problem, I will just go to the IRS pay site and pay the tax and mail in the paper work. NOOOO...you must register first to use the IRS site and that takes 6-10 business days. But, I can use another site where they take credit cards and charge a 'convenience fee.' (I'm detecting a theme here). So anyway, cost me a little extra but at least I won't be apprehended at the border next time home.

Speaking of which, while I was waiting on my flight to London I availed myself of the Crown Room travel services and booked my trip for July (with a stop in Portugal-Spain...anyone up for a 8-9 day motorcylce tour?) on the way home. I had tried to book the passage on my laptop but Orbitz wasn't taking my payment. So I walked over to the desk and asked the receptionist if they could book the flights. And she did--and actually wound up a couple hundred dollars cheaper (though I do have to ride Air France for a couple legs...yuck). Of course, I was charged a $35 service charge for making the woman do her job. Since I had saved a little bit overall, I didn't gripe too much.

Met a lady named Yummy this week. She works at Dubai Duty Free at the airport. Also at the airport, I saw an Emerati woman in a full Abaya, face covered, typing on her laptop and wearing Chuck Taylor's...sometimes this place is a but surreal.

Dubai Cricket Stadium

After a few months of watching the occasional cricket match on TV and getting schooled by some of my co-workers on the rules and finer points of the game, I had a chance to go to my first live Cricket match. The match was held at the new Cricket Stadium in Dubai Sports City. I will say two good things about the evening:

1. The Cricket action was enjoyable to watch
2. There is not a bad seat in the stadium (unless you are being roasted by the afternoon sun, which was avoidable for most fans). But for veiwing the action--all good seats.

Now the not so good. Dubai Sports City consists of a cricket stadium and 20 square miles of construction. There are 3 ways into the place and they all merge into the same one lane road. It took about 45 mins to get to a parking 'space' once I arrived at the Cricket Stadium. That 'space'was in the middle of alot of sand and rocks. Now, there should have been shuttle buses to carry the fans from these remote desert, construction wastlands--I saw signs that said Shuttle Route--but I didn't see any buses. So I walked for about 20 mins until I finally came across a shuttle bus which carried me about 300 meters and then dropped us off another 300 meters from the stadium.

Everything around the stadium is unfinished--it's just a huge, dusty, gravel lot. They had security set up for screening the fans due to the fact the Pakistan Cricket team was fired upon last month in Pakistan (and also the reason why they were playing in the UAE). It was now close to start time and the line for the 'middle class seats' was stretched out two thousand people deep...with 2 screening positions. Same for the cheap seats. So I upgraded to a premium ticket which put me in a line about 20 deep, but still took 15 mins to get thru.

The short security line was the ONLY benefit of premium seats. You have the exact same view from the opposite side of the pitch as the Middle Class Seats. The stadium is spartan. Concessions were very limited: Popcorn or Nachos; Pepsi or 7UP. No Souvenier stands. You could have done better at any little league park in the USA. And you have to understand, a normal one day cricket match lasts 8 hours--people get hungry.

As for the cricket, it was enjoyable and the crowd was into it. Australia beat Pakistan (avenging a loss 2 nights earlier). The stadium was 90% full, with an announced crowd of about 24,000.

Afterwards, there was no shuttle bus. I walked 25 mins in the dark to my truck. Drove over an unfinished curb to get on a road and into the traffic jam. At one point the police directed us to use both lanes of a 2-way street--except they never stopped the opposite direction traffic which consisted mostly of construction vehicles. 45 mins to get to the highway--10 mins to get home.

At the time I swore I would wait til they finished construction before I went to another cricket match; but I have since been talked into going again. This time the shorter version (3-4 hrs) known as 20Twenty. Stay tuned.

Burj Dubai Fountains

Here is a clip I shot of the new Burj Dubai Fountains. They are about 50% larger than the Bellagio Fountains and capable of shooting 500 ft in the air, though about 300 ft is the most I've seen.

Dubai Comedy Convention

I went to the Dubai Comedy Convention last night. It was set on a lawn at Dubai Media City and it turned out to be a very nice evening. The Comedy Convention is really just a renamed and reworked comedy tour that didn't really go over well with the local authorities last year (I'm getting this from a friend who works at the paper, so you know it's true). Apparently, the Axis of Evil Tour was shut down last year due to some sensitive content.

It's now a 3 night stay in Dubai with a different lineup each night. It's a very diverse crowd and lineup, so it made for a fun, interesting night. Ahmed Ahmed was the host; Rob Magnotti, Kirk Fox, and headliner Omid Djilil. Lots of humor thrown at nationalities all over the world, but mostly the middle east. I'm also surprised how tuned in the rest of the world is to American culture. At first I thought Magnotti's Jersey schtick might flop, but everyone seemed tuned in. Same for the other American, Kirk Fox, though he was pretty much just whacked out funny.

Omid Djilil was very funny...an Iranian raised in England, and he was a big crowd favorite. The family next to me was Iranian and were loving it.

The evening was filled with alot of terrorist jokes (my favorite, was Fox's observation about why the shoe bomber couldn't have been a bra bomber--think about that next time you are going thru security at the airport). There was not alot of foul language or crude sexual references--which is not my appetite when it comes to comedy anyway. I prefer clever.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable evening. Whatever, they did wrong last year, they must have got right this year.

(Just a footnote...a friend who was at Wed nights show, also went to Friday nights show and said it was toned down considerably. Guess it hasn't quite passed the censors).

London

Stopped in London for a few days on the way home from the USA. My first visit to the UK. Did alot of walking around seeing all the sights in central London. I arrived on Easter Sunday, so I was lucky enough to stumble upon Easter Service's at St. Paul's Cathedral. It was also Master's Sunday, but I couldn't find it on the TV at any of the pubs I tried--soccer was the sport of choice. I finally found it on the TV in my hotel room...my very tiny hotel room..so tiny, my 15 inch screen looked like a big screen TV.

For all the weather problems we had in the states, I was blessed with very nice weather in London. I carried a light jacket around most of the time. Second night I walked past a small hole-in-the-wall bar that actually had baseball on TV--I had to stop in for a pint (or 4). Along with baseball, they also had a latin Rhumba band. It was called Belushi's just off the square in Covent Garden. The next night found me at an American themed bar called the Roadside (also in Covent Garden). Big soccer match that night between Liverpool and Chelsea drew a healthy crowd. They also had a good band and lots of friendly patrons.

As far as the sights, I enjoyed several of the museums and the halls of government. London does remind me very much of Washington DC. And I don't know why, but I was surprised that I heard alot of various languages and not much of the Queen's English as I wandered the streets. Like New York and DC, I hear more English walking around Dubai. Speaking of walking, I was happy to escape London without getting runover for looking the wrong way crossing streets. Thank you London for all the 'look left' and 'look right' signs painted on the street crossings. I imagine it's an adventure for any UK citizen (or Aussie, Bahamian, Jamaican) when they step off their islands.

I look forward to many return visits to London.

Spring Break '09...Winter's Discontent

Jumped on Delta 7 at the beginning of April and flew back to the mother country for a week of Spring Break with the kids. Weather was beautiful when we touched down in ATL early in the morning--and continued nice thru the weekend. Then it started to play havoc with our plans.

One of the first things I did upon arrival (after the requisite breakfast at Cracker Barrel) was to visit ATL Tower. It was nice to see alot of familiar faces, especially on a Friday. Guess they were all working OT. It was interesting to note the differences between ATL and DXB. First of all, aircraft taxi alot faster at ATL. I squirm when I have to cross a plane in a 4 mile gap at Dubai. It takes forever for these pilots to get spooled up and move--it seems they don't anticipate anything. I was always impressed with the clean, simplicity of the tower workspace in ATL (though they still have alot of misplaced equipment). At DXB, we just refurbished our tower and it was redesigned from scratch. Well, let's just say I don't think they took a step forward. It's full of contraptions (mechnical desk and strip boards raise and lower, touch screens for stopbars, lighting and communications, matchbox race tracks for sliding strips to different positions, and a small family of mice on each desk for 3-4 other displays). Being the new kid on the block, it's hard to pass judgement not knowing all the issues involved, but I did visit the tower before it was refurbished and I just don't see much difference. I think we missed an opportunity (as did ATL in some ways, despite a better overall result).

I picked up my kids the next morning and we were off for a weekend of socializing, first with their grandparents and aunt in Milledgeville, GA and then their Aunt, uncle and cousins in Charlotte, NC. A bonus was also seeing my sister-in-laws parents visiting from England.

Got a good deal on Priceline.com ($47/night at Crown Plaza Asheville, NC). Unfortunately, you can't cancel after you make a purchase on priceline, so despite a wintery forecast, we headed off to Asheville up in the Appalachian Mountains. We planned on visiting the Biltmore House, doing some hiking, checking out the galleries in AVL, and if the weather was nice, maybe go rafting. Well, the wind howled and it snowed off and on for 2 days. We did manage to do some exploring downtown and we spent a good part of one day at the Biltmore. The wind stilled and the sun came out for our nice hike on the Appalachian Trail on our last day.

Friday night was the Braves Home Opener. Showed up early to meet some friends for ribs across the street. (Bullpen has pretty good ribs). Game was going well, until the 3rd inning when the bottom fell out...rain, lightening, hail. We waited for about an hour and then retreated to our hotel room next door to the stadium. The game resumed around 11, finished just after 1am. I watched from a cozy bed with 2 snoozing kids.

I dropped the kids off the next day and then it was off to the airport. Stopped in London on the way home. I plan to do more of that in the future.

March Tidbits

I know there are women's rights issues in the Middle East, but from what I've seen so far, they seem to have it pretty good. Many local women cover their faces, but it's a personal choice for most of them--it's not a Muslim requirement. Many of the women from other Muslim countries will keep their head covered with a scarf called a hijab.

Many places, government buildings, grocery stores, etc. have seperate lines for ladies. The ladies get the front rows on the buses.

They do alot of window tinting here. Like the USA, it's supposed to be limited to 25-30% shading...unless you are a Lady, and then you can go up to 75%. Consequently, everyone says the car is for a lady when they get the tinting done.

The expatriate women here dress much like they do at home. I see lots of legs and cleavage. No one harasses them--or at least no more than if they were at home.

We seem to be getting alot of sandstorms this spring--folks that have been here claim it's a little unusual. Sometimes the wind is from the east carrying sand in from the desert; other times it is blowing in from the water carrying sand all the way from Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Driving here has not been too much of a problem. Like any major city, you learn that you don't try to get on the highways during certain times of the day and you learn a few backroads--though it helps if you have 4 wheel drive. You do alot of U-turns here to get where you are going. They don't like for you to be turning across multiple lanes of traffic to get where you are going. I came across an intersection where I had to do that the other day and it felt really weird (of course, the next day their was a traffic light there). I also don't think you are supposed to turn right on red, though I have done it a couple times--after checking to see if there were cameras at the intersection. Running a red light will get your car impounded for 15 days--first offense. Now to help you avoid running a red light, they do have flashing Greens before the light turns yellow--I find I like this.

I did get a charge on my American Express for a speeding violation when I had my rental Yaris...650 dhms (just under $200). So far I have kept the Beast (Tundra) under control...no violations.

The drains in the apartment lead into pipes that also drain the main floor areas, so every now and then you start to get some odors wafting up from the floor drains. I bought a liquid to poor down the drain to 'fix'the odor--and now my drain is clogged. Drano hasn't worked yet, so I may have to go see if Ace Hardware has a snake...or a pipewrench (I'm a little short on tools).

Air Arabia is offering DXB controllers 2 familiarization trips a year. They fly out of Sharjah and cover the Middle East, Northern Africa, and India. Emirates also allows one trip a year, but exclude the US, UK and Australia/NZ. Still leaves some nice places to go. I'm headed to the states next week; but after that I plan to get out of the UAE every 3-4 weeks for a long weekend.

I have noticed a cultural oddity about the Indians (it's mostly Indian folks who do this--maybe some Pakistani or Sri Lankans, too) who live here. More than a few of them have no concept of waiting in a line. There will be a line 5-6 people deep and they will just step up behind the person at the counter. Usually a look will make them step back out of line and fall into place. I think it's more interesting or amusing than annoying. And I'm more than a little bit curious about how they come about that kind of mindset.

I went to a movie last week. "Finding Amanda" opened and it looked like it would be fun. So I went and it was ok; not sure how you have a movie about prostitutes and strippers in Las Vegas and not have any flesh showing--but they managed to do it. Perhaps it was edited out by the UAE censors. I know they do some censoring, especially te internet (dating sites, some religious sites, and obviously porn). I have also been watching an episode of 'Friends' and an obvious kissing scene is suddenly skipped over. On the other hand, I was sitting in the food court at Festival City this week and on the big screen tv's they are showing some show where to gangs were shooting at each other with bullets, blood, and body parts flying everywhere--the kids were enthralled. I have also seen the unedited (not TBS) episodes of Sex in the City

Back to Findng Amanda. It was a new release in Dubai. I looked it up on IMDB when I got home. It went straight to DVD in 2007 in the USA; ok, not straight to DVD, it does show it made $52,000 at the box office. From now on, I will be checking before I go see something. I noticed in the paper today 'The Rocker'is starting--I saw that last year in Columbus.

On the flip side--Slumdog Millionaire opened here before it did in the USA and so did the last James Bond movie.

When I'm working, I get to clear aircraft to Cairo and Vienna...sometimes I use the Georgia pronunciation. ;)

Mike Mike would wet himself

I finally completed my training at Dubai Tower last week. Mandatory 40 days (4 hrs per day training). Add to the 40 days, other training courses, somedays where you only get 1-2 hours of training, and all the time off we get on our days off and between shifts and it takes awhile to get thru this training program.

My old Supervisor (Iron Mike) used to give legendary check rides that would last multiple shifts, included lots of questions and what if's, and was very thorough. If Mike Mike certified you, you knew your stuff and you were ready. His newly certified controllers almost never got themselves in trouble. Well, he has nothing on these guys when it comes to checking out.

First of all there is 2 days of check rides (4 hrs a day). The grading document includes phaseology (or R/T -- radio/telephony), adherence to procedures and ICAO/Dubai Tower rules, coordination, and of course safe, expeditious movement of aircraft. You are allowed 4 minor errors and Zero major errors; and major errors do not have to have anything to do with actually separating planes--it can be having a strip in the wrong bay. If you leave clear someone to land and there is a strip still in your runway bay for an airplane that is already clear of your runway--it's still a Major error. There is also a thorough equipment demonstration exam. There is an Oral exam dealing with many unusual situations--about 20 questions. And there is a 50 question written exam.

Finally there is one more Validation day, with another instructor--usually a training staff specialist. Another 4 hours on position; more Oral questions...and then you are thru. And you get a nice certificate suitable for framing.

Dubai is an interesting place to work and you have to stay on your toes. There are so many pilots who speak English as a second language or barely at all. It takes a few months to develope an ear and catch the key information. You have the same problem with alot of the vehicles on the airport--many heavy accents that are hard to pick up. And there is such a variety of vehicles...Fire, Electrical, Works, Honeywell, Airside, Ops, Safety, and Control (that's ATC...yes, I can go drive around the airport). And even after 4 months working here, I still see new callsigns everyday. I won't even go into all the destinations.

I have seen aircraft do some crazy stuff and you wonder what instructions they think they heard? Of course, we also have many controllers who are not native English speakers...Danes, Swiss, Norwegian, plus the local Emaratis. Even some of the English speakers are hard to understand when their accents get heavy.

I see room for improvement and change, but it will be a slow process. It would be nice to de-complicate things (Eg., At ATL we had two levels of alert for Fire and Rescue services...Standby Alerts and Crash Alerts. In Dubai, we have about 7). Unlike the USA where the FAA is the end all as employer, regulator, and enforcer; Dubai has Gulf Communities Aviation Administration (GCAA), Dubai Air Navigation Services, and Serco, so getting anything done is a cumbersome process. Things are also done in a reactionary mode also, and are difficult to undo once in place for the same reasons.

(As a little side note, I do get the impression that there are alot of people (ICAO) who look at the FAA with a jaundiced eye due to it's dual role as providor and regulator. They see it as a conflict of interest--and it probably is, though in actual practice it is departmentalized and doesn't really work that way. Still, we are kind of looked at as ATC Cowboys...lol).

If you don't pay attention, this place will bite you. But so far, I like it alot. And yes, I had to throw a check-out party...I'm still in recovery.

Dubai Thunderstorm

It's been a couple months, but we finally got some rain last night. In fact, we downright got hammered by a good ol thunderstorm. I was at a restaurant, sitting on the terrace when the plough winds hit and sent menus flying and plates crashing. Papers say they had 60+ knot gusts at the airport. Lots of rain, street flooding (since there are virtually no sewers), and traffic accidents. I wasn't driving, but I'm sure the roads were slick after no rain in such a long time. I guess, as a matter of full disclosure, I should mention that I also washed my truck 2 days ago...I take full responsibility for the rain.

Now, the day after, the temps have dropped to near 70F and apparently I'm getting Dubaified since I'm wearing jeans and a long sleeve T-shirt to stay warm.

Dubai Bike Week

Dubai has beaches, acres of desert, a few large parks, so naturally when this year's Dubai Bike Week came around--they held it a mall. Actually, in the contruction parking lot of Festival City Mall. They had 2 stages set up (Deep Purple was the feature act Friday night), 3 exhibition buildings (tents), and a stunt area. There were also food, beverages,sheisha pipes, and lots of bikes. Next year, I hope to attend on my own bike.

Art Dubai

This past weekend I took in Art Dubai at the Mindanet Jumeirah (a shopping, dining, hotel, convention center complex). I was very impressed. They filled 2 large halls and part of a parking garage with exhibits.

There were artists represented from all over Asia, Europe, and Africa. Many of the Middle Eastern artists liked to incorporate Arabic writings and script into their works. It is a very aesthetic font.

The other medium that seems to be coming into vogue is using computer and video projection on canvas to enhance a story or experience. It was interesting to see an abstract canvas, which could stand alone as a work of art, become a burning forest or simple raindrops falling in a puddle.

Most of the art was for sale...and well-clear of my price range.

My Neighborhood was on TV

Almost Free Passport Photos

Don't pay an arm and a leg for passport photos. Just go to www.ePassportPhoto.com and get free, compliant passport photos for over 60 countries
Thought I would put in a plug for a product that really works. If you need passport photos and you have a digital photo of yourself (or can take one), this site will save you a few bucks. I did mine on here for my passport last year and for all the photos I needed for moving to Dubai. I downloaded the finished product from www.epassportphoto.com (FREE!) and had them printed at Walmart ($1.50). Voila! 30 passport quality photos...and I looked good, too!

Stole this from my brother's blog...enjoy

Some of this is still true in Dubai...but still an amazing place

HSBC Update

I mentioned in an earlier blog that my Dubai bank, HSBC, continues to confound me. I was just trying to set up a monthly wire transfer to my US bank--15k aed per month. Well, it didn't process in December and in January 30k was wired. I was hoping they just had both months combined together and it would all sort itself out in February.

This week I got a text from HSBC saying that 15k had been transferred! Woohoo! Victory!!!

Two days later, I got another text saying 30k had been transferred. AHHHHHHGGGGHHH!!!

So, I made a trip into Deira to the HSBC main branch and sat down with my banker, Zania, and explained what was going on. She stared at my account on the computer for a few mins. I think she was a bit embarrassed that things had gotten so screwed up. But she said she would get it fixed. She asked me if I wanted to reverse the 30k wire and I told her 'no''; which she said was good, because she didn't think it could be done...smile :)

She called me yesterday and said that it is fixed...so stay tuned til the end of March to see. If they ship another 45k (or who knows, 60k, 75k?) I will be broke on this side of the planet and probably in jail for transferring more than I have in my account.

As a side note, there is a Super14s rugby team called the New South Wales Wartahs, based in Sydney (photo above). They are now 4-0 and I despise them because they have HSBC emblazoned on their chests! They play my Brumbies (2-1) next Friday....boooo Wartahs! booo HSBC!

Burj Dubai Classic Auto Show

This weekend they have put together the first annual Burj Dubai Classic Car Show along the boulevard in Downtown Burj Dubai...right over there (see me pointing a couple blocks away). It was a nice show with about 60-70 cars of all varieties. Thankfully, alot of them were older than me. I didn't see too many of the owners hanging out with the cars--I think it would have been cool to hear how a 1920s Ford Fire Truck wound up in Dubai.

Dubai Tennis Tournaments

They have two big tennis tournaments in Dubai every February. First the women's tour (photos) comes in for a week and then the men's tour is in the next week. I have always thought buying a ticket to a tennis tournament, especially early rounds, is one of the best bargains in sports. You see so much high quality play and you are very close to the players and the action--and if you spoke Russian, Croatian, German, or a myriad of other languages, you would probably pick up some interesting tidbits from the players.

The Tennis Center is very nice too...surrounded by a large courtyard and about a dozen restaurants and bars. A great place to relax and it's a popular area throughout the year.

The UAE did take a big step backwards in their efforts to become a world destination, when they denied the visa for an Isreali player in the women's tourney. They are paying a stiff fine and are in danger of losing the tournament in future years. They did better the next week, approving a Isreali men's player--but I think the damage is done.

Music

On Facebook, my brother listed his 25 most important albums--important for personal reasons; albums that you wore out listening to over and over again, for whatever rational or demented reason. He challenged others to come up with a list and since I have always treasured music, I decided to come up with my own personal list.

I quickly realized that 25 is not a whole lot, when you are going back 40 years. My list quickly reached into the 60-70 range. So in keeping with the spirit of the challenge, I subdivided my life in to the 8-Track Era and the Digital Era.

Even then, quite a few got left off the lists. BTO, Paul McCartney and Wings, Simon and Garfunkel, Charlie Daniels, Garth Brooks, George Strait, Deep Forest, Grand Funk Railroad, and a handful of others. If I do this a month from now, I'm sure my lists would change a bit. I also left off a few from groups already listed, particurily Jimmy Buffett, who could have his own top 25 list, Doobie Brothers -What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits (Great album, but is mentioned for the album title alone), Bruce Hornsby, Fiona Apple and a few others.

It was a fun project; it took a few days and involved a little research to refresh my faded memories, and I got reaquainted with a few old friends.

As a postscript, I still have a few of the 8-tracks and a working 8 track player stored back home in Georgia.

Doobie Brothers - Stampede
Boston - Boston
Mothers Finest' - Another Mother Further
Jackson Browne - Jackson Browne
Pablo Cruise - A Place in the Sun
Wet Willie - Keep On Smilin'
Marshall Turker Band - Searching for a Rainbow
Nantucket - Heartbreaker
Little River Band - Little River Band (8-track)
Atlanta Rythym Section - Are You Ready!
Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive
Lynard Skynard - Platinum and Gold
Johnny Cash - Greatest Hits Vol 2
Tom Jones - Greatest Hits 1973
Meatloaf - Bat Out of Hell
Focus - Live at the Rainbow
Three Dog Night - Seven Seperate Fools
Willie Nelson - Greatest Hits and Some That Will Be.
Allman Brothers - Eat a Peach
Allman Brothers - Brothers and Sisters
Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes - Collector's item
Led Zepplin - In Thru the Out Door
Jethro Tull - Living in the Past
Jim Croce - Photographs and Memories
Foghat - Fool for the City

Digital Era

Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes
Branford Marsailles - Romances for Saxaphone
Grover Washington Jr. - Winelight
Peter Gabriel - So
Trout Fishing in America - My World
Lyle Lovett - Lyle Lovett and his Large Band
Dave Matthews Band - Under the Table and Dreaming
Jimmy Buffett - Off to See the Lizard
Pink Floyd - The Wall
Notting Hillbillies - Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time
99X-mas
Stan Ridgway- Mosquitos
Steve Windwood - Back in the High Life
Anita Baker - Rapture
Bruce Hornsby - The Way It Is
Fiona Apple - Tidal
Earl Klugh - Life Stories
Lowen and Navarro - Walking on a Wire
Robert Cray - Strong Persuader
Sarah Maclaclan - Fumbling Towards Exstacy
Crash Test Dummies - God Shuffled His Feet
Joan Osborne - Relish
Green Day - Dookie
Offspring - Smash
Paula Cole - This Fire

February Random Firings...

I think Charles Darwin would have enjoyed the UAE. This is not a place where God intended his creatures to live. Being an arid climate there just isn’t a whole lot of animal life--but what is here has clearly adapted for this area of the world. The animals here are very economical. By that, I mean they are small! Birds are small; pigeons are about half the size you would see and far fewer; flies are smaller and no less aggravating. I have not seen a lot of bug life--but the ones I have seen in my apartment are about the tiniest things I have ever seen, about the size of a period. They are so small, and not in great numbers, that they are not even a worry--more a fascination and novelty.

I have noticed the chickens in the grocery stores are pretty small too--and not very satisfying.
I have not seen any dogs running around…none. I have seen a few cats, but not many. The only road kill I have seen was a grey tabby the other night.

When I do stumble upon a patch of green around here, aka, a golf course, I have noticed some very unusual birds with strange colorings and other adaptive features. In Ras Al Kamaihah, we saw some birds with long thin, curved beaks picking bugs out of the grass and reeds…kind of like sand pipers at the seashore in the US. I’ve seen black birds with bright royal blue markings on their wings; some other black and brown birds with peaked headpieces similar to Cardinals. Also, the seagulls are much smaller here.

I will have to pick up a couple field guides.

Of course, camels are at home here--they are big Dromedary (one hump) Camels in this area--as opposed to Bactrian (two-hump) Camels of central Asia. I have seen camel milk and ice cream in the stores--haven't tried it yet. I also hear Camel meat can be had in some areas of town.

Speaking of camels, my brother asked me what the down side of my racing camel adventure could be and I told him that 'the camel breaks a leg and we have to eat him.'' He suggested we shake a bag of charcoal briquets behind him to make him run faster.

Dubai has a long way to go if they want to be a financial capital of the world--Banking can be pretty cumbersome and unpredictable here. I use HSBC, because that’s who my employer uses and they set up the accounts when we got here. I would change, but I think the hassle would be way too much for probably very little benefit.

First of all, there are HSBC branches all over the place--and they are completely useless. Only two offices in all of Dubai can actually handle cash or issue checks. One is in Deira and a pain to get to--the other is in Jebel Ali and I haven’t tried that one yet. Right now, I have a checkbook sitting at the branch in Diera, waiting for me to get up the energy and feel adventurous enough to waste a morning going to collect it.

I have another brewing issue with HSBC. We are allowed a free monthly automatic wire transfer. I set mine up (yes, I had to go to Deira) back on Dec 29. I told my bank officer, Zania (she has been a great help and always remembers me when I come in to Deira) that I wanted to set up the transfer, starting that day and every month on the 29th. She filled out a couple forms and assured me it was all set. I went home and checked a week later--no transfer. I was hardly surprised. I decided to just wait and see what happened at the end of January. Well, 29th of January, twice the amount I had set up was successfully transferred to the US. So, either things are screwed up or they just did both transfers at once. I’m kind of leaning towards screwed up since I only showed one withdrawl instead of 2 for the same amount. Because I really, really, really don’t want to go to Deira, I am waiting it out and seeing what happens at the end of February. Of course, there is no 29th of Feb this year…stay tuned.

They like fountains here--and I like that they like fountains (especially since I’m from the Fountain City, Columbus, GA). We have fountains and waterfalls in the lobby of my apartment building. There are twin 100+ ft waterfalls at the Dubai Mall; there are fountains and waterfalls throughout Festival City; there are garden fountains sprinkled around Old Town; and they just filled the lake fronting the Burj Dubai and it contains fountains that will rival the Bellagio when they crank up in a couple weeks…sweet.

They also do sidewalk cafes well here in Dubai. Unlike Atlanta where you are on a sidewalk being choked by stalled traffic on Peachtree Street, these cafes are very peaceful and set in gardens and along the waterfronts. The Irish Village and about a dozen other restuarants at the Aviation Club provide a very relaxed place to dine, quaff beer and hang out with friends--large shade trees and no motor traffic. There are dozens of shaded cafes in Old Town…many where you can enjoy a shisha pipe while you relax with friends. Unlike cigarette smoke, which is around, but not overwhelming, the shisha pipes have a sweet fruity aroma (granted the second hand smoke is still deadly, but at least it’s not annoying).

It’s interesting dealing with so many folks here who are speaking English as a second language. And most speak very well. I also think it’s interesting that they can’t recognize the differences in Aussie English, the Queens English, and American English--I get asked all the time if I’m from the UK or Australia. I suppose it would be like me learning Arabic and trying to differentiate between someone from Eygpt and someone from the UAE.

Dubai is a dusty place. And the dust is red; or has a reddish tint to it. I suppose it’s from the desert sands--which are reddish in color. I picked up some boxes of Swifter wipes last trip home and they have been great! I have a neighbor from the US who was lamenting the absence of Swifters in the UAE…so I put a box on her doorstep for Valentine’s Day. I can be very sentimental at times.

One continuing frustration here, is that there does not seem to be a tv guide that you can use to plan ahead for tv viewing or to figure out which channel is carrying what. Generally, I try to make a note if I see something I want to watch down the road--it’s not a good system. There are about 5 different cable packages available--and I can’t find guides online for any of them. One of them, Showtime Arabia, does have a guide with highlights.

Here is an interesting thing about the local developments here in Dubai. Several buildings will share a common air conditioning facility--these a huge, 3-4 story block sized buildings with cooling compressors. As far as I can figure out, the air conditioning is included in the condo maintenance fees--whether you use the AC or not--so you might as well go cool. All the renter is paying is the electricity to run the fan…again, nice. My total electric, water and sewage was $37 last month.

And for the most part, that is what Dubai has been so far…very nice, with interesting little tidbits, treasures, and frustrations tossed in.

Sandy Sarab, the Arab

I know everyone has been waiting for a follow up on the Camel racing Syndicate. That's our baby above, Sandy Sarab, one year old. Right now, Sandy is being trained by a premier trainer at a secret Camel Racing camp hidden behind a sand dune in the UAE desert. In due time, Sandy will be moving to a training facility near Nad Al Sheba and the Syndicate owners will be able to go check out our baby. We should also get word on when he will be running races--though the season will be ending soon.

We have a our first syndicate meeting later this month where we will have to decide on officers (I'm politicking for Sheik Pooper Scooper), a Syndicate Logo, and also a design for racing blankets (I think I know what everyone is getting for Christmas this year).