Thursday 7th we decided pretty late on that we wanted a change of scenery, so frequented the Irish Village......
The last time we went to the irish village was when Steve was over and there was some charity golf bash on.......and Frank Carson was a guest on stage.....he was sooo funny and definately not PC!!!!
This visit was somewhat low key! a few drinks, and a few more.....just to be sociable we had more ..........then we remember it rained........got in a taxi....at some point KFC was involved...then back to the flat....sufficed to say, we couldnt get to the airport in the morning to pick up our next guests...an old collegue...JC and his wife, FC stopped over for 24hrs on the way to NZ!
They arrived on the door step by taxi and we promptly whacked the kettle on!!! decided based on fatigue that we would do some easy sightseeing a meal and a Burj al Arab drive by in the evening. although it was a whistle stop tour, we think they enjoyed it. It was a great opportunity to say goodbye and goodluck as we missed the leaving do!
Saturday morning was an EARLY one... dropped J and F at the airport and had planned to wait the half an hour when CJDs mate was due to land.....but things never work out the way you plan them, and the flight was delayed.....so went back to the flat!
Eventually she arrived and CJD went back to the airport......so....our third guest arrived...
Saturday was quite chilled......we went back to the antiques market for more tat.....WE JUST CANT RESIST!!! going to need to do some creative packing going home!
The afternoon was spent catching what little sun we could by the pool. things are getting desperate now. the tan is fading fast! CJD and guest frequented a nice little italian style mall called Mercato for some retail therapy.

Friday 1st Dec!!!!!

wow how time is flying! Our guest was left to his own devices for another week....unfortunately the weather had well and truely changed......on and off rain!!!! little sun......

The morning was spent helping Steve to pack his stuff and drive him to the airport to see him fly off to good ole blightly! :-( surprisingly an easy journey that only took 20mins to return to the apartment. CJD took the opportunity to visit Mall of the Emirates or MOE to us locals! hahaha

When Steve was present he found out that the Dubai X Games were on at Creek Park (skateboarding, BMX, MotoX, in line skating etc) so we decided to occupy our minds down there in the afternoon. We decided to WALK!!!! from Al Mina Road to Creek Park.......Steve said it wasnt that far!!!!! DONT YOU BELIEVE IT! took a good few hours and it was miles! It is definately the best way to see the sights of Dubai! got a few nice pics of famous landmark buildings!!! It was well worth the pilgrimage, the skating was excellent.....some famous BMX guy Matt Hoffman was doing stunts and we were actually really impressed!!! was very windy and on off spitting but we were really glad we went!

Saturday...........WHAT A WASHOUT! another activity Steve had lined up for us was the world Powerboat championship final......really wanted to go but it was SOOOOooooo wet we decided to stay and clean the balcony of the flat......a guy in the office went and although it was really wet he said it was ACE.......wish we went now...nevermind! at least the balcony is clean!!!

Must point out, that although we mainly update the weekend activities, we try to go out on a tuesday night to explore a new mall each week.....not to mention thursday where we explore hotels....well....the bars associated with them....

So we left our guest to explore Dubai for a week while we went to work!!!
A good move so it would seem, as he gave us the low down on the tourist spots that we can only wish we had the energy after work to explore!
The weather started to cool down.......that is probably why after swimming sometime on Tues eve....Sam caught a Stinking Lousey Cold!!!! could even be on a par with MAN FLU!!!
Anyway with the weekend fast approaching and a guest to keep entertained....no time for moping....had to work through it!
and so to Fri 24th Nov.......Morning spent by the pool....WELL......we just had to top up the TAN!Sam organized with a tour firm to go on a desert safari in the afternoon.......15:00 Jaffa picked us up from the apartment in his Toyota Landcruiser......you know it was gonna be good when you spot the rollcage bars bolted to the chassis!!!!!! OH YEAH! drove out to the deep desert for some thrills and spills!!! will try and upload a video.......was a petrol heads dream!!!! the drivers started to let some air out the tyres. i guess that helps with grip! wish i could have had a go at driving!!!!! the rollercoaster sand dune drive was finished off watching the sun set in the desert....HOW ROMANTIC! near some stinky camels!!!! then to a BBQ desert style at a camp with sheesha and a belly dancer! COOL!
Saturday was rather more relaxed.....a nice long drive to Abu Dhabi!!!! the capital of the UAE...much more built up than Dubai! the road was amazing...the heat haze was such that you couldnt see where the sky ended and the road began!!! i have never driven on such a straight road in my life! while Steve and i were wandering the streets of A.D CJD was wandering Dubai....checking out the touristy parts and checked out another mall. much shopping to be done here!
Sunday was spent checking out a little tourist market....much tat bought for crimbo.....has to be done....those ickle carved camels are soooooo sweet hahahahahaha
but on emerging the weather had well an truely changed...WOULD YOU ADM AND EVE IT......RAIN!!!!!!! and lots of it....
the roads become a play ground for drivers of big 4x4 power machines.....fishtailing down the road with no sense of danger!!! scarey! so to avoid any chance of an accident, we went to the cinema to check out the latest 007 offering....and it was PRETTY GOOD!!!! back to work monday!!! roll on the next weekend!!!!!

The weekend of the 17th Nov falls as one of our SINGLE day weekends!!!! BOOOOOOOO
anyway, not letting that deter us, we pressed on to explore yet another Bar.......our colleagues invited us to Diera to a sports bar with a big screen, however we declined in order to check out the Vu bar at the top of one of the Emirates Towers!!!!
We can report that it is an extremely refined establishment with an assortment of cocktails and one could even be mistaken for thinking you had arrived at the set of COCKTAIL with tom cruise, as the bottles were flying and the shakers shaking the cocktails so professionally we thought we were in hollywood!
The prices certainly were hollywood, but its one of those places you just have to go and experience!
The view from the top was really spectacular........definately one for a return visit!
Hornet cried off early, was bundled into a taxi..........something tells me it was the Double Bacardi and coke that CJD ordered, coupled with fatigue.....but you will hear no complaints! CJD was joined by our colleagues to continue the Vu bar party......
Friday was yet again spent on the beach nursing wounds..........ok so they were headaches.
using newly purchased googles and a blow up LILO!!! we swam with the fishes, feeding the little stripey numbers, ready salted crisps.................well they were in salt water already, i dont suppose they noticed!!! All too quickly the sun started to go down and we headed back to our flat.
Had to clean and get ready for our first visitor from blighty..........Steve.

Fri and Sat 10/11 Nov..........
Went to a bar and a club to mark the start of the 2 day weekend!!! started at Boston bar or something like that......was Ladies night! SAY NO MORE......it is a con to draw the females (of which there appears to be a shortage out here) of dubai to fill the rest of the bar with men!! was a bit of a meat market, so a couple of FREE beers for the girls, and we scarpered to a club ZINC in the crown Plaza hotel on Shiek Zayed Road....was cool........have to say its the first time i have been clubbing in jeans and walking boots!!!!! even if they were expensive North Face boots......still the fluid flowed!!! should have had water a bit sooner.....insted of adding an order for rum and coke and a sambuca with the bottle of water! oh well...live and learn!!! CJD described it as ordering a big mac meal and a DIET COKE!!! hahahahah we suffered for it Fri.....all good plans and all that......spose to be on a road trip.......it was a struggle to trip out of bed let alone in the car!!!! sensible heads....4am finish....mmmm....lets hit the beach BY TAXI!!!
Fujairah beach park....very nice....towels right next to the water, Hawaiian Tropic basting, SORTED! water was again crystal clear with FISHES swimming by......was awesome. the haunting of the hangover set right in til tea time, but was kerbed by the occasional swim. the beach was busy, many ex pats.....and it really filled in the evening....
Back to the flat, just chilled...early night for trip to Fujairah.

Saturday.....alarms didnt go off, so an extra stolen hour of kip was had!!!! got packed and hit the road!!! HMMMMMmmmmm well....we hit the road but got a little tied up in the roads.....you see, sign posts are not what they ought to be......consequently 2.5 hours before we managed to get out of Sharjar and on to the road towards the east coast!!! drove through the desert and surprised ourself at how fast the journey went!! Still didnt see straight sand desert!!! all the dunes have small scrub like bushes on them, but the mountains on the east coast we impressive. just before Masafi (CJD informs me, is famous for its bottled water here) we drove through the "Friday Market".....lots of stalls lining the road selling carpets, fruit, blow up animals.....(YES BLOW UP ANIMALS!) and plants.........very quaint!
Continuing to Fujairah and tried to find a beach! yeah ok.....bit of a dissappointment actually.....not many nice spots on that side! shadowed by the mountains it was also a little cloudy......so we stayed on the road and decided to follow a random sign towards a WADI! I had my revenge.....the road turned to dust...and i made CJD continue....payback for the palm trip!!!!! when we got out of the car in the wadi we were struck by the TOTAL silence....was earie.....first time since we have been here that there has been NO noise.....couple of photos and headed back on the road....we basically drove in a massive anticlockwise oval around the mountains and got back on the road at Masafi and went back to Dubai, stopping at the market, briefly............was an eventful day...and we finally saw some CAMELS!!!!!! couldnt stop to take a piccy though.....i think they were racing camels...........still not seen the illusive wild ones......the search continues!!!!

Ok so i am slacking!!!!!!
Friday 3rd.....what did we get up too...basically sleep off a monster hangover.
Frequented a nice little Irish themed Bar called Waxy O'Connors on thursday night....was a little noisey and had the tiniest dance floor ever.....after a few sherbets we were up for a dance so asked a couple of ladies (obviously dressed for a night out) where the best place to move on to was!!!! we discovered Movenpicks JIMMY DIX! was ACE!
had a dance floor, a stage with a band covering all sorts of music.....cranberries, proclaimers and to be honest, the night is slightly faded with time...........was excellent! got in at 3pm and decided Friday was going to be a write off!
Ok so moving on to our first visit to the beach since arriving. It was a beach park called Al Mumzar. 30 Dirhams to get the car in and the nicest little bay......water was nice and warm and we chose a little shaded area to get our heads down and catch some sunlight.
Nothing else happened that weekend because it was just a 1 day break............back to school on the saturday!!!!!

Following a few hard days work in the heat, we have a weekend and the rotation fell this time to allow us a 2 day break. NICE ONE!.
A friend from Cambridge was on holiday staying in Dubai with other friends so it was the perfect opportunity for all of us to meet and have a "girly" few days!
Friday we messed around by the pool at The Greens complex over near the Mall of the Emirates. Having had a dose of UV light we decided we needed to be touristy!!!! and headed to the HARD ROCK CAFE!!!! was soooooo exciting always wanted to go to one!!!! The place is FAB! really recommend it...i know its basically fast food but the atmosphere is great.....We just had to buy a T-shirt for posing factor! ;-)
Finished up taking lots of photos and decided to go and see what the deal was with the Skiing at the Mall. Looks massive! Hornet has been to the Birmingham snow dome......but this is bigger. by the time had left the HR Cafe and got to the mall we were a bit thirsty so sat with a drink watching people having snowball fights!!!!! was very surreal!
On Saturday..... we went back to The Greens to meet up again and headed to an antique market....it was a proper little aladins cave! anything and EVERYTHING under one roof! tourist tat to traditional wears! was great and will definately be going back! It was really enclosed and after an hour it was a little uncomfortably hot...so the decision was made.......WILD WADI HERE WE COME!!! Wild Wadi is a water park with flumes, shoots, wave pool, lazy river and rubber tube rides.....it was AWESOME FUN! but very tiring......especially as there was one ride that hornet and friend didnt really want to go on but CJD was up for!!!!!! it was called Jumeira scarer or something.....you know those high water shoots where you cross your arms and legs.......for good reason!!!!!! it was a definate close your eyes moment.....CJD loved it though!!!!
we finished the weekend with a Maccy Dees on the beach watching the Burj Al Arab change colour........and its back to work for a week!....................

OK so EID.....two day holiday after Ramadan.
went shopping and found CAMEL MILK......had to try that so got the smallest bottle we could find.it tastes more sour than cows milk....i dont think it would be nice on the cornflakes......for the ATC lot.....please note the TROLL!!!!
We decided to go on a road trip......grabbed the explorer book and hit the road to Al Ain.....VERY PRETTY......beautiful mosque and roundabouts with different features....ie the Zoo had plastic animals on it and some had water falls. the main one in town had a Very large water feature!
all the shops were closed as it was the holidays so we continued on to Jebel Hafeet, the highest mountain in the UAE.......well my Civil Engineer buddy describes it as a lump of rock in the desert......as a geologist i was in Awe all the way up the twisty road...... Great views of Abu Dhabi Emirate......we could just make out the mountains over in Oman's direction. We also got our first view of PROPER desert sand dunes.......Still not found any camels yet!!! THE HUNT CONTINUES!!!!.........It was a long day, returning via Al Ain again to stop at the Rotana Hotel for a lovely meal.........and trying in vain to find the Oasis....well......we had to give up in the end....just could not find it!........back into Dubai and we noticed the humidity again....not to mention the traffic jams..........
totally chilled in the evening had a few drinks and watched a DVD......ready for the second day of the holiday where we sat by the pool!!!! well..........we have to kick start the tanning at some point!!!!!

Ok so the first day off was Fri 20th. we moved into the Apartment and hit the supermarket, to clean the apartment and get food!!!! We are Totally impressed by this place. It is Huuuuaarrge.
nice views of the mosque and of the tall buildings on the Sheik Zayed Road in the distance.
In the evening we took a drive.....couldnt wait any longer had to make the pilgrimage to see the Burj Al Arab. have to say it is an awe inspiring structure!!!!! you have no idea how many photos it took to get this one!!! it changed colour a number of times and this is the best photo we got!
We even drove along to the Palm near Jumeriah and ended up on the construction road.....UH OH no turning back.....we followed another few cars equally as lost before getting to a construction checkpoint...the guys smiled and waved us on to a road to get us back to civilisation! The buildings on there are MASSIVE and there are sooooo many of them!
We just had two days Holiday for the end of Ramadan and went on a road trip. will update when we have downloaded the pics!

The flight was Ace, food was great...even managed to get three films in EACH! It is pretty warm and quite humid....something i am sure we will get used to. Hotel is luxury! pool on the roof....not been in that yet! First day was quite tiring and on 4 hours sleep! Look who robbed a blanket!!!! CJD!!!!! tut tut tut

What an eventful day today!
We had our crash course in driving here today…….it involved…….copy passport, sign for car, get keys, RIGHT WE ARE OFF!......to say the driving is creative over here is an understatement! Lanes, wots the use of lanes when you have the whole carriageway, Indicators….they are just pretty flashing lights! Steering wheel. the round thing in front of you that means you have the right to place your big moving machine anywhere you want, including in the airspace occupied by another BIG MOVING MACHINE!!!!! They seem to use the horn for any reason under the sun…..you just don’t take offence because you haven’t done anything wrong usually…..you get beeped for thinking about pulling out of a junction or even for not pulling out of a junction into heavy traffic……you get beeped for not pulling off the traffic lights fast enough, or for being in the correct lane and wanting to go round the roundabout….in fact it’s a beep for every breath you take while behind the wheel….. those that know Hornets style of driving in the uk, may be surprised to hear she was more than nervous at the prospect of getting in the car! HOT SWEAT, forget that, practically bricking it!
We have Chevrolet saloon things…….. Not only that but ITS AN AUTOMATIC! OMG!!!!!!!! ...... is good as you seem to spend circa 80% of your time stuck in traffic!
Hornet is coming round to the fact that it is the easiest driving she has ever done! POINT AND SHOOT! photos of car to follow!
Right we are off for dinner!

Ok so it is probably a good idea to show you info on the project.
Google: Dubai Metro, and many sites pop up............but look...i have been kind and given you a couple of links.......not long to go.......so much still to sort.....
http://vgn.dm.gov.ae/DMEGOV/dm-mp-metro
http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/dubai-metro/

very nervous, but gettin a tad excited now!!!!!!

Sept 27th 06, the announcement of an exciting opportunity for junior engineers in Dubai.
6 months working as an Engineering Geologist in the UAE........to good an opportunity to miss!
CV in.......................Secondment sorted!!!!

The blog will commence on 16th Oct 2006!!!!!