Oh Babushka - trips within a trip - Thailand, UAE, Oman, Spain, Portugal, UAE again, Sri Lanka and Singapore

[Seat0B]

I'll reply in a DM as I don't want to distract the TR and there doesn't seem to be a suitable thread open.

I’m also interested so feel free to reply here - it will be a little side trip not a distraction

 

[RooFlyer]

My AY RTW in J was booked through a travel agent almost 18 months ago (correction from message to ILTT), for travel last Christmas and I can't find the invoice, but I think it was about A$8K.

At the time I think the return fare across Pacific on Qantas was about $20,000. so much cheaper to go around the world.

I think I paid A$600 more to make the ticket fully refundable. It was

SYD-BKK on QF (stop) - HEL-DUS on AY (stop, open jaw), VIE-HEL-MIA on AY (stop, open jaw), DFW-SYD on QF

 

[Major]

To me the perfect drink at the end of a hot day in Bangkok is an icy cold local beer.

 

[Seat0B]

To me the perfect drink at the end of a hot day in Bangkok is an icy cold local beer.

I’m sure you’re right @Major, I’m just not a beer drinker at all.

 

[Seat0B]

Friday 22 Nov 2024 - My Introduction to Thai Driving

Well, that was a first!! Attended early for breakfast so we could make our early pick up for the Hellfire Pass trip, only to find that the restaurant was not yet open . Actually, it was a second, after that time in Lech in 1982 when we asked for a picnic breakfast from our pension as we had to leave very very early to catch a train. They said no. But on the way out, we noticed a box of kaiser rolls - the standard Austrian breakfast - so we shoplifted a few for eating on the train.

Driver arrived punctually at 0730 and off we went on the long drive to Hellfire Pass. It was only 216 km but took almost 4 hours including a 20 minute comfort stop. Our driver's name was long and traditional "just call me Johnny" he said. The Thai roads are a good piece of infrastructure - quite modern and in good condition. Bangkok traffic is very heavy, and based on Johnny, Thai driving is hair raising. Actually, scary AF!!

• he hammered it at speed, with all signs treated as optional advisories eg going 110 km/hr in a 50 km/hr zone, and not just once
• aggressive tail gating - he never left a millimetre of spare space with the car in front, largely ti prevent other cars from seeing the gap and trying to cut in, it seemed
• he wove in and out of lanes, at speed, cutting really close to othe cars and somehow avoiding the constant stream of lane splitting motor bikes and sooters
• lane markings are optional - just drive where you like
• double or single central lines are optional - overtake any time you like, including into the path of oncoming traffic. They will move over onto the shoulder to avoid you, so nothing to worry about
• when traffic in front slows down or stops, just keep right on accelerating - there is a chance you won't have to stop. If you do have to stop, just stand on the brakes
• who needs a seat belt - they are uncomfortable to wear
• when making a U-Turn, do not follow the car in front in their U Turn - just force an extra lane up their inside
• stop sign compliance - optional
• indicating intentions - optional.
• make phone calls and send text messages whilst travelling over 100 km/hr
• watch Youtube videos on the car navigation screen, whilst driving over 100 km/hr

The car was a Toyota 4Runner LPG powered. The price of petrol was about the same as in Aus, so very expensive on THai wages.

Johnny was a nice enough guy, but honestly we were both a bit wrung out by the way he drove and the traffic. OMG, the traffic. Some examples from google maps included 33 minutes for 6 km and 14 mins for 650m - yes it would have been faster to walk, but a lot sweatier!

Overall, the driving style and the traffic conditions were a big part of the experience. We both arrived home, unhurt, no bingles, so obviously it was nothing to worry about, right???

Example of the kind of vehicle we forced onto the shoulder with aggressive overtaking manouevres!


In my next post, I'll talk about the Hellfire Pass visit, which was very sobering.

 

[Seat0B]

Friday 22 Nov 2024 - Hellfire Pass

The purpose of our hair raising trip with Johnny was to visit the Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre. This is a small museum featuring information about the experiences of Australian, British, Dutch and American prisoners of the Japanese during World War 2, particularly in the construction of the death railway (Thai-Burma Railway) bu these PoWs. The museum featured audio visual interviews with survivors, likely recorded in the 1980s and 1990s. After this area, there is a 1km self guided loop tour of the rail bed and the Konyu cutting, which was mainly hand excavated. As we know, conditions were appalling for the PoWs, with scant rations of mainly inedible, rotten food, limited water, rampant tropical diseases such as cholera, malaria, berri-berri, dysentery, skin rashes etc in the sweltering heat. In the rainy season, it was all of this, plus deep mud to contend with. Absolutely horrendous. As we are both ex-ADF, and both had grandfathers who served in PNG during WW2, it was a very moving, somber, personally reflective visit for us.

The centre itself is very good - simple, sturdy construction designed for low maintenance with extensive use of concrete and stainless steel. It felt very strange to see all the Thai staff wearing uniforms with the Australian Government crest on the pocket and on their ID card lanyards. The free audio guide was also very good.


Original timber sleeper remains on the rail bed.



The Konyu Cutting - hand excavated, and some floral tributes and plaques to remind us of what happened here.


People were very quiet and respectful. it was haunting.


This gives you an idea of the thickness of the vegetation that the PoWs had to contend with.

I was very glad to get back to the car after only a couple of hours of tourism pace walking, in the dry season, with a full tummy and as much water freely available as I wanted to drink. Respect.

Our next stop was the famous Bridge of the River Kwai/Kwae, which looks exactly as it does in all the photos!





We were able to walk across this working railway bridge, with a sign that said " Move to a safety platform as train approaches. No responsibility for accidents." I cannot imagine being allowed to walk across a working rail bridge anywhere in Australia. The bridge was very busy with tourists - glad it is not the weekend, when it is apparently much busier.

We stopped for a late lunch about 1430 at a highway rest stop, and spent the grand amount of THB150 (about $6.50) for our lunch of delicious, hot, freshly cooked basil chilli chicken stir fry and a pork mince filled omelette. Very tasty and so cheap.

The trip back to Bangkok was long and hair raising. But we saved about 30 minutes by being "test drivers" on a brand new stretch of motorway (M81) which was partially opened for the first time today at 1500. Lucky!

On return, I had a very welcome shower and went to the piano bar to use my Accor Welcome drinks vouchers as we had missed happy hour. The options here were way better than the usual house red, house white or a beer. Mr Seat0A had a Tropical Old Fashioned (rum orange juice, bitters and sugar syrup), which he didn;t love, and I had a Lychee Smash Mocktail (lychee juice, ginger ale, mint and sugar syrup) which was very nice. We ordered a few bar snacks and called that dinner after our late lunch.

I was once again ready for bed by 2030 - I haven't really adjusted to the 4 hr time difference here as yet, and tomorrow night we will leave for the UAE, with another 3 hrs of time zone change, so I think jet lag may really hit me when we arrive there.

Today's steps 7,251
Temperature 33 degrees.

 

[Seat0B]

Saturday 23 Nov 2024 - BKK-DXB

Today we took full advantage of the late checkout of 1600 to really enjoy the hotel facilities. Our day consisted of:

• sleep in
• leisurely breakfast and linger over coffees
• ironing some travel clothes for tonight
• packing
• a solid gym workout
• a good swim
• shower and final pack
• coughtails at 1500 (and a late lunch of canapes)
• check out at 1555
• BTS 1 station to Phaya Thai (THB17 ea) and Airport Link 8 stations (THB45 ea)
• enjoyed whizzing past all the bumper to bumper traffic headed to the airport.

Check in, security, immigration all a breeze and we were in the EK lounge, freshly showered and eating dinner by 1900. Our flight has a 45 minute delay, and will now depart at 2120.



We boarded (punctually?) at the correct delayed time, and settled into our seats 7E, 7F on EK 373 A 380 to DXB. I had a glass of bubbles, declined dinner , watched a BBC TV series "Joan" about a jewel thief and then went to sleep. Slept well for about 4.5 hours and was woken to the captains announcement that we were on descent to Dubai, had made up all the delay and would arrive at 0100.

Once again immigration, luggage collection and customs were super easy and we were outside ready for kerbside collection by Seat Son and (almost) Seat DIL by 0145. They had been to a work function and did't mind the late night. We loaded up the Pajero with all the bags, and headed to Seat DIL's parents' house where we were staying for the night. We were all sorted by 0230 (0530 by Thai body clock) so I wasn't convinced I would sleep - but I did, right through until 0930 local.

I'm so happy to see Seat Son and (almost) Seat DIL while their engagement joy is still fresh.

Todays steps 7621
Bangkok Temp 34 degrees.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Friday 22 Nov 2024 - Hellfire Pass

The purpose of our hair raising trip with Johnny was to visit the Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre. This is a small museum featuring information about the experiences of Australian, British, Dutch and American prisoners of the Japanese during World War 2, particularly in the construction of the death railway (Thai-Burma Railway) bu these PoWs. The museum featured audio visual interviews with survivors, likely recorded in the 1980s and 1990s. After this area, there is a 1km self guided loop tour of the rail bed and the Konyu cutting, which was mainly hand excavated. As we know, conditions were appalling for the PoWs, with scant rations of mainly inedible, rotten food, limited water, rampant tropical diseases such as cholera, malaria, berri-berri, dysentery, skin rashes etc in the sweltering heat. In the rainy season, it was all of this, plus deep mud to contend with. Absolutely horrendous. As we are both ex-ADF, and both had grandfathers who served in PNG during WW2, it was a very moving, somber, personally reflective visit for us.

The centre itself is very good - simple, sturdy construction designed for low maintenance with extensive use of concrete and stainless steel. It felt very strange to see all the Thai staff wearing uniforms with the Australian Government crest on the pocket and on their ID card lanyards. The free audio guide was also very good.

View attachment 442628
Original timber sleeper remains on the rail bed.

View attachment 442629View attachment 442630
View attachment 442631
The Konyu Cutting - hand excavated, and some floral tributes and plaques to remind us of what happened here.

View attachment 442632
People were very quiet and respectful. it was haunting.

View attachment 442627
This gives you an idea of the thickness of the vegetation that the PoWs had to contend with.

I was very glad to get back to the car after only a couple of hours of tourism pace walking, in the dry season, with a full tummy and as much water freely available as I wanted to drink. Respect.

Our next stop was the famous Bridge of the River Kwai/Kwae, which looks exactly as it does in all the photos!

View attachment 442634

View attachment 442633

We were able to walk across this working railway bridge, with a sign that said " Move to a safety platform as train approaches. No responsibility for accidents." I cannot imagine being allowed to walk across a working rail bridge anywhere in Australia. The bridge was very busy with tourists - glad it is not the weekend, when it is apparently much busier.

We stopped for a late lunch about 1430 at a highway rest stop, and spent the grand amount of THB150 (about $6.50) for our lunch of delicious, hot, freshly cooked basil chilli chicken stir fry and a pork mince filled omelette. Very tasty and so cheap.

The trip back to Bangkok was long and hair raising. But we saved about 30 minutes by being "test drivers" on a brand new stretch of motorway (M81) which was partially opened for the first time today at 1500. Lucky!

On return, I had a very welcome shower and went to the piano bar to use my Accor Welcome drinks vouchers as we had missed happy hour. The options here were way better than the usual house red, house white or a beer. Mr Seat0A had a Tropical Old Fashioned (rum orange juice, bitters and sugar syrup), which he didn;t love, and I had a Lychee Smash Mocktail (lychee juice, ginger ale, mint and sugar syrup) which was very nice. We ordered a few bar snacks and called that dinner after our late lunch.

I was once again ready for bed by 2030 - I haven't really adjusted to the 4 hr time difference here as yet, and tomorrow night we will leave for the UAE, with another 3 hrs of time zone change, so I think jet lag may really hit me when we arrive there.

Today's steps 7,251
Temperature 33 degrees.

I did the River Kwai Bridge in '76 @Seat0B as you say very moving.
As 20 year old girls, we were taken down into some caves where bats kept flying into our hair - scary!

 

[Seat0B]

Sunday 24 Nov 2024 - Why are we in the UAE?

We are here to spend a month or so with our son, who has lived in the UAE since 2018, first in Dubai, and now in Abu Dhabi.

A little recap about Seat Son's life in the UAE.

Seat Son is a lawyer who specialises in private international law - you know those crazy jurisdictional things that arise when an American tourist who lives in Maine buys an African Safari from a company in Florida, that uses a South African travel agent to contract local drivers, guides and accommodation in Botswana. The tourist ignores warning signs and the guide's warnings and is trampled to death by an elephant in Botswana. The family want to have the court case in Maine (most generous to claimants, maybe the place of contract) and the Florida company (actually their insurer) wants to have it in Botswana (place of incident, and much cheaper damages likely to be awarded). Which court has jurisdiction? A lot of similar stuff arises in the UAE. An Indian Bank lends money for a project to a global construction firm that is in a joint venture with a Dubai state owned corporation to build something. The JV enters many subcontracts with companies from all over the world to make this happen. The project fails, and everyone wants to blame someone else for the failure so that the JV (or their insurers) is not directly on the hook for the bank default. The bank (or its insurers) just want their money back. And until a few years back, all of this is to be decided under Sharia law, which is not as legally certain and replicable as Western law - and of course it is all in Arabic. So companies started nominating "the law of England" or "the law of New York" or similar in the contract jurisdiction clauses in an attempt to avoid sharia law.

The Dubai government realised that there was an opportunity to captureall these legal fees that were heading offshore and make it more attractive to do business in Dubai if it set up a common law court to deal with these types of legal matters. So in 2006, they set up independent, English language common law courts for civil (such as complex wills and inheritance disputes for expats) and commercial matters - the Dubai International Finance Centre Court. They populated the courts with retired judges from countries with common law traditions such as UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore. Over time, their jurisdiction has spread and the courts do significant business.

Seat Son wrote his honours thesis on the jurisdictional issues associated with these courts, and learnt Arabic for 4 years at uni, and did an internship in the DIFCC, so it was inevitable really that he was going to end up in Dubai. He first worked for a couple of years in London with a large global law firm to obtain dual registration in the UK, and then headed out to the wild west of the UAE with another large global law firm where he worked in both the DIFC courts and the standard Arabic speaking Dubai Courts representing clients. He was then "head hunted" by the DIFC to fill a maternity leave position in the Court Registry and his firm was enthusiastic about seconding him as they thought it would give them insight into court processes. He went back to his job when the seondment ended, but about 8 months later, he was "drafted" to a junior assistant registrar position to back fill a long service leave position - his firm was not really given a choice, the courts just took him! Again he went back to his firm at the end of this, but by now he had a taste for this work and a couple of years ago he was headhunted to the new and "competing" Abu Dhabi Global Market Court to be a Deputy Court Registrar there.

The move to Abu Dhabi (about 90 minutes for Dubai) has really complicated his personal life - his finacee is also a lawyer who works for a Dubai law firm, and she still has to do 3 days a week in Dubai. So they run a split household - 2 days together each week in Abu Dhabi (she works from home) and the weekends together in Dubai. They usually spend the weekends at her parents' house because her dad works FIFO project management into Saudi Arabia and is not always at home, so her mum is delighted to have them in the house for some company. It also saves them the costs of maintaing a home in Abu Dhabi and another home in Dubai. They are working on a plan to get her down to Abu Dhabi more permanently.

I tell you all this so that you can make sense of the way we are about to ricochet between Abu Dhabi and Dubai over the next month or so!

 

[I love to travel]

Sunday 24 Nov 2024 - Why are we in the UAE?

We are here to spend a month or so with our son, who has lived in the UAE since 2018, first in Dubai, and now in Abu Dhabi.

A little recap about Seat Son's life in the UAE.

Seat Son is a lawyer who specialises in private international law - you know those crazy jurisdictional things that arise when an American tourist who lives in Maine buys an African Safari from a company in Florida, that uses a South African travel agent to contract local drivers, guides and accommodation in Botswana. The tourist ignores warning signs and the guide's warnings and is trampled to death by an elephant in Botswana. The family want to have the court case in Maine (most generous to claimants, maybe the place of contract) and the Florida company (actually their insurer) wants to have it in Botswana (place of incident, and much cheaper damages likely to be awarded). Which court has jurisdiction? A lot of similar stuff arises in the UAE. An Indian Bank lends money for a project to a global construction firm that is in a joint venture with a Dubai state owned corporation to build something. The JV enters many subcontracts with companies from all over the world to make this happen. The project fails, and everyone wants to blame someone else for the failure so that the JV (or their insurers) is not directly on the hook for the bank default. The bank (or its insurers) just want their money back. And until a few years back, all of this is to be decided under Sharia law, which is not as legally certain and replicable as Western law - and of course it is all in Arabic. So companies started nominating "the law of England" or "the law of New York" or similar in the contract jurisdiction clauses in an attempt to avoid sharia law.

The Dubai government realised that there was an opportunity to captureall these legal fees that were heading offshore and make it more attractive to do business in Dubai if it set up a common law court to deal with these types of legal matters. So in 2006, they set up independent, English language common law courts for civil (such as complex wills and inheritance disputes for expats) and commercial matters - the Dubai International Finance Centre Court. They populated the courts with retired judges from countries with common law traditions such as UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore. Over time, their jurisdiction has spread and the courts do significant business.

Seat Son wrote his honours thesis on the jurisdictional issues associated with these courts, and learnt Arabic for 4 years at uni, and did an internship in the DIFCC, so it was inevitable really that he was going to end up in Dubai. He first worked for a couple of years in London with a large global law firm to obtain dual registration in the UK, and then headed out to the wild west of the UAE with another large global law firm where he worked in both the DIFC courts and the standard Arabic speaking Dubai Courts representing clients. He was then "head hunted" by the DIFC to fill a maternity leave position in the Court Registry and his firm was enthusiastic about seconding him as they thought it would give them insight into court processes. He went back to his job when the seondment ended, but about 8 months later, he was "drafted" to a junior assistant registrar position to back fill a long service leave position - his firm was not really given a choice, the courts just took him! Again he went back to his firm at the end of this, but by now he had a taste for this work and a couple of years ago he was headhunted to the new and "competing" Abu Dhabi Global Market Court to be a Deputy Court Registrar there.

The move to Abu Dhabi (about 90 minutes for Dubai) has really complicated his personal life - his finacee is also a lawyer who works for a Dubai law firm, and she still has to do 3 days a week in Dubai. So they run a split household - 2 days together each week in Abu Dhabi (she works from home) and the weekends together in Dubai. They usually spend the weekends at her parents' house because her dad works FIFO project management into Saudi Arabia and is not always at home, so her mum is delighted to have them in the house for some company. It also saves them the costs of maintaing a home in Abu Dhabi and another home in Dubai. They are working on a plan to get her down to Abu Dhabi more permanently.

I tell you all this so that you can make sense of the way we are about to ricochet between Abu Dhabi and Dubai over the next month or so!

Thanks what a fascinating lifestyle

 

[drron]

When we visited the Bridge on the river Kwai in the 70s we were taken to the nearby War Cemetery. I had an uncle who died there during the WW2. I walked straight to a grave in the middle and it was my uncle's grave.
I thought that was a little spooky until 30 years later near Fleurs in France when for some reason entered the cemetery by the back gate and walked along the fence line to the last grave. It was the grave of my grandfather's twin brother.
i appreciate your comments on the death railway.

 

[Seat0B]

Thanks what a fascinating lifestyle

Yes it is - and to achieve this, he has made some really clever choices along the way, that seemed out of step with advice and the "standard" pathways, but it suits him to a T.

 

[Seat0B]

i appreciate your comments on the death railway.

It was a most eye-opening experience. I had studied this at school in history class, and had heard tales of Japanese ill-treatment of PoWs from my maternal grandfather, and also from my paternal grandmother, whose brother, "Uncle Alf", was a prisoner in Changi, but it takes it to the next level to stand there in my comfy cool clothes, well nourished and well hydrated, with air-conditioning just a few minutes away, and imagine what must have been endured by those PoWs. I really struggle to reconcile it with my modern day experiences of Japan, although your jail time after the car accident has also put some shade on my perceptions. This is one of the things that I like about travel - being pushed outside your comfort zone, realising that there are multiple perspectives on history, and generally learning about the world. It's sometimes a bit confronting, but I think it is necessary.

 

[Seat0B]

Sunday 24 Nov 2024 - A Family Day

We passed a lovely leisurely morning chatting with (almost) DIL's mum, and enjoyed some home style breakfast. Cereal! Hot toast!! Quite luxurious after the high life of extensive hotel buffets.

You know that saying about mad dogs and Englishmen? Well, at 1230, they all decided to take a 30 minute walk over to the house Seat Son and DIL had just bought (settlement in a few more days) in the next suburb. On a 34 degree day, and with all the sun protection precautions needed after my chemo, I knew I would find this unpleasantly hot and sweaty, but FOMO got the better of me, so I duly applied my sunscreen, put on my hat and my hiking shirt and off we trekked. They were delighted to see a SOLD sign up in their front yard! They have a good, long term tenant in place, and will be leaving it that way as they will eventually live together in Abu Dhabi once DIL sorts either a transfer or a new job. Their house is cute - similar to all UAE expat development areas, the houses are all cookie cutter versions of their neighbours, but they have a number of beautiful mature trees giving shade to their yard, plus some flowering bougainvillea and frangipanis which really make the place feel tropical.



Wlaked back to pack the car and head down to Abu Dhabi tonight. The trip passed very easily and quickly catching up on all their news, hearing the proposal story, admiring the ring, and talking about wedding plans, which at this point were a bit unformed. Spoiler alert: we now know the wedding will be in Capetown area at a winery in March 2026. (Almost) DIL has South African and Portuguese family.

Had a lovely family meal which I enjoyed cooking with Seat Son, whilst Mr Seat 0A set up all our IT requirements and DIL kept the drinks flowing. I'm in my happy place. I do find it very hard having him live so far away, in a rotten time zone, and in a place where internet calling apps (FaceTime, What's App etc) are banned by the government and so can only be accessed via VPN - meaning it's very hard to just call for a chat. You have to first text your intentions, wait for the VPN to be connected and then you can talk. So to have the luxury of face to face chats and all the little incidentals of life under one roof - priceless!

Today's steps: 15,388
Temp: 34 degrees.

 

[Seat0B]

Monday 25 Nov 2024 - At Home in Abu Dhabi

(Almost) DIL got up early and drove herself back to Dubai for work today and tomorrow. She will re-join us in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday night and will WFH Wednesday and Thursday. Friday, they both have the day off because it is house settlement day in Dubai - and that must be done in person in the UAE. So on Friday, we will all head back to Dubai, and again have the weekend at DIL's parents' house.

Mr Seat 0A is dropping Seat Son to work today, so we can have use of his car as we have a few admin and domestic chores to attend to. I did several loads of stinky washing while this took place.

Next on the agenda was to head to the local Union Coop supermarket at Mina centre and buy some food to cook for dinner and to make extra so I can stock their freezer with some quick easy frozen meals for their crazy lifestyle. As always in the Union Coop, the cost of expat goods such as cereal, personal care and bread is very high, although the availability is surprisingly good. For example Shapes at $6.50 per box; bread at $6 for a half sized loaf and Palmolive hand wash $6 for a small bottle. But local items are very affordable eg 200g of various spices for $2.50 (at home I pay $4+ for 30g); cucumbers for $2/kg. I bought cucumbers, tomatoes, hummus, labneh with za'atar and flatbreads and Aussie lamb at $30/kg (less than I pay at home - more like $40/kg here) to make a locally inspired meal.

Enjoyed a lazy afternoon cooking and reading and making like I was on holidays!

Seat Son home at about 1930 and enjoyed walking in to a home cooked meal. After dinner, we took a walk around his apartment complex and checked out the pool, gym, rec room and BBQ area, and the nearby Waitrose supermarket. Then home to the aircon. It's not terribly hot, but I'm still feeling it.

So far we still have not managed to get tourist SIM cards. As tourists, we are not eligible for any of the local plans, and can only have a tourist SIM. We tried last night in Dubai, but they had "run out" of SIM cards. We tried again today at the DU kiosk in the Mina centre where we shopped at Union Coop - the guy was "on a break" for the entire 3 hour duration of our shop and lunch stop there . Welcome to the Middle East .

I forgot to mention in earlier posts that we had an Airalo All Asia e-SIM each for Bangkok and it worked really well. We chose All Asia even though it was a bit more expensive because the Thai only SIM required a LOT of ID documentation to be uploaded and Mr Seat 0A was not keen to do that. We would have taken Airalo for UAE too, but it did not offer a plan. This is a running theme for the Middle East. In UAE, the government owns all the phone companies and obviously wants to keep the business (and profits) for itself. That's why there are no cheap calling plans for international calls between Aus-UAE, and also in my opinion why they try to block the Internet calling apps.

Steps: 10,580
Temp: 34 degrees

 

[Seat0B]

Tuesday 26 Nov 2024 - Ground Hog Day in Abu Dhabi

Today was Ground Hog Day - in a good way. Leisurely start for me while Mr Seat 0A enjoyed father/son bonding time dropping off at work so we could again have use of the car. He found a Du shop at the mall next to Seat Son's office and thought he'd have a another try at getting a SIM. But it was only 0900 and the shop didn't open until 1000, so no deal. Late opening is a real thing in the UAE. Even in the "cooler months", it's a very nocturnal society, which makes total sense when you think about how hot it gets during the summer days, as noted by @Mattg in his recent Saudi TR. Also, as there is no alcohol for locals, there is a real night time coffee scene, with many people still drinking strong, strong Arabic coffee in coffee shops at 2300. So I guess they don't sleep until 0200 or something. DIL's mum is a teacher and commented that many times, Emirati parents would bring their children in to start the school day at 1100 when official starting time was 0900. If chastised, they would just shrug their shoulders and keep right on coming late. Anyway, I digress.

Pottered around at home, then backto the Union Coop for a few more things for the cook up. I paid $3.50/kg for the freshest chillies I have ever seen ($30/kg at home); $5/kg for fresh ginger ($27/kg at home) but honey was $10 for a bottle I usually pay $7 for at home.

We ate at the Union Coop lunch area today - had a labneh-olive filled pide style thing (delicious) and apple-mint drink (OK) and a french style custard tart with assorted fruit (delicious). Mr Seat 0A had the same but with cheese and olives in the pastry, and a coke and the total cost was AED 20 = $8.50 Bargain! We were the only Europeans there - feeling local.

The Du kiosk was open today - but they did not sell tourist SIMs at this place. Arghhhhhhh.

Home again and read my book, and more cooking. Mr Seat 0A left a bit early to collect Seat Son and said he'd go back to the mall to see if he could get a SIM. Cutting to the chase, he managed it! Only took 65 minutes to complete all the paperwork. Welcome to the Middle East!

(Almost DIL) arrived in from Dubai at about 1945 and we all sat down to another family meal. After dinner, the boys played tennis, and DIL and I just chatted togethe, which was lovely.

Steps: 5,520
Temp: 32 degrees

 

[Seat0B]

Wednesday 27 Nov 2024 - Rinse and Repeat

Today's variations:

• went to the gym and did a solid workout before it got too hot
• took a swim in the pool which was bathwater temperature and not really pleasant because of it
• shopped at Waitrose instead of Union Coop and consequently paid a lot more for the basics
• made cuppas and lunch for Almost DIL
• only did one load of washing instead of the usual two

Today's steps: 3,137
Temp: 32 degrees

 

[RooFlyer]

Today's steps: 15,388
Temp: 34 degrees.

Zounds! Impressive

enjoyed father/son bonding time dropping off at work so we could again have use of the car.

Sort of payback for the late teenage years?

 

[Seat0B]

Sort of payback for the late teenage years?

Exactly! It’s quite nice when the grown kids acknowledge their childhood.

 

[Seat0B]

Thursday 28 Nov 2024 - UAE National Day celebrations begin

There will be a 4 day long weekend from tomorrow to celebrate UAE National Day. Seat Son sent a message this morning after we dropped him at work to say the Abu Dhabi Global Market was putting on a UAE National Day celebration at the mall they own near his court, and it might be OK, he thought. So we decided to go have a look.

Good decision - it was fabulous!

In the open forecourt of the upmarket, seriously upmarket, shopping mall -notice the cars in the car park - (and yes there were several lamborghinis, maseratis and other supercars in the valet area, no photos) - they had camels, archery and falconry! Plus a big stage for cane dancing and sword dancing, and a series of food vendors making traditional foods - all free (well sponsored by ADGM, commonly known as Abu Dhabi Inc).



The juxtaposition of camels and skyscrapers, and men in suits riding camels really caught my eye!



The falconers were allowing vetted, responsible adults to hold the birds, which were beautiful specimens. Falconry is a very highly regarded part of UAE national culture, and the birds are very well treated.


Some locals enjoying the falconry

I was very chuffed to be allowed to hold the bird, as the falconer had declined a couple of other people in line before me. I don't know what his criteria were, but it was a lovely gentle experience. He showed me how to hold the bird and its jesses, and asked me to move slowly and speak quietly to the bird.



And then, I was beyond thrilled when he told me I was very calming to the bird and that he would remove her hood and I could stroke her gently!



Our next activity was to have some traditional foods. There was goat curry, and for dessert, chbab - a very thin crepe style thing that was cooked until it was crispy and crunchy, but still able to be folded. It was drizzled with the traditional filler of .....Nutella and pistachio. It was quite delicious. Actually, the traditional filler is honey and pistachio, but they had run out.


Then it was time for some archery. Mr Seat 0A was quite good at it and put several arrows into the target; let's just say I was not! My arrows just hit the target and bounced off - so aim was OK, but power was lacking. You'll note that I was assisted by a female archer - as she was required to assist me by positioning my hands and arms, it was not culturally appropriate for the male archer to be my supervisor. She was actually very pleased I wanted to try the archery - she told me that very few women had taken the opportunity today. However, I suspect that was because most of the women there were traditional Emiratis.



And to round it all off, I was offered a camel ride (which I declined - motion sickness) and then instead given the chance to lead the camels on a little walk around the mall forecourt, which I accepted.


My goodness, camels are unattractive and cantankerous animals!!



Finally, we watched a local cultural dance - The Cane Dance (Al Ayyala). This involves a group of men stepping in time to a slow drum beat, and moving a thin cane up and down in time to the beat. After a few minutes of this, two men walked in circles in front of the cane dancers holding very thin, flexible swords which they shimmered by making tiny movements of the hand. It's meant to simulate a battle. In which case, they fight in slow motion in the UAE, which is understandable given the heat! I think you probably had to be an Emirati to truly appreciate this performance, which I found a bit low energy, but hey, it was very hot (36 degrees today).


But the young boy in the photo below had all the gear and was clearly very keen!



After a great immersion in UAE culture, we met Seat Son for a coffee in the mall, and then headed home via the supermarket for dinner prep.

Poor Seat Son was quite late home tonight at 2100 - the price of taking leave.

Today's steps: 6,370
Temp: 36 degrees

Edited to add photos of cane dance