It is currently 6am in dubai and I am an hour ahead of schedule- don't have to leave for airport for another hour, so thought I would blog a bit. Trying it from my phone this time because its ridiculous to pay for all day internet for an hour. :)
Yesterday was pretty cool- we left abu dhabi after lunch. When we came, it was pitch black, but now we could see- though not much except sand between the two cities. All the palm trees are very dusty, so they look brown, not green. (It rained early one morning this week and they said that was the first time in six months.)
We had a couple of items on our agenda - the palm island, the gold/textile souk, and of course the burj. The palm was interesting, but not overly wowing. We did get to take some good shots, and it was interesting that all of the roads are named Frond A, Frond B... But other than that, nothing special and still under construction like everything else here.
We checked into the hotel and took a cab to the gold souk (mall)- the jewlery was pretty, but our trusty blackberries told us the price per gram was exactly the same as that on the nyse- and despite our best efforts, no luck negotiating. We then went to the textile souk, which is across the river and accessible by boat- it was dusk and I have to say this was my favorite part of the trip. The boats are very rickety, but solid, and you get a great view of the city and the other boats in Dubai Creek. I heard that it was the monarchy's decision to dredge this and make it accessible many years ago that spurred the dubai economy into what it is today. The ride was only 1 dirham (33 cents) each way- so by far the best deal in dubai! The textile souk was awesome. Highly recommended.
It proved difficult getting a taxi back to the hotel, so we hired a boat to take us all the way back since our hotel is along the creek. Very cool!
Then we rushed to change for dinner and went to the Burj- WOW! Undescribable and definetly 7 star- far superiour to any hotel imaginable. Dinner was very good- I had chicken, jonathan venison. But we agreed the best was the side of roasted potatoes we ordered- perfectly crisp on the outside, perfectly cooked inside. Service was not great, surprisingly, just slow, but a great experience. We took some pics (including ones of the cars, brett), and then came back to the hotel.
All in all, I'd have to say that Dubai did not live up to its hype- most vehicles on the road are Toyotas and Nissans- I can count the exotics we saw on one hand- but its probably just over-expectations on my part. Like Scotland, I think I prefer the more authentic Abu Dhabi to Dubai.
I will post pics later!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Goodbye Abu Dhabi, Hello Dubai
Today is our last day in Abu Dhabi. I said earlier Dubai compared to Vegas and Abu Dhabi to Detroit... after spending some more time in the city, I think it is more Houston, though much much smaller.
The conference is tiny, though a few items have made the trip worthwhile. Jonathan and I put together a proposal in just a couple of days and were able to hand it to the interested party yesterday. We are hoping that we will be able to take him to dinner tonight in Dubai at the 7-star resort, the Burj Al Arab.
The Burj rooms start at about $1500 per night, and the only way to see the inside of it is to either have a room or dinner reservation.
We also plan to try to drive to Palm Island - man made islands in the shape of a giant palm tree.
I'm also hoping we'll have some time to do a bit of shopping - someone told us to try the Gold Souk (Souk = mall) - I doubt I can afford anything, but its right next to a spice market - they said to go at dusk and the experience will be unreal.
I must say the jet lag has been quite bad... both Jonathan and I felt bad yesterday- took a late afternoon nap, intended to be like an hour, turned into 3. Dragged ourselves to a dinner, and then came back and crashed. I woke up at 5am and have been milling about ever since. We hear Condelezza Rice stays feeling good during travels by exercising at the same local time every where she goes... must try this...
Alright, have to get ready, pack, eat, and go to the conference...
The conference is tiny, though a few items have made the trip worthwhile. Jonathan and I put together a proposal in just a couple of days and were able to hand it to the interested party yesterday. We are hoping that we will be able to take him to dinner tonight in Dubai at the 7-star resort, the Burj Al Arab.
The Burj rooms start at about $1500 per night, and the only way to see the inside of it is to either have a room or dinner reservation.
We also plan to try to drive to Palm Island - man made islands in the shape of a giant palm tree.
I'm also hoping we'll have some time to do a bit of shopping - someone told us to try the Gold Souk (Souk = mall) - I doubt I can afford anything, but its right next to a spice market - they said to go at dusk and the experience will be unreal.
I must say the jet lag has been quite bad... both Jonathan and I felt bad yesterday- took a late afternoon nap, intended to be like an hour, turned into 3. Dragged ourselves to a dinner, and then came back and crashed. I woke up at 5am and have been milling about ever since. We hear Condelezza Rice stays feeling good during travels by exercising at the same local time every where she goes... must try this...
Alright, have to get ready, pack, eat, and go to the conference...
Sunday, November 16, 2008
The United Arab Emirates (UAE)
As the title says, I am currently in the United Arab Emirates. Why? For a conference but of course! I arrived last night into Dubai (!) with my colleague Jonathan and we drove to the conference venue in Abu Dhabi.
The flight was 16 hours... and counting the 3 hours I spent on a plane getting to LAX (so I could be sure not to arrive alone) I spent the better part of an entire day on a plane. Then, count the fact that I am 10 hours ahead of Texas... and I am now missing 2 days of my life. :) Per advice on the internet, I arrived in the baggiest, most concealing clothes I could find... which turned out to be incredibly comfy for the plane, but altogether unnecessary since I've seen women in all kinds of clothes - skirts, shorts, dresses, etc.
First impression- Dubai Airport Terminal 3 is everything you would expect if you've heard or seen anything on Dubai... its like a giant Light Bright (remember those children of the 80s?)... The columns look like they are made of sugar.
Getting our rental car - a Mercedes C-class - was a bit of an ordeal, but it meant we got to see the other side of Dubai - Terminal 1... which seemed more like India (43% of the population is Indian, actually) in that it was crowded and a bit dirty. The roads are incredibly nice- the drive on the correct (US) side of the road/car and all the signs are in both Arabic/English.
We had no problem finding the hotel in Abu Dhabi,about an hour away. The Shangri-La hotel is very nice and very new... actually reminds me of Cabo a bit. We are right on the waterway and every room has a water view. The room comes with a kitchen more equipped than the barndo will be... even has a european washer/dryer in the kitchen and a full size fridge/freezer.
Hotel pics:
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I went off and forgot my camera, so I'll have to get pics from Jonathan, but the room is quite nice. The air smells of petroleum, though.
A few facts...
-Seven emirates, or sheikdoms, make up the UAE- each emirate is ruled by a sheik (pronounced shake).
-Dubai is a separate, neighboring emirate. Unlike what most assume, Dubai only gets 6% of its economy from petroleum, the majority is real estate and tourism.
-Abu Dhabi on the other hand, has an economy based on petroleum so they are two very different cities just 120 km apart.
-Dubai is apparently the Las Vegas of the East, while Abu Dhabi is more the Detroit.
An important point, I have yet to feel uncomfortable here - it is very Americanized and American-friendly. English is spoken everywhere and all signs are in both Arabic and English. Someone said to me recently that they think travel is good because it helps you understand what others feel when they visit our culture-- since everything is said/written in Arabic first here, I get what that person means on a certain level. (Even Google.com defaults to all Arabic, right justified text.)
Getting a cab back to the hotel after today's conference session was an adventure, though... kind of like trying to hail a cab directly on the interstate (which is why I let Jonathan do it ;)
Most of what I read about doing business here has been proven untrue so far:
-I mentioned the dress thing earlier... even at the conference women were wearing form fitting, flashy outfits and no one seemed to mind or stare.
-I heard the men would not want to shake my hand because it is viewed as the same level of interaction as kissing, which is reserved only for female family members, but every UAE national has not faltered in shaking my hand (thought I'm still careful not to offer it first.)
Ooooh- I am hearing the call to prayer right now. It happens like five times a day, so I expected it early this morning, but never heard it. It is actually quiet faint compared to what it was in India. There is a beautiful mosque across the water from the hotel, though all the cranes (~70% of the world's cranes are in the UAE, I hear) detract from its beauty a bit.
More later... off to a Networking Dinner at the Le Meridian hotel...
The flight was 16 hours... and counting the 3 hours I spent on a plane getting to LAX (so I could be sure not to arrive alone) I spent the better part of an entire day on a plane. Then, count the fact that I am 10 hours ahead of Texas... and I am now missing 2 days of my life. :) Per advice on the internet, I arrived in the baggiest, most concealing clothes I could find... which turned out to be incredibly comfy for the plane, but altogether unnecessary since I've seen women in all kinds of clothes - skirts, shorts, dresses, etc.
First impression- Dubai Airport Terminal 3 is everything you would expect if you've heard or seen anything on Dubai... its like a giant Light Bright (remember those children of the 80s?)... The columns look like they are made of sugar.
Getting our rental car - a Mercedes C-class - was a bit of an ordeal, but it meant we got to see the other side of Dubai - Terminal 1... which seemed more like India (43% of the population is Indian, actually) in that it was crowded and a bit dirty. The roads are incredibly nice- the drive on the correct (US) side of the road/car and all the signs are in both Arabic/English.
We had no problem finding the hotel in Abu Dhabi,about an hour away. The Shangri-La hotel is very nice and very new... actually reminds me of Cabo a bit. We are right on the waterway and every room has a water view. The room comes with a kitchen more equipped than the barndo will be... even has a european washer/dryer in the kitchen and a full size fridge/freezer.
Hotel pics:
I went off and forgot my camera, so I'll have to get pics from Jonathan, but the room is quite nice. The air smells of petroleum, though.
A few facts...
-Seven emirates, or sheikdoms, make up the UAE- each emirate is ruled by a sheik (pronounced shake).
-Dubai is a separate, neighboring emirate. Unlike what most assume, Dubai only gets 6% of its economy from petroleum, the majority is real estate and tourism.
-Abu Dhabi on the other hand, has an economy based on petroleum so they are two very different cities just 120 km apart.
-Dubai is apparently the Las Vegas of the East, while Abu Dhabi is more the Detroit.
An important point, I have yet to feel uncomfortable here - it is very Americanized and American-friendly. English is spoken everywhere and all signs are in both Arabic and English. Someone said to me recently that they think travel is good because it helps you understand what others feel when they visit our culture-- since everything is said/written in Arabic first here, I get what that person means on a certain level. (Even Google.com defaults to all Arabic, right justified text.)
Getting a cab back to the hotel after today's conference session was an adventure, though... kind of like trying to hail a cab directly on the interstate (which is why I let Jonathan do it ;)
Most of what I read about doing business here has been proven untrue so far:
-I mentioned the dress thing earlier... even at the conference women were wearing form fitting, flashy outfits and no one seemed to mind or stare.
-I heard the men would not want to shake my hand because it is viewed as the same level of interaction as kissing, which is reserved only for female family members, but every UAE national has not faltered in shaking my hand (thought I'm still careful not to offer it first.)
Ooooh- I am hearing the call to prayer right now. It happens like five times a day, so I expected it early this morning, but never heard it. It is actually quiet faint compared to what it was in India. There is a beautiful mosque across the water from the hotel, though all the cranes (~70% of the world's cranes are in the UAE, I hear) detract from its beauty a bit.
More later... off to a Networking Dinner at the Le Meridian hotel...
Where in the World am I?
After the raving success of my blog on my trip to Scotland, I decided to create a one-stop shop to chronicle my travels... good if you are wondering why I'm not answering your calls or if you just want to see what is going on.
The blog on Scotland can be found here: http://lauren-in-scotland.blogspot.com/
The blog on Scotland can be found here: http://lauren-in-scotland.blogspot.com/
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