Souq and Ye Shall Find...

Shopping.....

Think Vegas with a turban....  

The malls here are nuts.... 

Multitudes of stores, some American retailers, many Arabic players 

and all of the luxury stores you can imagine....Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton, Coach, Fendi,  you name it... 

The Mall of the Emirates has a 20 story ski slope.....

it's  unreal....   

So as you roam the mall, you notice that the groups of shoppers are separated by gender...  

The guys shop with the guys and the ladies shop in their own burha'd pack....  

So much for the date at the mall!  

For my friends in the biz, the temporary leasing was a free for all...  

At one mall, the kiosk spaces were taken up with real live 15 foot tall tents.  

There go the sight lines....these things blocked out everything....  

Overall, the shopping centers were beautiful and you could find your heart's desire anywhere.....  

But on to the souqs!  

I should have hit the mall first for some comfortable shoes, 

because Tom decided a good mile plus long walk to find the souq might be fun.... 

hmmmm.....  

Downtown Dubai has the typical narrow, dusty streets with thousands of stores jam-packed together.  

It's a wonder these businesses survive, 

because there is so much repetition of electronics, burkas, textiles, crap, etc.  

We finally found the souq (traditional market).  

It was a long, covered marketplace, filled with obvious tours of Americans and Western Europeans.  

I am sure we had "harass me" tatoo'ed to our foreheads.   

Dozens of guys approached us hawking "Copy Rolex!", "Very good copy Patek Phillippe".....  

It was like swatting flies after a while...    

The gold souq was inhabited by dozens of tiny little stores, 

bursting with 22k gold jewelry, belts, tiaras and so much more.  

The windows gleamed with gold.  

Don't be fooled, though.  

It was expensive...

I haggled for a pair of earrings and purchased the smallest pair I could find that I liked.  

The salesman weighed the earrings and then named his price. 

I was able to talk him down to half of his original offer... 

Was it my years negotiating real estate or was it his built-in price?  

The latter, for sure!  He still made a good margin from me, most likely... 

After the gold souq was the spice souq... 

What a feast for the eyes!  

Large burlap sacks filled with dried rosebuds, sunflower stamens, frankincense, bay leaves, cumin, curries and things I could not recognize were in bay after bay.  

The scent was intoxicating...  

I could imagine some Food Network star, like hot little Giada deLaurentiis, taping an episode here, 

charming the men and then cooking some other-worldy dish from the spices... 

Back to reality and I was accosted by, let's call him Yusef...  

He said that was his name, but he probably called himself that 

because we English speakers can easily pronounce it... 

He was young, attractive and full of piss and vinegar, as my mom likes to say...  

He charmed every woman who walked by... 

As he was selling me some saffron, a pretty blond walked by and cooed....

"Hi Yusef...I'll be back!"  

Under his breath, he said she was his girlfriend before laughing and admitting he was married. 

"If she does not come back, I will kill her!"  he joked.   

Oh, he was a smooth talker...

I bought two spice samples and saffron before I knew it.  

He threw in chocolates made with camel's milk and two vanilla beans to seal the deal.  

That was really fun....  

Later in the week, Tom took me to the Hotel Mandinat, a super fancy joint, for a drink.  

In the hotel, they had a souk of their own, if you can call it that...  

It was more like a tiny mall with souq-like carts and kiosks.  

I mean what bonefide souq has a Vilebrequin store, I ask you?  

There were beautiful traditional belly dancing costumes, gorgeous pashminas and jewelry...  

I loved seeing this unique retail while sipping a cocktail in the shadow of the Burj Al Arab....  

If there is another visit in the future, hopefully I will have some bank to spend.....

Talk about a spree.....Look out!

Part Four: Sand Dance 2011....

You Want Fries with That Sheik?

If you don't like Middle Eastern food, no problem! 

In Dubai you can get anything, even Burger King...   

However, if a Whopper Jr. is your craving, I feel sorry for ya... 

I mean, if you are going to experience the local culture, 

you gotta swear off the pepperoni pizza, if only for a week.  

When we arrived at the hotel in Abu Dhabi, the front desk staff greeted us with plump, fresh dates, 

fresh squeezed orange juice and cold damp hand towels... 

So refreshing!  

When you fly halfway across the world, the name of the game is beating jet lag... 

Tom is a master of this and schooled me well... 

We arrived around 7pm and after we settled into our hotel room, we found a hotel cafe near the beach.  

It was an usually cool, humid evening and we enjoyed soft, Middle Eastern music 

and candle light as we ordered drinks and a light appetizer.  

It was a cold Mezza plate, which consisted of pita, hummus, taboulleh, pickled veggies, a light salad, grape stuffed leaves and some lemon parsley pesto-ish mix that was so tasty.  

Next to us sat two women, one puffing away at a hookah... 

Someone said smoking those things are equivalent to smoking 100 cigarettes, but I don't know.  

Lots of people smoke them.  

They look like fancy water bongs to me....  

Not that I know what one looks like....

whatev....  

So, the key to beating jet lag is staying up late the first night while consuming many drinks.  

At least that is what Tom advocates... 

I sense an ulterior motive..  

Next stop on the anti-jet lag prescription was Hemingway's...  

It was a strange mix of expats from all over, British, American, Indian, Pakistani, Aussie & Asian, with the occasional hooker thrown in for spice...

Let's just say the bar from Star Wars came to mind...

The two-person band was an older, rotund British couple who sang current hits such as "Get Down On It". 

Ventilation apparently did not exist as the smoke swirled so thick you could play Marco Polo....  

I took one for the team as I wearily drank two more beers.  

This jet lag cure better work!  

The next morning we had a lovely breakfast.  

The buffet served all ethnic preferences from meats and cheeses, to dried fruits, 

strange sausages and a plethora of pastries. The coffee was strong and excellent!

Those first few days in Abu Dhabi, Tom worked in business 

with pleasure as we had dinner with several ex-pats and their families.  

One Canadian family invited us to their home for good old steak and potatoes; 

another took us out to dinner to a nice restaurant.  

In Dubai, our hotel, The Royal Meridien, had many restaurants to choose from. 

Again, we were greeted with OJ, dates and chocolates.  

In our room, we had a fresh bottle of white wine and a treat each night, 

such as a maple cookie, chocolate tart and lemon bars.

Gee, I wish that happened at home... 

Oh right....I'm the help at home....damn!  

Maybe I'll just carry a bottle of white to bed each night....  

The morning breakfast was included in our hotel  package... 

It was a feast, but in the right amounts.  

Each offering was in bite sized portions, so you could try different things 

without gorging like you were on a Carnival Cruise.  

Sushi and corned beef hash?  

Why not?  

Mini banana smoothies and muesli?  

Go right ahead...

.It was lovely....  

And who doesn't like a fruity cocktail at the pool bar?   

My favorite dinner was our last night.  

We chose an Arabian themed restaurant on the hotel property.  

We sat under a tent while Middle Eastern music played.  

Emeratis gurgled their hookahs and feral cats roamed looking for tasty bits under the table.  

We enjoyed hot and cold mezza while sipping cocktails...  

The spices of cardamon, coriander and cumin permeated the biryani... 

Anthony Bourdain gives a great overview of what Dubai and its food is all about....and here....and here.....

Part Three: Shopping!

Dubai Proper

Hello Friends! 

It's been almost two weeks since my last post as my dear husband whisked me off to Dubai... 

I've always wanted to say "whisked"... 

He accumulated enough miles to bring me along so I could have fun while he worked. 

There is so much to share about this wonderful trip

that I am going to divide a few posts by subject instead of time line. 

Today's subject is mostly about what people wear over there...

A very proper flight attendant from Etihad Airways guided us to our seats. 

Have you heard of this airline? 

Apparently they are the third largest in the world....who knew? 

The flight attendant's uniforms were quite unique... 

I want the company-issued red lipstick....so chic... 

After the flight leveled off, they removed their luminous, white scarves and chapeaus

and donned pinafores and snappy red silk neck scarves... 

Although the flight was 13 hours, it was bearable,

what with screens at each seat where you could view tons of movies,

tv shows, play video games or listen to music. 

Noise cancelling headphone marginally help the scores of screaming kids...

So, back to the dress code... 

We Americans have a pretty basic view of what we think the Middle East is about... 

Where Dubai is concerned, we have no clue.... 

With regard to the dress code, yep, there are plenty of Emeratis

in the traditional white dish-dash and ladies in the black burkhas... 

However, a large proportion of the population are ex-patriots from Asia,

other parts of the Middle East and Western Europe, so anything goes. 

Not once on my trip did I feel like I needed to wear a scarf over my head and shoulders,

but I did pose for one pic to feel "When in Rome"...   

There is a pleasant proper-ness to the UAE, as uniforms are everywhere... 

Cab drivers, construction workers, everyone wears uniforms. 

It's kind of nice.... 

The slobs are the Americans, slogging around in flip flops, baggy shorts and

t shirts that expose fat bellies or butt cracks. 

So not pretty... 

And let me tell ya, never again will I shy away from wearing a bikini... 

Post kids, I have stuck to the one piece/tankini... 

Apparently, the rest of the world missed the memo on common decency... 

No one wears one-piece swim suits, not even the 70 year old, 400 lb Russian nana. 

She is flaunting her stuff on the beach along with her pot-bellied papa wearing his Speedo. 

Oooooo.....not good.   

Then there are the burkhas... 

We saw all states of covering, from head to toe black covering,

even the eyes, to long, colorful tunics with no head covering. 

A lot of the burkhas have sparkly details on the sleeves. 

I saw one very chic lady in a black burkha,

carrying a large, expensive red handbag and wearing some hot shoes... 

You imagine that under that burkha some serious fashion was happening..... 

So I over packed and made a few mistakes (especially in the footwear dept),

but overall, it didn't really matter what I wore. 

It was fine...   

 A friend of ours had an Arabian Nights party last year and I wish I had been to Dubai before then because I saw some rockin' Arabian garments that would have been perfect.  

Next post:  What's to eat in the UAE?

The Price of Pink Eye...

Just as I finished dressing in a rush this morning, 

Kate stepped around the corner and said, "Mommy, my eye hurts..."  

I saw her earlier as I was in the shower, 

but I guess the steam and my own bleary eyes did not detect the matted lashes 

and gooey yellow sleep stuck to the corner of her eyes.  

I am such a good mother....  

She cheerfully dressed herself before launching her complaint, so how would I know? 

Pink eye... 

It's a game changer...

No school, gotta see the doctor asap and no work for me.  

I have this week planned like a choreographed dance from "Black Swan"... 

BTW, congrats to Natalie P, even though I did not care for the movie.  

I kept wanting to slap Nina and tell her to "Snap out of it!"  

Anyway, we have a lot going on next week of which I'll share after the fact...

and this pink eye business tosses a new dance step to the week.  

Oh well, gotta go with it, huh?  

So, we dash to the dr.'s for a fifteen minute visit that cost, oh probably $150.00.  

Then we zip to the pharmacy and pick up a bottle of drops no larger than a thimble...$80.00...  

Really??  

I could have a mani/pedi and a pretty good haircut for that much... 

Not to mention almost a week's worth of groceries from Aldi.  What a rip off....  

Kate allowed me to photograph her lovely pink eyes, first with a smile....

then with a fake pout.  

She is quite content to watch TV and hang with mommy, 

plus notice the chocolate stains on her chin...

Credit the chocolate bunny she jedi-mind tricked me into buying her at the pharmacy....  

Yeah, that's a fake pout....this kid is happy!

Seedlings...

The official first day of spring is 22 days away and it feels like 22 years away, doesn't it? 

Just look out the window...It snowed all day here...

A fine, drizzly kind of snow that chills you to your bones...  

Not that it's warm in our house...  

Nooo.....

It's still cold enough to hang meat, thanks to our faulty furnace...  

Oh, HONEY???!!  

He promised me that the repairman is coming this week 

and that he will stay home to make sure it's fixed.  

I'm thinking a certain place will freeze over first, but one can hope...  

This morning as I was whistling while I worked....(not..)

vacuuming, 

cleaning bathrooms, 

dusting, 

Kate set up Chez American Girl in the living room...  

Check out that groovy bed...

Fit for any respectable 70's love shack, wouldn't you say?  

I don't know the name of the 1970's American Girl, 

but I wonder if her story books cover the subjects of hash and STD's.  

Just kidding....

I am sure they discuss the riots of 1968 and how pet rocks were all the rage..

Um....yeah.... 

Kate loves the bed and her dolly sleeps like a princess... 

Anyway...

while I toiled and she played, 

the radio show had a guest who discussed summer gardens...

"Soon it will be time to plant your seedlings!" she chirped...

It got me thinking....  

My back and front yards look like a war zone after all the foundation work we have endured.  

We have to start from scratch to restore any semblance of yard/garden.  

It's not a little task, but not massive either, given our postage sized lots.  

Buying annuals at the Home Depot can add up quickly, 

especially if I have to buy a lot of them.  

Starting from seeds not only saves a ton of cash, 

 

but I can get unusual plants not found in the local nurseries.  

Now I would not say I have a black thumb, 

but I don't have much in the way of foliage in my house... 

As you can see, most of it is kill resistant or silk!  

I just forget to water and then she's dead as a doornail... 

Outside, though, we have had some nice summer gardens, 

as it was relaxing to water the plants after work while sipping a beer.  

At least that's what Tom says...  

His bountiful gardens proved it.  

So, this week, I am going to order some seeds, 

set up the table in the south facing window and have a go... 

I'll keep you posted.....