This is the "Trade Center district" along Sheikh Zayed Road.
Emirates Towers
The Tower
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Friday, November 10, 2006
Breakfast
Finding breakfast here is like finding the ‘golden arches’ at the end of the rainbow. Arabs aren’t big on breakfast. I don’t think they’ve even heard of breakfast. I think all other nationalities living in Dubai would drop dead drooling if they saw that McDonald’s ad with the guy swinging a plate of hotcakes… “Because of you…” Sigh… No big breakfast at Macs here. No breakfast, period.
McDonald’s serves its regular burgers n fries in the morning, while most other food outlets don’t even open till lunch. You can’t even get local breakfast here cos it doesn’t exist! No ham n eggs (obviously), no Middle Eastern alternative to kaya toast n half boiled eggs, or roti canai with sugar. No fishball kuay teow soup or nasi lemak or hotcakes with maple syrup. At least now I have a valid excuse for waking up late.
McDonald’s serves its regular burgers n fries in the morning, while most other food outlets don’t even open till lunch. You can’t even get local breakfast here cos it doesn’t exist! No ham n eggs (obviously), no Middle Eastern alternative to kaya toast n half boiled eggs, or roti canai with sugar. No fishball kuay teow soup or nasi lemak or hotcakes with maple syrup. At least now I have a valid excuse for waking up late.
War of the Whirls
I shouldn’t have made fun of the old Budak Busuk n how bodoh he was for sitting in front of the washing machine watching as it spinned his one single hand towel clean. So, bored as I was, I took a picture of the laundry getting done one day…
That’s my pink socks going by… Ben’s green shirt… blue shirt… my pink socks again… A swirl of colours, suds, water… big deal. Then I tried to Photoshop them a little…
These are still pictures of the washing machine, not ultrasound scans for junior BnBs. So they make nice Warhol-ish images… big deal.
Then I Photoshop-ed them some more, and look at that! The aliens! The aliens are trying to make contact through Samsung BigWash B1515J.
That’s my pink socks going by… Ben’s green shirt… blue shirt… my pink socks again… A swirl of colours, suds, water… big deal. Then I tried to Photoshop them a little…
These are still pictures of the washing machine, not ultrasound scans for junior BnBs. So they make nice Warhol-ish images… big deal.
Then I Photoshop-ed them some more, and look at that! The aliens! The aliens are trying to make contact through Samsung BigWash B1515J.Umm Suqeim
Wild Wadi Water Park
Taxis waiting to pick up tourists outside Wild Wadi n Burj Al Arab
The "White House" - Jumeirah HR Office, opposite Wild Wadi
The stretch of Jumeira Road just outside Wild Wadi
Jumeirah Beach Hotel, next to Wild Wadi
JBH Bus Stop" - Pick-up/Drop-off point for Jumeirah staff
Public beach next to Jumeirah Beach Hotel
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Satwa
This is Satwa, where our friend Andrew lives. Satwa is located just behind the Trade Centre stretch of Sheikh Zayed Road.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
The Air Up Here
Summer ended in early September, with little brats getting sent back to school after such a long n shiok summer break. There was a marked difference in the weather n it started with a dark day. I woke up, around noon as usual, when I received an SMS from Ben advising me to cover up if I planned to go out cos there was a sandstorm. I looked out the window, and yea man… It wasn’t the usual blazing afternoon sun that greeted me, but a grey day. The wilting palm trees were swaying about in the wind, and it looked like a cloudy day that promised rain! Ya, I thought it was gonna storm. Ben n I didn’t realise how much we missed the rain until we were watching a movie one day, and it was a regular scene from made-in-Hollywood American home… kitchen, little windows above kitchen sink, it was night… And it was raining heavily outside. Ben n I were like, “Wah… rain…”.
So anyway, back to the day of the “sandstorm”. It wasn’t really a sandstorm lah. I guess if you were living or working by the beach like Ben then it would have been like a real sandstorm with the wind lifting up half the shore. But here in Ewan, it was just grey. I walked to the bus stop to take the shuttle to the nearby shops and it was quite strange but cool. Here’s a picture on a normal day, and one on the day of the mini sandstorm.
I wore my sunglasses but there was sand flying everywhere, so it got in my eyes and my black shirt was covered with fine sand. But don’t start conjuring scenes from ‘The Mummy Returns’. It really wasn’t like that. You don’t really see sand flying about in the air cos it’s too fine. It’s just like a really windy, hazy n dusty day. You could however see sand swirling about on the roads as the wind lifted it up from all around. It was really cool… The sand seemed alive. It didn’t form into a ‘mummy’s head lah, but it looked like there were sand-coloured snakes slithering n floating just inches from the ground. Very magical in a creepy David Copperfield-ish way.
However, in the ‘winter’ months ahead there may be more sandstorms, maybe ‘real’ ones. Ben’s ex-colleague Samuel said it rained last December too, and there was once it rained all day, and most places were flooded since you don’t have monsoon drains here. Wait a minute, you don’t have any drains here. I guess with just about 90mm of rainfall a year, why bother making drains. Even the little drain ‘hole’ on our kitchen balcony is clogged up with sand n has become home to black ants.
It gets dark by 5.45pm here, as compared to the summer months when the sun sets only at around 7.45pm. It’s still hot in the daytime, but just like a hot n sunny day in Singapore. It’s bearable, and sometimes even what residents call “great weather”, partly cos our bodies have adapted to the weather after the torturing heat in August. In August I’d stand outdoors at 11pm and break into a sweat, make-up melting all over my face. Nights now bring a cool evening breeze, with people opting to dine alfresco, kids playing outside in the dark… . Lovely weather, by Dubai standards.
So anyway, back to the day of the “sandstorm”. It wasn’t really a sandstorm lah. I guess if you were living or working by the beach like Ben then it would have been like a real sandstorm with the wind lifting up half the shore. But here in Ewan, it was just grey. I walked to the bus stop to take the shuttle to the nearby shops and it was quite strange but cool. Here’s a picture on a normal day, and one on the day of the mini sandstorm.
I wore my sunglasses but there was sand flying everywhere, so it got in my eyes and my black shirt was covered with fine sand. But don’t start conjuring scenes from ‘The Mummy Returns’. It really wasn’t like that. You don’t really see sand flying about in the air cos it’s too fine. It’s just like a really windy, hazy n dusty day. You could however see sand swirling about on the roads as the wind lifted it up from all around. It was really cool… The sand seemed alive. It didn’t form into a ‘mummy’s head lah, but it looked like there were sand-coloured snakes slithering n floating just inches from the ground. Very magical in a creepy David Copperfield-ish way.
However, in the ‘winter’ months ahead there may be more sandstorms, maybe ‘real’ ones. Ben’s ex-colleague Samuel said it rained last December too, and there was once it rained all day, and most places were flooded since you don’t have monsoon drains here. Wait a minute, you don’t have any drains here. I guess with just about 90mm of rainfall a year, why bother making drains. Even the little drain ‘hole’ on our kitchen balcony is clogged up with sand n has become home to black ants.
It gets dark by 5.45pm here, as compared to the summer months when the sun sets only at around 7.45pm. It’s still hot in the daytime, but just like a hot n sunny day in Singapore. It’s bearable, and sometimes even what residents call “great weather”, partly cos our bodies have adapted to the weather after the torturing heat in August. In August I’d stand outdoors at 11pm and break into a sweat, make-up melting all over my face. Nights now bring a cool evening breeze, with people opting to dine alfresco, kids playing outside in the dark… . Lovely weather, by Dubai standards.
Friday, November 03, 2006
A Walk Around Ewan
Over the next few weeks I’ll be uploading pictures of different parts of Dubai, starting with where I live in Dubai Investments Park (near Green Community) in Jebel Ali.
On the other side of the road from Ewan Residences is a ‘desert’. Oh ya, the sun is HUGE on this side of the world!
Ok, it’s not like the open desert but a big piece of land being developed into buildings, complexes, factories, Dubai Motor City, and such. Walking away from Ewan and towards Courtyard@Marriott, there’s a dirt road next to Ewan that leads to more ‘desert’ and a camel farm.
For someone like Ben who grew up in a country that has all its power cables, phone lines or whatever hidden underground, these tall electrical tower thingies all over Dubai freak him out a lot. He says there’s just something about it that’s really eerie.
On the other side of the road from Ewan Residences is a ‘desert’. Oh ya, the sun is HUGE on this side of the world!
Ok, it’s not like the open desert but a big piece of land being developed into buildings, complexes, factories, Dubai Motor City, and such. Walking away from Ewan and towards Courtyard@Marriott, there’s a dirt road next to Ewan that leads to more ‘desert’ and a camel farm.
For someone like Ben who grew up in a country that has all its power cables, phone lines or whatever hidden underground, these tall electrical tower thingies all over Dubai freak him out a lot. He says there’s just something about it that’s really eerie.
I dunno about eerie, but walking past them, with all the cables hanging above, you hear this buzzing sound. It’s quite loud actually. I’m not sure if it’s just the sound of the cables vibrating against the cool evening breeze, or if it’s really the sound of millions of volts of electricity passing through those lines. I kept my fingers crossed that the signal from my cellphone didn’t make me some sort of human electromagnet n fry me black.
Anyway, past these cable tower thingies behind Ewan, is more desert. Ben and I agree that this area looks really “Tatooine”. What with the desert, bizzare sunsets, reversed moon, odd-looking creatures…
There are actually many holes in the sand, caused by small burrowing creatures that were too fast for me to identify. Maybe bringing my diving booties and torchlights here wasn’t a dumb idea after all. Anyway, the small camel farm is further down this dirt road.
Now THIS is eerie, after the sun set, the camels started to bleat. Like oversized goats going b-e-h-h—b-e-h-h—b-e-h-h… except that it sounded like they were crying out to me. I decided not to go closer or stray further down the road as I wasn’t in the mood to get chased by camels, or worse, the bored n lonely camel ‘jaga’s.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Dubai Map
Here’s a simplified map of Dubai, showing areas that I mention now n then in my postings, for a better idea of where I live, how far from the city, airport, Burj Al Arab, etc.
Ewan Residences is located in the “pink” spot in Jebel Ali. The Gardens is also in Jebel Ali, about 15 minutes away from Ewan by car/shuttle bus. Burj Al Arab, the little “yellow” man-made island, is about 25 minutes away from Ewan by car/shuttle bus. It’s located in Umm Suqeim, not Jumeira, although the stretch of beach from Umm Suqeim right up to Jumeira is Jumeira Beach, along Jumeira Road.
The bolder “orange” line is Sheikh Zayed Road, the main expressway that runs right across Dubai. As we’re located near the Jebel Ali Port and Free Zone, you get lots of huge trucks, trailers, tankers travelling along the expressway around this area. At certain times during the day, the Jebel Ali Interchange/Roundabout gets jam-packed with all these big trucks. I’m sure at least 10 accidents occur at this roundabout every day. One taxi driver told me his friend died there just a week back.
That’s the scary thing about traffic in Dubai. It’s not just how the average speed on roads is 120km/h, with most drivers going at 140 (the speed limit is 120). Drivers are really, REALLY reckless – swerving, switching lanes without signalling, drifting... Dubai has the third highest road accident rate in the world, with one person killed in a traffic related accident every 48 hours, and one injury every four hours.
Other than the truck pile up, Jebel Ali is a much quieter area in terms of road traffic and human traffic. Mainly an industrial area, and with a few camel farms scattered around too. A bit ulu, but the residences here are newer, mostly less than 2 years old, with many vast areas of land (desert) fenced up and marked for future development, or already undergoing the intial phases of construction of residential, retail and industrial complexes.
The “green” spot on the map makes up the Al Wasl, Safa, Jumeira district, which is older, but because of its beachfront location, it’s one of the most expensive areas to rent or buy a property.
The One & Only Royal Mirage and Le Meridien Mina Seyahi is located just to the left of the entrance to the Palm Jumeirah, and the areas opposite the Palm Jumeirah make up the newly developed Dubai Media City, Internet City n Knowledge Village. Nearby is Dubai Marina, another new area with more expat-targetted apartments and such.
Distance by cabfare:
Burj Al Arab – Mall of the Emirates, Dhs.10
Mall of the Emirates – Ewan, Dhs.55
Ibn Battuta Mall – Ewan, Dhs.30
Burj Al Arab – Airport Area/Deira, about Dhs.50-60
Don’t ask me distance in km or even metres, I really can’t tell. Even 100m back in school days was considered a very long distance to run (notice how I say run, not sprint).
Al Quoz is another huge industrial area, and Jumeirah has its own staff accommodation built there for lower grade employees. This is the place I had to go to to get my medical (blood test from hell) done.
The stretch of Sheikh Zayed Road from around Al Wasl to Satwa is the business district of Dubai, lined with hotels and office buildings. Emirates Towers is located here and is 15 – 20 minutes away from Burj Al Arab.
The “purple” zone is the oldest part of Dubai, Bur Dubai on the left, and Deira on the right. Our friend Andrew rents a small studio in Satwa for about Dhs.3,000 a month (he used to rent one in Deira for Dhs.3,500 a month!), and he works at Madinat Jumeirah.
Most of the old souks are located in Deira, and a few in Bur Dubai. The other bulk of hotels are located in Deira, either along Dubai Creek or near the airport. So far, I’ve received most invitations for job interviews with companies located in Deira, one in Karama, and even one all the way in Al Qusais. It’s not just the distance that puts me off, it’s the traffic! The whole “purple” area is crazy, congested, and not very safe for women to be walking about alone.
Lamcy Plaza is located in Oud Metha, and the Singapore Consulate is in a building nextdoor. There are quite a few Chinese restaurants around this area, but we have yet to try any of them.
Ras Al Khor is another huge industrial area and the Bird & Wildlife Sanctuary is situated at the mangrove area here where the creek ends. There are also camel farms and the enormous Dragonmart that we visited here. Nad al Sheba, the Dubai camel racing “circuit” is somewhere around this area too. So Hatta is somewhere south of Ras Al Khor, Sharjah is to the right, and Abu Dhabi to the left. And yes, there’s more than one “Palm”. Three altogether, plus “The World”, all under construction. Dubai’s total coastline is aapproximately 60km, but these new offshore projects will add over 1,000km! Palm Deira is about three times the size of Palm Jumeirah. Palms in the ocean… What next? Coral lagoons in the Empty Quarter?
Ewan Residences is located in the “pink” spot in Jebel Ali. The Gardens is also in Jebel Ali, about 15 minutes away from Ewan by car/shuttle bus. Burj Al Arab, the little “yellow” man-made island, is about 25 minutes away from Ewan by car/shuttle bus. It’s located in Umm Suqeim, not Jumeira, although the stretch of beach from Umm Suqeim right up to Jumeira is Jumeira Beach, along Jumeira Road.
The bolder “orange” line is Sheikh Zayed Road, the main expressway that runs right across Dubai. As we’re located near the Jebel Ali Port and Free Zone, you get lots of huge trucks, trailers, tankers travelling along the expressway around this area. At certain times during the day, the Jebel Ali Interchange/Roundabout gets jam-packed with all these big trucks. I’m sure at least 10 accidents occur at this roundabout every day. One taxi driver told me his friend died there just a week back.
That’s the scary thing about traffic in Dubai. It’s not just how the average speed on roads is 120km/h, with most drivers going at 140 (the speed limit is 120). Drivers are really, REALLY reckless – swerving, switching lanes without signalling, drifting... Dubai has the third highest road accident rate in the world, with one person killed in a traffic related accident every 48 hours, and one injury every four hours.
Other than the truck pile up, Jebel Ali is a much quieter area in terms of road traffic and human traffic. Mainly an industrial area, and with a few camel farms scattered around too. A bit ulu, but the residences here are newer, mostly less than 2 years old, with many vast areas of land (desert) fenced up and marked for future development, or already undergoing the intial phases of construction of residential, retail and industrial complexes.
The “green” spot on the map makes up the Al Wasl, Safa, Jumeira district, which is older, but because of its beachfront location, it’s one of the most expensive areas to rent or buy a property.
The One & Only Royal Mirage and Le Meridien Mina Seyahi is located just to the left of the entrance to the Palm Jumeirah, and the areas opposite the Palm Jumeirah make up the newly developed Dubai Media City, Internet City n Knowledge Village. Nearby is Dubai Marina, another new area with more expat-targetted apartments and such.
Distance by cabfare:
Burj Al Arab – Mall of the Emirates, Dhs.10
Mall of the Emirates – Ewan, Dhs.55
Ibn Battuta Mall – Ewan, Dhs.30
Burj Al Arab – Airport Area/Deira, about Dhs.50-60
Don’t ask me distance in km or even metres, I really can’t tell. Even 100m back in school days was considered a very long distance to run (notice how I say run, not sprint).
Al Quoz is another huge industrial area, and Jumeirah has its own staff accommodation built there for lower grade employees. This is the place I had to go to to get my medical (blood test from hell) done.
The stretch of Sheikh Zayed Road from around Al Wasl to Satwa is the business district of Dubai, lined with hotels and office buildings. Emirates Towers is located here and is 15 – 20 minutes away from Burj Al Arab.
The “purple” zone is the oldest part of Dubai, Bur Dubai on the left, and Deira on the right. Our friend Andrew rents a small studio in Satwa for about Dhs.3,000 a month (he used to rent one in Deira for Dhs.3,500 a month!), and he works at Madinat Jumeirah.
Most of the old souks are located in Deira, and a few in Bur Dubai. The other bulk of hotels are located in Deira, either along Dubai Creek or near the airport. So far, I’ve received most invitations for job interviews with companies located in Deira, one in Karama, and even one all the way in Al Qusais. It’s not just the distance that puts me off, it’s the traffic! The whole “purple” area is crazy, congested, and not very safe for women to be walking about alone.
Lamcy Plaza is located in Oud Metha, and the Singapore Consulate is in a building nextdoor. There are quite a few Chinese restaurants around this area, but we have yet to try any of them.
Ras Al Khor is another huge industrial area and the Bird & Wildlife Sanctuary is situated at the mangrove area here where the creek ends. There are also camel farms and the enormous Dragonmart that we visited here. Nad al Sheba, the Dubai camel racing “circuit” is somewhere around this area too. So Hatta is somewhere south of Ras Al Khor, Sharjah is to the right, and Abu Dhabi to the left. And yes, there’s more than one “Palm”. Three altogether, plus “The World”, all under construction. Dubai’s total coastline is aapproximately 60km, but these new offshore projects will add over 1,000km! Palm Deira is about three times the size of Palm Jumeirah. Palms in the ocean… What next? Coral lagoons in the Empty Quarter?
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