From the category archives:

UAE

5 Minutes through the Middle East

by Keith on December 29, 2009 · 4 comments

As Amy and I have wrapped up 2 months in the Middle East we put together a 5 minute slide show of some of our favorite pictures and added witty captions.  We posted this to our Facebook Fan page more than a week ago, so if you are on Facebook be sure to become a fan so you get the latest updates.  If you are not on Facebook be sure to sign up for email alerts or the RSS feed in the side bar to the right.

Enjoy the video and let us know what you think.  We will try and do one of these every couple of months, especially if we get a good response to this one…

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A Detour Through New Jersey? Nope, it’s Just Dubai

by Amy on December 14, 2009 · 5 comments

Purple Ceiling Shopping MallDubai. Mall.  The words are almost interchangeable.  Megamalls abound in Dubai, and while many criticize the abundance of shopping malls as emblematic of the materiality and excess of Dubai, or say that a visit to Dubai is no more interesting than a trip to any American shopping center, Keith and I actually found the mall experience fascinating and enjoyable.

What?  Are we crazy?  Maybe, but I don’t think so.  In such an inhospitable environment, where the sun is blaring and temperatures soar to unimaginable heights, the shopping mall in Dubai serves the role of town square.  Yes, there is every store and fast food chain you ever heard of.  Yes, you can spend a ton of money and load yourself down with shopping bags filled with stuff (and yes, we did do some shopping ourselves).  But the mall is also a great place to observe life in the Emirates.

We spent many hours watching the international mix of Dubai’s residents interact, from wealthy Emirati families decked out in jewels spending the holiday with their families, to groups of single men from India enjoying a meal on their day off from work, to expat bankers grabbing their morning coffee while glued to their blackberries.

And it’s not the just the people that are interesting to observe – there’s the architecture and the way a space shapes the activities within, that is very different from a shopping mall at home.  The malls we saw in Dubai were lofty, with natural lighting and high ceilings.  Some were even designed like traditional Arab souks, with stores selling the same kinds of goods located in the same area.  These might seem like small things, but I think they provide insight into what life is like in Dubai.

Dancing MallWe also got to experience some culture while in the malls of Dubai.  We saw several dance performances, including a Bedouin dance performance in celebration of UAE’s National Day, and even enjoyed a concert by a classically trained violinist while eating an affordable dinner.

Hot ChocolateWe also went snowboarding (well, Keith snowboarded, I lodged, hot chocolate and all), saw a Hollywood movie, and watched scuba divers swim in the aquarium’s shark tank.  Our three days in Dubai weren’t cheap, but they were packed with activities.

So is the Dubai shopping mall the reason why people quit their jobs to travel the world?  No, probably not.  But to be honest, it was fascinating to be in such a clean, modern, international city and a nice change of pace from the ancient ruins and historical sights we’d been seeing in the weeks before.

So what do you think?  Is this just a case of taking the girl out of Jersey, but not the Jersey out of the girl?

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Kind Gestures

by Keith on December 9, 2009 · 20 comments

I never expected to receive a small rosary from a waiter in Abu Dhabi, but I did. It was his way of wishing us a safe trip to Bangkok the following day.   His name was Elmer and he worked at the Mexican restaurant in the Khalidiya Mall’s second level in Abu Dhabi.  Let me tell you a little bit about how we met Elmer.

Amy and I found our way to Elmer’s restaurant because we wanted to dine somewhere outside the mall food courts.  We had eaten at quite a few food courts while in the UAE, as they were the most convenient way to eat on a budget.  Most of the nicer restaurants are in the hotels and even the modestly priced ones were out of our budget range for most meals.  So we ended up at the restaurant billing itself as “Gourmet Mexican.”

Rosery

When Elmer arrived at the table to take our drink order his English fluency amazed me.   While in the UAE, I was impressed by how well all of the ex-patriots from all over the world converse in English as a common language.  As 75-80% of the residents of the UAE are ex-patriots, all speaking many different languages, English is the common denominator – lucky for us!  When Elmer returned shortly after taking our order he began to prepare the guacamole tableside.  I took the opportunity to ask where he was from.  He is from the Philippines and has been in the UAE for 13 months.  I asked if he had any family in the southern area of the Philippines, as I saw on CNN that morning a southern province had been placed under martial law.  He said that he did have family in the south but they were a safe distance away from the trouble areas.  I then asked how many languages he spoke, as I was so impressed with his English.  He mentioned that he speaks 4 dialects of Tagalog as well as English and often acts as an interpreter for some of the other staff at the restaurant.

After a pleasant meal when we were getting the check, Elmer asked us where we from and where we were going next.  We told him we were Americans and that we were traveling for a year to document sustainability around the globe.  We mentioned that we were flying out to Bangkok the next evening.   When Elmer returned with the signed credit card slip he brought a huge bag of tortilla chips and a take-out container of the delicious salsa I had asked for two refills of during the meal.  He also handed me a small rosary and told me that it was for safe travels and that God would bless our trip.   It was a very kind gesture that took Amy and me totally by surprise.

Group Shot

The interaction with Elmer was one of the highlights for Amy and me in Abu Dhabi.  We resolved on the walk back to the hotel that night to re-double our efforts to reach out and connect with more residents of the countries we are visiting.  As motivation Amy thought we should add a “People We Meet” page on the site to share the stories of the people we meet along the way.  What do you think?  Would you as a reader find this kind of thing interesting?  Let us know in the comments below.

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