Chairman of the Bored

One of my favorite Iggy Pop songs is "I'm Bored". It goes like this: "I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored.....I'm the chairman of the bored!" ( I think it's on the same album as "Lust for Life". Back when we were pogoing to the Sex Pistols and the Stranglers, we never dreamed that one day in our dotage, Iggy would be shilling for Carnival Cruises. ANYhoo...).

It's not that I haven't got anything to do. I have a sweater to knit. Pictures to cut out of all the decorating magazines I hoard. A novel to write (snicker). My guitar to practice. The yoga mat sits in the corner tightly furled. An unfinished pastel drawing beckons me from the easel in my art room. (That's okay, it's been sitting there since we arrived.) There are nice little stacks of self help manuals, encouraging me to help myself. It all sounds so... so... well intentioned. Unfortunately, I need OUT!

As usually happens this time of year, the temperatures have finally passed the 100 degree mark, so it's the movies or blog. You win. For now. I may go to the movies later.

Robert, however, knows how to amuse himself.
Here he is doing some recon before a paintball battle.

And here he is trying his uh, hand, at indoor skydiving.


I do have a few adventures to relate. I somehow managed to botch any chance of our having a real vacation over Robert's spring break by leaving it to the last minute and not talking to the right people. As a result we went to the east coast of the UAE for a few days, Fujairah and environs. While most of the time we stick to the coast for beach and diving purposes, this time we decided to do a bit of what is known as "wadi bashing". A wadi is a dry stream bed found in the foothills of the Hajar mountains. Since they are usually dry, they are used as extremely bumpy roads (think about the bottom of a river bed) in all the small villages of the area and can take you to some interesting places. One of these places we decided to check out is called Bithna Fort, a three hundred year old fort in the middle of an oasis. It is in the process of being renovated; it's only made of mud, rocks and palm fronds so some restoration is required to keep it from crumbling away.


Mountains, oasis, old fort. Very nice.


As we were leaving Bithna behind, a man in a jeep on the main road slowed down and honked a greeting at us. I guess he was being friendly, plus he wanted us to see the good sized MONKEY he had riding shotgun. I am sorry but I could not get my camera out in time. Still, I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you.

There are all kinds of wild life romping about freely in these villages: goats, sheep and if you can believe it, wild DONKEYS! I'd see one just sitting by the side of the road sunning himself and say "Stop! Stop! Donkey!" But we'd be too far past to get a picture and when we went back, it would be gone. I make this promise you here and now: I will not rest until I have a picture of one of those donkeys for you.


Inside Bithna fort. Sorry, can't think of anything funny to say here. Suggestions?


After the monkey sighting we headed to another village to view a place called Hayer Palace of similar vintage as the Bithna fort. There we had the misfortune to fall into the clutches of a tour guide not unlike the one who tortured us in Berlin last summer. He met us at the car, took us into every nook and cranny of every room in every building, made us squeeze through narrow passages up tiny dark ladders, spoke very fractured english and wouldn't take no for an answer for anything. For instance, "I don't need to climb up this latest scary, dangerous looking , dark ladder to nowhere, I'll wait down here" , "Yes madam, just go. Yes go now. Yes madam, you go." Then, at the end when we attempted to pay him off to get out of there, he wanted dollars or euros! The mind boggles, as they say.

Aside from that exciting expedition, we have managed to do a bit of local diving. The seas have simply been too rough for us to take our little boat out, but perhaps this weekend. I had a little Twilight party at my home for my friends who didn't get a chance to see the movie. And this last weekend we had something genuinely special here in Abu Dhabi: WOMAD, or World Of Music And Dance. This is an international festival of World Music that was started by Peter Gabriel some years back and travels from country to country. It was a three day line-up of some incredible music and dance acts that you simply wouldn't see anywhere else, set up on two stages on the beach. It was very well organized and very well done. The first night I went with a girlfriend and we saw a Brazilian group, Marcio Local and a couple of Algerian singers, Souad Massi and most notably the famous Rai singer, Khaled. It was all wonderful but the final act didn't even take the stage until midnight. Gluttons for punishment, however pleasant, we went back the second night to see a crazy-good Chinese singer called Sa Ding-Ding (otherwise known as the Bjork of Mongolia) and the headliner, Youssou N'dour. We were so thoroughly exhausted by the third day that we couldn't summon the strength to go back and so missed Robert Plant singing with some English folk musicians which was probably the best act of the whole festival. But I did give it my most valiant effort.


The flags of WOMAD. The artist designs new ones for each location. Beautiful.


Sa Ding-Ding.


So you see, while I am bored at present and longing for escape, it's only because I have grown so used to the excitement that is my life. Ahahahahahahahhahhahah! I think I'll go eat a cookie. And maybe I will go to the movies after all.


Love,
Jaimie

If it weren't so funny I'd cry. I would not recommend that you buy this particular product.