Random Ramadan

Hi. It's that time of year again: the holy month of Ramadan. I know I've explained it for you all before. Truth is, sometimes the specifics regarding infidels can change. When we first came to the Middle East in the beginning of the nineties you could have lunch at a hotel and they just hung curtains in the window so nobody would see you. But there was no booze. When we came to Abu Dhabi a few years later there was nothing for the entire month. No food in the daytime, no drinks at night. The bars and nightclubs and liquor stores just shuttered their windows and sent everyone home. But the Hijari calendar is lunar and Ramadan makes its way through the year, arriving a few days earlier each time. We hit a period where for a few years running this special time of fasting, praying, atonement and introspection coincided with Valentine's Day, then Christmas and New Year's Eve. The hotels must have lost an unbelievable amount of money. So now, in an effort to position the UAE as a genuine tourist destination, some compromises have been made. You can get food during the day around the pool at the hotels and beach clubs. The restaurants and bars can serve alcohol after 7pm. The liquor store is open for a limited time during the day. All in all, it is a much improved situation.

But I must sheepishly admit that I find it all most inconvenient. No starbucks when I'm shopping! No popcorn at the movies! No lunch at the food court when I'm bored! The absolutely most annoying thing is the shop timings. When we try to go somewhere it is either already closed (sorry, we close at 1, 1:30, 2:00, whenever we want, we're not actually ever open!) or not open yet (6, 6:30, 7:00, 8:00, who knows?). It is hit and miss and the times are rarely posted. Very frustrating I tell you!

And then there are the traffic incidents. I'm pretty sure the prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) could have had no inkling of the effects that lack of food, water, sleep or cigarettes would have on the already questionable driving skills of the local population. I see several major screw ups nearly every time I venture out. Two days ago I narrowly avoided clipping a taxi who decided to brake and turn sharply at the very last possible second. I only just stopped in time but the poor fellow behind me who was following too close and going too fast was not so lucky. I drive a Ford Explorer with a trailer hitch which his little Peugot got right up its nose. Not a scratch on me, but the driver wanted me to admit that it was partly my fault because I braked suddenly. Sorry, honey, I've been on the short end of that stick too many times. Everyone has to take their turn. Anyway, if you have an accident here you have to wait for the police to come and write it up. If you have body damage you can't get it fixed without an accident report and you're not allowed to drive around with damage to your car. So we sat in traffic and waited and when the officer finally arrived he was very polite and apologized for inconveniencing me. I didn't actually see him laugh or roll his eyes at the other guy but he must have done.

So, I will be glad when life such as it is goes back to normal whatever that is. In the meantime, we've joined the Abu Dhabi Sub Aqua Club and will be diving off the east coast of the UAE this weekend. Should be nice, and I could really use the break.



This explains a great deal.



I'm sorry I don't have many snaps for you this time but do know that I'm always on the lookout for more photo ops for your entertainment pleasure.



Well I'm not sure what paya is so I'll just have pound of booty please.


Oh, by the way, short pants for girls are okay. Preferably with sandals or flats. No socks. Much to my dismay, clam diggers for guys seems to be a trend that's arrived from Europe. So much for the chic continental. Ha!!

Let me know you're out there, would you please?

Love,
Jaimie

Where have I been?

Sorry, sorry, sorry for taking such a long time to get back to you. First I felt fatigued from my trip which turned out to really be symptomatic of some kind of "itis" I managed to pick up on the airplane. I don't seem to be able to fly anywhere without somebody flicking their contagious germs on me. It doesn't help that all flights from here leave at 1 or 2 in the morning ensuring you will arrive weak and exhausted wherever you go. I know, travel is wonderful, blah blah, I love it, blah blah, but could it possibly be any more of a hassle? I'm only 5'2" and I feel like I've been belted into a baby's car seat; I can't imagine what it must be like for a normal sized person. I won't even get into the "food". If you travel at all, you already know all this. Let's just say I try to make dam sure I'm gonna like it wherever I'm going. (Secondly, my internet hasn't been behaving as well as I'd like.)

Europe to me is always worth the effort. We arrived early morning in Milan, picked up our rental car, and took off towards Switzerland. In the old days we used maps, remember them? Then it was mapquest. Well now it's gps and thank goodness for that. Instead of "follow the yellowbrick road" it's "Please drive the highlighted route". I don't think we would have made it out of the tiny village the Milan airport is in without it.

I felt a bit sorry for Connie who was driving a strange stickshift in a foreign country through mountains in the rain with little or no sleep or coffee but I quite enjoyed the drive. It was indescribably beautiful and a drop of rain is always welcome when you've been living in the desert.

We made good time and only had to backtrack once or twice ("recalculating...." the lady says in a slightly exasperated tone) but we did have an appointment to meet Robert's scout troop at the camp and I wasn't sure we'd make it. We were getting higher into the mountains and driving through all these really long tunnels and winding through these tiny little towns. All of a sudden the gps lady says "in 500 yrds. board ferry". Board the ferry? What is this? Sure enough we immediately pass through a toll gate. 35 francs and we drive staight ahead onto what seems like a narrow bridge. There are cars in front and soon enough, cars behind. What in the world?... Five minutes later, the "bridge" slowly begins to move. We are on a train ferry and as it picks up speed it carries us into a tunnel and straight into the mountains. Twenty minutes later, we drive off the ferry and lo and behold, we are in Kandersteg, our precise destination! It was like magic.

The magical mystery train ferry.




We found some coffee and some lunch and then united Robert with the rest of his gang. There is a large international scout center there with scouts from all over the world. My main worry was that the temperatures were going to be uncomfortably low and it was raining as we spoke with more in the forecast. MInd you, this is the kind of camp where everyone pitches a tent on the ground and sleeps in it. I made sure Robert had long underwear and warm socks and a hat, but I was still paranoid that he would spend the week cold and wet and would never agree to go camping again. When he seemed well settled in we left him in the capable hands of his leaders and pointed the car towards Lausanne.


The Cathedral of Lausanne. It's really old.


Our little friend gets a closer look at the carvings on the cathedral door.

We spent the next two days in Lausanne which is a beautiful old city on Lake Geneva. We spent our time like we usually do, walking around and looking at things and hanging out at cafes. There is a museum there built on the ruins of an old roman house. After we bought our tickets, the woman at the reception desk handed us each a flashlight and motioned us through a doorway. To our great surprise, we entered a totally dark hall with what seemed to be layers of broken glass on the floor. As we switched on our lights and crunched our way along the walls, we realized that the lower level of the house had been made into an exhibit of examples of ancient roman graffitti! Kids practicing their letters, writing their names, drawing stick figures of animals and their favorite gladiators, men writing love poems, calling each other rude names, scratching familiar naughty drawings; these marks had lasted thousands of years. You needed the flashlight to see them properly but we never figured out the purpose of the broken glass. I was happy I didn't wear flip flops that day.


Down at the lake.

From Lausanne it is only a beautiful hour's drive along the lake to Montreux which was to be our final destination. Along the way I made Connie stop to let me look in at the house that Le Corbusier built for his parents just outside of Vevey. Even though it wasn't the one day a week that the house is open to visitors, seeing the gate was open (well, unlocked) I popped in anyway and had a look around the garden and a peep through the doors and windows. As it happens, Corbusier's grandson was there to meet with some architects about restoring the place and he kindly allowed me a moment or two to satisfy my curiosity. It was very plain and simple with an amazing view of the lake and lots of Eames furniture. It was really cool.






The Chateau of Chillon, an erstwhile prison made famous in a poem by Lord Byron. Pretty nice.


And so, to Montreux. I must say we didn't see much of the actual town. We stayed in an old Victorian hotel by the lake which is where most of the action takes place anyway. There is a boat that takes people to towns all up and down the lake but most of the time we just walked it. The Montreux Jazz Festival has a carnival like atmosphere with souvenir and craft stalls, food and drink booths, bungee jumping and of course outdoor stages. For four days we strolled around the lake, looked at things, sat in cafes and listened to music. During the day there were live performances at outdoor stages and at night after the main big ticket shows at the auditorium there were free shows in all the clubs. The last night we had tickets for Return to Forever with Chick Corea, Al DiMeola, Stanley Clarke, and Lenny White. Afterwards I rushed Connie next door to this club to see a band called the Ting Tings who I'd heard of and who are very popular. Alas, we arrived too late; while we certainly heard them and they sounded great, the club was too crowded to get more than a glimpse of the band. Too hip for my own good, eh?


The International Scout Center in Kandersteg. There's a really nice kitty who sleeps on a bench outside.



The next day we awoke early to fetch Robert from his mountaintop. They had been a little cold and quite a bit wet but everything had turned out fine and Robert had an excellent time. He was especially pleased with the huge new swiss army knife he had purchased. When we got back to the hotel in Milan a few hours later we spread out all his stuff on the fire escape to let it dry out. I had wanted to go into town to see the Last Supper but you need reservations now and I hadn't been able to secure one for that day so I contented myself with room service, a nap, and the assurance that we would come back for a proper visit to Italy in the near future. The vacation has to end somewhere.





Yes, those are Smurfs. Playing soccer. On a billboard made of plants.

Lifestyles of the Hot and Sweaty

I know that once or twice I may have mentioned something about the heat in Abu Dhabi, but the thing is, even I forget how bad it can get. The thermometer is way up over 110 degrees and the humidity is hovering at 65%. You are guaranteed that universally coveted, shiny, dewy (greasy) look. It's 3pm right now and there is no one out there, and there won't be until close to dusk. After the sunsets though, get ready for action! The streets will be thronged with wandering souls (shoppers) until the wee hours.

The photo above is a perfect example of Abu Dhabi nightlife. It's our favorite arabic restaurant, The Lebanese Flower. It doesn't even get happenin' until 10:00pm. You can walk up and order your food or sit down in the restaurant or on the patio. They even deliver. But we do what the locals do; we drive up and sit in traffic in our car and a waiter comes and takes our order, and ten minutes later he brings us our food and we drive away. Awesome!

Now that we've been here a little over a year, I can not help but look back and see how far we've come or indeed whether any progress has been made at all. To help clarify my thoughts and serve as a gauge, I made this little profit and loss chart:

PLUS

cats +3
boat +1
really good persian rug +1
really big screen tv +1
sweet philippina house maid +1
cheap bejeweled flip flops from the hypermarket +2
cool vacations +2
useless knitted items +3 (minimum estimate)

MINUS

stringy hair -at least 6 inches
chub -about 10 lbs
my cool bicycle -1 (someone took it from our yard)
lamps -2 (cat damage)
decent yoga studio -1 (in autumn goes back to plus column)
sanity -1 (mine of course)

So I guess things are about even.

Meanwhile, back at the mall, where we have been hiding out waiting for summer to go away, I have spotted a very disturbing trend that I desperately hope will not wash up on American shores:





Yes, I mean unabashedly high-water pants!! It's a trend because I saw it twice, at two different mall, on two different days, on two different people of (I think) two different nationalities.


ghaaaa! My eyes, my eyes!

And while we are on the subject of fashion, don't you know that Robert Cavalli would be stunned (with delight) to know that his giant advertisement is gracing such a choice and exclusive piece of downtown Abu Dhabi real estate?



I may call them and ask them to hang that sign on my building so that delivery men will finally be able to find my house.


Which brings me to a couple of signs I've been saving for you:

The place to shop for green heads.




When your laundry gets to a high level, this is where you bring it.




The reason why we are here.



Soon I will be writing you from Switzerland! Love to you all,

Jaimie

The Heat is On.

Yep, say hello to temps of 100+. It's making me lazy which is why I'm so late updating my blog. Ha! Maybe it's because school is out and I have a teenager to entertain and there goes my life for the next few months. Ha Ha! Maybe I'm just lazy, period. BINGO!!

But I have been combing the capital for more entertaining shots for you. Like this one:
I think it's funnier if I just don't say anything else about it.



So, yes, summer. Many people will go home to their countries of origin for most of it. It is also the time when some people leave for good. Personally, I've never been the type to leave my husband alone in the hot boring desert for that length of time and he hasn't ever been the type to agree to it. We've come to appreciate the lighter flow of traffic, the relative ease of booking tables at favorite restaurants, the additional parking spaces at the malls and grocery stores. I envy those people who have somewhere to escape to for an entire summer, especially if that place happens to be in the south of France, but this is our only home and it is where I am most comfortable for now. I've come to realize that I don't so much enjoy traveling to foreign countries as I like living in them.


That said, we have our previously mentioned, highly anticipated, excursion to Switzerland in July, and I have just returned from a quick trip to Berlin.

A friend of ours had to go to there for work and asked if I would like to tag along. Or I asked and she said sure. It was only two days and I'm here to tell you that Berlin is a big city but we did manage to see a bit of it and have some fun as well.
That's me, livin la vida loca in Berlin.



The first day we just walked around for hours without seeing too much and developing massive blisters on our feet; but we did finally figure out the Unterbahn (metro). Later, we joined her colleagues for a very nice dinner and there was a Las Vegas revue at the hotel.

Day 2, we were all up early for a day of touring and sightseeing with a local guide who may or may not have been a minion of the Devil sent to earth just to torture us for nine hours in a minivan. I have never known anyone to talk so continuously for so long in a language not his native tongue. He certainly knew his history. At the end of our allotted time with him (he wouldn't let us go before) we didn't even let him take us back to the hotel; we leaped out of the van at the train station and made a dash for the nearest bar.Taken while we were still enjoying ourselves.


Having paid our dues (and I suppose we must have learned something) we finally received our reward: we hopped a train into downtown Berlin and actually got to wander around and enjoy some of it. We had a fantastic dinner at a Turkish restaurant and did a tiny bit of souvenir shopping. Back at the hotel, we had one last drink at a biergarten on the river and called it a night.It's the wall. That wall.


Was it worth it? Oh yes! Berlin is a fascinating city and the parts that most captured my interest had to do with the post WWII era. Plus they have these giant painted "Buddy Bears" all over and most importantly, there were numerous photo opportunities for my Menehune.
The Brandenburg Gate.

Checkpoint Charlie (look closely).


There he is promoting detente!



That said, there's no place like home. I'm quite happy to be back with cats, friends and family, and writing to you.

love,
Jaimie

Hey, It's still April!

I have been meaning to update this but I keep getting distracted (why hello, ADD!) by things like schlepping my kid, hub, and cats all around the town AND um reading and OH YEAH, visiting my favorite websites. One or two of you will have noticed that I spent an inordinate amount of time on facebook this morning sending silly gifts and taking really silly quizzes. Apparently I have eyes like a TARSIER ( a lemur looking thing) and I am most like the Cylon De'anna on Battlestar Galactica. I have sent my friends gifts of sock monkeys, lip gloss, good karma, and hamsters. I encourage you all to join if you haven't already; I need more friends to send gifts to as I find I quite like this part of the whole shebang.

Frankly I was un peu disappointed in the low volume of comments regarding my last post of funny signs which I thought was HILARIOUS. I even considered allowing Kirby ( the cat, yes, that one) to write this month's blog. Believe me, he wants to do it. Perhaps next time.

It is getting very hot here now. I know some of you will be jealous that we have already been out many times to sandy white beaches that are only accessible by boat, but don't fret; soon we will be otherwise confined indoors during daylight hours. Yes, the temperature will rise, the wind will drop and the humidity will increase. So if you were planning a visit, it would be best to postpone till, let's say, October, at the earliest. But do let me know.

Naturally, we are planning some escapes. Robert is going to an international Boy Scout camp in Switzerland in July which by some lucky coincidence, is taking place in the near vicinity and at the same time as the Montreux Jazz Festival. I know. So we will drop him off in the Alps, roll leisurely down to the area around Lausanne and take in some really good music for a few days. There are some truly awesome people playing this year but the festival lasts a good two weeks and we are only there for a few days. I decided to pass on Babyshambles (I mean, who knows if Pete Doherty will even be there) but did manage to score tickets to Return To Forever with Chick Corea, Al DiMeola, and Stanley Clarke. I just really can't believe my luck. While I am sad I won't be able to see Chaka Khan, this more than makes up for it. And since I know it can be difficult to tell when I'm kidding, I was pulling your leg about Babyshambles. Though they are scheduled to play.

There is still time to book flights if you want to join us. We like to run with the pack!



Bob enjoying a cold Red Bull at the Red Bull Air Races. It's nice to have a boat.




Is this a religious message or simply exasperation?





Oh, and I believe I WILL have the special gucci bag finish, please. Thank you!





Yes, this is a truck filled with goats. In keeping with today's automotive theme.





Well, maybe the tomatoes aren't doing so well this year, but then there's this.



I think that's it for now. Kirby can add anything I forget.

Love,
Jaimie

Ahoy !

LooK! We got a boat!

(and if you enlarge the photo you will maybe see our little friend)


Well the big news is that we finally have got our boat, made it seaworthy and at last have taken it out on the water. It is only 17.5 feet and is meant for skiing but it is really pretty and fun. The weather has been iffy and the seas a bit rough but we finally took it out last weekend. There are some nice sandy islands where you can set up a little picnic area and then go pull each other around on skis and wakeboards. I was glad I brought my wet suit because the water is still very brisk.

We are searching for a good name for her with some local flavor: perhaps Nefertiti? If you have any ideas pass them along.

Other than that I haven't got a lot to report. Our neighbors are moving which is a little sad but fairly typical around here. On the bright side she has some awesome plants which I hope to snag.

This month I've gone around and taken pictures of some of my favorite places just to give you a small taste of what it is really like to live here.


This is a sign at the beach that we walk to some mornings. Much to our hilarity, from the street it looks like "Use of Skillets". I was very disappointed to discover that this was not the case.






This is where we buy all our "sweets". Wouldn't you?




And of course this is where I have my hair done. It's the best.




This is where I shop when I want something really, um, virulent to wear. Like when I feel the need to destroy my host.






In this town you're nothing without a trolley boy.







Sure, cats can climb ladders. Whadja think? Now get my sweet butt down from here!




Ciao for now. I hope you all get something special in your easter basket.

love,
Jaimie

Feelin' the Love!

You don't think I would neglect to send you all a Valentine do you? I mean, I know I've been a bad blogger but I would never let such a special occasion slip by without a peep!

In fact, it's been so long since my last post, when I logged on today, my headings were all in Arabic! They just introduced right to left languages onto blogger so I guess they assumed that since I was writing from Abu Dhabi I would like to see my blog in Arabic. It took a few moments to sort it out but all is right again, for now.

Ali is still a telly kitty.




We have been experiencing something known as "weather" here in the Middle East, though nothing compared to what you guys have been going through. First we had rain, about a week or two of it. It happens every year but the builders tend to ignore it and many people spring leaky roofs. In Dubai the streets were flooded and they called off school and work. (Then Bush made his visit and everything was called off again.) I thought it was kind of fun. Then it was "cold" for the last few weeks. Temperatures all the way down in the 50's, fahrenheit. I think you can be used to cold weather or hot, but not both. Here, we are overwhelmingly hot weather people. Also, the houses are built to be cool in the summer so really we are living in tiled, stuccoed mausoleums. And there are no fireplaces and the a.c. is for cooling only, not for heating. So we've been freezing! I had to buy space heaters for our bedrooms. The cats have been huddled together in a pile. We've all had colds.

But today is warm and beautiful. I must immediately go out and enjoy it because very soon it will become unbearably hot.

I included this photo because it is an interesting interior view of my house and it proves I've finally learned how to rotate!



So I will be the first to admit I've been a lazy girl and there is not much to report. I've been doing the usual suburban mom thing, helping my kid with midterms and boy scouts, cooking dinner and taking the cats to the vet. Except, I'm in Abu Dhabi. I'm even in a Bunco group! It's really silly fun and I'm all for purely social get-togethers. And we give prizes.

I have a pretty nice herb and vegetable garden started on my back patio, so with any luck I'll have tomatoes in a few weeks. My geraniums in front look very happy as well. My rooftop idyll however had the crap beat out of it by the winter "shamal" winds. The pavillion, which was bolted onto the floor, was pulled up and the covering ripped off. Plants didn't look terribly happy either so I moved most of the smaller ones to my bedroom balcony. It's a great space up there but the winds can be really wicked at most any time of year. I'll have to figure out what else I can do.

My little garden.




Some of you have expressed a desire to visit. Well of course! You are always welcome and I have plenty of room for everyone. I would just die if anyone visited me here! From now until May is the best time to come; but if you can take the heat then just come on whenever you like. I will lend you a cat for the duration of your stay.

I am so getting one of these before I come home! (pronounced "keff" - sort of).




To all of you, a very sweet and special Valentine's Day.

love,
Jaimie