These travel articles are great when you only have a weekend in a city. Here are the NY Times recommendations for a weekend in Dubai. From my experience, this is a great list depending on your interests. Enjoy!
Home of Blues, BBQ, the King, and a new ginger
As I am already midway through month 4 in Memphis, I figured it was time to give you a glimpse of my life here. While Memphis is slightly less exotic than Dubai, there are still so many things to do and places to explore. The winter weather when I arrived admittedly hampered some of my planned activities…in February and March Memphis had freezing rain, regular rain, ice, and even snow multiple times which is RARE for Memphis and makes for a difficult situation given that roads are not treated or salted. I guess the weather was really just forcing me to stay in and make sure everything was unpacked and settled into my new place. Snow days also resulted in a ridiculous amount of cooking…can we say obsessed with having my kitchen stuff back??!!
As the weather improved, the festival season started in Memphis and there have been loads of festivals and community events. The main festival of the year is Memphis in May, which lasts most of the month of May and make memories that last all year. (It’s one of those events that you don’t want to move to a city the day after it’s over because it will remain the topic of conversation for months.) The first weekend was the 3-day Beale Street Music Festival and the third weekend was the World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest aka BBQ Fest. So. Much. Fun.
Memphis Grizzlies game!
Sunset on the Mississippi looking toward Arkansas
View from the top of the Cadillac Grillz tent of BBQ Fest
Here are some of the highlights…
- Southern hospitality…it’s a beautiful thing y’all. You can talk to people while in the checkout line at the store and it’s completely normal 🙂 There are lots of “Please” “Thank you” to be heard and doors held open for people.
- Several fantastic Memphis restaurants have been visited thanks to the guidance of old and new friends taking me to their favorites: The Half Shell, Broadway Pizza, Hog and Hominy, Bounty on Broad, Babalu, Sakura, and others.
- I have found the volleyball crowd…and they are great, woohoo! It’s been a fun spring and start to summer of playing in the sand!
- Am now in possession of a TN driver’s license…the third state from which I have had a license (even though this was my 7th move in 9 years, whew).
- My sweet, sweet dog is thoroughly enjoying his new yard 🙂
Not-so-high points (because it’s only fair to admit those as well)…
- Air travel in February…seriously it’s the worst month to travel. Maybe next year I will institute a new personal policy of leaving the USA for the month of February (just like all of Europe stops working for all of August) and going to an island with guaranteed sunshine and beautiful beaches…and two pina coladas at all times…one for each hand.
- I haven’t been to Graceland yet…I know, I know. It’s still on the bucket list!
Ginger update…there are loads here! Not surprising, but wanted to make sure I noted that there are plenty of redheads, male and female.
Happy summer everyone!
From sand to snow?!
Long time, lots of moving, and no consistent wifi…now for the update on my return to the USA!
Given my change in vacation plans, I moved my flight up a few days to go ahead and get back to the States. My awesome Dubai “framily” consoled me and laughed with me following my failed attempt at an African adventure. Life has interesting twists and turns but as long as you have framily (that’s the combination of family and the friends that become your family in case you didn’t know, shout out to my Durham framily!) to catch you wherever you land, you’ll be more than alright.
My lovely and patient Russian friend volunteered to take me to the airport which also meant helping me pack and repack my obscene amount of stuff to avoid overweight baggage fees. How did I acquire so much extra stuff???! I made my way through the now familiar Terminal 1 at DXB to my Delta gate. Flights to the USA require an additional security check at the gate. That whole turning on electronics rumor is true…I had to prove that two laptops, my iPad, phone, and camera were not bombs. Imagine how heavy my carry-on bag was with all of those and their respective power cords…ugh. Once I collected all of my harmless stuff from security, I sat down at the gate and already felt a little at home. The waiting area was full of Americans…mostly contractor types and business people. The assortment of branded shirts displaying love for college and pro sports other than soccer, Nascar, Harleys, and wrestling was oddly comforting and funny at the same time. (It’s only a stereotype for traveling Americans because it’s so often true. Don’t even try to deny it.) The tall, American Delta pilot came out and actually spoke to us all over the intercom describing the lovely Boeing plane we would be flying for our nearly 17-hour flight from Dubai to Atlanta (and then on to Raleigh for me). A few conflicts you may have heard of on the news require the route to be longer than normal…punks! Can everyone please stop fighting?! Joking aside, I was happy we were avoiding all those areas for our flight path.
Once on the plane I was so excited to know I would be home sweet home (in 17 short hours…omg). I somehow passed that amount of time…well I should be a pro since I spent 25 hours traveling just two days before. No big deal. I’m a champ…and completely used to swollen feet at this point. Not cool.
When the wheels hit the tarmac in ATL I was smiling from ear-to-ear and almost cried. There is something about coming back and knowing you made it safely that I don’t think ever goes away. The warm “welcome home” greetings in ATL were the best and I marched my exhausted self and all of my stuff to my next flight where I promptly passed out on the plane before the doors even closed…finally some sleep.
The nap turned out to be longer than expected because of delays caused by ice in Raleigh…WHAT??!!! Ice in Raleigh??!! OMG I am not in sunny, warm Dubai anymore. Oh well…once in Raleigh I promptly had a yummy and much missed biscuit sandwich (pimento cheese and fried egg) from Rise in Durham to make myself feel better 🙂 Yep, just like I remembered.
And so began my reintroduction to home…biscuits, family, friends, football, craft beer, Italian at Tarantini in Chapel Hill, a little snow here and there during my five-state drive, and picking up my car!! Woohoo! I was able to spend wonderful time with people I care about and have missed so much. I also picked up my beloved baby dog from the farm in VA where he was staying. If you need long-term dog boarding recommendations, let me know! I then made it home to visit my family. Life is good.
The things I miss most so far about Dubai are my framily there and the daily beautiful sunshine…and being warm. Living there was an experience I would not trade for anything and I learned so much. Here are a few of the lessons and reminders I wanted to share while I have some time to reflect…
- You can make your home anywhere if you are open to change and new adventures. I have moved so many times, 7 times in the last 9 years, and I can always find old and new things that I am interested in to do in a new city.
- Always be yourself; don’t reinvent yourself for a new place. I have watched so many people try to do this when they go to college, a new city, or a new job. Just be you and make sure you learn who YOU are.
- Have goals and regularly check in with them (i.e., professional, personal, travel, etc). Find friends who are like-minded and make an accountability small group.
- Make the effort to keep in touch with people you care about and also learn what people in your life are willing to make the effort and support you. Don’t hang onto dead weight that makes you unhappy, either people or possessions. Moving forces purging and renewal.
- Savor each opportunity, this life is short and you don’t know how long you have.
- Say yes more than you say no…especially to professional opportunities. Be open to suggestions from senior management and listen.
- Share your learnings with others along the way. By doing this, you spread knowledge, understanding, and tolerance. The world needs more peace and compassion.
- Above all else, enjoy the ride and have no regrets!
The final American count is 18 (not including all the ones on my flight home) and Ginger count only made it to 16.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for a Memphis update soon!
The Unplanned Adventure
Okay so I promised a good story…I didn’t realize what a story this would be…
Following my last week of work in Dubai, I planned to travel to Congo (Republic of Congo, not DRC) for a week to visit a friend that lives there. Our itinerary was set to spend some time in Pointe Noire where she lives and three days at the Conkouati Reserve near the border with Gabon where there are elephants and chimpanzees. Yes, please!!! Now that you know the background, I’ll start at the beginning…
I moved out of my Dubai apartment on Saturday and to my friend’s place. Bags were packed both for Congo and bags for my return the the USA (via Dubai) following the trip. I left the apartment at 2AM Sunday morning for my 4:45AM flight from Dubai to Pointe Noire connecting through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The first flight is about four hours and the second is just under five hours to combine for a little over 10 hours travel time with the connection.
Upon arrival in Ethiopia, I go through an Ebola screening checkpoint as soon as I disembark the plane. Each person is screened one by one. I am so interested and rushing to take a picture to show you all and before I know it it’s my turn. The machine says “please stand still” and then scans your head for fever. After a second or two it says “thank you” and the nurse there waves you on as Ebola-free. Now I’m up and I walk right over feeling healthy as ever, stand still, and the machine takes what felt like an eternity to give me the go ahead. I was actually holding my breath and the nurse started to take a closer look at me when finally the machine said “thank you” and I sighed with relief and ran on my way. The oddest feeling to be publicly scanned for sickness but also comforting to see the precautions in place. FYI, this would be my first of multiple screenings that day.
People watching in Addis Ababa airport was fascinating…Africans from all over the continent, Chinese, and a few Europeans and white South Africans. There were no screens anywhere telling you about arrivals and departures, just workers holding paper copies of the flight and gate schedule that we’re trying to direct everyone. Finally, it’s time to board my flight to Congo and be one step closer to enjoying my first trip to sub-Saharan Africa.
Upon arrival in Congo, I am screened for Ebola again and then I prepare my paperwork and passport. My friend arranged hosting paperwork and a signed, stamped form saying I am permitted to enter the country on tourist visa, etc. Congo does not have an embassy in UAE, so it was not possible to get the visa stamped into my passport beforehand. The airline and other officials indicated that visa on arrival was possible with the paperwork I had in hand. I get to the window in passport control and the man checking my documents was not happy with all of my stamped and signed documents. He started barking at me in French (which although I’m rusty, I understood most of) and took me to a small office and told me to wait. He walked away with my passport. Initiate slight panicked feeling…but surely this will work out. I have everything I could possibly get beforehand from the UAE as an American and I’m already here. They will help me figure it out…right?!
I wait for a few minutes and two more men come in and start asking me about my documents and why I don’t have a visa issued by the Congolese embassy in Washington, D.C. Well, that’s simple, I don’t live there and cannot send my passport blindly to an embassy in the US while living across the world to maybe wait and see how long it will take. They ask who is hosting me (from the forms I provided) and I tell them my friend must be outside waiting for me. Ten seconds later she rushes in (I guess she might have stood out in the small crowd as another tall, white American) and we both start imploring to the officials to tell us how we can fix the situation…what are the options???
Two of the men are increasingly upset with us and one is even taunting us, happy that they are causing so much distress. We are pleading (in French) for any chance of finding a solution…can I stay in the airport overnight and solve it Monday morning? Can I contact the US embassy? Anything??? No options. They start pushing me back toward the jetway because I am being put right back on the plane I arrived on…I am being DEPORTED.
Shit, shit, shit. This cannot be happening. I give my friend one last hug, am starting to freak out. No one will give me my documents back. Apparently when you are being deported the crew is now in charge of you and your documents. I am pushed back to the plane and escorted on as the final passenger. The crew looks at me in disbelief that I am back on the plane. I find my seat in the back, throw my stuff down in defeat, and am in a complete daze that this has just happened. I flew across Africa for no reason and now I am being sent away, but where to? Can I stop in Ethiopia, sort this out and come back? Am I going to Dubai tonight? Am I sleeping in an airport? I haven’t even been able to use the restroom outside of a plane yet all day. I am super thirsty but cannot convince the crew to give me a giant bottle of water because then they won’t have enough for everyone…I settle for wine which they give me sympathetically.
Took this picture after being put back on the plane. The side of the truck says Pointe Noire proving I actually made it there at all…
After I settle down with my wine for a bit I watch reruns of Big Bang Theory until I can fall asleep and put myself out of this misery. We land in Ethiopia. I find the crew member with the magic envelope of my documents and passport. I try to follow him but I am told to wait at an office in the airport. I wait there…and wait…and wait. I get serenaded by a Nigerian soccer player who plays for the Sudanese team (he showed me pictures of course) and says I am old enough that I could have three kids by now and I should settle down and find someone to marry. Whaaaat?! Clearly we know each other well, NOT!
Finally I see one of the airport guys that looks familiar and I start following him until he produces my passport and prints a boarding pass for the Dubai flight. That is my only option, am not allowed to stay in Ethiopia at all because I am practically a criminal by now, geez. I get escorted as almost the last person on the plane again and I see a familiar face…
There is a tall, white girl who was on my morning flight from Dubai. We greet each other with a “didn’t I see you this morning???” And find out that she is French, lives in Dubai, and has just been deported from Cameroon. Now aren’t we a pair?! Same thing, disputed documentation. We share some of our sorrows as we make our way to the last rows where we are unfortunately separated. At this point, I finally get possession of my passport and I can relax during the flight.
I start thinking about my options…clearly I can’t fix my visa situation from my Dubai…this is a lost cause…my MBA accounting classes taught me to ignore sunk costs so I should stop thinking about the wasted plane fare…My cell phone no longer works in Dubai because I turned in my SIM card so I will be showing up at my friends apartment at 4AM unannounced..I smell bad…I’m thirsty…my feet are swollen from hours and hours of flying. Damn it!!!
We land in Dubai. The French girl and I at least have each other to vent to while we wait in the ridiculously long passport control line. We are a sad pair that has spent 24+ hours traveling for no reason. I also realize at this time that when I left the UAE 24 hours earlier, my visa status changed because my work visa has been cancelled. This means I am entering the country as a tourist (thank goodness my USA passport allows this) and I will need to act like this little adventure was no big deal because I certainly cannot tell UAE passport control that I just got DEPORTED from another country.
Luckily, I get through with no problem because I don’t volunteer any information. I run outside and find a friendly lady taxi (one of my favorite things about Dubai that I have mentioned before) to take me back to where I started the previous morning in Dubai Marina. I show up at my friends place, ring the bell and knock until she is awake and worried enough to answer the door…and then we stare at each other in disbelief that we are face to face 26 hours later when I was supposed to be gone for a week. And then I confess to her quietly the story I just told you…I was deported. This just happened…by the end we are laughing and I finally get a shower to wash away the day like it never happened. Khallas, it’s finished.
Ginger count increases by one to 16 with a South African I met in the Ethiopian airport.
American count increases by one to 18, counting my friend that I saw for all of 20 minutes in Congo.
Photo Reel: Part 3
It’s my last weekend in Dubai and I have a little time in between goodbyes and packing to share some of my recent adventures and Dubai bucket list items I have completed…
I actually waited in the airport to pick up a visitor and for the first time really looked at the arrivals board. Not similar at all to what you see in the US…in fact, only 2 US flights arriving out of all the ones listed.
Arrivals board at Dubai airport…check out where the flights originate from…2 boards in English, 2 in Arabic
There is a water taxi that departs from Dubai Marina and sails all the way down the coastline to the Dubai Creek. It’s a great way to see Dubai from the water and also a fun way to start a day of sightseeing in Bur Dubai and Deira (the old parts of Dubai). I forgot to take a picture of the actual boat, oops!
Once you get to the creek, these are some of the sights…
Dhow boats used for trade in the region
Small boats (arbras) that take you back and forth across Dubai Creek for 1 AED (30 cents!)
Camels just chillin’
Dubai skyline as seen from the water taxi
Gold, gold, and more gold
The famous Dubai Gold Souk (market)
After a day in Abu Dhabi, I checked out Saadiyat Island which is near Abu Dhabi on the way to Dubai. It has some of the only undisturbed, natural beaches in the area. While the view wasn’t drastically different, the landscape around had real wildlife!! Woohoo!
Deer-like animals! Actual wildlife 😉
A friend recommended that I see Dubai Miracle Gardens…so another bucket list item completed! It’s a giant garden that only opens in the “winter” for obvious weather reasons and has large structures made of and covered in flowers. It’s a little Disney meets Vegas meets giant lawn ornaments…and also really beautiful to see so many flowers and colors.
Miracle Gardens, Dubai
Miracle Gardens, Dubai
Miracle Gardens, Dubai
It is winter here as I have mentioned and what that means, apparently, is occasional clouds and fog, whoa…I really noticed the clouds because I haven’t seen any here before this season.
Clouds?! This is winter in Dubai
Morning fog…view from my balcony…can’t even see buildings next door!
Fireworks every night for a month for the Dubai Shopping Festival
The Dubai Shopping Festival is a major event that lasts an entire month here and people travel here from all over the region to shop. To mark the event’s 20th year, they are having fireworks EVERY night for a month at 8:30PM. This is the view from my balcony looking across the Marina to JBR. Not bad as long as you know what the noise is!
I have mentioned her before, and she is making headlines again, but I have a dear Russian friend and colleague that brought me these awesome items back from her recent trip to Moscow. Interesting note to remember if you have Russian colleagues, Russian Orthodox Christmas is on January 7th, so don’t forget to wish them Merry Christmas next year after you have already taken your Christmas tree down. 😉
Russian milk chocolate…it’s gone now 😉
New earrings and necklace…handmade silver from a small village in Russia thanks to my dear Russian friend 🙂
I went on and on about how much I enjoyed my cooking classes at Jamie’s Italian, but until yesterday I had never actually had dinner there. Sooooo some of my lovely friends here joined me for a goodbye dinner there…food was amazing as expected. Recommendation to visit continues!
Dinner at Jamie’s Italian
Another good friend here invited me to breakfast at Zabeel Saray a hotel on the crescent of the Palm. It is a gorgeous hotel and much more impressive than anything at Atlantis (except Nobu!). I will definitely come here again next time I am in Dubai
Hmm which car should I borrow??
Spa at Zabeel Saray
Club lounge at Zabeel Saray
American count is still holding strong at 17
Ginger count goes up to 15 as I spotted a couple more (real redheads) but again, they might be repeats…Dubai is a small village.
I have had a great last week in Dubai…constantly reminded that I have made some fantastic friends here who have made the experience truly wonderful. I am sure our paths will cross again somewhere in this small world and I am excited for that day. Thanks to technology I will easily stay in touch just as I have with many of you who are reading this in the USA.
I am very excited to get back home and see so many people that I have missed as well as start the next chapter in my career. Before that…I have one more adventure…it’s going to be amazing…I fly 5 hours from now to someplace completely unknown to me that required some major effort by a friend to get a visa for me to visit…I promise a long and detailed post. Until then…thanks for reading!!
Dining out in Dubai
There is a reason many people acknowledge the “Dubai stone” as the weight you gain when you move here. Think of it as the “freshman 15” concept but a stone in Dubai means more like 20 lbs it seems. Yikes! An seemingly infinite number of tempting restaurants are all over Dubai. Reviews and recommendations are available on various websites, but here are a few of my favorites and what I have learned about restaurant etiquette here:
Favorite places…
- Nobu at Atlantis, the Palm, go for Friday brunch. Going for dinner at regular times is very expensive I hear…
- Aprons & Hammers, amazing fresh seafood by the bucket. There are three locations, go to the one on the pier next to Barasti in Dubai Marina. It’s on a dhow boat and can serve alcohol.
- Rosso, great Italian restaurant with perfect atmosphere in the outdoor seating area. In the Rotana, JBR. Try the seafood pizza and pretty much everything else.
- Al Qasr brunch…the best Friday brunch in Dubai, in my opinion 🙂
- Barracuda, Dubai Marina…pick out a fresh fish and have it cooked any one of 6 or 7 Mediterranean or Egyptian ways. Hummus and fettoush salad are great for the sides.
- Ravi’s, tourist icon, small Pakistani place in Satwa, you pay pennies for fantastic homestyle Pakistani food.
- Baker & Spice, Dubai Marina location has better setting than the one in Souk Al Bahar. Try the salad plate option and choose 4 dishes from their daily prepared section. Coffee is great, too.
- Chez Sushi, ladies’ night on Tuesdays means buy-one-get-one. Perfect for after gym casual dinner 😉
- Al Hallab, Lebanese restaurant with multiple locations around Dubai. Always great…all meze and grill that I have had is wonderful!
- JW Marriott Towers has multiple great restaurants…try the Indian one. I can’t remember the name right now, sorry.
- Dubai Garden Center along Sheikh Zayed Rd…this garden center actually has a great little cafe in the middle with good coffee as well. Try for breakfast or lunch.
- More Cafe, multiple locations in Dubai, great, fresh food for breakfast or lunch.
- Feras Sweets, multiple locations, inexpensive Arabic food, specializing in manakeesh and similar flatbread items.
Too many more to name, but these are my favorites!
When you go…here are some helpful things to know…
- Tipping is completely up to you. Most places won’t even have a place on the credit card receipt to leave tip. Your call, most people do not tip much. The American in me feels guilty not tipping. I have no idea how much servers make here.
- Water…tap water is not an option that will be served to you. Ask for local water when possible which means local bottled water. Otherwise, you will end up with $10-$12 fancy bottled water. Unless you are a water connoisseur…I would go with local water.
- There is almost always a mocktail menu. Juices and other mocktail drinks are very popular, especially at restaurants that do not serve alcohol.
- When you are finished, you will ALWAYS have to ask for your bill. If you wait patiently for your server to bring it over, you will be waiting all day/night. This isn’t because they have forgotten you…it’s because without tipping servers wouldn’t be pushing to get more and more people seated during the night. Also, it is considered rude in some cultures to bring the bill as if you are rushing them off.
Happy eating next time you are in Dubai!! Thanks for reading.
A ginger goes to the henna salon
The other evening I went to a henna salon with a coworker. She is Indian, and has lived in Dubai most of her life and her friend from Bahrain (who has also lived here her entire life) joined us. I have always loved henna and have had it and applied it myself multiple times in the States and once in Mauritius before attending a wedding. We went to a henna salon near the airport (other side of Dubai from where I live and am familiar) where they normally go. The salon was in a shopping center and had a sign on the outside but all windows were blocked. I should have taken a picture, I know. You walk in and around a small partition to create maximum privacy from the doorway and inside are long black cushioned benches/couches. I was the only customer not in an abaya… There are five big bulletin boards around the room with photos of different designs for your hands, arms, and feet. You go around the room and select the one you want, then negotiate a price. I, of course, just picked a design with the help of my friends and let them do the talking…in Arabic. Initially, the price for me was 250AED, but since I was with these lovely girls, I only had to pay 120AED. It pays to know people who are local!
I am guided to a spot on the couch, a south Asian (Indian or Bangladesh) woman shows me where to sit and places block cushions on both sides of me that will make my arms more comfortable while the henna is being applied. Then, two ladies start drawing on my hands and forearms…they are using small tubes of henna that look like small icing bags used for cake piping…one to my left and one to my right. They have each taken a quick look at which design I have chosen (one of hundreds of options) and start drawing freehand on me. They do not have the reference picture next to them….they just know and are so talented.
After 30-40 minutes, both women have shifted and moved my arms and hands several times, and the resulting design looks like this…(if you are my FB friend you have already seen, I know)…
Henna paste as it dries on my arms
Once paste is dry, it is scraped off leaving stained skin
If you have had henna before you know that it is a plant-based paste that is black when applied. You leave the paste on your skin until it has dried completely and begins to flake off. At that point, in the salon, a lady comes over and scrapes the henna off with a butter knife so that you aren’t a mess when you go home. While I have used lemon juice and sugar previously (in California with my sister in law) to darken the henna, my friends here apply Vick’s vaporub and then cover their hands with socks while they sleep. I tried the Vick’s, but admittedly could not sleep with socks on my hands. Oh well, it still looks great and should last 2-3 weeks! Will likely go again before I leave Dubai and see what other beautiful designs I can try. 🙂
The next day
In the days since getting henna, I have received soooo many compliments from women, men, Arabs, Pakistanis, Indians, everyone…people have even said it to me in passing, and it is not common here to speak to a stranger in passing. I have also noticed a few people trying to figure me out as they stare…tall, white, ginger, Western clothes, traditional henna…who is she??! Is her hair real??!! Yes, I have learned that some cultures not used to red hair may even think my hair color is the result of henna hair dye…not so much.
The Dubai party is almost over…
Well at least for me…for now. Time has flown by and I am less than a month away from moving back to the good ol’ USA. While I will be sad to go, I am happy and excited about the next adventure waiting for me in Memphis, TN, where my last of three rotations will be. After the next assignment I guess I have to find a “permanent” spot 😉
Until then…loads more adventures here in the sand! Here is the latest…
- Dubai (and the office here) is sooooo quiet this week following the European exodus for Christmas. Roughly 200,000 people left the weekend before Christmas, 80,000 of those on Friday with every Emirates Airlines flight completely full. Driving to work is a breeze these days!
- Speaking of driving to work…on Christmas Eve Eve (the 23rd) I heard Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas” (the best song from Love Actually) on the radio…twice in a row!! Woohoo! It really is Christmastime.
- There are Christmas decorations here in case you were wondering, obviously less than many other places, but definitely in the shopping areas. I haven’t heard a ton of Christmas music though…some people I know might even prefer that 😉
- I even saw Christmas trees in the supermarket the other day from the USA and almost bought one…they were even less than if I was in the US! 100AED=$27 the carbon footprint of its transport was clearly not priced into that calculation.
Here are some pics of what I have been up to in the UAE…
My first time trying the Italian Christmas classic, panettone
Arabic breakfast, except I asked for eggs instead of halloumi cheese
Flags at the beach for National Day, Happy 43rd UAE!
A Fuquan came to visit! Glad to be part of Johnny’s Fuqua reunion world tour 😉
I live by the beach, it’s pretty great.
Another trip to the Grand Mosque…it’s just beautiful every time.
Amazing veggie curry soup concoction
I clearly hated it as my bowl is nearly empty at this point
Christmas on the beach entertainment in JBR
Christmas tree and palm tree…because that’s a normal sight for me, NOT!
I went on a day trip with one of my friends to Fujairah, another emirate to the east side of UAE. This emirate borders Oman and the Indian Ocean. Now I have officially set foot in all 7 Emirates!
Driving through Ras al Khaimah on the way to Fujairah
Side of the road…somewhere in Ras Al Khaimah
Highway toward Fujairah and Oman
Yep, those are camels along the side of the road.
Snoopy Island, Fujairah…does it look like Snoopy when he lays on his dog house to you?
View from the beach looking back toward shore and the mountains
Fresh fish and prawns dinner!
Snoopy Island, Fujairah
It was a beautiful and relaxing day at the beach.
Date farm next to Hatta mountains
This assignment has been a fantastic experience for me and I could not be more grateful for the opportunity and all the people who have helped and encouraged me along the way. If any of you have questions or want to know about topics I haven’t shared, please let me know and I will do my best to answer or find out.
As the consumerism of Christmas attempts to overwhelm the reason for the season and the time you spend with family and friends…remember that it’s not about the “stuff” it’s about really living your life, in the moment, all the time.
Henry David Thoreau said, “Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.” We all can be so wealthy if we choose to be…so put down your phone and go hang out with the people who are at the event you are supposed to be involved in but are instead glued to your virtual world!!
Thanks for reading though 😉 Merry merry Christmas, Happy belated Hanukkah, love and peace to all.
Seoul food, friends, and a jimjilbang
Kimchi, green tea (lattes!), great friends, iconic Korean palaces, impressive modern art and design, museums, Korean BBQ, bibimbap, and a jimjilbang…those will are the memories I have of wonderful Seoul, which was my first trip to east Asia. If you read through all the way to the end, I promise a good story (even though everything in the middle is important too!!).
Other than plane tickets, I had not planned my trip at all until the day I left. I walked to the Dubai Marina Mall and bought a guide book on Seoul because in Dubai you can count on finding travel guides to almost anywhere (since Dubai is such a travel hub). I packed my stuff and as soon as I boarded the plane, I FELT like I was going to Korea…
Most of the people on the plane were Korean and they all immediately took their shoes off and put socks on once they were seated. Some passengers even brought slippers for the plane. FYI this is a very common practice in many countries, but especially parts of east Asia. Shoes did not go back on anyone’s feet until we landed 9 hours later, mid-afternoon in Seoul (which is 5 hours ahead of Dubai). Other Korean traditional practices can be found here.
Upon arrival in Seoul, I change into warmer clothes since, of course, it is still sunny and warm in Dubai (feels like late summer/early autumn) but it is cold (actual winter) in Korea. Thank goodness I bought boots when I was in Germany in October! I take the express bus from the airport to the City Air Terminal in Gangnam (neighborhood in Seoul now famous after Psy song) from which I walk to my friend’s apartment nearby. During these first couple of hours in Seoul and throughout the trip I saw Seoul as a modern, clean, calm, safe, and efficient city. The metro system is fantastic and all signs and announcements (mostly) are in Korean and English. Everyone lines up to get on the metro vs. a big crowd pushing. Although, if someone bumps into you, don’t be offended. You get your personal space in a Western sense most of the time, but bumping into someone is not a big deal. Proud to say that I did not get lost at all on the metro…maybe a couple of times while I was walking around, but that is what makes the adventure better 🙂
Seoul metro map
Language can definitely be a barrier in other ways as many people either do not speak much English or seem to be shy about using it. There are translation services that you can call to communicate with taxis drivers, etc. The expats I talked with in Korea did mention that although they have learned some of the language, the barrier will always exist at a certain level due to the pure complexity of spoken and written Korean.
Rude tourist reminder: no need to talk louder, it isn’t that people who don’t speak your language also have hearing problems, it’s that you haven’t learned their language and they haven’t learned yours…BUT you are in their country! 😉
On the topic of winter…Korean heating systems or ondol are different than the furnaces I grew up with in the US. Traditional heating systems in Korea involved a wood-fired furnace with pipes underneath a stone foundation and raised wooden floor. The hot air circulates under the floor, warming your feet, and the smoke travels out a chimney on the exterior of other side of the house. Modern heating systems there now involve electricity to generate the heat, but the concept remains the same. This means that your feet are always nice and toasty! No wonder it makes sense to take your shoes off (among other cleanliness and traditional reasons) and to sit and sleep closer to or on the floor. On the third day that I was there it snowed…I could not get close enough to the floor when I was inside!
Wearing every piece of clothing I have (bc I didn’t bring much warm clothing to Dubai, oops)!!
Stone foundation with floor heating system at an old palace
On the topics of food and friends…Seoul is a foodie’s paradise, especially if you like spicy dishes! The street food culture as well as the variety of amazing Korean food (and anything else you want, but when in Korea, eat Korean food!) is impressive.
I had wonderful dinners with my friends from grad school who now work in various divisions of Samsung.
Team Fuqua in Seoul!
I tried all kinds of kimchi, which can be made with almost anything it seems and served fresh or after fermentation.
Sitting on the floor of a traditional restaurant eating a seafood pancake and kimchi 🙂
Korean food is served with chopsticks and long spoons as utensils
Bottomless stew with kimchi side dishes and noodles to add to the stew
Tempura-like cabbage
I can’t remember what these were…only that I loved them!
I even participated in a cooking class while I was there and learned how to make one of my favorite Korean dishes, bibimbap!
My creation for the day 🙂
When I wasn’t eating tons of good food, I was stopping in coffee shops (which are everywhere!!) and getting green tea lattes to warm up. The green tea in Korea tastes different, more intense, and better. I really liked it and could not get enough green tea lattes 🙂 There are loads of other teas to try (without milk) and I had fun sampling those as well…ginger tea, quince tea, etc.
Quince tea
Hot chocolate…yummmm
I walked and walked and took the metro when I wanted to warm up or go a further distance. Here are some of the places I visited and recommend when you travel to Seoul:
- Leeum Samsung Museum of Art: quite possibly my favorite modern art museum ever, completely different than modern art I have experienced before. After you go, stop by the Rose Bakery nearby 🙂
Center stairwell at the gallery
- Seonjeongneung: park in Gangnam with huge earthen tombs of three past royal rulers of Korea
One of the mounded tombs
- Buchon Hanok Village: traditional Korean neighborhood, 100s of years old, great shops and galleries interspersed, some lookout areas where you get great views of the city.
Buddha 🙂
- Gyeongbokgung Palace: really old Korean palace that has been restored in some areas after 100s of years of use. There are a few museums on the palace grounds and a changing of the guard ceremony each day. The weather was crazy while I was there and the pictures actually look as though it could not be the same place on the same day.
Main entrance gate
Changing of the guard ceremony
From the inside of the palace walls looking out to modern Seoul
Throne room
Guardian mountain in the background…it is thought to be good to build a city with mountains to the north to shelter you from the harsh winter weather
- Bongeun-Sa Buddhist Temple: I did the Thursday afternoon TempleLife program and spent the entire afternoon touring the site, learning about Buddhist life from a nun, and enjoying tea at a tea ceremony.Very interesting and always good to understand more about world religions.
- National Museum of Korea
- Loads of other places, too many to mention and too many pics to post on here.
View of Seoul from Namsan park
View of Seoul from Namsan park
Emergency cabinets full of supplies in case of an attack (by North Korea I assume) located throughout the metros
Frozen is everywhere!
Key observations:
- South Korea is simply referred to as Korea…and North Korea as North Korea.
- I did not visit the DMZ because there are just too many other great things to do that celebrate culture and life, not war and tension. Maybe on my next visit.
- Anyone who is not Korean is referred to as a “foreigner”…as in “English tour for foreigners.” Nothing wrong with this at all, just something that would be considered politically incorrect in the US these days vs. the term “visitor” or “tourist”.
- I really like the hand roll, sushi-style snacks at the stand in the metro stations, yum! Metro stations are often times underground shopping centers!
- Americans are welcomed and naturally so due to business, educational, and historical connections.
- Differences in global beauty standards are unbelievable. Can’t we all learn to love what God gave us (myself included!)??!! There are constantly ads for facial plastic surgery all over Seoul…Read this
- There were a couple of times when introducing myself that this sort of sentence came out of my mouth…”Yes, I’m American, and I currently live in Dubai. I am just visiting Seoul.” Hahaha…I’m still just a ginger from Parkwood. Just sounds crazy sometimes when I say things like that out loud.
- Korean “breakfast” does not really exist and isn’t much different than the meals you eat the rest of the day. If you are really into breakfast food, there are loads of French bakeries in Seoul, but eggs and bacon you likely will not find.
- Everyone has a cell phone (well at least 93% of the population) and they are glued to them all the time.
- On the metro and walking the city during the day, there was a noticeable absence of women and children. There were young professional women and older, retired women, but the age gap in between actually caught my attention and made me realize how many of those career and young mom aged women were likely at home with their kiddos and out of the workforce. I noticed men of all ages on the metro which made the contrast obvious.
Okay…I promised a story, you devoted reader you…
On my second day in Seoul I went to a traditional jimjilbang with one of my friends. This is a traditional Korean bathhouse and spa that is gender segregated (important!!). Visiting these are common social and personal grooming activities. It was cold outside (as previously whined about) and I was happy to get to a warm spa after dinner. You walk in, take your shoes off, and check in at the front desk. You put your shoes in a small locker, then collect a key for another locker in the changing room. You go to the changing room and stuff your bags, jacket, scarf, gloves, and ALL of your clothing in that locker. All of it. Then you can choose to put on a robe or not and you walk out into the various spa areas with all of your goods, aka junk in the trunk, on full display.
There were dozens of other women…friends, mothers and daughters, even granddaughters…in the lounge area on the floor with snacks (robes on), in a room full of mirrors and blow dryers where you can get ready after you are finished at the spa, come in a dry sauna, some showering, some at seated bath stations, and then there were 4 pools. One seawater, one cold, and two different hot pools were available for soaking and relaxing. The lounge area had Korean soap operas on and snacks available such as boiled potatoes and boiled eggs. There were various rice drinks, teas, and water available as well. We spent most of our time in the various pools and then in the floor lounge area…relaxing just before the main event…
One of the most popular services at a jimjilbang is the full body scrub. So, deep breath everyone, after soaking naked in the various pools, walking around, checking out all the saunas…it was my turn for the full body scrub. I confidently walk over to the area adjacent to the pools/baths where there were 5 tables covered in plastic cushion…so think about a surgery table height and length but covered in thick plastic cushion. Anyway, a little, older Korean lady (one of five working in that area) signaled with her hand to the table I should lie on. She was wearing a bra and underwear as a uniform, just like the other ladies. Everything was soaking wet in the tiled room…So I get on the table and lay down face up. I am trying not to laugh thinking about how awkward this would be in the US, but how normal this seems in Seoul. Everyone else is completely comfortable and not shy…making it much easier for me to pretend to be a pro at this 😉 yeah, right!
Without much warning, the lady starts scrubbing and scrubbing my ENTIRE body. When she needed me to turn over, either on my side or on my stomach, she would just tap my shoulder and point. She exfoliated every surface of my body and from the looks of the table afterward I should do this more than once every 30 years! Periodically she would throw a bucket of water on me to rinse off the skin. The same thing was happening to my friend a few feet away on another table. In the moment, I was trying hard not to laugh thinking about telling this story (especially to some of you who are reading now) and also about how super personal this whole experience was. At the same time, it was really relaxing to close your eyes and enjoy the experience. My skin felt glorious afterward and I was already wondering when and where I would do this again. At the end the lady motioned for me to take my hair out of the bun it was in and then she washed my hair, thorough cleaning! It was a truly Korean cultural experience and I highly recommend Spa Lei if you are ever in Seoul!
Open doors are important in life and taking the first step through them can be a big deal. When I see beautiful or interesting doorways I like to remember them…
Thanks for reading! (It has finally occurred to me that I should have made a cool sign-off phrase from the beginning…stay tuned to see if I can be clever this late in the game).
Sportscenter Dubai
Last weekend was a big weekend for sports in Dubai and I was able to experience two major events that were firsts for me and both involved Olympic athletes.
On Friday night I went to my first cricket match, Pakistan vs. New Zealand at the Dubai Cricket Stadium. The game was a huge deal, especially to Pakistanis that live here and are able to see their team play. I went with a Pakistani and an Aussie, quite the diversity poster as usual. The game was interesting and luckily my friend knows the game and could explain how it works. In the end, New Zealand won in spite of the valiant efforts by Pakistani star Boom-Boom (I have no idea what his real name is, they just call him Boom-Boom).
Both teams assembled for each national anthem
Crowd full of excited Pakistanis and a few Kiwis
The following day I went to the Dubai Rugby Sevens, amazing! I must find a reason to come back next year. This event involves costumes, aka fancy dress, on the Friday and is more tame on Saturday because the entire crowd is hungover from Friday.
I watched professional rugby teams from around the world, as well as some local and charity teams, in the glorious sunshine all day! Not bad for a weekend in December 🙂
Dubai Rugby Sevens!
US vs. France…outcome was not a W for the US
New Zealand All Blacks
American count remains the same at 17 because I don’t think it’s really fair to include the American Rugby Team in this…
Ginger count increases by 3 to 13 although I am starting to wonder if I am counting the same gingers over and over again…
Thanks for reading!
agingerinthesand 