Wrong colour

I accompanied a friend in Dubai to the UAE/Oman border post at Hatta on a visa run, a lot of Brits do this so that they can extend their stay by a further 30 days without the need for a visa.

When we arrived on the Omani side and entered the border post it was 11.30 in the evening and the place was empty. My friend needed to complete a form for the entry stamp but had no writing instrument, he politely asked the official behind the glass screen if he could borrow a pen. A simple request one would think, but in this part of the world nothing is simple. The reply was a stubborn “NO!” followed by some jibber jabber mutterings in Arabic.

At the same time I muttered my own jibber jabber in the form of “F**k you d***head”, but I was wise to make it inaudible as I knew what was in store for me if the official heard my colourful comments.

So there we were waiting on the Omani side with no pen but in the presence of a rude official, clearly we had no alternative but to sit down play the waiting game. Some traveller was bound to turn up with a biro, but for the next 15 minutes there was none…..No soul to rescue us.

By this time the official had a change of heart, he muttered some more jibber jabber and handed over a biro. He had proved his point whatever it was, and we managed to complete the form and return back to UAE.

When I was back in the office I asked a colleague “why are the Arabs so arrogant?”, and gave the example of the Oman border crossing. His reply was “the Arabs are not arrogant, you are the wrong colour my friend”.

Film deal?

I read the other day that a work experience girl who toiled at Sony has landed a multi-million pound film deal from Hollywood producers.

Could I be sitting on a nest egg with my blog?, Imagine Hollywood, Bollywood, Lollywood, or even Nollywood  knocking on my door asking for the exclusive rights to all my blogging tales.

Will my exposé’s on Dubai (a lot which have not yet been published) arouse the interests of literary agents? Probably not, but it would be an interesting read for sure.

 

It's raining men.....1 Indian every 3 days

Last week a desperate worker leapt to his death from the top of the worlds tallest building, he jumped after his employers refused his holiday request.

Yesterday another Indian leaps from and another tall buiding, today I read in the papers that one Indian commits suicicde every third day in Dubai, SHOCKING statistic.

Life is what you make it

"Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ~ Mark Twain

Life is what YOU make it, YOUR attitude. YOUR actions. YOU control 99% of what happens, or doesn't happen.

Back in Dubai, time to explore dream & discover

Safe Place

Just read the online copy of my local newspaper from England and the top stories are;

   1. Second arrest over Maidenhead double shooting

   2. Man seriously assaulted by gang of teens

   3. Police close road after murder arrest

   4. Man attacked by knife-wielding gang

   5. Slough man jailed for his part in savage murder

   6. Teenagers robbed at knifepoint

The good thing about Dubai is the low crime rate, there are no shootings or stabbings unless you end up in Bur Dubai police cell or are on the Mossad hit list.....a relatively safe place.

Last of the Summer Wine (strictly non alcoholic)

Last of the Summer Wine (strictly non-alcoholic)

Starring Foggy (Asif), Norman Clegg (Shakir), & Compo (Shafmeister)

 

Three middle aged men from England residing in UAE who have never really grown up, face the trials and tribulations of their fellow citizens of the Dubai Metropolis. They attempt to stay forever young by reminiscing about the days of their youth and attempting feats not common to the average middle aged man.

Swapping the quaint village of Holmfirth in West Yorkshire for the bustling city of Dubai,  we even have our very own Sid’s café…officially known as the world famous  Al Hara Disco Chai café.

Cleggy: “Fancy eur brew lad?”

Foggy: “Ayup…..Onny t' finest discoa chai for uz lad, fra t' world famous Al Hara café”

Compo: “Wha' eur lush cuppeur”

.....(tune in for next episode, when the lads go cruising along the Sheikh Zayed Road in a Toyota Camry singing along to Malkit Singh's "gur nalon ishq mitha".....)

Chuck De India

Tried to avoid the cricket after Pakistan’s loss in the semi final, but in Dubai you can’t get away from it.

I went to a restaurant and the final was being televised on the various flat screen televisions which at any other time would be playing Bollywood soundtracks. Caught a taxi and the driver was listening to the commentary, went to some stores in Meena Bazaar and the shop assistants were not interested in serving me but instead were glued to radio sets listening to the updates.

I sensed an opportunity, let’s play the “Chuck De India” card and as India are on course to win I will walk away with a hefty discount. Everyone’s a winner!

No luck, the best I managed was a 10AED discount on a 3,400AED price tag, 0.3% off.  What a joke ! so I walked out of the store without buying anything, and then all the way home I had to endure the wild celebrations of the Indian fans. Felt like I was in Mumbai and not Dubai.