In Aladdin's House

Melbourne, how I missed you!

2010-01-24T20:03:00.004+04:00

I returned to the homeland of Melbourne for 4 weeks at Christmas - it was bliss!

I didn't manage to take too many photos though. Oh, but the adventures we had! Two trips to Brisbane, many many trips to Doncaster (which is a worthy competitor against Dubai Mall for my love), even more trips to Grill'd, standing in line for Carols by Candlelight in the blistering heat, the car breaking down on the way home, red fizz induced late night hilarity, Grill'd again ...and the list goes on.

Here are the few photos I did take!

The nephews getting tipsy at Christmas lunch - they are so amusing!

Then onto Brisbane for convention, where I only took one photo the whole week.

I can't remember how this came about, it was probably late at night and due to lack of sleep.

Turns out Olivia could fit into the bin cage - what a triumph!

Melbourne, I'll be back soon!

Going to London to visit the Queen...and Bridie

2010-01-22T17:27:00.024+04:00

The trek to visit Bridie in London involved a taxi, a plane, a bus, a train and a little walking - quite an adventure! Good thing there was a door prize my efforts (which conveniently now hangs on my bedroom door)

These are the 83 narrow stairs at the tube station that I carried my luggage down - all 23kgs of it (yep, I managed to have more baggage visiting London for a week, than I had moving to Sharjah)

One of our first stops was Harrods - this is the singing pizza chef in one of the many many food halls. He was singing Christmas carols while spinning pizza bases - he was amazing!

We met up with Esther and ate cake - what a perfect day!

Bridie and I discovered the Winter Wonderland festival in Hyde Park, which is home to possibly the most amazing creature in all of England...

A singing bilingual moose!

He and the pizza chef should do a duet together

On Saturday we travelled to Windsor to visit the Queen, but alas, she was not home

This particular photo makes me think of Hogwarts Express.

Bridie, maybe you could be a professor at Hogwarts.

Windsor Castle - not too shabby

My first English pub meal at The King and Castle with Bridie and her housemates, Ximena (pronounced Hermana) and Anthony (pronounced Antony) - they're tricky over there!

Bridie, through the looking glass

The Thames

Don't worry Bridie and Annie, even the Queen has to deal with planes flying over her house

Waitrose is supermarket heaven here in Dubai - good to see the Queen approves of it also

Traditional 'I was there' self portrait

Real holly - how Christmassy is that!

The moat garden around the castle

Apparently the moat never held water too well, so they made it into a garden

Murder holes!

An ingenious idea

We noticed this on the bus ride home

The photo isn't too clear, but somebody has added a 'T' to 'Urban', so it reads 'turban', and then look who sat down - love it!

Here is Bridie's esteemed housemate, Annie. There is really no explanation for what she is doing here, except to say that she is american.

(Yes, I stole this photo from Facebook. I didn't have any photos of Annie and I thought she should get a little representation on here. Plus, I was in the room when it was taken - the Sunday morning 'much acclaimed grey dress' fashion shoot)

Bride auditioning as a 'The Price is Right' showcase girl - if the prize was the Houses of Parliament - it could be a viable occupation if nothing else works out.

As I type this a character on TV is talking about how amazing it is to see the Houses of Parliament reflected in the Thames - makes me want to go back!

London Eye

Big Ben

Westminster Abbey

We tried to visit 10 Downing St, but much to my surprise, the road is gated off...how rude!

Trafaglar Square

Buckingham Palace

Horse crossing lights - love it!

Royal Albert Hall

Have I mentioned that I LOVE Prince Albert. Anyone who has seen 'The Young Victoria' will understand.

Covent Gardens

I could have spent hours there!

Yesterday I read in a magazine that there is a Covent Gardens Market in Dubai. I plan to check it out next weekend in the hope that it will be even the slightest bit like London's.

Street performer at Covent Gardens - somewhat impressive

One night in Leicester Square I stumbled across the 'Where the Wild Things Are' London premiere, so I stood in the rain for about an hour waiting for something exciting to happen. It helped to pass the time while I was waiting to go to a nearby theatre.

Some random girl that the photographers thought important enough to take photos of for a good five minutes

Another random B grade English celebrity

Max and the director - the closest thing we got to real celebrities

I finished the night off with a showing of Hairspray at the Shaftsbury, where I sat a few rows behind Ruth Wilson, the girl from the latest Jane Eyre movie - which I love (Victoria may be the only other person that appreciates this)

I realised that there are many memorable things that I did not take photos of - the most important of which is the Kensington Creperie, which we managed to eat at twice in 1 week. If it's good enough for Bob Geldof and Pierce Brosnan, it's good enough for me!

Yep, another photo I stole from the internet

Beware Bridie and Annie, I'm already planning my return trip!

AIS

2010-01-22T17:10:00.006+04:00

A few photos of the place I spend the most time... no, not Dubai Mall unfortunately

The front gate

The guards' station ..maybe booth is a better word for it

Front carpark

A block - one of the four main buildings

(this is where they rolled out the red carpet when Anna Bligh, Qld premier, came to visit - a little tacky!)

One of the many school buses

I spent my first 3 months going to school and back on these - sometimes with only two or three passengers.

The road outside school - somewhat desolate

Desert Safari

2010-01-22T16:41:00.013+04:00

Back in November a group of us from school headed out on a Desert Safari (a cliche touristy thing to do, but you can't live here without doing it once). The fun began when our driver left the bus running while he filled up at the petrol station, while still talking on his mobile also (I was just waiting for him to light up a cigarette).

Yep, just like in Australia there are warning signs against this here also. I took these photos as a record of what had happened to us should the bus blow up.

Back on the road safely (quite amazing given the drivers crazy driving) we made our way out into the Dubai desert to go dune bashing.

This is 'Big Red'. It is a steep sand hill with a huge drop over the other side. 4WDs line up on top for their turn down the other side - like a rollercoaster for cars.

We all packed in 4 cars with our highly skilled drivers (fingers crossed) and headed out.

Rob and Stef were all smiles - we hadn't started driving yet!

Proof that I was there

We took a break in the sand to watch the sun set

Our fearful faces as we drive over the dunes, that's my shoulder in the left

The 4WDs then took us to a camp out in the middle of nowhere where we had dinner and rode camels

It caught me a little by surprise when the camel stood up - I will admit that a girly squeal may have escaped my tongue

Then we were entertained by a man in a dress spinning a pizza like thingy...

which doubled as a skirt that lit up

Quite a interesting night!

Candylicious!

2009-10-18T15:09:00.004+04:00

The weekend necessitated another trip to Dubai Mall (well, two trips really if you count Thursday night as the weekend - which I guess I do, since once school finishes for the week, the weekend begins). But, I digress. Part of the purpose for this trip was to visit Candylicious - the newly opened 'largest candy store in the world'.
Just in case I haven't emphasised it enough yet, Dubai is obsessed with having the biggest, the brightest, the best of whatever they can. They dream of a day when the Guiness Book of World Records is filled nothing but with Dubai!

It's website tells me that Candylicious is 10,000 square feet. When you are in there if doesn't seem all that big. It's big for a lolly store I guess. My favourite thing about it though is that all the workers have been brainwashed with the store's motto: Eat Happy! I must have heard a least 5 different workers say 'Eat Happy!' in the short time we were in there for. Maybe they get commision everytime they say it.
In the end the only purchase I made was some Milk Duds (which made me think of Tanyth), making the trip well worth the effort .....until I found them in our local supermarket a few days later....oh well!

"Save the Earth. It's the only planet with chocolate"

Al Qasba

2009-10-18T11:19:00.005+04:00

We may have found the prettiest part of Sharjah! We went to Al Qasba for Jodie's birthday last week...yep, another birthday...they just keep coming...I think people are just making them up as an excuse to go out.

Al Qasba would be Sharjah's equivilent to Melbourne's Southbank.....sort of. It is a an area with lots of restaurants along the sides of the lagoon.

We went to a Thai restaurant called Lemongrass, which was really good - we found out that they home deliver to our building, so I sense a Thai night coming sometime in the very near future.

The Eye of the Emirates is at Al Qasba - haven't been on it yet, one day soon!

No area would be complete without fountains!

These fountains do a light and music show every half hour, but in between the kids take over.

It's not just a few kids running through either. Every child in sight is standing under a fountain fully clothed - they all just stand there shrieking as they get drenched.

So, of course, if the kids are going to get drenched, you can't expect them just to dry off in this 40 degree heat...no, instead the Emiratis have.... Fast Drying Machines!

You pay your 3 dirhams (about $1), stand inside and it blows hot air at you

- like a hand dryer for your body.

After dinner we hopped in a Dhow for a little cruise out and around the lagoon

-the weather was perfect-

Al Qasba is yet another thing I have added to my list of places to take visitors, so get in fast and you may be the lucky one I take there - I'll even shout you a go in the Fast Drying Machine!

Happy Birthday!

2009-10-10T19:57:00.012+04:00

Seems that October is the time for birthdays. There was a birthday at school for one of the kids (he is Emirati, which means that it is not a small affair). His mum bought in a gigantic Spiderman cake for all the kids, along with drinks and goodie bags for everyone too (and we're talking quality goodie bags full of lollies and toys). We sang Happy Birthday in English, then in Arabic (Eid milaad saeed) and then in Russian (S dniom razhdjenia).

We went to Atlantis for Rob's birthday over the weekend and since he is from Italy we learnt to sing Happy Birthday in Italian (Tanti auguri a te).

We went out to lunch for Anca's birthday to a French restaurant called 'Madeline' at the Intercontinental Hotel in Dubai - very nice! The waiters came out with cake and sang Happy Birthday in French (Joyeux anniversaire).

It was a bit of a girls day out

Larissa had a Creme Brulee that was about the size of her head,

and I had the most amazing Mousse au Chocolat au Lait ever!

But the most important birthday of all was...

Helen's!

Now I just need to learn how to sing Happy Birthday like a kiwi!

Atlantis at The Palm

2009-10-10T17:44:00.010+04:00

This weekend we went to Atlantis!

Atlantis is a hotel out on the crescent of The Palm (which is a series of manmade islands in the middle of the Gulf off the coast of Dubai). When Atlantis opened in September last year they spent $16M on fireworks that went off all across The Palm - the biggest fireworks show ever - that is the Dubai way!

I didn't take this photo myself

- the helicopter was low on fuel so I had to settle for a photo off the internet.

We drove past the Burj Al Arab on our way to The Palm - that will be next week's trip

I'm not sure what these buildings are - they look like the Chrysler Building in New York, but of course in true Dubai style there are two of them - bigger and better is their motto!

This is one of the many residences on the fronds of The Palm

I want to live there!

The tunnel leads underwater from the end of The Palm to the outside crescent

I took many many many photos of Atlantis - so pretty!

Typical Dubai - old world meets new world -

camels, monorails, sand... and the Burj Al Arab in the background

I know, I know, this photo looks like the other one.

But this is from the beach side, completely different.

Inside the Lobby

-it's made of fancy glass and kind of ugly, but I had to take a photo of it-

They have an aquarium in there too

Nasimi Beach

- we spent the evening on the beach in front of the Atlantis, lying in beanbags under the stars -

I seriously couldn't stop taking photos of the Atlantis

I realised after as I was looking through them that I managed to take almost the same photo several times over the course of the night.

I love Atlantis!

I was tempted to spend the 1000+ dirhams to stay a night there...maybe next time!

Athens!

2009-09-24T10:03:00.026+04:00

At the end of Ramadan muslims celebrate Eid Al Fitr, which gave us three days off school. Including the weekend, this gave me time venture to Athens with two other teachers, Libby and Larissa. It was amazing! We did so so so so much walking, my feet still have not forgiven me, but we got to see some spectacular things!

I think I took about 300 photos while I was there (mostly of ruins), so here is a small selection.

The first thing that struck me about Athens was the weather. It was incredible to be outside and not sweltering in 45 degree heat. We had mild weather the whole time, about 24 to 26 degrees. Libby and Larissa (who are from North Queensland and Perth) thought it was too cold at times, but this Melbourne girl loved it! It only rained on us once. We were out at Akropoli and it rained steadily for about 15 minutes (long enough for us all to buy umbrellas that we will now never use in Sharjah). Otherwise the weather was perfect!

Random building near our hotel that I liked

View of the Parthenon from the roof of our hotel

We arrived at our hotel at about 3pm and decided to head to The Acropolis straight away. Our hotel was right by a Metro station which was fantastic. When we weren't walking, we were on the Metro - I think I have the stations memorised by now.

The Acropolis - it's quite a trek to the top

The Acropolis is a flat-topped rock and due to it's position high above the rest of the city, it was prime real estate anciently for temples or monuments to the Greek Gods. Now there are numerous ruins all around the site, the most famous of which is the Parthenon at the top.

Theatre of Dionysus

View of Athens from halfway up the hill

Still a long way up to go!

Some of the ruins they are not so sure about - I love the question mark

Odeon of Herodes Atticus

They still have concerts and performances here

Almost at the top

The Erechtheum

-this is at the top of the Acropolis, by the Parthenon-

Sanctuary of Zeus Polieus

View from the top

- a church?-

(note the question mark; if it's good enough for the Greeks)

Not sure which one this is and I can't find it on wikipedia,

but I was trying to be arty with the sun behind it

Larissa, self-photographing at the Parthenon

Me, self-photographing at the Parthenon

(as much as I hate photos, I figured I needed some proof that I was there)

It looks better when I'm not in the photo

This is a view of the Temple of Olympian Zeus from the Acropolis

There are 15 of the 104 columns remaining. I know you shouldn't have favourite columns, but mine is the one that blew down in a storm over 100 years ago, I think it looks cool.

Hadrian's Arch in front of the Temple of Olympian Zeus

We had quite an adventure on trolley-buses trying to find this a couple of days later

Theatre of Dionysus again

This was my attempt at being arty again

Temple of Hephaestus (I really like saying Hephaestus)

Again, we struggled to find this a few days later

-it's not as easy to see when you are down on the road-

The road leading around to the Ancient Agora

A chocolate cafe that we should have gone into

-I am having Max Brenner withdrawals-

We thought everyone back at school would appreciate this T-shirt

(June, July and August is when we have our big summer break and everyone goes travelling)

I almost bought one of these bags for Bridie

I thought it was a good combination of your love for cats and ugly bags

We finally found our way into the Ancient Agora, which is another popular site for ruins

The greeks like their columns!

More ruins!

One night we found ourselves at Syntagma Square which is where Parliament House is.

Outside Parliament is the Tomb of the Unknown Solider...

Which is guarded by two strapping young men in pompom shoes, called Evzones (the guards, not the shoes)

Every hour there is the changing of the guard which consists of three new guards marching into the square and changing places with the old guards after a fancy little dance (the third guard is an escort I guess - he shouts the orders)

We loved their dance so much that we couldn't resist coming back and seeing it in the daylight!

Once a week there is an extra special changing of the guard which requires a military band and 120 guards. They block off the surrounding streets for the guards to march through.

Quite a few people turn out to see it

Quite a few pigeons too

(Stacey, I was thinking of you)

Here is the daytime outfit

I especially love the knee tassels

The police on their way to organise the growing crowd

Proof I was there

I have video footage of the Evzones - get excited Bridie!

This is the National Archelogical Museum, just in case people haven't seen enough ruins

An impressive looking bronze sculpture of Zeus, about to throw an imaginary thunderbolt

The Panatheatic Stadium

Built entirely of white marble, the first modern olympics were held here in 1896

Athens Library

Not a great photo, but this is a view of the Acropolis from our hotel roof at night. It was an amazing view of the city from there.

All in all, an amazing trip!

My Neighbourhood

2009-09-10T13:18:00.004+04:00

We went for a walk last Wednesday after school over to the Sharjah Ladies Club which is about 5 minutes from our apartments. The days seem to be getting slightly (very slightly!) cooler, so hopefully soon it will be more bearable to be outside.
The ladies club is pretty fancy - you are not allowed to take photos inside - they have a private beach, several pools, a huge day spa centre, a hair and beauty salon, a fitness centre, an art centre where you can take art or music lessons, and a restaurant. It's fairly expensive to be a club member, but we may venture over there every now and then for a day pass. We are heading back next week for pedicures before we go to Athens!

I took a few photos of the main road just up from our apartments. My favourite thing, apart from the huge fountain in the middle of the road of course, is the drive thru ATM. Not only is it convenient, but like everything else it here, it is incredibly ornate!

More trees and greenery!

The beach is just behind the palm trees. Women aren't allowed to swim there though, which is why the Ladies Club has walled off a large part of the beach for its members.

Arabian Home Restaurant! This has become a popular place for us when we can't be bothered cooking. Most meals coat under $5, and they even home deliver (if you can manage to explain to them where you live - no addresses here in the UAE)

Our building is the one in the middle.
They have just laid some gravel outside our building, so I'm not getting quite as much sand in my shoes as I used to - until I venture further down the street, where there is still plenty of sand!

3 hour trip to Bahrain

2009-09-08T15:38:00.003+04:00

On Sunday night after school I flew to Bahrain. We left at 5pm and I was back home safely in Sharjah by 8pm. I thought I should take some photos to prove I was actually there though. I was slightly disappointed when the announcement came over the plane for 'those here for visa exchange' to stay on board because it meant I didn't get a Bahrain stamp in my passport.

However, I can now declare that I am a light traveller as I made an international journey with just my handbag!

If you zoom in on this photo and pull out your magnifying glass I promise you at the top of the tower it says 'Bahrain International Airport'.

I like to think this man in the yellow vest is a nice Bahrainian local

This is me seeing the sights in Bahrain!

Water in the Desert

2009-09-06T15:20:00.005+04:00

One thing I have noticed about the Emirates is that they like fountains....a lot! There are fountains on every roundabout (and there are a lot of roundabouts!) Maybe it is because it is a desert and they are trying to counteract that, but it's incredible to think how much water is being used here. Especially surprising are all the areas of lush green grass that seem have sprinklers watering them 24/7 - no water restrictions here!

I'm actually a fan of the fountains, especially those at the Lake Fountain show outside Dubai Mall. It's the same idea as the fountain show at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas (you know, at the end of Ocean's Eleven) but bigger and better (because that is the Dubai way).
The fountains and lights go off every half hour after 7pm and were well worth suffering in Dubai all day for. Maybe it was because we were hot and grumpy, after having endured the museum and Wafi with no food or water due to Ramadan, but when I saw those fountains go it made my day! maybe even my week!
Obviously the photos don't demonstrate well the amazement that was these fountains, but I felt I needed to share. Seriously, I think they are my favourite thing about the whole UAE so far! The fact that they are at my favourite shopping mall just increases my love!

What a day! -part 2

2009-09-06T15:15:00.005+04:00

Our next port of call after the trip to Dubai Museum failed miserably was Wafi Shopping Mall which has an egyptian theme. It was amazing walking into the air-conditioning; I thought I had never been happier, until we found that most of Wafi was closed for Ramadan also. So all I really have are some photos of the architecture.

This is a chocolate shop (that was open, but only for take-away, because you can't eat in public)

Not as good as Max Brenner, but when it is all you have....

After wandering around an almost deserted shopping centre, we started to lose the plot. Larissa, after being so chirpy at the museum, sat down to have a cry.

Then we found the souk attached to the shopping centre (mostly deserted also), but at least it was a new air-conditioned venue for us to wander through.

We thought a game of hide-and-seek around the souk might help to pass the time.

I would like lights like this in my apartment (not that they would fit)

An empty restaurant getting ready for Iftar.

After a couple of hours, we decided to move on to.....another shopping mall!

What a day!

2009-09-06T14:45:00.011+04:00

We are in the middle of Ramadan here in the UAE which means that nothing much is open during the day while everyone is fasting - especially in Sharjah. We have had to go into Dubai if we want to go shopping any day before 7pm. So this past Saturday a few of us decided that we had had enough of shoppings malls (I know, I can't believe I just said that myself!) and planned to become more cultured by visiting a museum.

Sharjah's claim to fame is the many many many museums it has here - they are well-known throughout the Emirates as the best museums over here. But alas, they were all closed for Ramadan. So off we headed to Dubai Museum. It located in Al Fahidi Fort, the oldest building in Dubai, which sounded promising.

Here are a few photos:

Yep, they are all outside photos, because, turns out.....Dubai Museum was closed for Ramadan too! We were not happy campers sweltering outside in the heat!

...and this is the only chair in the shade we could find...

This did cheer me up a little as I kept expecting Aladdin to come running over the top any minute.

We finally found the Coin Museum, which must be so popular that they couldn't possibly close during Ramadan...thrilling stuff!

At least each little room was air-conditioned. We also thought we could use it as an opportunity to drink from our water bottles (which is illegal during Ramadan) until we realised a guard was watching us from cameras in every room.

Libby was not impressed.

Larissa was chirpy for now - it wore off later in the day!

We didn't last long at the museum before heading off to .....what else? An air-conditioned shopping mall!

Iftar Dinner

2009-08-30T13:44:00.009+04:00

Last Thursday night school organised an Iftar dinner for us. It was at the Park Hyatt hotel in Dubai, which is gorgeous! I want to live there! (especially after we lost power in the apartment building). Iftar is the big meal that everyone has here after they break their fast each night during Ramadan.

So here are some photos of the hotel, the dinner and some of the people from school.

Dates are an important part of the Iftar meal

- all the supermarkets have truckloads of dates at the moment! -

Streets of Sharjah

2009-08-25T12:35:00.007+04:00

Here are some pictures I took of the Sharjah streets while we were driving to Dubai recently.

Along the lagoon

The 'Eye of the Emirates' ferris wheel
- seems to be withstanding the heat better than the Southern Star did -

Sharjah City Centre
- one of the many shopping malls I have been frequenting -

Waiting for the bus

One of the hundreds of mosques among the apartment buildings

- they serve as a great wake-up alarm system -

Yep, they have McDonalds here too

Central Souk

- Sharjah is especially popular for its souks (markets) -

Random buildings and shops

More random

I think this car was heading to the Bird and Animal Souk

Boats on the lagoon

Whenever I see Vimto (which is often over here) it reminds me of Amelia and Tanyth

Jumeriah Mosque

2009-08-24T12:52:00.005+04:00

One of my latest outings has been to Jumeriah Mosque. Over here there is a mosque almost within 5 minutes walking distance wherever you are, however, Jumeriah Mosque is the only one in the UAE that allows non-muslims inside. They encourage everyone to take lots of photos, so here are a few I took.

This is an electronic Qu'ran reader

This is the old-school clock to show prayer times

...and this is what they use now.

I think the old school one looks prettier

I particularly liked this tissue box

I might start wearing a headscarf to school so I don't have to do my hair each day

Dubai Mall

2009-08-19T10:43:00.005+04:00

Yesterday we went on a little field trip to Dubai Mall. I could quite get used to getting paid to shop! It is the biggest shopping mall in the world and it's slogan is 'Welcome to Everything!' We did debated whether indeed they had 'everything' - and decided this was false advertising, but they do come close.

They have an iceskating rink...

an aquarium...

a gold souk...

an adjoining souk outside...

This following store made me a little homesick...

But then I found this one....

All in all it was a great day - I didn't get to see the whole mall, but I guess I have two years to explore!

Welcome to Sharjah!

2009-08-15T13:41:00.014+04:00

I have arrived! Stacey has set up this blog for me, which I am hoping to keep updated - we'll see how I go.

I got dropped off at my apartment about 4.30am on Wednesday morning, just as the first prayer of the day was called. There are 5 calls to prayer each day - every mosque has a PA system that announces each of them - they are becoming my early morning wake-up!

Here are some photos of my apartment:

This is the outside of my building - we lovingly refer to it as our sandpit.

My hallway

My kitchen

- note the fire extinguisher beside the toaster -

they must have heard how bad I am at cooking!

My bedroom - not too untidy yet

Bathroom

Guest Bathroom - feel free to come visit

Lounge room

The washing machine in the corner of the kitchen

The view from my sand covered balcony - I'm on the third floor of the building

This is the hot water switch, which I haven't really needed to use it yet as the water is generally hot without any help.

Life here is definintely interesting. I'll hopefully post some photos of the school soon. The spiral staircase and skylight in the school library are amazing!