An Anniversary Not Forgotten

Posted by Kanga.

Earlier this week DaddyBird said “What are we doing Thursday?” I stupidly said “Is there a reason we should do something Thursday?” Oh, yeah. That pesky wedding anniversary has come around again. Needless to say I am not the romantic in this relationship. This was an improvement over last year when we both missed our 10th anniversary remembering it a week after the fact.

So, what did we do on our anniversary? Well, we started by driving around town to find the Afghani restaurant that I had previously seen, but couldn’t remember exactly where it was. This led to stopping to photograph stray cats and dogs around dumpsters. There were eight around one dumpster, including kittens. Unfortunately, we can’t take them all home and pamper them. (If I were independently wealthy, I would have a cat sanctuary.)

We did eventually find the restaurant.

We had a really delicious dinner of mutton bukhari (the rice dish – there are two large pieces of lamb/goat meat under that rice), grilled meat (I didn’t get the name of that dish), hummos, chana dahl (lentils in a tomato sauce) and lovely bread. The red substance in the small dishes is a cold soup or thin sauce made of tomatoes and spices. It was a lot like salsa. Very tasty. It was clear that they had used fresh, ripe tomatoes. The hummos was also very fresh tasting. On the whole, yummy! The entire meal cost us 41 AED ($11.00 USD)

Then it was onto the main attraction – The Avengers movie. I find it hard to describe just how good this movie is. All superlatives seem insufficient. As we walked out, DaddyBird asked if we could see it again – immediately. I insisted on waiting until the next day. It is action packed and witty. Perfect.

The evening was not over, yet, however. We finished with a trip to Baskin Robbins because DaddyBird was in the mood for a milkshake and it is hard to find a good milkshake here. I went for the banana split.

There you have it. An anniversary well celebrated.

Arabia’s Wildlife Centre

Posted by Kanga.

Yesterday, we ventured to the Sharjah’s Arabia’s Wildlife Centre. It is located between Sharjah and Dhaid. The centre is part of the Sharjah Desert Park which also includes a children’s farm (we’re assuming this is a petting zoo) and a natural history & botanical museum. Entrance to the park is 15 AED for adults ($4.00 US).

Photography is strictly forbidden in the wildlife center, so all you will get in this post is this picture of camels crossing the road which we encountered on the way there.

We highly recommend the wildlife center. It is very well designed and most of the animals were visible and active. Included are animals of all kinds native to different areas of Arabia, not just the U.A.E. – snakes, geckos, lizards, frogs, mice, rats, gerbils, grasshoppers, locusts, beetles, scorpions, foxes, wolves, wildcats, sand cats, jackals, porcupines, hedgehogs, honey badgers, gazelles, ibexes, oryxes, ostriches, flamingos, pelicans, owls, bats, and so much more. If only I could have used my camera, I would have so many desert hare pictures – bunnies everywhere!

On our way out, we passed the big animal enclosures. Starting with the baboons. It was feeding time, so they were quite busy. The next enclosure had desert wolves, who can look over the pit separating the enclosures and see the baboons. They were pacing up and down undoubtedly thinking “those baboons look tasty.” Next door to the wolves were striped hyenas also pacing up and down looking at the wolves thinking “those wolves look tasty.” Next to them were the cheetahs. If the cheetahs don’t fancy a hyena meal, they can also see an enclosure of gazelles. I’ve never been so close to a cheetah, separated only by glass. And, last, but not least, came the leopard. He, being the king of all, was just chillin’ out.

This is definitely a value deal. Give yourself plenty of time. The exhibits are extensive and you’ll want to stop and watch the active animals. One little Egyptian Spiny Mouse had a grub and was being chased mercilessly by her roommates. I hope she got to eat it in peace, eventually.

Dubai Tourist for a Day

Posted by Kanga.

I’m on two weeks vacation now, but we are staying local. We needed to go into Dubai to do some bank business at our original brach, which only took a few minutes, so we had the rest of the day to be tourists.

So, we went to the Dubai Museum, which is in Bur Dubai, the oldest part of town. It is housed in Al Fahidi Fort. Admission is 3 AED ($0.81).

The museum also has an underground section. It is very well designed, providing a recreation of a market and city streets. There are also pearl diving, boat building and fishing displays. The problem is that the museum was set up in one shot and is not being updated or developed. (At the very least, they should dust the stuffed animals.)

We headed over to the Dubai Creek where we met this lovely stray cat. She enjoyed some getting some attention.

We took an abra across the Creek to the Deira side. The price is still 1 AED each ($0.27) There was a parade of tourist buses unloading travelers transferring to the abras.

Then we took a walk down the creekside where boats load cargo. We did this same walk about three and a half years ago. There was significantly less cargo, but that may or may not be a sign of anything.

We road back across the Creek on another abra.

We ate dinner at Bayt Al Wakeel restaurant which has a wooden deck that hangs out over the Creek. It is a nice view, but I cannot recommend the restaurant. The service was not particularly good. The bread was not freshly baked. The meat (both chicken and lamb) was tough. And, worst of all, they chased away the stray cat.

All in all, it was a pleasant day.

To see all pictures from the day – click here.

My Cat is a TV Addict

Posted by Kanga.

Oliver has developed a new obsession – television. Animal Planet channel is good for hours of cat entertainment. He found the red pandas especially interesting.

Sometimes the chair or floor is too far away and he needs to get up close and personal.

There are lots of exotic birds on this channel and he can’t get enough of them.

This barn cat having kittens was a big hit.

He now has his own stool right up close.

Oliver never ceases to be be entertaining. He has turned out to be a delightful pet. I wasn’t sure it was going to be possible two years ago when he was driving me to the brink of homicide. If you don’t know or have forgotten what he was like, here’s a little reminder – click here. He has mellowed with old age, but keeps mixing it up with new habits and new games.

Get Your Beasts Here

Posted by Kanga.

This sign caught my eye. That orange tabby looks like quite the beast.

Athens Kittens

Posted by Kanga.

Another part of our Day Eight adventure involved finding these kittens in an abandoned building.

The kittens were adventurous, but Momma Cat was not sure we were trustworthy.

In the window above was another watchful tabby

Then he found something really interesting to watch. (Cat on the right, pigeon on the left)

We were walking through a run down neighborhood. Just prior to discovering these kittens, DaddyBird had noticed a rather suspicious fellow following us. When we suddenly stopped to take pictures of stray cats, it put a kink in the guy’s plan. He actually stopped and had to act nonchalant for a while. He continued to follow us, so we played a little leap frog, stopping suddenly and changing directions and getting behind him. After we “lost” him, we continued to be watchful, in case he was not working alone. Maybe it was nothing, maybe it was something. Either way, DaddyBird’s watchfulness averted anything bad from happening.

Warning pickpockets, we stop for cats.

Tea, Surf, and Cat

Posted by Kanga.

We spent a pleasant evening at the Hilton with our friend, Rupert. Where we sat near the beach, drank tea, and listened to the surf. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I had hot chocolate instead of tea.)

If you look very closely at the horizon, you might see the ships and tankers lined up out there.

I dipped my toes in the Gulf of Oman for the first time. The sand here is dark, an almost chocolate brown. (I don’t know if that’s because of the actual composition of the sand or the occasional addition of crude oil.) The sand was soft and the water was cool.

There was even an affectionate kitty who wanted to be petted, until he discovered how good cheese cake tastes. Then his priorities changed. After he figured out cheese cake had run out, he decided that being petted was still good. He came by several times during the course of the evening.

Cat Antics

Posted by Kanga.

It’s about time for some cat antics, don’t you think? It has been a busy and exciting two months for Oliver & Bert. Constant rearranging and unpacking of boxes meant lots of curiosity inducing movement.

A recurring theme is to be as high up as one can get. Even as I write this, Bert is on top of the bookshelves in the living room.

The arrival of the laundry machine resulted in a thorough examination, inside and out.

And the boxes, oh the boxes! To be up high AND in a box, that’s the best.

Apparently, my laptop bag is made of catnip, because it inspired a great deal of excitement.

Oliver frequently takes a respite in the corner behind the refrigerator.

Even the door tops had to be explored and the air conditioning vents as well.

The addition of several bookcases was a boon for the desire to be UP.

And, of course, there is the daily lounging in the sunny window.

Welcome to Oliver’s House

Posted by Oliver the Loud.

Mah-Woo, everybody! Kanga and DaddyBird are letting me guest post on their blog. So, I thought I would show you around my new home.

First, let me say that moving was TOTALLY traumatizing and I don’t ever want to do that again! Luckily, all my old stuff came along – cat toys, food dish, scratching pads, favorite napping chairs, Bert, Kanga and Daddybird, so it’s not so bad, after all.

The best, the very BEST, thing about this new place is the window sills. They are wide enough and long enough for Bert and I to lay/sleep/tussle on. Day or night this is my favorite place. You can see a lot from the 16th floor.

There are lots of cool tile floors to lie on. When I’ve been naughty, I run and flop down so that I look innocent.

This is the room I have to share with Bert. Kanga and DaddyBird lock us up in there when they go out, and I don’t like that much. Really drives Bert crazy. But, I just curl up inside the old suitcase and take a nap until they come back.

My one complaint is that the sinks make it hard to get a drink.

All in all, I am pretty happy.

True Kitty Companions

Posted by Kanga.

It’s been a while since our cats have graced our blog. We must be slipping as devoted cat people, or is that doting cat people?

Oliver is, and always will be, high maintenance, but we are lucky that they both seem to adapt well to our occasional absences. Once we return, it only takes 15-20 minutes before they relax and get back to their ol’ selves. The purring and head butting begins again. There are some lasting repercussions. Bert tends to seek more petting and lap time, as well as being more vocal. Oliver tends to yell at us for a few days a bit louder than normal. Eventually, these wear off.

However, this time, they only have a short window before the next upheaval. We will be moving next week. Hopefully, it will be a straight across move from one apartment to another in a one day shot. I suspect that once they have smelled and explored every corner, they will settle in.