Posted by Kanga.
Dos and don’ts of riding the Dubai metro.
Do read the screen carefully on the ticket machine or you’ll end up getting a day pass when you really just wanted to add money to your Nol card.
Don’t bother minding the gap, because there isn’t one.
Do go to the front car (if it isn’t too crowded) to get a good view of the track ahead and the satellite covered roof tops.
Posted by Kanga.
So, we’ve been walking around Istanbul, taking pictures of cats, buying groceries, etc. We finally did the tourist thing today and went inside the Hagia Sophia. We decided to just go in cold with no guide or audio tour. We’ll go back a second time to do that.
I stood in the approximate center of the main floor and recorded the below video to try to give a 360 view starting with the dome. It may give you some small taste of the grandeur.
I took many pictures and you can see them at http://picasaweb.google.com/kangayayaroo/HagiaSophia#.
Those damn Vikings. You can’t take them anywhere.
Happy New Year!
We celebrated much the same way as last year with fish dinner at Bu Qtair and a short walk down to the beach to watch the fireworks at the Burj al Arab.
There were cupcakes (courtesy of the Nystedts).
My camera takes crappy pictures in the dim lighting and if I use the flash, everyone has red eyes. So, you will have to take my word for it that there were nine of us over the course of the evening. No hats, but there were noise makers and confetti poppers.
Then, the fireworks. (To see all the still photos click here.)
We stopped by the Dubai Aquarium to purchase annual passes and took a quick walk through.
It was Otter nap time.
At first we thought these were beavers, but they lacked the appropriate tails. They are nutria.
This crab was quite large and tasty looking.
Posted by Kanga.
It’s been a long time since my last toy video. This should make up for it.
Oliver loves to chew on cardboard. He also likes to get up on top of the kitchen cabinets. Once caught in the act and the camera is on, he puts on his innocent face.
Oliver has calmed down greatly (post-neutering). He still has a loud voice, but he isn’t constantly using it. He is much happier and so are we. He is getting back to his old self – playing fetch and running around after Bert. He still gets a bit wound up in the evenings when Bert wants to nap and Oliver is bored and wants to be entertained, but we are counting our blessings. Whew!
Posted by Kanga.
It is well into the nineties Fahrenheit here these days. The crushing humidity hasn’t set in, yet. That will come in June and stay through September. I suspect that I am getting acclimated, however, because it doesn’t seem that hot to me. I used to melt in ninety degree weather.
As I was leaving work one day, I noticed that the water from the sprinklers was turning directly into vapor and rising up rather than falling down.
I don’t seem to be able to embed this video, so you will need to click on the link below to see the video of what I was doing on Monday the 15th.
http://video.gulfnews.com/services/player/bcpid4267205001?bctid=72563437001
Posted by Kanga.
Friday we drove to Fujairah to see the bull butting competition that is held every Friday afternoon. It was pretty entertaining and I hope you enjoy these videos.
We don’t know all the details on how this is scored and how the winner is determined, but it seems fairly simple. Two bulls are placed in an arena and they butt heads. Fairly bloodless and quite entertaining since each bout is different. It has been going on for hundreds of years. It was first introduced to the region by the Portuguese.
The bulls are tied up outside the arena until it is their turn to compete. As you can see, they dig holes, stomping and snorting while they wait. These were directly behind where I was standing, so you will hear them in the background of the videos.
The arena is simply a large sandy area. The fences have only recently been added. There is a chain link fence around the outside and a metal railing inside that and most of the spectators stand behind the metal railing. You will notice, however, that there are several people (including children) sitting or standing in the arena. We happened to be at one of the corners where the bulls enter/leave, so you will see a few closeups as they pass by.
The men who handle (and try to control) the bulls are barefoot. One is armed only with a long riding crop. There is a rope around each bull’s neck which they use to pull the bulls apart and lead them. The bulls all have rings in their noses and before and after the bouts they are lead using a rope that is threaded through that ring. There are no rodeo clowns and no riders on cutting horses.
This first video is a fairly straightforward bout. Not too many surprises.
This second video shows a bit of a stalemate with the bulls standing still head to head. It turns into a bit of a tug of war toward the end.
This last video is the most exciting. Keep your eyes on the spotted bull.
How did we find out about this spectacle? Another expats blog – Focus on Fujairah and it was written up in TimeOut Dubai, a local entertainment guide magazine.
We attempted to see this event last year – see previous post – but it was canceled that day.
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