Dubai

I am writing this from my hotel room in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The hotel room is the nicest I've ever been in, a kitchenette, living room with a gorgeous couch and dining room table, a massive balcony, and a huge tub with one of those rain shower heads? Is that what they're called? Anyway, it's super duper fancy!

Dubai has never been a place that I wanted to go to, and I feel bad that I've got the opportunity to see it, when R was the one who wanted to. It's super hot, expensive, and full of crazy tall buildings. It's nice in the sense that I feel more at home than I have since leaving Canada. Pakistan is very third world, whereas Dubai is so modern and it feels like being in any other big city back in North America. Everything is shiny and new, they drive on the proper side of the road, plenty of American cars, people actually obey the laws of the road, there are massive highways, shopping malls, etc. Islamabad doesn't have any shopping malls, the buildings are falling apart, they drive on the wrong side of the road, the cars are all at least 20-30 years old, and they definitely don't obey any rules of the road. For example, those lines in the road, yeah, they don't pay attention to them and often swerve all over the place, into your lane, and a red light? They'll just blow right through it.

I haven't done a whole lot of sight seeing, but hopefully I'll get the chance one of these days. There's 10 of us here, and I typically just join a group outing because I don't want to wander off by myself, never to be seen again. I've been to Old Dubai, the Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates (which has an indoor ski hill!!!), and the Dubai Marina. We also went to Al Karama one night, which is a shopping district with a lot of designer knock-offs. There were some cute purses, but they were all over $100 which I think is a bit steep for a fake. "Ohh, but this is the master copy!" Hahaha. So we've just been doing a lot of shopping, and eating out. Breakfast is included at the hotel, so I've only been buying dinner each night, trying to save as much money as I can. We get an allowance, and I'm trying to stay on budget so that I won't have to spend any of my own money (or R's money, I should say). But it's so hard, as there are so many familiar shops here! Just yesterday Y dragged me in to Bath & Body Works. Fortunately they were having a 75% off sale, so I picked up some things. But they've got all the same shops as back home, and then some, and quite a few of designer stores. Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Fendi, Prada, etc. And perhaps the best thing of all? Tim Horton's!

Today we are going on a desert safari and I'm pretty excited about that. I will let you know how it goes! :)

For now, have some photos.

Panoramic view from my balcony

 Indoor ski hill at Mall of the Emirates

 Aquarium in Dubai Mall

 Mall of the Emirates

 Dubai Marina

Self Explanatory

The Shoemaker

A couple of weeks ago, Rasheed took Roderick to his shoemaker, and then later on to the place where we purchased my Shalwar Kameez. We went back the other night to pick the shoes up, and wow, I was amazed. Not only at how awesome they look, but just how they do it. Everything is done by hand, and the help of an ancient sewing machine.

The custom, handmade, leather shoes were 3500 rupees, the equivalent of about $35 CAD. (And to think the other day we spent $30 on a 24pack of Shweppes, a box of crackers and a jug of orange juice - sheesh! imports!). How can you go wrong? Especially when you design it exactly how you want it, and it's made to fit your feet. He's super happy with the outcome, and I don't blame him.

 Roderick wearing both pairs of shoes

 How sexy are these?

When we went to pick them up, I brought 3 pictures with me of shoes that I would like to have made. So I should have those within 15 days, and I can't wait to see how they'll look.

Who needs sweat shops and mass-produced, overpriced shoes when you've got a shoemaker? ;) 

National Day(s) of Protest

These past few days have been pretty crazy around here. All thanks to some lunatic who thought it'd be a good idea to create an Anti-Islam film. Thanks, dude!

The protests started on Wednesday and have continued up until now even. However, I think today they will be a bit more peaceful, at least that's what we've been told. The president told everyone to take yesterday off work, and dubbed it as a National Day of Protest. They were told to keep it peaceful, but obviously that did not happen. Fortunately for us, there were thousands of riot police, and even the military were called in to keep things controlled. Thank god for those guys who were there to protect us, because things got pretty out of control. They destroyed buildings, cars, set them on fire, broke windows, and at least 17 people were killed in the riots throughout Pakistan. So sad.

Yesterday was a very long day for me. I acted fine on the outside, but inside I was going through so many emotions. It was a very scary situation for me - not knowing what the outcome would be. But fortunately everyone is okay! Thank you God. And coming from Canada, where things (generally) are quite safe, I've never been in a situation like this at all before.

I just hope that things cool down soon so that it is safe for us once again. 

My Shalwar Kameez

 

How cute do I look? I am so happy with them and received so many compliments today at work! Roderick and I picked out the fabrics, chose the designs, and they are custom made to fit me. 3 outfits - all for $100! These would cost hundreds back home. Not to mention they are the comfiest things ever, and I'm definitely going to have some more made.


Yesterday was Rod's 26th birthday. Unfortunately he had to work in the evening, so we went out for lunch to Wild Rice, which is in the Serena Hotel. It served delicious Asian cuisine, and wow! I'll definitely be going back.

And today is my brother's 23rd birthday. Not sure if he reads this but if so - HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROTHER BEAR <3

"ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Several hundred lawyers protesting an anti-Islam video forced their way into an area in Pakistan's capital that houses the U.S. Embassy and other foreign missions on Wednesday, and the United States temporarily closed its consulate in an Indonesian city because of similar demonstrations.

The lawyers who protested in Islamabad shouted anti-U.S. slogans and burned an American flag after they pushed through a gate, gaining access to the diplomatic enclave before police stopped them. They called for the U.S. ambassador to be expelled from the country, and then peacefully dispersed."

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/pakistan-lawyers-enter-diplomatic-area-during-film-protest-1.962187#ixzz26uegVeha

Oh dear.

War and Politics

For those of you who watch the news, you may have heard of some of the things that have been going on over here. American embassies being attacked, the American ambassador and a couple others being murdered in Libya, it's all just crazy to me. There was a protest here yesterday against America, and fortunately the protestors did not make it onto the enclave, thanks to hundreds of riot police and the enclave being so well protected. I wasn't scared, but I would have been had they broke through, because I live so close to the American embassy.

I just wonder what goes through their minds? Why you so crazy?

Last night we had a going away party for someone that's leaving this week. I didn't know her at all really, but we went and had a fun time. Plenty of finger foods, laughs, drinks, and even a delicious chocolate cake. I've really been craving chocolate and cake lately, so that was extra satisfying! I hope our sea shipment comes sooner rather than later, as it has all of our foods in it, and my cupcake tray. I really want to make cupcakes. And I can't wait to get my slowcooker. I've seen so many delicious recipes on a website called Pinterest and I just want to make them all.

I've started volunteering at the High Commission. I'm not sure if I mentioned this or not already? But it's just basic work that needs to be done, so I'm helping them out with different things. Like filing and organizing. I received a call the other day from the British mission, saying that they'd received my resume and just wanted to let me know that I'm one of the selected candidates, and they'll call me back for an interview as soon as the person who does the hiring returns from vacation. So that was nice to hear. Not sure if I'll get the job or not, or how many others were selected, but at least I have a chance, right? 

Vacation ideas?

Our air shipment showed up today! Yay! It was mainly the necessities, kitchen stuff, towels, bedding, some clothes, and of course golf clubs, tennis rackets and the iMac. Which I have now set up in the spare room which will now be the office/music room. It's also home to the stand up freezer. Random. I forgot how insanely big this computer screen is and it's sort of making my eyes hurt.

Hopefully our sea shipment will arrive in a month or two. But I've heard that it could take up to 6 months or so. I really hope not as it has all of my winter clothes in it. Although I've heard that this first winter will be fine for me, however, next winter I may find it colder as I'll be used to the hotter temperatures. It doesn't usually get below 0 and the average high December-February is about 17-19 degrees celsius. And I think -5 was a record or something? So, I will most definitely survive. No more of this -30 business.

Anyway, our first trip (while living here) has been booked. The flights were a reasonable price, $850/person and we'll be stopping off in 3 different cities. And I managed to get the hotels for dirt cheap. 11 nights for $555! I figure we won't be spending a whole lot of time at the hotels anyway, so why bother spending a fortune there, when we could save that money for other things. We've got a budget of $5,000 which seems a bit excessive to me when compared to the other trips I've been on, but I'm hoping that we won't spend the full amount, and can then put the remainder towards our next trip.

I've got my heart set on an African safari thanks to my friend Greg who is there currently. I don't really mind where I go, as long as I get to see a wild lion. That is my dream. He blogs over at From Shwa to Etosha if anyone would like to check him out. He's a great writer and his photographs are incredible.

And other than that, I don't really know where we'll adventure to. We wanted to head down under to Australia/New Zealand but it's really quite pricey, and about the same distance/cost from Canada. So we will probably hold off on that until we're older and have more money saved.

Other considerations include: Vietnam, Nepal, Indonesia, Austria, Turkey, Greece, Croatia, and Rod really wants to go to Scotland but perhaps on the way home or later on in life, as it's not so far from Canada. And yes, I am already contemplating my next vacation and this one hasn't even started yet. 

If anyone has any other suggestions on some awesome places to visit that I haven't considered, please leave a comment :)


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On another note - today is 9/11. RIP.

Travel Planning

Roderick and I are planning a trip in the coming future and it's been no easy task. You would think that planning a vacation would be loads of fun, but no. Especially when you are on a budget. And I really should say that I have been planning the trip. He hardly even wants to look at the hotels that I have picked out. The only thing he did was pick the country, and I've done everything else.

I was also under the impression that this country was relatively inexpensive, in comparison to other countries in this area. But compared to all the other vacations I have taken, it's pretty pricey. Granted, the only things I have to compare it to are all inclusive vacations in the Caribbean, and my Euro trips were dirt cheap as Ryanair has ticket sales for as low as $30 sometimes, and I always Couchsurfed, so I never paid for a hotel. And if you are wondering what Couchsurfing is, well, check out www.couchsurfing.org. It's almost like Facebook, in the sense that people create profiles and write about themselves. But the true purpose for it is so that you can meet people on there in specific cities that you will be traveling to, and they let you sleep on their couch (or bed, if they have an extra) for free. Not only does it give you a place to stay, but it also allows you to meet a local who can give you advice on things to do and see, and show you the parts of town where most tourists wouldn't normally go.

Anyway, back to the point of this entry.

Basically, I was not expecting to pay so much money to go on a vacation. I guess I am cheap, I don't know. And it's got me thinking that if this really is the cheapest vacation spot around here, how much are our other trips to other countries going to cost us? But I guess we might as well enjoy ourselves while we're over here and I'll just try not to worry about the money.

Khewra Salt Mines

 

This past Saturday we took a roadtrip to the Khewra Salt Mines, just over 2 hours away from Islamabad. The morning got off to a bad start, with our alarm clock not going off and waking up 30 minutes before we had to be out the door, and then discovering the truck had a flat tire, but we had a great day nonetheless.

The drive to Khewra was very scenic, lots of mountains and hills, and roads that twisted so often that the speed limit was 30km/hour. 

One thing that I hate about this country is that foreigners are charged so much more than locals. And the Salt Mines were no exception. 120 rupees if you were Pakistani, 1000 rupees if you were foreign. I can understand a slight price difference, but that's huge! What a rip off. 

Then of course I see some white people so I just had to say hello! Turns out they were from some the States, and with the accent, a southern one. I get so excited when I see white people, it's ridiculous.

So we spent the next hour or so taking a train into the mines, which was slightly terrifying. It was a bumpy ride and I think we all had sore backs afterward. But it was an interesting tour, and I'm glad we went. Apparently the mines had been discovered some 300 years before Christ by some explorer, who I can't remember the name of. 

A mosque built out of bricks of salt

Apparently if you lick one wall, you'll be blessed with luck, the other with love. So the boys all licked the walls. Beyond disgusting if you ask me. Who knows who else licked those walls? And what diseases they carried? Yuck.

Once the tour was finished, we did a quick wander through the village to purchase some salt statue souvenirs. I picked up an elephant and a camel made out of salt. Very cute! 

 This was the British family who we went with, although in separate vehicles

And then we headed back to Islamabad. By this point, everyone was hungry, and I was absolutely starving as I hadn't had a single bite to eat at all that day. So we ditched the Brits and headed to The Monal Restaurant, which is atop the Margalla Hills. It was quite the drive to get through, more sharp, steep turns and I thought we may just tumble off the mountain. Scary business driving in this country. 

The white building on top is The Monal

The food was mediocre, it seems like ordering American food in Pakistan is not the best idea. I'm going to stick to middle eastern food from now on, I think. But I'm definitely glad that we went as the view was amazing, and we got to see Macaques :)