It is has been a rich time of year for gigs in the UAE and the choice in March has been bewildering – Usher, Stevie Wonder, 30 Seconds to Mars, Eric Clapton,Sharon Corr, Brand New Heavies, The Streets and Flo Rida. Really, we have never been so spoilt. I guess you can’t go to everything and I ended up choosing only Usher this month. So what was it like?

I thought it was brilliant. Long time readers of my blog will recall me raving about Justin Timberlake when he played in Abu Dhabi and how much I loved that. I often reminisce with my fellow Timberlake concert goers that it was the best gig ever and how could it be topped. Well Mr Usher came mighty close last weekend.

He started off with a dance routine to the track “Monster” that was Michael Jackson inspired. His vocals while busting out those moves weren’t the best but no one seemed to care. The light and dance show was spectacular:

After the massive opening Usher slid into his more normal smoochy R&B style and in this relaxed atmosphere he was able to show off his vocal talent better. This allowed me to pop to the bar and grab some refreshments.

The fun part of this segment was when he brought a very cute girl from the audience up on to stage and sang her a song. From what I have heard from the web and my friends in the UK who have also seen the show I can report that Usher was “Culturally sensitive” during this part of the performance. The girl he had up there was in a state of disbelief with gawking eyes and constantly mouthing “OMG” it was very entertaining and I am sure she will never forget those five minutes:

Usher performed for a full two hours treating us to a little Jackson 5 montage and a host of his biggest back catalogue hits like – Burn, You Make me Wanna and Yeah – this had the whole crowd rocking and dancing:

He closed on the tour title song OMG and it was special – going all out on the dance routine and pyrotechnics I could not have wanted more for one my favourite club songs of last year. The huge mixed crowd of all ages and some remarkable hairstyles all left the concert a buzz with excitement about what they had just witnessed. It felt to me as if the mood in Dubai has turned. Is Dubai back? Maybe it is judging by the huge traffic at the end of each working day and this concert was the first sell out in the last couple of years. Times it seems they are a changing.

As I ambled home to the Marina to avoid the mass of people looking for a taxi I thought to myself. “How would I rate that gig – simple OMG!”

After a relaxing afternoon in sun, sampling a very delicious range of  Dim Sum we head over to the concert. It is events like this that remind me just how many Brits there in Dubai – the ten thousand plus crowd mostly appeared to come from the green and pleasant land. There was also a noticeable lack of “teeny boppers” with Amy attracting an older crowd. Perfect I will be able to relax without any screaming in my ear.

As usual with concerts in Dubai the queue for beverages was ridiculous and food overpriced – but I have come to expect to this so it provided a little distraction as we waited for the gig to start. Once suitably stocked up we looked for spot to stand only to be left a little disappointed that the viewing was restricted by us with the “cheap seats” (300aed/$81) by a huge sound/lightening/camera setup in the “front of house position” forcing the crowd into a relative narrow viewing angle either side of it. But as it turned out I am glad I did not spring the extra 200aed for the “Golden Circle” or even an extra 700aed for the Back to Black Lounge (two small platforms slightly elevated over the crowd set at an oblique angle).

Soon enough Amy Winehouse entered the stage to what I would call polite applause. On first impressions she looked surprisingly well :

Big Hair – check

Tattoos on display – check

Trademark eye make up – check

Then she started singing, or at least I think she did. We simply couldn’t hear the first song. Her voice faded in and out and it was all a bit strange. For the first couple of songs it felt as if there had been a mess up with the sound mixing or there was an issue with her microphone. She looked increasingly anxious fiddling with her in ear monitors and often scratching at her arm. You could see her talking to various members of the band and almost looked embarrassed at one point. The first three of four songs continued in this vein and each was greeted with resounding boos from the crowd. People were in a state of disbelief as they looked and commented to each other about what they were witnessing. The poor phone networks were getting a battering as by the end of the first song nearly everyone was lighting up the social networks telling the world that Amy was choking on stage.

My initial thoughts that there was an issue with sound mixing were wrong, as after the fifth song when Amy left the stage leaving the backup singers to entertain the miserable crowd and in their defence they belted out a couple of cracking tracks but all too little too late.

When Amy came back it was a little better – you could kind of hear here this time, and the crowd did their best to sing-a-long to “Valerie” and “Rehab’ but I admit – I preferred the versions that we do at my sing star parties.

Spotify have this to say about Amy Winehouse:

“Much can be said about Amy Winehouse, one of the UK’s flagship vocalists during the 2000s. The British press and tabloids seemed to focus on her rowdy behaviour and heavy consumption of alcohol, but fans and critics alike embraced her rugged charm, brash sense of humour, and distinctively soulful and jazzy vocals.”

I think the British press have it right and I rued the lack of the soulful and jazzy vocal last night. Such a shame for her and the crowd. There have been great gigs in the UAE for example Justin Timberlake, Prince and The Killers this was just such a let down. Still, next week it is the Jazz Festival with Macy Gray, Alison Moyet and Train all lined up to play, then in March there is Usher, 30 Seconds to Mars and Stevie Wonder – I will be at some of these for sure and Amy hasn’t dulled my interest for live music.

Overall – 1/10 – The one mark was for socializing, as it was nice to see a lot of people I hadn’t seen for sometime down at the gig but it was really just a dismal concert . It left me wishing I had gone to Abu Dhabi to see Mr Eric Clapton work his guitar like the magician he is.

Amber and I enjoying the beautiful weather on my balcony and it was such a special treat to have her as my guest in Dubai:

Prior to making my booking I had taken the time for a little inspection and was not disappointed. The interior lounge and bedrooms were beautifully finished, with a great top deck and plenty of seating all around for us to relax on, it was the perfect vessel. We arrived at the Dubai Marina Yacht Club about half an hour before our departure and everyone’e sense of anticipation was clear. It felt it had been ages in coming and we were all eager to get on board.

You might be able to tell that I am a tiny bit excited as we boarded:

As we ambled along at 5 knots through the Dubai Marina people ran around the boat exploring all the various nooks and crannies, while I busied myself getting the iPod hooked up to the stereo for some cheesy rock tunes. While we gently cruised up the Marina it was great to get some views of the exciting new “Infinity” Tower with a twist in that is progressing fast:

Once out of the Marina the captain opened up the motors and we were soon heading out past the Palm and deep into the Gulf. The skyline behind us of the Marina skyscrapers was just amazing:

Everyone was able to relax and enjoy the wind rushing around us as we cruised out. We were well looked after by the deckhand who was just everywhere. One minute serving soft drinks and nuts, the next ensuring everyone had a glass of champagne in their hand that was consistently full till we ran dry of the bubbly:

The captain was equally amiable and had a few fun stories about previous parties he had taken out:

Once we had gotten to a certain area of the Gulf we dropped anchor and the fishing rods were pulled out and a number of lads got stuck in. A little competition started – who would catch the first fish, who would catch the biggest fish and who would catch the most fish. Below Werner does well and gets one of the first bites:

All to soon fishing time was over and it was on to the next part of the trip. We set sail for the “lagoon” which is conveintly located just outside Barasti. We weren’t the only ones there – it seems this is where the luxury day tripping yachts head to allow for their passengers to swim into the sea. This being a bit of a party boat soon most were in the water splashing around:

There was also a bit of fun with people leaping and diving off the top deck. Matt with his mad skills was the clear winner:

After the swimming was over people were feeling exhilarated, so it was about time I got busy making some cocktails for the cruise back into the Marina:

And what better backdrop to enjoy a limey refreshing cocktail as the sun went down on a rather sensational day…

Once back in the harbour I gave the crew a generous tip and we hiked back across the bridge to my place for the “after party” however not before enjoying the view from the bridge:

Once back at my place we teamed up with more of my friends who had also been out on a yacht the same day. It was very kind of Chef Tom (from Ask One TV Fame) to sort out almost an endless supply of tasty prawn, beef and lamb kofta kebabs. Here he is having a bit of a bus man’s holiday working hard on the grill:

He also managed to fix up a cake for the Birthday Boy (me) and the Birthday Girl (Laura his wife) with a rather giant and very tasty cake. This arrived with loads of candles and a rapturous version of happy birthday:

We partied late into the night and I can only be thankful that the cleaner came in the following morning to sort out my place which was looking very sorry for itself the morning after.

It was a fantastic day. A trip on a yacht around Dubai with great friends is an experienced not to be missed and I can only rate it as 10/10. A bunch of my mates were in Sri Lanka during that weekend and I really wish they could have been with me, I hope that there will be a next time.

I flicked back through my photo collection and thought it would be nice to share a few photos of the development of the yacht club over the last couple of years.

The first photo was taken February 2008 the day I had my snagging for the apartment I now live in. JBR had yet to open and there were only a few boats on moorings in the middle of the Marina:

When I finally got the keys to my place in May 2008 I took the following photo. The pontoons were well under way though not open to yachts at this point:

And if we quickly fast forward to August 2010 the Yacht Club has all berths full and they are currently opening other mooring options in other parts of the Marina as there seems to be an ongoing demand. I really wish I had set up some time-lapse photography between this period.

I am lucky. Each day I get to look out on a simply amazing ever changing view. It is something I look forward to if I have been on a hectic business trip or simply welcoming guests over for a drink or a meal. I will be breaking my duck of taking a yacht out from the Marina later this month as part of some joint birthday celebrations. I can hardly wait.

It is always a pleasure when you get bumped to business class if the flight is full but I had never had the pleasure of travelling at the very front of the plane. However recently on my trip to Melbourne I took advantage of a “Cash+Miles” deal to fly First Class for the 13 hour trip from Dubai to Melbourne direct.

So if you ever wondered what it is like to fly First Class on Emirates here are a few of my thoughts:

First Class Lounge in Dubai Terminal 3

If you have ever walked into the regular business lounge in Dubai Terminal 3 in the morning it is a veritable zoo with hundreds of people milling around. Turning right from the escalator brings you the tranquil calm of the first class lounge. On my visit there it was almost serene. It was a nice touch that there is real linen, silver cutlery and a full bread basket provided when I had breakfast. But it was a shame that the cooked brekkie was identical to the other lounge – scrambled eggs, hash browns, beans and chicken sausage. I had hoped for something better.

Still it was relaxing and quiet, and if I wished I could have gone for a massage but I was a little pressed for time.

Boarding the Flight

As I walked down the gangway to the plane a large pull up stand directed me to special entrance for first class passengers, that was novel. Total isolation.

I was quickly ushered to my “suite” number 1A:

Emirates first class suites are available on the A380 and the newer 777′s – so be sure to check if you get one on your booking as it does really make a difference. The ability to shut your doors and hide from the rest of the world while cocooned in luxury, is a fantastic experience.

As soon as I settled down into my seat I was quickly attended to a host of needs:

1. Would I like a drink?

2. Would I like a hot towel?

3. Would I like a date (food variety)?

4. Would I like an Arabic coffee?

5. Would I like a newspaper?

6. Would I like a magazine?

7. Would I like the menu?

8. Would I like the wine list?

9. Would I like socks and eyeshades?

10. Would I like slippers?

and then what makes First Class really special:

11. Would sir like pajamas in L or XL size? – oh so polite. The XL of course.

While all of this was going on I was busy indulging in the Dom Perignon 2000. My own words don’t do it justice bu the Emirates wine list has a good go at it:

I thought I did quite well nearly polishing off a whole bottle on the flight. This is nothing to what this one chap managed.

The Cabin

The first thing you notice when in the First Class cabin is the distinct lack of over head hat racks to store your bags. They end up going on the floor to one side of your feet. Brilliant for easy access.

When when sitting down (aside from the large flat screen TV) it was hard to miss the snack tray and vanity set. Perfect if I get the munchies and need a quick touch up:

While you get the usual large remote operating the lights, massage seats, privacy door and the inflight entertainment. There were a couple of special buttons. The first was the electric blinds:

And the other was the mini bar

As someone mentioned on twitter it would be a great once your drinks had popped up if a little voice said “Your drink is ready sire” The funny thing is that with four cabin crew for 12 passengers a press on the call button is even faster.

The Food

Sadly, I didn’t take any photos of the food. But the great thing is that you can eat whatever they have on the menu anytime you want it. I somehow ended up ordering the soup, the lobster, the caviar and the porterhouse steak just because I could. It was all delicious and went well with the vintage champagne.

The Sleep

For me the biggest boon of First Class is the ability to really get some good sleep. I made sure to go and brush my teeth and put on my supplied pajamas so that I had “ready for bed feeling” while I was doing this a cabin crew member transformed me seat into a little haven. A full on bed complete with mattress, duvet and a couple of fluffy pillows. I had no chance and slept for an even eight hours

Overall

I really did have a wonderful experience flying First on Emirates. It is hideously expensive and yes it is better than business class. However I didn’t feel that the difference really justified the cost as Emirates business class is a decent product that I use regularly. But if you have the means and it is a special reason, then go ahead. You won’t be disappointed.

One the tricky things about finding a Tailor in Dubai is that a lot of them are located in the older parts Dubai such as Bur Dubai, Karama and Deira. There are a couple of issues with this for me. Firstly they are quite a distance from where I live and secondly when I get there (if my navigation is good) it is often hard to find parking. So when I heard that there one respected tailor had moved to Jumeriah 3 it was hard to pass up the opportunity to try somewhere new.

M2M have been in Dubai for more than 20 years and moving up to Jumeriah 3 at the start of this year in my opinion is a stroke of genius. Easy to find, easy to park and just a fifteen minute drive for me to get there. They are not hard to miss, their villa style boutique is situated next to the Eppco station on Beach Road:

Upon entering it was clear that they had gone out of their way to make this a relaxed and comfortable shopping experience. The rich wood interior and hints of the English gentry made me feel at home. I went to get a shirt and some trousers made. It is rare I am in a suit nowadays but if these items turned out well I am sure I will be back for one.

Choosing and designing a shirt is something of a joyful experience for me. From the choice of the fabrics, collar design, pocket or no pocket, monogram and its location, cuff design and the cut of the shirt each selection making that particular shirt special to me. The chaps at M2M were polite helpful and always willing to provide a little bit of advice as we went through the process. There was a good selection of fabrics available and a wealth more could be ordered in from the numerous swatches they had to hand:

Once the shirt design was done I moved onto the fabric choice for the trousers. I wanted something lightweight to be cool in the hot summer yet still smart for the office. Again a great selection of fabrics and the design process was another delight. The cut, pocket style, buttons or not, pleated of flat front, turn ups or not – I loved choosing from the options.

Below is a few of the collar choices on display:

With the design of the shirt and trousers done it was time for the measurements. M2M had a special area for this where one stands on a plinth in front of a three paneled mirror, it was all rather lavish. The master Tailors are then called for. First the “Shirt Master” who efficiently took my shirt measurements and asked if I wore a watch in case he needed to make the left cuff slightly larger. Then the “Suit Master” gave me another measuring for my trousers but still took my torso measurements, so I got the full treatment.

Once done, I was told that the garments would be ready for fitting in just a matter of 48hours but if I was in a hurry I could come back tomorrow afternoon. I was impressed and thought this would be perfect for my mates who would be coming on holiday as they like to indulge in tailor made clothes as much as I do.

While I was at M2M I was asked if I would like to see the “Ethnic Wedding” section they have for men and women upstairs. Nosey as ever, I was pleased to have a look and was greeted by some impossibly bling outfits:

A few days later I went back for my fitting which was short and sweet and after the weekend the finished article was ready for me to collect:

I was really pleased with the outcome. Trying them on, they fit well and are comfortable. The quality of work is great and I have a feeling I will be back for some future purchases. This leads me onto to price. A monogrammed shirt starts at 250aed ($68) and a suit starts from 1490aed ($405) this I think is really reasonable and comparable to off the peg prices in the UK, however for this price you are getting something fitted to you. I for one couldn’t ask for more.

Overall – Great value well made custom clothes, located in a smart part of Jumeriah which is easy to get to. 9/10.

“Do you want to go to the F1 in Abu Dhabi?”

“Sure, why not?”

So tickets secured I didn’t really give it a second thought till last Friday. Then I started to get caught up in the hype. Facebook and Twitter were awash with people excitedly proclaiming that they too were going to spend a day or two at the race. Cool – I thought at least there would be a good crowd. Before I was really more excited about seeing the concerts – Kings of Leon and Aerosmith. I was a little sad that I didn’t get a three day ticket so I could have seen Jamiroquai and Beyonce too but as it turned out the two rock groups were plenty.

I am fortunate to have been to Silverstone a couple of times in the UK for the F1 and even luckier to have been given VIP paddock passes to both McLaren and Ferrari on separate occasions. This time as regular Joe Public in the grandstand would be a new experience and as it turned out to be just as fun.

On qualifying day we left Dubai in a minibus so we might enjoy a few drinks without consequence. In less than an hour we were parked and on the bus to Yas Island Marina Circuit. I was impressed, excellent road links, ample parking and plenty of air-conditioned buses. There was none of the traffic issues that I had experienced getting to Silverstone or any hiking through marsh-ridden bogs…

On the bus ride to the circuit friends who had been landscape architects on the Yas Island project accompanied us. They gave us the inside scope. The amount of details that hadn’t been completed were gleefully pointed out but that best efforts had been put in to give it a very presentable look. To the untrained eye it simply looked brand new. The sheer scale of the development is hard to comprehend. Here is a shot from the big screen of the development

Entry into the circuit through security was again painless – none of the multi-hour queues that had plagued the Dubai World Cup a couple of years ago. Once in the roar of thousand horsepower engines greeted us. Stuffing foam pieces into our ears (handed out by friends Emarati volunteers) we raced to our seats in the West Grandstand eager to get a view of practice session.

The new “Protec Barriers” used on the circuit meant that we literally on top of the action. We were placed at the end of the longest straight on the F1 tour just before a hard left hander. The West stand also provided views of the cars coming into the home straight and entry into the pit lane. With the big screen providing shots of the rest of the track it was easy to keep up with the action.  Now with the modern miracle of 3G, iPhone and the BBC website we knew exactly what was happening.

The circuit simply looks sensational. The space craft looking Yas Hotel setting the scene with its wacky curves and twinkling lights as the night pulled in. The cyan blue painted run off areas also add to the futuristic look. After the qualifying session that evening I watched a replay in HD – the helicopter that had been buzzing around all night provided some amazing shots. My dad commented “It looked like something from a sci-fi movie” personally I thought it would not have looked out of place in the classic playstation game Wipeout. Here we are just in front of the track following the race:

Watching the qualifying was good but the following day race day was superb. It was nice to hear the crowd react to highlights and I would estimate at 90% capacity it was not a race in front of empty stands that we had seen this year in Beijing, KL and Istanbul.
Key moments of racing that had me on the edge of my seat were the start of the race, Hamilton getting pole in the dying seconds of qualifying, when Vettel exited the pit lane to take the lead or in the last lap when Button twice made a move to over take Webber but was repelled. Here is a clip I took of the race start – the engine noise is unbelievable:

It was exciting stuff and I have to admit to really enjoy seeing it live. Watching it on TV just isn’t the same and I admit to find it boring sometimes. Trackside it is different gravy.
As were spending all day at the circuit a few comments on the facilities:
1.    Toilets – plentiful though the ones inside the stadium have a crazy design which creates a choke point on entry/exit
2.    Food – generally awful. Overpriced restaurants selling poor quality dishes. The fast food stands were no better with the ones in the F1 village actually closing during the afternoon having run out of food. I brought six chicken shwarmas for the guys in the concert arena to essentially have paid $8 each for onions wrapped in bread. Very disappointing.
3.    Drinks – no problems here. Innocuous tents simply labelled as no admission to under 21s provided everything a thirsty expat might need. Also water was free around the circuit – good job as it was hot before sunset.
4.    The F1 village – sat just behind the VIP area it was a great place to hang out. Sponsor tents were setup with the Etihad one was particularly good with F1 simulators the major draw. The Marlboro tent had a big draw but I think this had more to do with all the promo models who just seemed to be hanging around looking cool
5.    Entertainment – the organizers had a stage setup at one end of the F1 village and brought some really top class performers. It was a shame you had no idea where or when they would perform.

My personal favourite was Nathan Flutebox – I have been following this human beat box flute playing genius for sometime and it was a pleasure to see him live:

And the double dutch skipping antics of these young guys were really enjoyable to watch:

It is also amazing who you can meet at these events. I saw Richard Branson but was far happier seeing my friend from Gitex:

The organizers had really put together an awesome set of concerts. The venue was under one of the arches of the forthcoming Ferrari Experience theme park. It was an excellent venue and I imagine will give Emirates Palace a run for its money as the premiere concert venue in the UAE. I never really though that Kings of Leon would ever play in the UAE and there was no way I was missing them. We made the hike from the stand over to the concert, which turned out to be a mistake. As there were plenty of buses available.
On entry to the concert area all bags were searched and any “professional” cameras were forced to check them in at a porta-cabin. Later this turned out to be a nightmare; despite leaving the gig early there was a huge melee of people trying to collect their cameras. It took us more than an hour.
There was a little bit of British humour in the crowd waiting for their cameras with a little singing and one guy raising his camera bag like it was the world cup and giving it a kiss accompanied to a tremendous cheer from the crowd. There really needs to be a better system for this. It ended up leaving a sour note with many after an otherwise great day. After all – with the mass up take of digital SLRs which owner is going to leave their’s at home? The second day – I did.

Kings of Leon
I managed to gather up most of my friends who were at the gig and we enjoyed the show together. I admit to being a three trick pony as far as Kings of Leon going.
The crowd reacted well to there rock style despite clearly not knowing most of the songs. This all changed for their Anthem “Sex on Fire” and the crowd sang their hearts out. This seemed to get approval from their front man who performed enthusiastically and was determined to enjoy himself so far from his homeland. The crowd seemed happy and I was delighted having missed out on Coldplay last year.

Here is Abu Dhabi going crazy for them:

Aerosmith

After the excitement of the race I was feeling a little fatigued. It had been a long day at qualifying in the heat and Kings of Leon the previous evening. So we turned to Strongbow to provide the necessary restorative powers and get us in the mood. This day we had been smart. We had lunch before getting to the circuit, we limited our hiking around the grounds in the afternoon heat, left the SLR at home and made sure to get on and off the shuttle at the right time.
It was clear that a lot more people were in attendance for Aerosmith than the previous night and without DJ bliss warming up the crowd there was an air of anticipation. I was pretty neutral to begin with and was secretly wishing I could have snuck home with one of my friends as my feet gently throbbed in my crocs. But when Steve Tyler burst out on stage delivering “Livin’ on the Edge” all thoughts of discomfort were immediately discounted.

Me and the guys stood around and rocked out to their great live set. Here is a clip of an Aerosmith classic:

Despite looking like he has nearly as much plastic surgery as the late Michael Jackson, I take my hat off to him and the rest of the band. They performed like they meant it and had energy that belied their years.
When we left I felt privileged to have witnessed one of the truly great Rock bands of my era. In fact when I got home I dusted off “Guitar Hero – Aerosmith Edition” it is clear that I don’t have the same pipes as Steve Tyler, but I enjoyed trying.

There has been a lot written about the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It is an amazing feat of construction from sand to a space age race circuit with five star hotels and a marina in just 32 short months. Sure, there are some things that can be improved but that is par for the course here and lessons will soon be learnt and rectified. And when the F1 Ferrari experience theme park opens up it will without doubt be an amazing tourist destination.

Abu Dhabi really came of age onto the world scene last weekend and came out of the shadow of Dubai. There are a number of “must do” events on the expat calendar – The Rugby 7s, The Dubai World Cup and now the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

I always like to get out of the hustle and bustle of Dubai and a couple of days by the beach in the peaceful surroundings of mountains and beaches of the Indian ocean are a real treat. I went over last year and as we liked the place we saw plenty of reason to go back not least of all the two for one offer the Royal Beach was offering on their large villas.

Like last time we headed via a super bouncy road to Wadi Wurrayah to have a splosh around the rock pools and douse ourselves in the waterfall. It really is a rugged sight to behold – however it was really sad to see a huge increase in the amount of graffiti:

There were quite a few other people enjoying the cool refreshing waters of the Wadi when we got down there. A couple of chaps had decided to take the rather unusual idea of improvised flotation aids and had stuffed plastic bottles down their pants or tied plastic bottles to their waists. Turns out that they couldn’t swim very well and a two litre empty bottle of Pepsi gave them all the confidence one might need.

While I can’t see this catching on any time soon the chap and his friend below certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves:

Later on once it was passed Iftar time we settled in for some BBQ, refreshments and even a cheeky Sheesha. One of our party came particularly well prepared not only bringing special coals, a pipe, tobacco but share-friendly tips to insert into the end of the Sheesha pipe. On closer inspection these were no ordinary tips. They proclaimed proudly to have the following essential features:

1. Ergonomic Design

2. Easy to use

3. Lip Comforting

4. Wrinkle preventer

and to sum it all up “The Tips That Preserve The Lips” – amazing what a tiny piece of plastic can now do.

Sadly, as a non-smoker I passed on the sheesha but lip maintenance is on high on my priority list and I will be sure to use these if I do ever indulge.

Aside from this, it was a relaxing weekend but the weather right now is really is too hot and humid to spend any length of time outside without being immersed in cool water. It seemed we got the good dry weather as we left heavy showers came which is very out of season. This type of heavy rainfall also makes the Wadi’s a very dangerous place to be due to flash floods.

The previous recession proof UAE is now feeling the squeeze. A few weeks ago the mighty Nakheel let go 500 people, friends of mine who work in real estate can no longer get a car loan or mortgage.

On a personal note – the real estate slide has happened in Dubai. That bubble has finally burst. While I don’t think I have suffered a 50% property value as some people have reported it is certainly significant and with the mortgage companies increasing interest rates by 2% (as the rest of the world decreases theirs) – the squeeze has come.

Aside from the interest increase (which is painful) – the house price adjustment is a good thing. The monthly increases were frankly unfeasible and unrealistic. Also one does not lose on property unless one sells and the good news for me is that there is no need for me to sell just yet.

The positive side to the all economic drama in the UK means a great upside for expats in Dubai right now. Two and half years ago the exchange rate when I came to Dubai was 6.4 AED to £1 – shortly after I arrived the US dollar weakened and for the last two years it has been about 7.4AED to £1, Each time I went home it was expensive. Really expensive. However over the last few weeks there has been a dramatic change. As the US dollar strengthened so did the dirham. As I write this the exchange rate is currently 5.4AED to £1 a change of over 27% in a few short months.

The whole upshot of this is that for Brits in Dubai who are sending money back to the UK are getting some serious value for money right now. This week in the UK I couldn’t help but translate back into Dirham’s the whole time. As an example a pint of beer for 10AED (25AED in Dubai), Sing Star on PS3 97 AED (159AED in Dubai) and best of all a 30″ Flat Panel 5500AED (an amazing 12,000 AED in Dubai). With the recent reduction in VAT to 15% and credit crunch busting offers to be had the UK is a Dubai residents shopping paradise at the moment. Be certain I have taken full advantage over the last week or so.

Seems odd that tax free Dubai is not perhaps the shopping haven it used to me. Personally I am glad not to be earning sterling and holidaying in the Euro Zone as tourist exchange rates give £1 for 1 euro – now that is something I had never considered. I have read forecasts that the £ will fall further against the $ in the coming months. If it does it will take my mind of the escalating cost of living in Dubai.

I always find the thought of camping under the stars, while a romantic idea, the reality is one of an uncomfortable nights sleep followed by an even more difficult morning after, with a distinct lack of ablutions or creature comforts.

However time with my friends, way out of the city on a beautiful beach makes up for it. That goes without saying. In an effort to make life a little easier here are my tips to have a more enjoyable experience:

1. Get one of your friends to drive.

After all the effort of loading up the car the last thing you need is to drive the for two hours through the desert and mountains. On the drive this time we go an extra bonus as we got caught up in the middle of the Arab Run – kind of like a middle eastern version of the Gumball Rally. The car exotica was outstanding with pimped out Escalades and Hummers with a good assortment of Jags, Ferraris, Porsches and Lambos. Here are a couple of snaps I got:

This chap in the Porsche GT simply gave us a raise of the eyebrows as we took the photo – very smooth:

2. Get a tent that pops up.

OK, so it will not withstand camping in high winds or rain, but the pop up tents you can get from the supermarket for only $25 are assembled in seconds and keep the Sun off and insects out at night. I can only laugh at my mates who argue with their girlfriends in a desperate struggle to erect their poles.

3. Get an inflatable mattress with a compressor that with a 12V adapter.

Again in 30 seconds a comfortable night is ensured. Again, I can only laugh as others struggle with hand pumps or expel all their puff in manual blow up efforts

4. Get the most comfortable camping seat possible

No point in having to struggle to relax whilst enjoying the company and some beverages

5. Bring oversized beers

Why have to get up every 20 minutes to fetch a new beer? – when a big 750ml one will last you an hour. Below Tim demonstrates the joys of a comfy chair and a frosty, giant sized fosters

6. Make sure you are untalented and do not have to provide entertainment

Duncan regularly plays his guitar while we sing- a-long, this time however as a special bonus as Renata and Ursula put on a dazzling display of what I can only describe as “fire twirling” although its proper name is Fire Poi. It was an amazing spectacle and one I don’t think I will ever tire of seeing.

Dibba beach offers one of the best camping spots you could wish for. A wide, fairly clean beach, with warm refreshing waters set on a backdrop of rugged mountains. Tim commented “That was an amazing camping experience” and was glad he made the effort despite having to leave at 7am to ensure making his flight back to the UK. Every time we go we wonder why we don’t go more. I think we will try and make another visit before the summer sets in.

Before I headed off to the warmer climes of Australia for the Christmas break we had room for one last foray into the desert. Usually when we go out we will head to one spot have some fun then make a beeline back for Dubai. This trip was a little different. We managed to pack in three fun filled destinations in one day – Fossil Rock, Wadi Tayyibah and Sandy Beach in Fujeriah. Typically one of these destinations could easily occupy a day if you included lunch – but this day we were not hanging around.

First we headed over to the old favourite of Fossil Rock and got treated to a rather large welcoming committee of what seemed like and endless camel train. We took care too keep a respectable distance and grabbed some memorable photos:

We only took three cars and with each of the drivers now fairly experienced behind the wheel we ended up having a lot of fun with only two very minor stucks requiring a quick tow that slowed us down. As we drove across the undulating dune scape we came to very flat very wide part of sand. Boys will be boys and we spent 20 minutes pretending to be Jeremy Clarkson revving the engines of the cars and making fast sweeping turns like we were on some rally stage. One of the lads was brave enough to take this photo as we held a small drag race.

My favourite part of dune driving is the big descents down slip faces. Feet off the pedals you put faith in the engine breaking, steer for dear life while offering up a small prayer for forgiveness. Even after doing this numerous times it is still a marvellous feeling

Sometimes it is easy to become indifferent to things you own and I often wonder if I should have instead got the Nissan Patrol or Jeep Wrangler but when you look at it in a different light all is well. That is what I thought when I looked at this capture of my Hummer – sure it has its foibles but it has become a part of my Dubai adventure and I still love it dearly.

After we had finished playing in the sand we re-inflated the cras tyres and took the 30 minute drive over to Wadi Tayyibah. I enjoy driving Wadi’s a lot, the Hummer is right at home on the loose rock. It has great clearance and while there was the odd nasty sounding “squawk” from my friend’s Nissan Patrol ,the Hummer just crunched through with authority thanks to the amazing articulation of the wheels and axle. My friend got up high for a nice aerial shot of the Hummer entering a particularly tricky section:

Sadly this was all over to quick and we pushed on to get down to the Sandy Beach Motel in Fujeriah for a refreshing dip and snorkel around Snoopy Island. It seems that inflation is alive and well in this Emirate as the entrance fee had tripled from 25AED to 75AED since last season. Still it was worth it to see the turtles and enjoy the view:

We got back to Dubai at 7.30pm, having started ten hours before, all feeling a little tired. However I was pleased that we had gotten to have a fun filled day and we spent the evening enjoying the Dubai winter with a BBQ and some cold drinks whilst we recounted the highlights of the day to each other. It was a great UAE weekend and all for the cost of a tank of fuel and a beach entry fee – value indeed.

I would urge the local authorities to impose heavy fines on those littering – it is really destroying a great tourist attraction. It was no fun swimming in the pools with my mouth closed in case I swallowed a floating Choitrams bag.

Last weekend saw us take a trip Liwa also known as the Empty Quarter home of the largest sand desert on the planet. The directions from Dubai are straightforward. Drive to Abu Dhabi then bear left and then drive 200km into the desert (if you reach the Saudi border you have gone too far)

Liwa is the home of some mighty 200-300m sand dunes and as a good friend puts it “Liwa is the proper desert” and as such requires the right amount of respect and safety precautions. Before setting off – I checked I had all my recovery gear, my GPS was working, walkie talkies were charged and I had a car charger for my cell phone. I was also careful to ensure keep my vehicle fueled up at every opportunity. After a long drive (nicely broken up by a trip to the car museum) we arrived at Moreeb Hill.

Moreeb Hill is the home to annual hill climb challenge and on seeing it I can see why people turn up with 1000BHP vehicles. Apparently the hill climb record is 12 seconds. I would love to see that – but have my doubts about being in the vehicle! Here Carol has a go in her Nissan Patrol:

I did not even bother trying it in the Hummer as I had the worlds amount of camping gear in the car – and it is not the most powerful vehicle, even unencumbered. After Carol had finished playing on the hill, we aired down our tires, then drove into the dunes searching for a suitable camping spot. After 30 minutes of the trickiest dune driving I have yet to encounter, we found a fairly flat spot and proceeded to set up camp:

There was no escaping the fact we were in the desert as the sun beat down hard upon us. The temperature was registering 42c with precious little shade available to offer us protection. While setting up I heard a noise that I could only describe as a helicopter. However what crested a dune was something much more impressive. It was a Chevrolet Avalanche 2500 – it sports an EIGHT point one liter engine and with no muffler the awesome engine and exhaust notes echo off the dunes giving an attack helicopter like sound. The Avalanche is owned by a very jovial gentleman called Jamal who is a committee member of the Dubai 4×4 forums. Carol was pleased he arrived as he was able to lead our afternoon drive through the dunes of Liwa.

I had taken one look at the dunes and made the decision that I was not going to drive this time. I felt I still do not possess the desert driving skills yet and the Hummer is not the ideal vehicle for some of the climbs that are required. Also perhaps the more compelling reason was I could get to ride along in the Avalanche!

Once camp was done we set off in seven car convoy. We drove through some very tricky dunes and bowls. The avalanche was so powerful it just ate up steep inclines with ease. However it was challenged by not only its huge weight and long wheel base but the the transfer case would not engage into four wheel drive. Jamal’s twenty plus year of desert driving experience soon put pay to these hindrances however we still had a few “stucks”:

Shaukie (another long time Dubai 4×4 member) who drove a heavily modified red wrangler was the recovery vehicle “par excellence” – these guys simply do not hang around. Shaukie shoots up to the scene of the stuck, the recovery rope was out and shackled up. A quick beep of the horn, the tow was engaged and the vehicle was recovered. Average time was probably less than five minutes. One recovery was not quite as smooth:

On one particularly tricky bowl Craig in his diesel turbo Land Cruiser had a nasty stuck with the vehicle in danger of tipping over:

Shuakie and Jamal got on the walkie talkies in a flash and instantly started issuing safety instructions. Four guys provided counterbalance by standing on the running rails of the Land Cruiser while Shaukie towed out the car. Here is the recovery in progress:

Some of the standout moments during the four hour desert drive was descending several 200m tall slip faces:

Seeing a real camel train snaking its way through the desert. A truly memorable site:

A land based oil rig burning off the natural gas in the still of the night:

Once we got back to camp we fired up the barbecue and recounted tales of the day until long into the night. I am no real fan of camping but the stars you can see late at night and the seemingly endless sea of sand dunes that presents itself in the morning makes the discomfort worthwhile.

I was a little disappointed not to be with Chris and the drive through Area 53 – but the pull of seeing Liwa before the summer sets in making it too hot camp was irresistible. Liwa was an unforgettable experience, but it made me realize I am not really a die hard outdoor type – however once a year I will go back and remind myself of the beauty of the desert.

As you drive through the desert the first thing you notice is the top a pyramid glistening in the distance. Not what you might expect in the UAE but certainly not surprising for this country. It turns out this pyramid houses the car museum.

Checking in the UAE off-road guide it is suppose to be open 7 days a week – but when our convoy of cars arrived it was decidedly closed. Carol (a British expat who has been here for 17 years) used her jedi mind trick and powers of persuasion on a bored looking Indian chap to let us in. To be honest he would never have been able to disappoint the children we had along for the ride. We were kindly let in and basically had our own private tour of the car museum. It was just great.

Here is the largest pick-up truck in the world which actually contains a house and even is able to be driven short distances:

This more regular sized pick-up sports the Rainbow Sheikh’s motif:

As well some sort of moon buggy/car/MPV that the Sheikh designed himself:

Outside was parked a real Mercedes monster truck – which I think would be great fun to ride around:

And for me the signature vehicle the huge globe trailer:

I had always wanted to see this car collection in the “metal” since the Clarkson feature on it. In fact you can watch the original TV show has it has been immortalized on google video. Just a couple of comments on this video:

1. Jeremy Clarkson’s buffon hair do is utterly ridiculous

2. Jerermy Clarkson’s attempts at driving a wrangler through the desert are hopeless

3. Some of the crazy driving featured in the video has not changed an iota in ten years

Here is the video:

I think it is great gesture that the Sheikh has made this car collection available to the public. I would hope that though that anyone making the long journey from Dubai there could guarantee it being open on their arrival.

Overall – 8/10 – you can not get cheaper than free, would have been nice if all the lights were on when we walked around.

The rest of my photos from this trip can be found here.