Driving in Dubai

Driving in Dubai

Well, people always told us that traffic was bad in Dubai, so many cars on the roads was kind of expected. Not a big deal. But the roads, they are a big deal. I don't know what the engineers who planned the roads had been drinking or smoking, but they certainly forgot to include many left turns and roundabout on the streets. Resulting in long queues or the fact that one wrong turn could mean miles of driving into nomansland beacause there are no exits to turn back....interesting road planning.

My first day driving on my own was yesterday. The relief of having my own car was indescribable! What a feeling of freedom. After weeks of mad taxi drivers, it was bliss. So I had to test drive to one of the biggest malls in Dubai, Ibn Bettuta mall, named after a famous explorer in Asia and the middle-east. I found my way no problem, so proud of myself. Having said that, I definitely have to plan my parking better next time. When I got out of the car, I realised why there were so many empty spaces where I parked. I had a 10 minute walk to the nearest entrance and the temperature showed 37 degrees. Sorry James, I'll park inside next time. James had a great hour playing with our toddlers in Fun City and mummy had two hours of great shopping. Yes, the shopping in Dubai is amazing and has to be experienced by everyone on the planet who likes shopping. Fab time!

A strange thing that I just have to add...when I walked through the extrance doors I walked straight into a big store seeling Scandinavian stuff, Kosta boda, Höganäs, Fillipa K etc. Bizarre feeling...and when I got in the car to go home they played Dancing Queen on the radio...weired, but nice. Suddenly Sweden didn't feel so far away anymore.

Ok, back to cars and driving. I picked up the girls from school and got back through all the construction work (there is plenty!), so pleased. The traffic around their school is terrible, unfortuately.

On the news this morning they said that 70 children died in car accidents last year in Dubai because they didn't wear seatbelts. There is no law about belts or car seats here. Hopefully that is going to change in the near future. Instead they have put up speed bumps everywhere, so you have to drive and stop until the kids are carsick.

The reason why I now have a car is beacuse we got our new car on Saturday, a huge Ford Explorer. Many families have them here. Apart from the Swedes, they all drive Volvo CX90 or whatever it is called. Reason enough why Jon won't by one. He has been looking and reading about cars for a while, 3 weeks is a long time for Jon. Why waste any more time on choosing a car, right!? So brand new and shining black with lots of funny and useful (?) gadgets, we picked it up Saturday afternoon, just around the time the temp. struck 40 for the first time since we arrived. Jon quickly found the bluetooth phone thingy that enables you to speak right out in the car, without a phone. I asked Jon why we need such a high car, big wheels. It's cause everybody else has a big car and you don't want to crash with such a car in a ...say Yaris (my old car), ok so I can buy that (reminds me of the Lidingö-syndrome, the bigger car everybody else has, the bigger car mine has to be). Second reason, when it rains here, it rains a lot and the water rises high, high in the streets and without a big car, you can't go out basically. Third and last reason, you need to be able to drive in the dessert. Of course, why didn't I think of that. So, to all guests coming to Dubai, be ready for a dessert adventure with our new Ford!

Anyway, the car was shining and new this morning and the girls love it. I think Emma is more excited about the car than anyone. Don't know why, but she is.

So what just happened...Jon called me from one of the few roundabouts in Dubai. He has been hit by a porsch carrera!!! Flat tire and the bumper fell off, nothing huge he said, but still. What do you say...couldn't help laughing, neither could he, bless him. Feel so sorry for him, stuck in a road, waiting for police in 30 degrees heat. Oh, he called again, police has been there, a man around 25 y who had the authority to act judge on the spot and decide who was in the wrong. Jon wasn't, relief...Characterbuilding he said to me, for the I-don't-know-how-many times in his life. Something his mother taught him, I think and it certainly seems to have given him a very positive outlook on life :-) Well, that's driving in Dubai...

The People of Dubai

The people of Dubai
So, enough of the hotel. Dubai is a very fascinating city and I must say that I really think I’m going to like it here. First of all it’s very English, or shall I say British. Since Dubai was once under British protection, they, or maybe the Prince o Dubai, really likes all things British. Even the plugs are British, the bathrooms are not though, thank God. Ha, ha. Yes, they have all the British shops here, mothercare, Bhs, Debenhamns, Next, Boots, and a few very English food shops, like Waitrose and Spinney’s etc. One of my favorite café’s is called Shakespeare’s and they serve the best scones. There are also a couple of Irish Pubs and tomorrow they are celebrating St.Patrick’s Day. Need I tell you that Dubai is heaving with Englishmen? Like Jon said, it’s not surprising when you can have some of the best things with England, but with palm trees and beautiful sunshine every day. There are also plenty of Americans and Asians. It’s actually like a small British Empire, the whole of Dubai. The language connects people here, that’s for sure. The people who work though, are not. They are philipinos, sri lankan or Indians. But they all speak English, of course. Some better than others, some much worse. They are usually referred to as 'the workers' and you see them everywhere, on building sites, as maids, taxi drivers, gardeners, etc...With what they earn here, they can support a whole big family in their home country. And most of them go home only once a year, if that. Talk about reality check! The maid next door left her baby son when he was 2 months old and is now going home for his first birthday...I almost cried when she told me. The children are looked after by the family, they raise them together, the once who can get work, they work. And we worry when we are picking up our kids after four o'clock from nursery....we are such bad parents and our children will be hooligans or fail in school because of us.

First 2 weeks in Dubai

Two weeks have passed by. I feel a need to write down how I feel about everything and what we’ve experienced. Actually, I’ve felt it for many days now, but I’ve had NO time whatsoever. It’s been a strange two weeks, or no not strange, wrong word, extraordinary would be a better word. Some days have been like the most wonderful holiday of sunshine, swimming, fantastic food and good shopping, and some days have been full of tantrums, illogical rules and regulations, mad drivers, boredom and extreme tiredness.

To start with the hotel room is great and the view from the 46th floor is AMAZING. We can see the whole of Dubai, especially the coastline and the hotels. Every morning I look out the windows at the beach, to see if the palm trees are moving (windy) or if there are many people running, walking or swimming (nice and warm). Some mornings it has been foggy and cloudy, with the clouds below us. It’s true! They are just below us, making the skyline look like a sea with boats on it (the top of the skyscrapers), as Isabelle commented cleverly. The hotel also has a great pool and gym area. They have one pool outside and two inside and a Jacuzzi of course. The changing room had a steam room and sauna. There is nowhere to walk around the hotel, since there is roadwork and building work everywhere. So, you have to take a taxi everywhere you go. Was kind of fun in the beginning, but not anymore. Generally, the hotel is a business hotel, it really doesn’t feel like a family hotel. I had one meal with the girls in the hotel restaurant and that was quite enough. Too posh for kids I think. This is why we have now decided to move into our new house on Sunday. It’s fantastic and the area is great for kids. Only one minor problem, we have no furniture…no beds, no nothing. The boat has been delayed almost 3 weeks due to the weather when it left Stockholm. So we just have to camp it for a few weeks. Jon’s going shopping for the essentials and we’re borrowing things from some nice Swedes that we’ve met. So we’ll be ok, hopefully. I told my dad he he has to sleep in the bathtub when they come to visit soon….no, not really.
Time to go, James is awake.