tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285356212012-01-22T13:00:43.213-08:00Heat and dust: a personal perspective on life in the desert.EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.comBlogger701100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-87557506067696484162010-04-23T04:08:00.001-07:002010-04-23T04:08:38.869-07:00

Yael Mejia is the founder and powerhouse behind Baker & Spice Dubai, and today I met her on the terrace outside the restaurant with its awesome view of the Burj Khalifa. But we weren’t looking at that. Below us was the very first fruits of her new venture, a proper farmers’ market, right here in Dubai.The Baker & Spice philosophy is refreshingly simple; fresh, organic, homemade and local. Yael

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-86480589901349364802010-04-22T04:06:00.000-07:002010-04-22T04:07:31.296-07:00

Is it just me, or is the current LG radio commercial promoting their ‘marriage’ collections one of the most cack-handed pieces of drivel ever foisted on a long-suffering public. There are many poor quality commercials broadcast over our airwaves, but few ever descend to such depths of perfidy as this execrable insult.It is awful. Racial stereotyping. Incompetent writing. Leaden delivery. Idiotic

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-50762686532890452452010-03-09T21:03:00.000-08:002010-03-09T21:16:52.594-08:00

There's something funny going on in Dubai. Two years ago, traffic was heading for gridlock. Speeds were excessive, or standstill, and in both, aggressive drivers of 4x4s, blacked out Mercs and irredeemable Sunnies would carve you up, flash at you, barge in where no space existed and generally abuse more cautious and law abiding motorists. And so today. Thick fog hangs in the air, and you set out

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-42985198676100358362010-03-02T23:52:00.000-08:002010-03-02T23:59:14.261-08:00

I posted a few days ago in less than complimentary terms about the new Consumer Rights website being launched. Well, now it has gone live: www.consumerrights.aeAs a piece of government communication, it is about the best I have yet seen in Dubai, and has to be commended in the highest possible terms. It is cogent, concise, easily navigated and very informative. If only departments such as the RTA

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-69722379173555172702010-03-01T21:00:00.001-08:002010-03-01T21:06:47.848-08:00

I think the NCMS got it most right - heavy, thundery rain starting about 4.00am this morning.They reckon it will last till this afternoon. Weather.com has it tailing off around 7.00pm tonight, and the Met Office at Dubai Airport hangs onto it until tomorrow.Haven't seen any statistics yet for how much fell overnight, but my impression was that the 'water ponds' evident this morning were smaller

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-87009082737090176242010-02-28T22:31:00.001-08:002010-02-28T22:38:23.290-08:00

Ok, so exactly what is the official wading depth of a Boxster?Following last night's rain, Al Qoz is peppered with 'water ponds', roads flooded across their width and deeper than the kerbstones. Who knows what potholes lurk beneath to trap the unwary!Drier now, though, but some debate as to when the next rain will fall. Weather Channel says tomorrow, Dubai Met Office say tonight, the National

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-43113980828101005912010-02-24T21:36:00.000-08:002010-02-24T21:45:49.515-08:00

Oh, fer Pete's sake! I love this city, so it offends me deeply when the powers that be get the simplest of things so spectacularly wrong. Today's fail:Gulf News this morning carries a bold, well-written half page ad drawing attention to the burning issue of consumer rights and protection. This is important in Dubai, as many, many retailers ride rough-shod over their customers, denying

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-5251880392998610102008-09-25T00:55:00.000-07:002008-09-25T01:16:00.237-07:00

From Jayne with a Why? Not too bad - eight to go!1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.4) Optional extra: Post a comment at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:1. Venison (wonderful stuff, got a haunch in the freezer for

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-24075973385981079012008-04-24T01:05:00.000-07:002008-04-24T01:23:51.926-07:00

Before I landed in Dubai, I had not been further south than the Canary Isles, nor closer to the desert than a Greek beach. Plenty of preconceptions about what lay in store, but not the faintest real idea. I spent the night before my flight watching the Dubai Gold Cup on television, trying to figure out what people were wearing as an indication of what the climate might hold for me. Anoraks and

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-89773420702123116792008-04-02T23:07:00.001-07:002008-04-02T23:07:58.156-07:00

SummerYesterday, some time around 3.30 in the afternoon, summer returned to Dubai.For weeks, the weather has be growing steadily more idyllic, hot, dry days softening into balmy nights, perfect for sitting under the stars with a cold beer in hand, for gathering friends old and new around a table and a barbecue.Yesterday started little different, already warm at 6.30 when I took the dog out for

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-69461114086424424212007-11-04T22:06:00.000-08:002007-11-04T23:07:43.765-08:00

For all its aknowledged (and denied) problems of congestion, construction and contempt for road users, Dubai has many things to commend it. Not least of which is the proximity of some truly spectacular marine ecology. The gang recently escaped for a weekend afloat, and it proved to be refreshing, exhausting and reaffirming in turn.It all started at unspeakable o'clock on Friday morning, when we

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-7774588803478244322007-10-08T01:40:00.000-07:002007-10-08T01:46:27.951-07:00

Still waiting for that second sandstorm...There have been a couple more harbingers of better times to come - the hot water out of the cold tap is now only just warm enough to shower in, so the roof is definitely cooling at night. You can feel a marked freshness in the early morning air, too, which is now a much crisper 25C. Spotted some impressive dust devils on over the weekend as we were

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-13100953680252967072007-09-27T00:27:00.000-07:002007-09-27T00:37:46.878-07:00

Out for a stroll enjoying the late afternoon sun, and was pleased to spot a number of interesting new visitors (or possibly residents) in my kneck of the woods.We have a large and talkative population of mynahs, the usual mob of red-bum and yellow-bum bulbuls, gangs of marauding parrots and the occasional iridescent sunbird. On the pond are a couple of gangs of mallards, and the occasional heron.

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-42717472118514970142007-09-16T00:33:00.000-07:002007-09-16T00:56:54.534-07:00

Though I seem to be in a constituency of one, I actually enjoy the holy month of Ramadan. True, the traffic is awful, decisions take longer and supermarkets are misery, but it is also the month which truly reminds me of where I am blessed to live. Truly, the pace of life changes. There's a tangibly different feel to crowds, a real sense that this month of austerity, reflection and prayer actually

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-8524255704062565822007-09-09T01:10:00.000-07:002007-09-09T01:11:56.988-07:00

Dubai has three sorts of weather – when it’s hot, when it’s damn hot, and when it’s Scandinavian sauna champions’ extreme endurance training hot. That’s summer.Ah, summer. That long, lazy hiatus where we retreat indoors and draw the blinds, moving from air-conditioned car to air-conditioned mall with all the speed you can muster when it’s 40C and 90% humidity outside. What we refer to as a 3, 4

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-522081713115161282007-09-06T00:23:00.000-07:002007-09-06T00:29:22.082-07:00

Came across this by chance, but think it needs a wider audience! Poetry for today, from The Overnight Editor (overnighteditor.typepad.com)'Do not exceed the stated dose'(a.k.a. sixty-two things inanimate objects told me to do this month)Do not exceed the stated dose.Do not wash with brightly-coloured clothes.Do not dispose of in fireDo not iron. For hire. Always use the correct-rated fuse.

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-77657553533664627862007-08-27T01:32:00.000-07:002007-08-27T01:48:00.900-07:00

Of all the forms of pond-life infecting our roads, the lowest form of all are the queuejumpers. These are the scum for which the hard shoulder was built, who's rush is greater than ours, and whose status places them above the constraints of simple courtesy and such irrelevances as the rules of the road. No, these demigods exist in a universe where it is somehow acceptable to drive down the

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-40216901747881428442007-08-14T00:19:00.000-07:002007-08-14T00:50:42.644-07:00

More RTA madness. What is it with these guys - are they niaive, ignorant, incompetent, or all three?Splashed across this morning's Emirates Toady in 32pt Arial - Speed Limits Slashed on SZR!Words fail me. No sooner have they managed to make driving on SZR slightly safer thanks to the imposition of Salik (the road is now slightly clearer of traffic and safe for up to 120kph), and now the cretins

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-33258903210867395282007-07-11T02:51:00.000-07:002007-07-12T02:55:22.395-07:00

Much as I love this country, there are times...One of the particular quirks of this country is the bureacracy one encounters, particularly with regard to sponsorship and residency. Part of this process is the presentation and attestation of degrees, a task recently taken over by Empost, who are now handling all such transactions on behalf of the DNRD.As part of the process of changing sponsors, I

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-45689568707163284762007-07-09T21:22:00.000-07:002007-07-09T21:37:29.667-07:00

It occurred to me this morning as I made my way to work through the Salik section of Shk Zayed Road that it has been a remarkable two weeks. Dubai Police reckon that, after Emirates Road, this section of SZR is the most acciednt-prone in the UAE, and can quote depressing figures for death and injuries occuring by the hour.Yet the past two weeks have been, until this morning, accident free, at

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-21446537099761328682007-07-07T23:55:00.000-07:002007-07-08T03:19:06.019-07:00

Having been so impressed with the quality and variety of fish on display on our new LuLu Hypermarket last week, I paid a return visit yesterday. We had a couple of friends coming to dinner, and as it has been a little while since I did any serious cooking, our thoughts turned to fish. Maybe a turbot, steamed with ginger and spring onions. Or a nice piece of halibut, served with wilted greens and

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-71547366920993431572007-07-01T03:33:00.000-07:002007-07-01T03:54:57.838-07:00

Finally, after months of anticipation, the new LuLu Hypermarket in Al Barsha opened its doors. Shame it is such a clone of the current dominant rivals, Carrefour and Geant, each a clone of the other, and both aped by the new Hyper Panda in Festival City.Yet despite aiming at the lowest common denominator and falling short, the new Lulu does have a number of redeeming feautres. It really is worth

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-55667158330097055162007-06-28T00:10:00.000-07:002007-06-28T00:15:59.323-07:00

An interesting prelude to the new Die Hard 4.0 movie was standing in Borders with a copy of Douglas Adams" seminal "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" in hand. Three decades on, the Guide is still as maverick and original as ever. Glorious stuff.Which is why this video so tickled me. Apart from the fact that I have petrol in my veins, the makers of this lovely little spoof clearly understand that

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-61008610031836107422007-06-16T23:19:00.000-07:002007-06-16T23:24:56.319-07:00

Having endured the ignominy of presenting myself and Better Half at the airport fully packed and ready to fly a day early, our second final breakfast was part serendipity, part necessity. Basically, combine what’s left in the fridge with whatever you can forage from the garden. Fortunately,. the former yielded up a few eggs, parsley and a little cream, whilst the latter presented all kinds of

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-86162496090723200202007-06-14T04:30:00.000-07:002007-06-14T04:37:46.110-07:00

Fortunately, tomorrow was another day, and with it came a particular highlight of this trip. Early on, Spiros the car-hire guy (as opposed to Spiros the handyman who lives in the house up the hill) had recommended a taverna in Doukades, one O Thoukash, opposite Elizabeth’s in the main square. It has only been a taverna for a couple of years, but the food, he assured us, is extremely good. So on

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-26171066826393840302007-06-13T04:52:00.000-07:002007-06-13T04:53:41.702-07:00

Intermission over. Back in harness, normal service will now resume. Thanks for your patience.EoD

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-28102744050797759682007-06-13T04:49:00.000-07:002007-06-13T04:52:07.746-07:00

The highlight of Easter Sunday on Corfu is lunch, and specifically spit-roasted lamb, which has been turning over a bed of charcoal since the cool hours of daylight this morning. We have been promised this for days, that every taverna would have it laid on especially for this most auspicious of meals. Why so special? Because the Corfiot tradition, at least in Orthodox communities, is to undertake

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-57806581535094804322007-06-13T04:40:00.000-07:002007-06-13T05:04:45.457-07:00

Leaving the madding crowd behind, we descend to Paleo, and again begin the tortuous climb to Lakones. Before that, though, we have the small matter of topping up the simm card in Better Half’s phone. Halfway through a call she got a beep and then received a message which was all Greek to us. So, off to the friendly local petrol station, source of all good things including cheese pies, octopus,

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-31402460748159605422007-06-09T05:31:00.000-07:002007-06-09T05:34:16.901-07:00

Hello ReaderThere will now be a brief interlude while I persuade a new employer to pay me unfeasibly large amounts of money for the sort of writing you enjoy here free. Wish me luck. Normal service will resume shortly.EyeOnDubai

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-7646024653160599312007-05-23T23:52:00.000-07:002007-05-24T00:03:20.665-07:00

It’s Saturday today, so naturally, we went to church. Not just any old church, either, but a very old and special one, the Monastery of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Paleocastritsa, the origins of which certainly go back to 1494 when they started keeping regular records, and presumably for a considerable time before that. The monastery occupies the top of the largest headland in Paleo bay, almost in

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-29918899078627834792007-05-20T23:41:00.000-07:002007-05-21T01:06:24.939-07:00

Driving to work this morning, quietly bemused by the apparently endemic incompetence on display. OK, advanced driving teaches that it is the drivers absolute responsibility to be accountable for his (or her) own vehicle and actions, to proceed at all times in such a way that you can anticipate the actions of others and be able to avoid the consequences of any unexpected event - braking distance,

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-87426428857020660242007-05-16T23:37:00.001-07:002007-05-16T23:39:29.491-07:00

Interesting comment in today's Gulf News, another in the ongoing and increasingly public spat between Dubai Police and the RTA. Brigadier Mohammad Saif Al Zafein states on the record what I and many others have thought and said privately, that any form of Toll is ineffective unless there is a credible alternative - public transport, metro, alternative untolled routes and so on, none of which

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-72563740940221316222007-05-14T03:49:00.000-07:002007-05-14T03:58:51.402-07:00

Just back from that Alladin's Cave of automobilia that is Al Awir car souq. Wow. It has been a year or so since I last cruised these crowded forecourts, and the place has become even more impossibly crowded than ever. Once parking was difficult, now it is impossible.However, though the traffic is worse, the cars are better. More of them. Better condition. Lower prices. If you're into cars, this

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-46267262444442373422007-05-14T03:32:00.001-07:002007-05-14T03:46:53.037-07:00

Thankfully, we escaped, and carried on south, to Benitses and beyond. Benitses? Club 18-30 was invented for it. A colourful, tacky strip-mine of tavernas, tourist markets and island discos, with the odd karaoke bar and Irish pub thrown in for variety. On we pressed, hoping to find Peristeron, reputedly a local favourite and blessed with the clearest waters on the island.Missed it completely.Only

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-75810610784577191952007-05-07T23:27:00.000-07:002007-05-07T23:32:13.103-07:00

Spiros was empahtic. He even drew a line on the map.”Don’t go south. I like North East, plenty of places here you go. South – you go south, and you have no day.” If he had a floor to spit on, I’m sure he’d have done it.Of course, we don’t need much more of an invitation than that. Across Spiros’s line we went. On reflection, his may actually have been sage advice, rather than that inbuilt

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-83430746317471572652007-05-07T00:57:00.000-07:002007-05-07T01:09:19.944-07:00

..as those that won't see. The ever-reliable RTA are insisting that their misguided minimum speed limit will go ahead anyway, and have started wheeling out spurious statistics to attempt to justify their actions. One such was the inistance that trucks would have to observe the 60kph minimum - and it just ain't going to happen. The two-lane rolling truck park that is Al Khail Road is often at a

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-18182913618076238672007-05-06T23:18:00.000-07:002007-05-06T23:24:29.924-07:00

So, having struck out on the internet thing and given up on trying to find a laundry (really will have to wash socks in a sink!), we turned around and set off in the direction originally intended. First sign, Potamos. Better Half tells me this means river, and is the root of the word hippopotamus (meaning River Horse). True enough, there was a small culvert with some water running through it. And

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-26379333831253643282007-05-05T23:41:00.000-07:002007-05-05T23:44:56.827-07:00

Today, we go south. That was the agreement. So the very first place I drove to was East, towards Corfu Town itself. I was actually traveling in hope of finding an internet café, and had spotted a potential source of information in a small parade of shops opposite Gouvia Marina. Oh, and there was an off-license there as well.First things first, the Cava Barrellas. Nice, modern shop, with lots of

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-81042165532164693622007-04-30T22:53:00.000-07:002007-04-30T23:18:55.312-07:00

Of course, what goes up must also come down, and the descent beckoned. Not quite as steep, this dropped a small way before climbing the back of another ridge, to a town called Spartillas. This is a larger village, similarly clinging to the edge of the ridge, and looking south east over the coast towards Kirkyra town. The views are spectacular, a fact which has prompted the local property

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-38630021689083563862007-04-29T23:41:00.000-07:002007-04-30T00:13:09.404-07:00

There are two different failures in driving on the roads in Dubai, one with an obvious solution, one not.The first group of awful drivers are the product of the Driving Instruction system here - pupils are required to take a lengthy and expensive series of 'lessons', yet many of the worst offenders appear to be the instructors themselves. Next time you come across a school car without a pupil in

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-28692837231740247542007-04-29T00:30:00.000-07:002007-04-29T00:50:25.344-07:00

An interesting spat in the Gulf News this morning, between the Police and the RTA, regarding the imposition of a minimum speed limit of 60kph on certain roads. On this, I side with the police.The RTA's declared intention is to reduce accidents, but whilst their motives are worthy, their reasoning is not. Far better to educate drivers, and specifically those idiots who insist on travelling at a

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-76571886704145582962007-04-29T00:29:00.000-07:002007-04-29T00:52:32.816-07:00

Cockerel Pastitsada and Rabbit StifadoI love it when resolutely touristy establishments have the courage or the passion to serve truly local food, regional specialities that concede nothing to the global march to monoculture and bland international acceptability.Smurf’s Taverna, down on the beach in the last bay in Paleocastritsa, is one such. Page One on his menu, front and centre, are Corfiot

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-79099617522186453462007-04-29T00:26:00.000-07:002007-04-29T00:28:33.970-07:00

Today, we went looking for the squiggly bits. Kirkyra is a mountainous island, the northern end forming a roughly conical shape with steep cliffs on its Eastern and Western coasts, with a more gentle slope to the North. Between lie a series of mountain ridges and steep sided valleys; where progress along their length is reasonable, travel across their width near impossible.The main road describes

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-10105002607803293732007-04-25T05:32:00.000-07:002007-04-25T05:43:19.110-07:00

Every day it happens. Travelling along Sheikh Zayed Road, you come across a knot in the traffic, everyone bunched up together and swerving round something.That something can be any size and shape, but they all have one common denominator - driving significantly more slowly than the surrounding traffic, yet refusing to move to a slower lane on the right. ffs, why?!Ignorance. Arrogance. Stupidity.

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-89001126217637484362007-04-25T00:14:00.000-07:002007-04-25T00:27:45.890-07:00

Whilst driving around our corner of the island, we had noticed a number of small vegetable plots fenced around with what looked like cardoons, or possibly thistles. Of course, turned out to be much more interesting – artichokes, the first of this year’s crop, tender and fresh and bursting with flavour. We found some in the supermarket cum pub in the centre of Doukades (turn right, coffee and a

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-49813741765966784582007-04-23T03:54:00.000-07:002007-04-23T03:59:02.773-07:00

Paleo this morning is a town awaking from hibernation. Though many of the supermarkets are still resolutely shut (despite hopeful signs proclaiming the opposite), the tavernas are beginning to show signs of life. Owners are outside, sweeping away the detritus of winter, washing terraces and tables clean of the accumulated dust. Builders’ merchants are thriving places, and everywhere are signs of

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-39846299727753316982007-04-18T23:39:00.000-07:002007-04-18T23:40:40.546-07:00

Dubai’s inestimable Roads and Transport Authority is this morning reported to have launched a new initiative where residents may report problem hotspots for attention and action. The number to call is 8009090, and I imagine it will be well used, though I am less optimistic that the information given will be acted upon. Nevertheless, it is a commendable start.I have a number of suggestions, and

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-14126798434081365042007-04-18T07:14:00.000-07:002007-04-23T03:53:24.991-07:00

Later, taking coffee in a pastitseria high on the bluff, we gazed down the length of the island, a splendid vista ranging from the mountains of Albania to the East to the southern mainland of Italy low on the western horizon. From such a vantage point I was moved to wonder to what extent the landscape before us was naturally afforested, and to what extent man-made. There are some 4 million olive

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-27434242092057244882007-04-17T00:27:00.000-07:002007-04-23T04:04:28.715-07:00

George duly arrived, and off we went. Our destination turns out to be a sort of general store attached to the local petrol station, but the cheerful young man behind the counter is polite and friendly. We stocked up on essentials, sampled local olives and feta, bought expensive gin and cheap wine, some basic veg and essential tea bags, and suitably provisioned, headed for home. About halfway back

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-12889778532118389502007-04-16T03:35:00.000-07:002007-04-17T00:25:53.634-07:00

Artichokes. Rabbit. Very old cockerel. The food here has been nothing if not varied.The fact that we are staying in a completely self-catering villa, and that all of the local tavernas are still being sprung clean from the ravages of winter, is something of a double-edged sword. Though in truth, the challenge presented is one I enjoy probably above all others. Except driving fast cars. And the

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-7721182220642590022007-04-15T01:57:00.000-07:002007-04-19T04:58:24.534-07:00

George looked very fetching in knee-length leather boots and stiletto heels. And it helped if you knew that the Greek letter ‘L’ is an inverted capital ‘V’. Still, there was George, as promised, with his piece of paper, and the last leg of our journey was about to begin. Gave our spirits a nice little lift, after our other spirits had been officiously lifted by some jumped-up refusenik in

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-55895577369506308502007-03-19T23:58:00.000-07:002007-03-20T00:49:36.527-07:00

Over the years I have lived in this city, my daily commute has ranged from a few minutes to a frustrating hour or more. Current employment and accommodation are conveniently located in the opposite direction to the major traffic flows on Shk Zayed Car Park, so I can usually reach the office in a comfortable 23 minutes or so.Not so today. First mistake, thinking that a queue which only reached

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-37388805115267103972007-03-15T06:33:00.000-07:002007-03-15T06:59:58.635-07:00

There is across from my office a building site (a statement I imagine you could make about most offices in Dubai!). My elevated window affords an excellent view of the various toings and froings on the site, and of the labour taking place there.I have been puzzled by one particular group, and finally figured out what they are doing. Four of them, standing in opposed pairs, turning a crank with

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-9008338923286699402007-03-11T00:08:00.000-08:002007-03-15T07:01:06.414-07:00

Impressed? You betcha!When you were at school, did the careers advisor ever suggest fiddle player as the foundation of an international career? Probably not. And yet, there are some very well traveled players out there with more airmiles in their account than this writer is likely to see…So it was last night. Drums of the World at the Jazz Festival. Twenty seven people, from five continents, and

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-42862689612177266202007-03-03T21:18:00.000-08:002007-03-03T21:36:51.471-08:00

There are many aspects of this beguiling city that serve as a sharp reminder to a western expat that the Middle East really is different - not least the fact that there is sufficient business to sustain a vetinary practice specialising purely in the care of falcons...But came across one yesterday that rather took the biscuit. We were looking for a collar for a dog, and the search led us to one

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-46250741299371304212007-02-21T21:55:00.001-08:002007-02-21T22:35:59.371-08:00

The first album I was ever given was Dark Side of the Moon. Used to go to the local record shop in the arcade and ask Dougie (the nearest thing we had to a Rock Star - long blond hair and oversized aviator sunglasses even in winter) to play side one, track 3, over and over again. Last night I listened to it played live. And all the rest. Sang along with every song, remembered every word of the

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-71467818000544319192007-02-17T21:46:00.000-08:002007-02-17T22:03:43.487-08:00

Took some UK visitors up to Hatta Pools to show them some desert, and ended up going rather further afield than intended.'Our' picnic spot, a secluded little canyon branching off the main road beyond the pools, was occupied, so we carried on hoping to find an alternative. After some fairly challenging ascents and fords we arrived at a village called Ray, the furthest extent of previous

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-85053328166489234252007-02-10T22:54:00.000-08:002007-02-08T01:27:40.589-08:00

Irish Village, Friday night. Along with several thousand other aging rockers and hippies old enough to be yer mother, went to see Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders. How cool were they!Got right down to the front in a mostly very friendly crowd, full of high jinks and good spirits and mexican malt beverage, which one could consume out of real glass bottles - try doing that at a concert in the UK

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-55505975717381496552007-02-08T01:15:00.000-08:002007-02-04T23:35:06.507-08:00

Wow. No sooner had I said that what I wanted to see was our wonderful Boys in Green taking action against the arrogant, selfish idiots for whom the rules of the road are a timewasting inconvenience, when Lo! They do it!Last night, on the link road from Shk Zayed to Barsha/Jebel Ali Race Course/Greens, there was the usual three lane carpark. And the predictable parade of battered Sunnies and 3-

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-53957236853763168682007-02-04T23:18:00.000-08:002007-02-04T23:35:06.683-08:00

Taxi drivers. How often have you read the letters in GN or 7Days from a bewildered but delighted passenger, who left a purse/bag/wallet/bottle of coke on the back seat of said taxi, and found it returned to them by an honest and selfless driver, sometimes even before they had noticed the loss?Which is all well and good, until it happened to me. Managed to leave some rather expensive and important

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-67919269924331104312007-02-03T22:24:00.000-08:002007-02-03T22:52:07.497-08:00

Drivers. We have decent roads, mostly, though they are blighted by chaotic and incompetent planning. A case in point. There was a smart new two-lane access road built to facililtate smooth progress from the Greens area to Sheikh Zayed Road, a very necessary alternative to the bombsite that is Interchange 5. All well and good. The morning rush generally ran smoothly and people got to school/office

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com91tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-60065188956549947322007-02-03T22:15:00.000-08:002007-02-03T22:23:57.505-08:00

Where else, I wonder, would you turn up to collect a car and find a collection like this in the car park?These are the new 'high performance' version of the Maclaren Mercedes SLR, and there were seven of them lined up. For a fashion show!Mind you, only the night before I saw my first Bugatti Veyron, the world's most expensive car, parked outside Nando's chicken takeaway in the Greens...Gotta

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-81871116483261578872007-01-27T22:58:00.000-08:002007-01-28T02:08:02.183-08:00

Just an average weekend in the EmiratesThursday was the anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, Scotland’s most famous poet and the occasion of Suppers in his name being held around the world. Scots at home and abroad gather in significant numbers to observe a number of rituals, recitations of popular works, set piece performances, spontaneous ribaldry and the overconsumption of Scotland’s

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-84880922282963243742007-01-27T22:54:00.000-08:002007-01-27T22:57:38.459-08:00

January is the finest month…Now that the excess and overindulgence of Christmas is behind us, it is time for a little exertion and sobriety. As ever, the new year brings with it the hollow ritual of resolutions, cheaply made and easily broken. However, it is also the time of introspection and reflection, and of some small, profound decisions. There is real freedom in facing demons, and having

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-1168172599353556412007-01-07T03:57:00.000-08:002007-01-07T04:23:19.366-08:00

Winter. Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness - well, sort of.I am curious about the number of people who are commenting on the current weather, in that they claim it to be unusual in some way. Is it? Last year we had a significant amount of rain, and it aroused a fair bit of comment. This year is supposedly colder than for many previous, but again, is it really? Are floods more frequent, or

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-1167831792491258162007-01-02T23:57:00.000-08:002007-01-03T05:43:12.520-08:00

"And apart from that Mrs Lincoln, did you enjoy the show?"So, how was it for you? Ten days of idle debauchery, too much food and way too much booze? I wish.Ten days of chesty debilitation, a completely sober Hogmanay and hardly any shopping. Invited out for lunch on Christmas Day so not even the opportunity to go mad in a kitchen. And so into 2007. Mostly this year I will be manifesting

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-1163399338971167342006-11-12T21:54:00.000-08:002006-11-12T22:28:58.993-08:00

Another weekend find, and one I'm not even sure I should be posting about. However...I have long been a fan of Italian food, partly because in Edinburgh (a previous life) it was part of the landscape. Second and third generation Italian families had set up and were still running all sorts of restaurants, trattoria and delis. Some necessarily famous - Valvona & Crolla, on Elm Row, is reputed to

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-1163340012178846762006-11-12T02:40:00.000-08:002006-11-12T06:00:12.256-08:00

Cooking for Friends. Chef Matthias Gfrorer and his team hosted the third such event in St Maxim’s at the weekend, and very satisfying it was too.Cooking for Friends is a sort of culinary club. Matthias takes over the restaurant, invites half a dozen rising stars from different kitchens to collaborate and show off their talents, and we get to enjoy the results. It’s fun, and highly entertaining in

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-1162727955745663092006-11-05T03:47:00.000-08:002006-11-05T03:59:15.783-08:00

Dubai's police have been a lot more evident of late, pulling over errant drivers and generally acting on Shk Mohammed's edict to improve traffic flow. Actually, this is most welcome - visible enforcement of the rules is a powerful motivator to others.Provided,that is, you know what the rules are. And I firmly believe that the solution to Dubai's traffic woes lies, not in more rules and radars,

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535621.post-1157288121886581902006-09-03T05:00:00.000-07:002006-09-03T06:01:21.016-07:00

The roads are awful, the food worse and customer service almost non-existent. Is this really the country I so fondly and frequently reminisce about?Mrs EoD and I have just returned from our annual peregrination to the UK, doing the usual dutiful round of family, relatives and friends. During this most recent expedition we put nearly 2,000 miles on a hire car and slept in 8 beds in 14 days. Crunch

EyeOnDubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599441309027509658noreply@blogger.com1