It's not over yet

Dubai is strange. They are building, well more accurately "were" building, until this whole recession thing hit the world, islands in the sea and lakes out in the desert. Why?! Now they have the famous Palm Island, which is largely uninhabited and mainly swarming with visitors come to goggle at this "8th wonder of the world", and the Atlantis Hotel with its 2500 rooms and 400AED mains. There have been complaints of murky seawaters from owners of private beaches bought on or alongside the island. It is worrying that the individuals involved in these major land-redefining projects have not considered the immediate as well as the long-term impact of reshaping the landscape on the local environment, the sea dynamics and the flora and fauna near and far. Money talks (when you have it) as the old adage goes.





I went to another shopping mall yesterday, in search of something to wear to Samira's big day. As stress levels rose and the sense of hopelessness slowly engulfed me, I was rescued. By a massage spa. Hurrah!! My heart soared and I decided to go there after grabbing my last ever freshly squeezed pineapple juice of this trip. I once had 5 in just one day in Vietnam. The experience left me abstaining from fresh pineapple juice for sometime. But then I ODed on fresh lime juice. Clearly, I have issues with moderation. Anyways, I had a "head- face" and "back-shoulder" combo massage. My body has been in a bad way for some time from lack of exercise, especially my shoulders, which didn't go un-noticed by the massage-lady. I should've also warned her about the bruises I have sans paintballing. But I forgot. I noticed the look of alarm on her face when she asked what it was that I did. I said teaching, hopefully, beginning next month..... I need to work on my "convincing" skills.

I fly back to mi casa Laandan later today. Thus will begin my arduous task of photo downloading, uploading, flickring, blogging, facebooking, tagging. And sadly it marks the end of this most awesome 45 days. But don't worry. There's still more blogging to be done. It's London baby. And I have 3 weeks to suck it dry.

Dubai's golden sands

Paintballing hurts!! I have bruises the size of chestnuts covering my body. And according to one of the paintballing staff, they take 2-3 weeks to disappear! "2-3 weeks?!!" I squealed. But it was such a rush! And I was on a high the rest of the day. I'm definitely going again (if I can) when I get back to the UK.

Singaporeans are spoilt. They have so many outdoor places to go to. We walked along a "suspension bridge"- Henderson Waves- that was over 5 km long from Alexandra Ave to the Harbourfront, and enjoyed the greenness and modernity that is Singapore.

We then went to the Marina barrage, where there was a cool breeze coming in from the sea and watched the pre-national day fireworks practise-run. Shame that most of the view was blocked by the ugly and heinous "Integrated Resort", Singapore's soon to be version of Las Vegas which will be ready next year. My Unc and Aunt then thought that it might be fun to drive me through Singapore's red light district. Singapore has a red light district?! Who would've thought. But with the economic downturn and rise in H1N1 infection in the country, business was slow on the streets. Thankfully.

I'm in Dubai now. It's 37-40 degs here. But because it's not humid, it's manageable. There's not much I can see here at the mo. The sky is dusty with sand. There was a sandstorm a few days ago, thus masking the skyline with a thick layer of sand particles. They say it should settle down in a week's time. Dubai and Sharjah have been hit badly by the economic downturn. Dubai's super-size airport was empty when I landed and many of their construction sites lie deserted with skeletons of 50-storey buildings waiting to be completed. And the many buildings that have been completed remain unfurnished and unlived. Tough times.

I'm off to a "Dune dinner safari" this evening. I should be expecting some thrill riding through the dunes, some camel riding, watch the sun set over rippling sand and dinner under the stars. I haven't seen the sky, sun or stars since I got here. I did catch a glimpse of the moon last night. Let's see if they can deliver on the last two.