I don’t normally do this, but for those of you who are living in a region where Autumnal fruit/veg are difficult to come by or aren’t anywhere near as good as they are back home, this is a great dish to try. It requires ingredients that I know can be found in (say) the UAE of the same quality as found back in the UK and US.
Enjoy and happy Autumn everyone! 
This week I’ll be entering into the final week of being 25. Some of you may have been reading my half-hearted rants on either facebook or twitter regarding my resistance to turning 26. To be honest, I’m mostly joking. The small part of me that’s desperately holding on to my time as a 25 year old is due to this year being the best year thus far. And there’s no exaggeration there either. Taking a look back on what I’ve accomplished in my 25th year, I’m rather pleased:
1. I think this, more than anything, is my top achievement: The London Marathon. Not only did I finish my first marathon, I did so in a fairly decent time (5:30:00) for my first race. My ‘official’ certificate made it to my in-laws this past week. Mighty proud of that.
2. Cracked the ever so difficult publishing egg and landed myself my first, full time, fully paid, publishing job.
3. Have officially ticked off my third continent. Dubai has been an adventure and, while there are times I yearn for London, it’s starting to get better (mainly due to the weather finally changing).
4. Celebrated (earlier in February) my one year anniversary with my wonderful and supportive husband.
But just because 25 is nearly over doesn’t mean 26 can’t be better. A few things to look forward to in the coming year:
1. Running the Dubai marathon in January 2013. Less hills and (surprisingly) much colder.
2. Celebrating our two year anniversary (where on earth is the time going?!)
3. Traveling around (parts–unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that the ME isn’t entirely safe at the moment) the Middle East, North Africa, and Sound Asia.
4. Continuing on my adventure in publishing and seeing where this job lands me.
5. Exploring more of Dubai, not to mention taking up some fairly exciting outdoor activities (sailing being one of them)
So, regardless of my winging about being one year older, there’s much to look forward to in the coming year.
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But this post isn’t purely about my birthday. Something I’ve noticed recently that I’ve been meaning to blog about, and perhaps this ties in quite nicely with the whole issue of age, is the beauty product and cosmetic surgery culture they have in Dubai. You’ll probably have seen me, at some point or another, compare Dubai with the likes of LA or Vegas. And I’m not the only one to do so. But with the ‘glamourous’ stigma, also comes the seedier and perhaps darker side where women, and men alike, feel the need to look nothing but perfect. And quite surprisingly, this mentality doesn’t discriminate amongst nationalities. The ease someone can access liposuction, lip fillers, skin whitening, hair straightening and so much more is just baffling. Groupon offers those wishing to get slimmer up to 70% off on liposuction. Skin whitening products take up half the shelves in Boots, Carefore and other stores that stock the products. Vouchers for the Japanese and Brazilian straightening can be found all over the internet (and even if you go to a good salon, like I did, you’ll only pay around 200 GBP, which is relatively cheap when comparing to what they charge in NYC or London). Not only that, but the rate at which people actually have these procedures done is even more startling. I’ve been left wondering, on several occasions, how long a person needs to live here before they too are drawn into this ever growing trend?
I recently commented on a Guardian article relating to the rise in liposuction, hair straitening, skin whitening etc in the world. I wrote that, as someone who has only recently come to terms with that hair she’s been given, I gave in–rather quickly might I add– to the hair straightening concept. Partially because when you live in a country where the humidity is 70% even when it’s 110/42 degrees out, the last thing you want is to struggle to keep yourself from looking like you’ve just stuck your finger in the electric socket. But also, because while places like London and New York City don’t bat an eyelash at curls (and we’re not talking banana, wavy, Vogue-type curls either), places like Dubai are not as forgiving. Straight, sleek and thick is the way to go. I also noted how pathetic it was that I only truly felt comfortable after dumping a whole load of chemicals on my hair to prevent it from looking how it naturally grows out of my head. Even as I write this now, I’m ever so slightly disgusted with myself.
So I’m left wondering, why do the men and women of Dubai feel the need to go under the knife, bleach their faces or poison their hair, more so than most areas of the world? What makes those living here less satisfied with how they look than, say, a high profiled place like New York City. People in Dubai are not that much different looking to those in any other high fashion, fast paced and ever growing city. And, to further that, would people still invest the money in these procedures if the prices and availability weren’t as appealing?
So when I first took the job with Sound & Stage back in June, my husband’s first remark after congratulating me was ‘you know, your blog is going to suffer now.’ Of course, I’m not one to admit that I won’t be able to see a task through. Hell or high water, I’ll finish the damn thing, even if it means loss of limbs (or mind) in the process. And while I’ll never verbally admit to this, he was right. After a week at the magazine, the last thing I wanted to do was come home and write more. As the weeks slipped by, so too did Vagrant Traveler. Out of my mind and into the dusty catacombs of forgotten blogs, located somewhere in the deep corners cyberspace.
But, I vouched at the beginning that this wasn’t going to happen, and so I’m back. From outer space. Or the depths of the world of Journalism (which I hear are very similar). I’m here to continue the updates of life as an American expat in the jolly world of Dubai. I suppose the most obvious topic would be to discuss working life in Dubai, because, really, it’s a whole new world out here (my god I’m on a roll with these musical references…let’s see if I can’t keep this up).
Imagine, if you will, the US and UK working world had a love child. That love child would be the working world in Dubai. To begin with, long working hours are the norm out in the Gulf region. Work hours are 9-6, rather than 9-5. A full hour longer than what most British companies expect their employees to put in. And unless you’re one of the lucky few, ‘flexy time’ is the stuff that
What I’m currently eating as I write this post. Holy healthy, Batman!
dreams are made of, because they are just that. Dreams. They don’t exist. On a whole, you cannot plan to reach work thirty minutes earlier than normal to leave thirty minutes earlier in the evening to make a doctors appointment (as an example).
Of course, it certainly is not all doom and gloom. Scrooge isn’t sitting over our desks, denying us another piece of coal for the fire. With longer hours, also comes higher pay. Partly due to the lack of a small thing known as ‘tax’, partly due to the longer working hours and partly because, well, salaries are simply higher. Moving out to the middle of the desert seems like a crazy move, and because most wouldn’t make that change, companies realise there needs to be incentives to keep people out here. And along with higher pay comes the paid holidays. Love child might have the US’s working hours (and often ‘work mentality’), but it sure got its holiday allotment from the good ‘ol UK. A starter package of paid 21 working days is about the minimum of what people are typically offered and of course, it increases the longer you are with said company. On top of that, while we don’t have the typical UK and US holidays, we are given time off for celebrations such as Eid and other various Muslim holidays. In addition, and this is more geared towards my company, we get Christmas off as well. All in all, I’m not suffering for a holiday.
On the whole, I find I’m fitting into the working world here with ease. I spend my days writing, interviewing and traveling (both throughout and out of the UAE), which really makes for the perfect first full-time publishing job. In the past two months alone, I’ll have been to London twice, all paid for by work/a company I’m writing about.
I think I’m going to keep this short and sweet for the time being and, instead, update other aspects of this site. Pictures, new fun websites etc. Certainly keep your eyes peeled. And for the future, I will now be updating this once a week, as that seems more feasible than twice.
We’re now entering the time of year where, not only is it unbearably hot, but the humidity has quickly begun to settle. And it’s here to stay for the next two months. People are taking to the malls more, getting up earlier on the weekend to beat the mid-day heat and staying inside as much as possible. Bars and restaurants have either shutdown their outdoor area until September or have put up the air-conditioned canapes to keep business booming during the ‘dog days’ of summer. Of course a small number of people will continue to go to the beach, dine outside in the evenings and even exercise later on in the day or at night. Ultimate last night was particularly difficult–after running on the beach for about 5 minutes, it felt as though someone had filled my lungs with cement. Not a pleasant feeling. Though I don’t think I’ll ever get ‘bored’ of jumping into the sea after running around on the beach. Our numbers were down drastically from the week before–where we had 20 people, we now had 10 at the most. So as life in Dubai begins to brace itself for the next two months of unbearable heat, Adam and I decided to get in some more exploring this weekend, before the weather becomes too much.
If you were to visit the part of Dubai where Adam and I live, you’d quickly forget that you were in the ME. Aside from the Call to
For less than 1p you can tour the creek on one of these. I highly suggest holding on for dear life…
Prayer 5 times a day, there’s nothing to say that this part of Dubai isn’t actually located in any international city around the world. Western restaurants and stores line the Marina, JBR and JLT. Expats freely mingle and go about their daily lives side by side with the Emirate people. But take a step outside of this Western ‘bubble’, head 20 minutes down the road, and you are quickly reminded.
Karamas is the one stop shop place to go for deceivingly accurate fake clothing, watches, shoes, sunglasses and purses. Once out of your taxi, you are transported to, what feels like, South East Asia. Dark alleyways and bazaars lined with shoes, bags, sunglasses, tea sets and clothing. All for a cheap price. All the ‘best genuine fakes’. Countless times we were bombarded, sometimes by 5 or 10 shop owners at once, trying to sell us the ‘the best genuine fakes’ around. It was like trying to part of Red Sea at one point. Chinatown in the City doesn’t hold a candle to what lies in store for you at Karamas. Both in quantity and quality. Most items are shown freely in store windows and shelves. Cochella, Mulberry, and Jimmy Choo all displayed. But ask for products like Louis Vuitton, Channel or Hermes, and you’re taken out of the store, down the street, into a non-ACed building, up the creaking elevator, through a heavy door and into an apartment that has been converted into a massive room with shelves of fakes that would deceive even the most trained fashionistas. These bags are truly something else. Real, high quality, leather (and flame tested to prove it), intricate detailing that would only be found on ‘the real deal’ (or so I thought), and the card or care instructions typically found in these high end items. All up to date with this seasons designs. All for the tenth of the usual price.
Haggling is a must–you run the risk of insulting the owner if you don’t. Typically you can get them down by at least 30%, though 50% is sometimes an option. Once you’ve made your purchase, a trip to one of the many restaurants down the main streets is a
Brings the meaning of ‘bling’ to a whole new level…
must. Our trip to the Iranian restaurant was a great find (we were hoping to find the one Sri Lankan restaurant we read about), with a great menu and even better prices. Nothing like a mint and lemon juice with pitta and humous to cool you off after a few hours of walking around and haggling.
After Karamas, hail a taxi (or take the 30 minute walk up the creek if it’s later on in the year) up to the Gold and Spice Souks. What you will find there is unbelievable. Never, in my life, have I seen that much gold or that many spices in one confined area. Both sections are covered, replicating something like the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. Yellow, White, Platinum, precious and semi-precious stones all line the windows and shops of the souk. Store owners are busy inside dealing with the many tourists who are drawn to this area to purchase well made, high quality, jewellery at (literally) over half the price they’d pay back at home. Once again, haggling is a must in this part of town.
Close by, the smell of spices drift in with the creek breeze. Mounds of every spice and herb imaginable, all at (you guessed it) reasonable, and negotiable, prices. You can also find a variety of souvenirs to bring back home.
After purchasing your diamond rings and pounds of saffron (ha), I highly suggest that you take a walk up The Dubai Creek. There you can see the wooden ships that go between the Gulf States (and we assumed Iran) with piles upon piles of consumer goods that would eventually be sold off to stores and shops around the area. You can even take a tour of the entire length of the creek for the
Houston, we’ve left the bubble….
price of less than 1p (1AED). But hold on, you’ll be sitting on top of the boat, rather than in it and at high speed, this can make for a fairly rocky experience.
With the mosques lining one side of the creek and cargo ships on the other, this part of Dubai is a stark contrast to the glitz and glam that most have come to expect. And yet, it’s refreshing. After living in a city where some of the buildings date back to the 1500s, it’s nice to know that, with the Western familiarities that Dubai offers its expat community, there’s still a part that is pushes you out of your comfort zone and into fairly uncharted territory.
Photos to come shortly. Having issues with my iPhone at the moment. Stay tuned!
Sorry it’s taken a while for me to update this. I spent a good portion of last week with a bit of a tummy bug that turned out to be a case of dehydration/getting use to the heat. Adam was always on my case about not drinking enough water in London, and I’ve apparently taken that habit with me to Dubai. Must remember to increase my intake as temperature gets hotter.
We’ve now entered into the stage of our time here where we need to look for apartments. Having only really found our Notting Hill place six months ago, I was sincerely hoping the nightmare that is apartment hunting was a good 2 years away. Of course, after leaving London for Dubai, I knew that day would soon once again arrive.
The non-returned phone calls. The time wasted showing us a one bedroom apartment that’s actually a newly converted broom closet. And, oh look, the broom is still in there. The obnoxious double-speak. The foul stench of too much cheap cologne and wrinkled pinstriped suits. The irritating attempts to be ‘buddy buddy’ with me. Please. Stop. I don’t actually want to hug you.
And so I began, once again, with that much despised, fruitless search. Only this time, it’s in a different country Where the agent may or may night speak fluent English. There are rules like post dated checks and jail time if they bounce. Questionable maintenance responsibilities and potential AC fees (in a country where it gets to 120/50 in the summer!).
My first encounter was with someone who barely spoke English and, to top it all off, was on a dodgy cell line:
‘I have 1 bedroom…..JLT…..Tower’
‘Sorry, can you repeat that?’
’1 check…6….’
‘Sorry, what?’
’60,000 AED A YEAR!!!’
‘Okay.’
‘Can you….Tuesday….Evening….’
‘Sorry, what was the building?’
‘*Mumbles something inexplicable*’
‘Look, can you just text me the information and we can say that we’ll meet at 2pm tomorrow?’
‘Fine. *Click*’
We never actually heard back from him.
The next several phone calls and emails to various agents were ignored. And then we found our first property worth viewing with someone who spoke fluent English (not that this actually made a difference). It was described to us as light, airy and spacious:
‘You’ll notice how much room you have in here. Great value for money.’
‘The kitchen is the size of the guest toilet….’
‘Yes, but the sun comes in and makes it ever so bright and really gives you that spacious feeling.’
‘But the owner has covered every wall in dark maroon and black wall paper and the furniture is dark black leather…’
‘Yes, but the location so sought after.’
‘We’re looking out onto a golf course and the desert…’
We decided not not to take that one.
Finally, yesterday, I managed to snag an appointment to view a property that was actually great value for money, spacious and in an excellent location (not to mention the decor didn’t make me feel as though Marilyn Manson had a go at it). Of course I had to go through the whole process of standing there, listening to them go on and on about how ‘fabulous’ this property is and how ‘incredibly wonderful’ the decor and furniture are. Not to mention how the landlord managed to put in a proper electrical strip. According to him, when he had it plugged into the wall, he was told by the owner of the building that ‘it would probably blow up the refrigerator’. And because of this he couldn’t possibly meet my requests to lower the rent by 2,000 AED a year. I didn’t realise that ensuring that one of your appliances doesn’t blow means that you have the right to charge more than necessary. But then again, I suppose I’m new to this game.
We’ll see how it all turns out. I’m not entirely sure if we’ll take the property, but it is lovely and I do sort of have my heart set on it at the moment.
I can’t seem to actually upload pictures at the moment of the apartment, so please check back in the next few hours or so. Thanks!
Since my last post I managed to land my self the amazing position of Editor for Sound and Stage ME magazine. I’m still half expecting to get a phone call or email saying ‘sorry, we’ve made a mistake’ the position is that cool. Basically, I’ll be reporting on anything to do with lighting, sound or staging for concerts, plays, conferences etc. And while I’m not a music journalist/reporter, I’ll still be reporting on all that goes on behind the scenes for some pretty big music gigs. I think my first big report will be the Madonna concert in early June, which is pretty darn cool if I do say so myself. In all seriousness, as someone who’s been in music (and a bit of theatre–I loved being ‘Islander 1′ ha!) since Middle School, I’m so looking forward to having the opportunity see what goes on behind the scenes to ensure all of these events run smoothly.
As most of you know, I’m a runner. I don’t look it, but I am. I caught the running bug back in Sophomore year of college and haven’t looked back since. I even managed to complete my first marathon in London the day before moving out here. But my comfort zone lies in cold to mild climates and I fail miserably in heat. So it’s no wonder that I’m finding running here to be a massive struggle. In fact, one might even assume that sports all together are out of the question here in the part of the world where temperatures can reach up to 120/51 in the dog days of summer.
As luck may have it, Dubai has much to offer in the ways of sports and outdoor activities. I first noticed the amount of advertisements for sports gear and gym memberships in the metro and bus stations, promoting a healthier lifestyle. Fitness First is the main fitness centre out here and the facilities far surpass even the poshest sports clubs in London. Much like the UK and US, these gyms offer a wide rang of classes (I’ve happily taken up Spin and Body Pump on Wednesday and Thursday evenings) and state of the art equipment.
The one thing I found the UK lacked that I desperately missed from the US were sports clubs. I realise that they exist in the UK, but it just didn’t seem the same after spending a season with a group like SOBO in Baltimore every Sunday. Lucky for me then that Dubai offers a wide range of sports
Just passing through while we were playing a bit of pickup…
teams. With sports like rugby, baseball, football, American football, etc. you’d be hard-pressed to find one that isn’t offered. They even have a massive ultimate scene, which I decided to check out yesterday. Pick up on the beach–I could get use to playing that every week. It was a great time over all and the players were beyond welcoming. Of course not having played for well over 2 years paired with the intense heat, I was on the pitch for a handful of points before I had to call it quits for the night. Regardless it was a great time and the few beers at the hotel down the street was a great way to round off the evening.
We’re lucky enough to have the sea practically on our doorstep. The water sports offered in Dubai are endless. Scuba diving and sailing are two that I’m looking forward to trying, even if I do have an unhealthy phobia of being in the ocean/sea–mostly the whole ‘drowning’ bit…
I started this post, ranting about the lack of running I’ll be able to do in the coming months. Perhaps this isn’t a completely fair depiction, seeing as there is actually a running club offered during the months of the year when the heat is slightly less fierce. There’s even a 10K rout around the entire marina, which looks absolutely lovely in the evening. Finally, it seems Dubai took a page out of America’s book and decided to create ‘Mall Walkers’ every Sunday to Thursday morning (820am start) at The Mall of the Emirates. I think I’ll check that out tomorrow. I’m getting the sense that some people do actually run, rather than walk. Fingers crossed!
‘We’ll eat you up–we love you so’
Where the Wild Things Are
RIP Maurice Sendak: For vowing to never ‘sugar coat’ life for a child.
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The placemat was in the shape of a circle. Cute.
After spending two days trying to find the Circle Cafe, yesterday proved successful. I had been tipped by our Residence Guide Book that this was the place to go for ‘good bagels, healthy food and a bit of gossip’. They weren’t kidding either. The sign on front reads ‘Circle Cafe: Gossip Hub’. It attracts mostly Jumeirah Janes with a sprinkling of professionals. I found the location a bit odd, as it wasn’t a solo standing cafe, but instead in the middle of a rather quiet shopping mall. At first I was a bit apprehensive, but was quickly reassured when it was finally located. I was immediately greeted with a smile by the head waiter and offered the option to choose my seat. The decor and over all atmosphere is delightful. Light, airy, and soft, the chairs and walls looked as though they have been white washed and then decorated by a French boutique owner. To add to the quirkiness, they had music playing in the background, ranging from Bowie to The Boss. A massive “two thumbs” up in my book.
Notice the French style chairs and adorable porcelain salt and pepper shakers.
The menu is presented the form of a newspaper called the ‘Circle News’. On the front they offer an explanation of the spices used in their dishes, along with history of why they’re used, followed by a a weekly recipe. This week, it was their 7 layer chocolate cake. Pure decadence. Prices rang from 30-80dhr for mains, drinks 8-20, and desserts 25-30. Bagels, wraps, and salads the menu is surprisingly extensive and healthy. I ordered an iced coffee, skim with no sugar, and shrimp and avocado on a whole wheat wrap with a light pink sauce, hold the Cajun spices (I was in the mood for something to match the atmosphere).
The food didn’t take long to arrive. Thoughtfully placed, I first noticed the size. One of my main complaints about the food in Dubai are the portion sizes–they rival those found in America and as I’ve become accustomed to the sizes found in the UK, I’ve been finding it difficult to finish what’s typically put in front of me. So I was delighted to find that the size of the meal was far more to my liking. The wrap wasn’t stuffed with ingredients to the point of bursting, but rather filled just enough that you’re able to appreciate every flavour. The meal was garnished with a small bed of spinach and lettuce leaves with a smattering of olive oil and accompanied with four homemade bagel chips. A culinary flashback to my childhood. Only these were seasoned, quite heavily might I add, with olive oil and Zaatar (a ME spice that has a thyme and oregano taste). My one and only complaint was that the chef went rather heavy on the sauce, causing a good deal of the
My beautiful main dish.
ingredients to fall out of the wrap and onto my plate and making it very difficult to eat. Regardless of this minor setback, the main was delicious. I never thought I’d enjoy the mix of shrimp and avocado together, but it really does work.
I decided that, as this was all in the name of research, I should look at the dessert menu. With six options to choose from, I finally settled on the flowerless chocolate cake. Sounds unappealing to most of you, but let me just say how delicious and moist this was. It came, once again, presented in a thoughtful manner, drizzled with chocolate sauce. I must admit that I was defeated about half way through my final course. As delicious as the cake was, in all it’s chocolatey goodness, it was also incredibly rich in flavour.
My experience of Circle Cafe, on a whole, was great.The service was attentive and friendly, the food wholesome and delicious, and
A slice of heaven.
the decor fun and something a bit different. I wouldn’t necessarily make it a local hangout as it’s a bit on the expensive side, but I certainly will be returning once in a while or on special occasions. Also, it should be noted that internet access is not offered. That said, if you are visiting Dubai in the near future, I highly suggest checking out Circle. You will not be disappointed.
I will be putting up more photos in the Photos. section from my experience at Circle Cafe.
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I’ve now exceeded the 400 hit mark after only five posts. This is a huge success for me, so thank you to everyone out there taking the time to read my blog. If you’d like to read about anything in particular during my time out here, feel free to leave a comment or drop me a line through Facebook, Twitter or email.
