Roundabout Flower - #61

After my faux pax with frangipani, hear is another Dubai flower.

This one has been classified as Autocarious Rotundae...

I still don't do flowers, this one just got in the way...

Wadi Trees - #60

A wadi is a, usually, dry river bed.

I like the dust that has been kicked up in the background and the hues of the sky / mountains.

And ok, I admit it... this is not exactly downtown Dubai... but not far away I promise...

Safe & Sound Series - Cheeky Lady - #59

Another view of the charity walk.

I liked this cheeky tattoo...

And the below chap stands out too...

Safe & Sound Series - The Kid Rides Again - #58

The Kid was just too cool. Shades, a stetson and a trusty stead.

The annual Burjuman Pinkathon Walk in aid of Breast Cancer awareness.

A great event held every year which raises money and awareness for Breast Cancer. The theme, quite clearly, is pink.

So, we did the walk and raised a little donation etc - so now I want use my little blog to try raise a little awareness...

(these girls had a very nice idea, shame about the "a"...!)

Three steps to happiness - #57

OK... some cash (50 dirhams is about US$12.50 / GBP 7 pounds) plus a telephonic device plus a user manual will enable any Dubai household to feed a minimum of two people for one evening meal and sometimes a breakfast.

The Great Kandura Conspiracy - #56

I have to say, I do like the hyper pristine look of the kandura (or dishdash) as worn by men in the GCC / UAE. It seems to give a real air of importance, more so than a mere suit can ever do.

Please check out this great site to learn more about men and women's clothing (as well as much more!) in the UAE Grape Shisha.

What do you think they are talking about?

I like to think they are discussing tactics for the next game of hide and seek...

Whole of the Hole? - #55

You can run, but you can't hide...

Beware the ceiling holes. They are programed for maximum disclosure.

Knowledge Is Power - #54

Taken this morning on Oud Metha Road Dubai.

Some of the schools in Dubai have a geographical reference.

Hospitals and dentists are even worse and use a geographical reference most of the time.

The biggest culprit appears to be vets. Are the animals more afraid of vets that don't speak their language?

Eid Mubarak To All - #53

The blackboard says it all.

I love this shot. The wind in the hair, the relaxed expression, the precise suncream army and of course the blackboard.

Eid Al Fitr

Eid Mubarak to all!

Welcome To The Sand Pit - #52

For a sun pounded desert marooned outpost, Dubai can look pretty lush when it tries...

Oh to just lie underneath this...

Can you smell the grass? I hope so, it's the best smell on Earth sometimes...

Good Things Come To Those Who Wait - #51

Fresh off the camera, sea salt and sand still in my hair...

Here is my first long exposure shot. Last night camping on the beach - 13 second exposure.

In realty this was very, very dark - you can see the motion blur on the people.

I like the line in the sky - is this a plane, a satellite, a UFO?

Prevent Drowning - #50

A very wise message...

Although... where is everyone? HELLO?

Let This Be A Warning - #49

There are a lot of full bloodied steroid packed machines in Dubai.

Sand is everywhere - you may as well go bash some in a big beast.

Dune Bashing

I like to do so...

Do Camels Prefer The Front Crawl Or The Backstroke? - #48

Too hot?

I wish I knew....

The 2 Deira Ronnies

I am happy with the questions in this piece.

What are you doing?
Why us?
What do you find so interesting about us?

These all come to my mind.

It also comes to my mind that the some of the population may think these questions of me always, not just when I take their picture.

Stolen ducks, from a beach resort a/k/a/ Luggi's Duck - #46

Lesson to myself - write less.

Stolen ducks, from a beach resort. Photo taken in my bathroom. Yesterday. In Dubai.

Photo already taken, however this posting is inspired by my current favourite daily poster:

Luggi-mania

SZ on the SZR a/k/a/ a political autocratic enigma - #45

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan - known most usually as Sheikh Zayed the "father" of the UAE.

The UAE's only ruler from its inception in the early 1970's to 2004 when he died.

I believe Sheikh Zayed to be a very unusual man and leader. Consider these facts:

A true autocratic leader with no desire for democracy, with an estimated "personal" fortune of over US$20 billion (the UAE accounts for 10% of the world's known oil reserves).

However this man built a nation. A nation that loved him. A leader that was known for his compassion, ideals, simple and traditional pleasures and his statesmanship abilities. The leader of 7 emirates that were previously fractured and troubled especially when the UK exited the area.

I find it quite incredible that power and money of this magnitude did not corrupt. I had only been in Dubai a short time before he was announced dead and there was a real sense of mourning in this country.

I can't think of any other unelected leader that has ruled for over 20 years that was so loved by the 20% of the population that are local Emiratis, by the 80% expats in the country and also by many ordinary and influential people around the world. A charitable and compassionate man.

Truly unique I think, much missed I am sure, long may he be remembered.

Sheikh Zayed on Sheikh Zayed Road. Dubai. UAE. 2006.

An equal and opposite reaction - #44

It's not every day that you get to try something that was not just enjoyable or fun, but really amazing. Something that really excites you and stimulates your body and mind.

Today, sorry I mean yesterday (Friday), I did just that.

Kite Surfing (well a first lesson and it was on land).

Wow.

This is a picture of our instructor and one of my best friends. On Jebel Ali beach.

Pure 100% Dubai circa 2006.

Mallrats - #43

This is the atrium at the Mall Of The Emirates.

I believe it is the biggest mall outside of North America - although I maybe wrong...

I like the steel and sky latice effect.

The Excite Machine - #42

Further to our decision to abandon your hot and sandy planet we have asked that Council of Entertainment Committe sends you poor people our incentive, errrr... I mean extic, or indeed our Excite Machine.

We have placed this near the road from Interchange Four to the Madinat, look over to your right hand side near the villas and you'll see it.

We hope you enjoy it.

I Don't Do Postcards a/k/a/ Burj Al Arab - #41

It's all Natalie's fault. A Postcard From Sydney

The Burj Al Arab. The world's only "7 star hotel". Every room comes with a personal 24 hour butler. The atrium is the highest in the world. Each room is a duplex. The cheapest room is approx US$1,000 per night.

Famous for many things, including Agassi and Federer playing a game on the helipad.


(not a Bluey shot of course)

Click for more

It looks pretty at sunset and after dark with the light display...

Same, Same. But Different. - #40

We are all the same the world over.

Dubithica Aquaticus a/k/a/ Marina Flower - #39

I don't do flowers, really I don't.

But sometimes things come along, they peek out from somewhere and whisper to you... you just have to take a moment with them...

Taken in the middle of a pedestrian walkway in Dubai Marina. I have no idea of the species of plant, latin or the nomenclature of plants, however - how about Dubithica Aquaticus?

What's Blue, Yellow and Linear? - #38

I think the colours give this away... This is the Arabic version of a famous logo - can you guess the brand?

I'm quite interested with the process from taking a logo with English wording and then translating this into non English characters such as Arabic, Cantonese, Cyrillic, Japanese etc. It's not just translation, but also graphical translation.

The shot was taken today in Dubai Festival City - a very interesting new area springing up next to the Creek. There will be rented accommodation for approx 10,000 people, 40 restaurants, 4 5 star hotels, a golf course and a marina as well as a huge amount of shops. It is the biggest real estate project in the world that is owned by one man, Mr Al Futtaim.

It looks a nice place to live...

Question - When Is A Cat Not A Cat? - #37

Answer - When It Is An Oil Soaked Dirty Yet Magnificent Earth Mover In Arabia.

Personally, my recommendation is to bow down and worship this beast.

Langdon's Cascade - #36

This is a shot of a chandelier taken at the launch party for the Da Vinci Code at a new restaurant in Dubai called "Shu".

"Shu" in Arabic means what?

This, I think, is quite appropriate for the Da Vinci Code.

(PS - either that or this is God's waterfall)

A Penny For Your Thoughts? - #35

I really, really want to know what this guy is thinking. No, not even that, I actually want to think exactly what he is thinking.

I often wonder what it would feel like to be immersed in someone else's brain for an hour or a day. I wonder if we all have a similar thought processes or if we are all different, each other's brain patterns and processes like foreign languages...

Taken a short while before sunset. 30 mins from Dubai city. A different world.

Peel Me And See... #34

I like this for several reasons.

The Arabic graphical styling, the grain of the door, the curl of the heat soaked paper and the irony of the restoration notice.

For some reason I find this to be agreeably sumptuous.

I hope you do too.

God sized 3D version of Pictionary - #33

Like any facade there is a flipside.

This is a stretch of construction land directly behind the Sheikh Zayed Road strip.

Some days it is like a God sized 3d version of Pictionary with a Zeus styled Rolf Harris at the canvas... "Can you see what it is yet?"

Roasted Vegetables - #32

I've shown you a little of Deira's fish market, now here is a character from Ras Al Khor's fruit and veg market. Ras Al Khor is at the top end of the Creek and is generally known for 2 things - the used car market and the fruit and veg market.

Once again, the market is a covered, yet open air affair. This, as you may guess, means the temperature in the summer is simply insane. The roof is corrugated aluminum....

This guy and all of his colleagues were working so hard in this heat. They hand pull big carts / wheelbarrows around the market. Each customer gets a man with a barrow to help.

This guy's face tells a million tales... and not one of them involves the word blooop or the discussion of world invasion.

Taxi For One - #31

Taxi for one please... part of the Daily City Photo - Theme Day

The sturdy and generally reliable Dubai Taxi. All taxis are the Toyota Camry model. The drivers are usually from Kerala in India or from Pakistan, it appears to be the rule, perhaps the powers that be think that a Keralite is more predisposed to the streets of DXB than others...

Most are very friendly, but like anywhere they can also be new, lost or even rude... Try to have change as they don't always have the right change.

Dubai doesn't have a usual street address system so if you are going somewhere you don't know it helps to have a map or know a near by landmark.

A short journey will cost you about 10dhs (approx US$2.60) and a longer journey all the way across town of approx 30km will be about 50dhs (US$13.50).

Dubai has started to build a metro system, but this will be years away, so for now the only viable mode of public transport for a lot of people is the taxi.

I salute the Dubai Taxi Driver. A Hard Job, Done Well.





















Click the links to see the other cities participating in the Taxi Theme Day:
1 (Porto ) -2 (Albuquerque ) -3 (London ) -4 (Seattle, WA (USA) [Kim] ) -5 (Edinburgh ) -6 (Stayton, OR ) -7 (Greenville, SC ) -8 (Budapest ) -9 (Antigua Guatemala ) -10 (Alexandria, VA ) -11 (Manila ) -12 (Twin Cities ) -13 (Szentes ) -14 (Paris ) -15 (Portsmouth ) -16 (Ryde ) -17 (Sydney ) -18 (Oulu ) -19 (Singapore [keropok] ) -20 (Santiago ) -21 (Melbourne, Aust ) -22 (Dubai UAE ) -23 (Bandung (Indonesia) ) -24 (Copenhagen ) -25 (Sequim ) -26 (Singapore ) -27 (Tenerife ) -28 (Sharon, CT ) -29 (Tuzla, B&H ) -30 (Jakarta (Indonesia) ) -31 (Rotterdam ) -32 (Brussels ) -33 (Stavanger (Norway) ) -34 (Aliso Viejo, CA ) -35 (Oshawa, ON, Canada ) -36 (Vantaa, Finland ) -37 (Trier (Germany)) -38 (Newcastle upon Tyne ) -39 (Hong Kong ) -40 (Shang Hai ) -41 (Brussels ) -42 (San Diego, CA (USA) ) -43 (Sydney (Nathalie)) -