Here Come the Troops..Just in Time!

Above - Saying 'farewell' to our mates.

Above - Superwomen, getting ready to fly 16 hours with 4 kids, if only she new what lay ahead on the flight!!

Above - As you can see, B3 has had a difficult time so far adjusting to the UAE lifestyle..not.

Above - B2 met this local boy, Saeed, at the market. The boys dad had just bought three goats (stuffed into the boot in the background).

Above - At the local Souk, freshest produce in all of UAE, great place to shop and explore.

Above - Huge variety and different foods at our local bakery.

Above - So happy to be finally all back together after 3 months at separate corners of the world. Relaxing in the villa on the 'better late than never' furniture.

Above - Chilling out in the pool, a daily event.

Above - Camel in the street near market, just as pretty from any angle i guess.

Wow, what an roller-coaster ride over the last month it has been! We've had everything from me losing the plot and wanting to call it quits at the eleventh hour, resulting in calls to home at 3am complaining about how unworkable this place and my job is; to the rest of the family finishing a holiday in wet Queensland, packing the remainder of the house and flying solo over to the UAE; to adjusting to a new lifestyle and home and school and, well..that's about it, but most importantly, being back together again as a family and doing the normal stuff like listening to the kids argue, bed time stories, holding my wife, the occasional family dinner etc etc.

Let's start off from the last blogg post. Firstly, i had been here for another 3weeks without the family after a pretty full-on week back home, but the week was long enough to realise how good life at home was, so i reluctantly came back to the UAE without the family and work was even more full on than before. Stupid hours, countless problems with clients and staff, hassles organising our villa and just about everything for that matter and i very quickly found myself really disliking the idea of moving the family here. A couple of calls home, and FS and i decided that I'd slog it out till they got here, then play it week by week, try to last the first month and see how i felt then. I had to cancel my flight back to Australia though (i was meant to go back to help bring FS and boys over here), because if i i got on the plane back, there was no way i would have come back here, i was in a dark place, really.

Finally anyway, i got the villa organised, no furniture though, i leased a 4x4 Pajero for FS, drove to Abu Dhabi and booked a lovely hotel for their arrival. The flight came in at 12.30am, i got there at 12.25am, but just in time none the less. FS and boys came out to the terminal by about 1am. "OHHH MY GOD", i was stoked to see them, but jeez, they were a motley looking crew.

B2 threw up on me, no joke!, but can't complain because he looked so ill, had not slept at all on the flight and had been throwing up on FS the whole way. As had B1 by the way, and B4 was not too far behind. B3 held the ship together and was a natural flyer, charming the hosties no doubt. Even FS came in for special attention, with blood sugar levels dropping right down, and having to lay on the floor of the plane mid flight. Pretty blonde hosty dripping honey into her mouth to raise her blood sugars levels. (Raised my blood levels i tell you, picturing the blonde hosty, and FS and dripping honey), but i get distracted.

So after all that, we then had the struggle of fitting the luggage into the car, so after 15 hours flying and being sick, we're finally together as a family, but loaded under piles of luggage whilst i get us lost going to the hotel. At least i got to show FS some of the UAE (even it it was pitch black). And by the way, B2 is by now, still throwing up in the new car! Poor little sod.

We finally arrived at the Marfraq Hotel Resort and slept.

Next morning, we had the huge buffet breakfast, then went swimming in the pool, whilst the guys told me all about their Queensland holiday.

The drive to Al Ain, (about an hour and half) later that day was a good intro for the troops. We saw plenty of sand and sand hills and camel farms and date palms, whilst all squashed up under the luggage again!

Arrived in Al Ain and i started pointing out all the attractions and points of the town, but realised this was a whole bunch to take in so i shut up, for a change, and just waited for questions. We drove straight to the villa, and the boys and FS were stoked with the facilities and villa, Feuww!

We had no furniture, except for a couple of blow up mattresses i borrowed from a neighbour, and a fridge and stove i have bought a few days earlier, so it was straight to the shopping centre. I tried to go the long way so as to throw FS off any scent of where the shopping malls were. (didn't work, she latched onto a map from another expat and now knows all the quick ways to every shopping centre (all 2 of them) in Al Ain. We bought some pillows and a cot for B4 and some staples to tie the boys over, went to dinner and then back to the villa by 9.30pm where we all just crashed out.

I had to be back at work the next day, so reluctantly left the family, concerned about how they'd go without me, the leader of the tribe, the hunter, the experienced UAE family rep, the one who could speak some lingo, the one who dragged them over here. How could they possibly cope without me??

I got home that evening to an empty house (not just because we still had no furniture, but FS and B1,2,34 were not there either!! Oh my god, they've been kidnapped by local tribesman and are living high in the Jebels (mountains). I ran back outside, ready to call the cops and get a search party ready!! But first, what this coming down the drive? There's at least 15 kids, some were mine, an Indian lady, a couple of Sth Africans, a Scot, a Pom, a Canadian lady and FS...all in the swimming togs carry towels, on their way back from the pool, laughing and having a 'gay ol' gad about' (not that there's anything wrong with that). The boys called out to me, and all the pother kids yelled out, "hi uncle nick!!". FS and I later cackled ourselves at the fact that we were now aunty FS and uncle nick to all these kids..very funny.

So any way, FS had no hassles adapting and was quickly shown the many ropes by the other women in the village. the boys had already met heaps of kids that they'd be going to school with the next week, and were having a blast.

So in the last week, we finally have some furniture arrived, but the place is a lovely big size and needs more to fill it if we could bother, although the boys lost there indoor squash court when we pout the lounge and TV stuff in (they were using the walls as a pingpong /squash court when empty.

B1 and 2 have started school, and are really enjoying it. Starts at 7.30am and they finish at 1.30pm, although both complain that they aren't allowed outside as part of school rule if it is above 40c. FS does plenty of shopping and has had some funny experiences with B3 stripping off and the locals a bit shocked. Despite some fevers, all seem healthy now. It really feels like we've been here for ages already, but we're still playing it day by day and week by week, because the job is still full of headaches and not really enjoyable, although i hope i can tough it out at least a little longer so we can do lots of exploring and camping and off roading etc of the UAE. FS loves reading the printed off emails she gets from you guys. We really miss our fiends and family, but are looking forward to telling you all about our travels and adventures over the next.....while.

I'm Back...Back in the USSR - i mean UAE!!!

Above - Our villa.
Above - Taking sheesha with workmate and his wife.

Above - Tennis courts at village.

Above - Pool at Villa.

Above - Welcome home Dad!! Best feeling in the world.

G'day, (mmm, feels good saying / writing that).

It's been a few weeks since my last post, but as most would probably know, it's official, we're off to the UAE for a year.

Things finally came to head in the last 2 days of my initial stint, and agreements were put into place and signed off, meaning i was committing to a one year deal to move the family to the UAE. Funny thing about all of this is that my last week in the UAE was one of my worst, with so many frustrations and difficult people to deal with, it would have been very easy to walk away from the whole thing then and there. Ive been very conscious of the big picture though, and lets be frank...these opportunities don't come by every day, and this, in the worst case, is a great chance to have the whole family experience something so different from home (not better in my opinion, but different), and this experience will hopefully really broaden the kids minds and attitudes to the world and what we have back home. It has certainly done that for me over the last 3 months.

So anyway, my last week included silly hours again, dumping my existing luggage at someones house so i could travel back with empty cases, for the return reload and as usual the long flight back home. Time couldn't go faster enough for me, i was so amped to see the kids and FS.

The customs officers must have seen my excitement, and i got the speedy checks and scans and then straight through to the arrivals section. B1 saw me first and bolted under the restraining ropes to grab me for a huge cuddle. I was then crashed tackled by B2 and B3!! what a feeling, it was so good to hold the boys. Other than a couple of "daddy" screams, none of us really even talked for the first minute, just cuddled. With the other passengers cuing up behind us, we moved done the walkway...for a second i thought i saw Rebecca Harris (TV host of Hello:Goodbye, she'd have done a great show with us!!ha ha) As i came to the end of the walkway, i saw B4. He was standing, had lovely blonde hair( i now offically have the least amount of hair in my tribe) and took 2 or 3 wobbly steps towards me. Of all the boys, he had changed the most. With B1,2,3 on my back i picked up B4, and whilst my little dady's boy was a bit shy(showing his anger at me for leaving him for so long i think) for about 3 seconds, he then latched on really tightly, (and didn't let go until i flew out a week later). I now had B1,2,3,&4 hanging off me and FS was now coming in for the long overdue hugs and kisses. How good is this!!

Nothing beats the feeling of coming home, doesn't matter whether it's been a 3 month stint, a week or even just a day at the office!

So i was at home for a week, and besides the long awaited catch ups with FS, we had to organise moving out of our house, transferring all our utilities, post, etc, moving the boys out of school, including transfer letters, meeting with teachers, holding a garage sale, transporting stuff to Vinnies, tip runs, engaging real estate agents for renting the house, catching-up with other family and friends, convincing my directors that all was cool, meeting another work fella to design a new system to take back with me, having dad in hospital for surgery, moving in with the in-laws for a couple of days and generally getting over some severe jet lag. Yes, a full week for all.

Someone once told me that jet lag sits somewhere in the brain next to depression or one of it's close relatives like anxiety. I can't argue, I've been very nervous about the whole move, (especially once i had returned to Aust), particularly with the family involved. It almost seems ludicrous to leave the nth beaches of Sydney, a great job, house, schools and family and friends to move to the desert where temps get up to 50 degrees, we know basically no-one, work six days /week, for a job fraught with hassles. Writing it sounds even more ludicrous.

BUT, even with all of this, i just have to refer to the top paragraph of this blogg and remember that as long as we are all together, this is a great opportunity to experience the world, learn a tonne of stuff, make new friends from around the world, do some travelling, maybe make a bit of money (i think FS's itinerary has already had this spent though). i mean, why does any Aussie travel? Because we're an intrigued people and eager to learn and see more about the world. I've said it a lot lately to myself, "nothing beats home, but home will always be there".

Anyway, I'm now back in the UAE, while FS and boys travel to Queensland for a holiday. They'll all be here in 2 weeks and i can't wait to start our adventure together!!

What's News?

Above - Site meeting in the middle of the desert.

Above - Al Ain Sports stadium.

Above - Despite 60 minutes report, not everyone in the UAE lives in luxury. this house was about 1.5metres tall smack bang in the middle of the desert. the guy living here is a pump operator at one of the wells.

Above - Danger!!, watch out for loose camels, looks like this guy is taking them out for a walk.

Above - Al Ain score a penalty and the local team crowd are stoked!

Above - Better behave or you'll be blasted by this over sized water cannon used for crowd control.

Above - Would you like a tea while you watch the game Mr.?

Never a dull moment in the UAE....well perhaps not, but many a day feels like 'ground-hog-day", so i guess if you're first day wasn't dull, neither will be the next.

FS called to say there had been a 60 minutes report abut living in the UAE, particularly Dubai. I have not seen the report obviously, but can assure you, that unless you love sitting in traffic 2-3 hours a day and also want a frantic pace to you're life, Dubai is not so fantastic, but the UAE as a whole is a great place to come a visit and although i have only been here a couple of months, i think it would be a great place to live for a couple of years too.

I have said it before and will say it again. Given the option, i would live and work in Al Ain any day over Dubai. The money is the same, the cost of living is half and there is a real community atmosphere. It is kind of like the Plateau at home, only on a massive scale, without the beaches, double the temperature, people drive at 140km, no retirement village, it is flat as a tack, and unfortunately there are bugger all chicks walking around in bikinis or the 'special ones' from Southy beach. So really, it is nothing like home, is it?

Quick shout out to some good friends with new additions to their tribes. Sean and Gemma and Shane and Karen...well done to all.

My departure from the UAE, has been postponed by a week due to an excessive workload and list of priorities that arrived this week. I started a new role here for the third time. the rest of the term felt like a holiday compared to this one and i am very tired from all of the hours up to date. So I was gutted with the delay!! I went from a 4 day count down to an 11 day count down! Any way it is down to 8 now, and i can't wait. Things are looking positive to sign up for a longer term gig, but the number one rule i have learnt here...action speaks louder than words, and until i have a signed contract, and etickets in my hand and the deposit paid on the villa, it isn't a done deal. things can take 6 months to organise and agree upon here, and then just as they are...there is another change.

Went t the soccer (football) last week. Al Ain were playing ??? in the President's Cup at the the Al Ain Sports Stadium. Walked ion the gates (entry is free), past the huge water cannon trucks and armed police and security, (it looks like someone travelled to Europe and said"i want one of those and one of those and a that". Why they would need these i don't know, although the Arabs are very passionate about their Footy. Anyway, because i am a blue eyes, i was ushered to the VIP section (the important Sheiks and Arabs go to the VVIP section). We sat in a beautiful stadium, saw the pre-game fireworks, were served free drinks all night including tea (no alchol obviously), and then at half time i followed the crowd inside the stadium area for a free hot dinner and drinks and desert. Brooky Oval would have been mayhem at the thought of a free pie, let alone a smorgasbord of cakes, springrolls and other assorted goodies, but these guys were all calm and civil and there was plenty to go around. Anyway, Al Ain won on a penalty shot.

Nothing else too new to talk about, although it is getting hotter here now. My Arabic is much better, but it still takes plenty of hand gesturing and the like to get through to some of my team. I feel comfortable enough to break out into some impromptu singing every now and then (as anyone from work would testify, this can be often and sounds great!!) (the bouncers and other patrons from the local R'ry may disagree though).

Maah as salaama Habibis

More Ramblings

Above - Al Ain Zoo, African Savanna.
Above - A Jaguar, or is it a leopard? Big Cat either way.

Above - Grizzly Adams.

Above - Hmmmm, a Hummer. Very common in UAE.

Above - Scorpion in an palm oasis, these too are common.

Above - My new landscaper's ute, i was going to pose like a 'biker-slag' on the bonnet, but thought better of it. Besides, its not really mine!

OK avid readers, sorry it's been a while since the last post, can't imagine how you've all gotten through your lives without an update from the UAE, but here we are again. Only 17 days, 12 hours and 38 minutes until i arrive home. Who's counting though heh?? I am very settled in Al Ain now, and have quite a fondness for much of the town / city, but nothing compares to home, and at the end of the day there is still so much uncertainty on whether I'll be staying on, that this is weighing quite heavily on me and making home more and more attractive all the time. We all know the story, basically I'll be stoked to stay here for a year or so if the family are here and everything is bedded down, contract wise. Despite this stuff dragging out since last November, the long term gig seems just as far away now in terms of things being settled, so to cut out the uncertainty on the home front, I've given the deal until March to be finalised, so all parties can move forward. That means the next few weeks are pretty hectic!!

So, other than the usual work stuff, I've managed to squeeze in a couple of runs along the Wadis, been to the gym once or twice to "work through the obvious pain, making sure the 'guns' are on display at all times". Not being a gym person, this has caused some issues the following day, to the point of hardly being able to lift my arms; can you imagine playing the daily charade game in this state!!!

Went to the Al Ain Zoo last Friday. I can honestly say this this is a great zoo, with plenty of movement and active animals. The displays / cages (depending on your animal activism stance) are really good and the flat layout is much easier to walk around than Taronga for example. There are some nice parks inside the zoo and those blow up slides etc too. For an adult the cost is 10dhs ($3 Aus) and kids are only 5 dhs each. Same story though, walking around a zoo by yourself is fine to a point, but a little lonely. (bring out the violins). Some of the displays, you look down from above. The wall is only about 1 metre high, this gives you a great vantage point to see the animals moving around their enclosures, but when you consider there is absolutely no stopping access to anyone game enough, or unlucky enough to have a kid fall into the enclosure, your heart starts to miss a few beats when you see a small kid leaning over the rail, past his tippy toes to get a better look.

I was going to make some notes about the cars and driving in the UAE, but this is a blog all to itself. There is no simple way to sum up the experience of driving in the UAE, so i'll save this for another blog one day.

One of the runs i went for was with the AA Hash house harriers. The motto of this world wide runners group is that they "are drinkers with a running problem". This is the first HHH group I've been apart of, they are great people, know how to have a good time and whilst the run is a part of it, the drink and camaraderie is certainly the focus. The group is made up of mainly Aussies, Poms, Canadians and Brits. I may have already mentioned this previously, but every expat i have met in the UAE (Al Ain), is here as a university lecturer or working in the hospitals. Al Ain is also the education city of the emirates. So if your a teacher, lecturer or involved in hospitals, you'd have little trouble landing a job here, and doing very well for yourself, or at least living a different experience. Most people also seem to have been here for at least 10 or more years.

Bragging rights - Here's to B1 for smashing an unbeaten partnership of 76 runs from 6 overs at cricket last weekend. Very proud dad here mate. And to B2 for being elected into the SGC (student group council), very proud dad again. B3 for still calling out to 'daaaaad' at every plane to fly over-head(lucky we don't live near Mascot), and B4 for trying to crawl through the computer monitor to see me when talking on skype. But most of all to FS who has not 'lost it' at me yet for leaving all behind to pursue this crazy gig, and keeping it all together at home, (don't mind the broken windows, doors and 6 foot high lawns).

Will try to send another Blog within the week. Cheers to all.

One Month Update

Above - NS on one of the hundreds of themed R/A's in Al Ain. This one, surprise, is called the Zoo R/A, at the entrance to the Al Ain Zoo.
Above - In case we forgot this this is a desert, a sand dune for you. These babies are massive and really need to be seen to be put into scale. If only i had a piece of cardboard for sand-surfing.


Above - Some of my colleagues; never sure if their laughing at me or with me?? Good people all the same!

Above - Wadi (creek bed), running through a valley.

Above - Desert Flowers, due to recent rains, some areas are really beautiful.

Above - Desert Grasses, in seed and flower, very similar to the native Australian grasses. Again, the picture doesn't capture how good this looked for real.

Above - Lots of rock. This valley was huge and indicative of some of the out of the way places to see near Al Ain. the valleys are full of fossils and crystallised rocks too.

Above - That's right, suck the gut in now take the picture. NS and more rocks.

Rightyoh, just over one month into it now. Not much else to report on since the last post, other than work and work. Despite the long days, it's hard to actually get much done sometimes. I've had so many conversations where I'm sounding out words as single syllables, drawing pictures and gesturing, that I'm now looking for the international charades tournament to arrive in the UAE.

Funny thing; i was told how well i speak English by a Bangladeshi fella the other day. He was amazed how well i could speak this particular language and then asked me to say something to him Australian!! Strewth, dunno what he's flamin talkin about, found myself saying seeya soon after g'day and got out there quicker than i could down a schooey.

I was asked to play tennis by another Aussie last Thursday evening. He works for a 'rival' company, but i had called him when i heard he was in town. Good bloke. Turns out the tennis was against a couple of Kiwis, a Pom and a Scot. The Scot had never played tennis, one of the kiwis rolled his ankle entering the court, the other kiwi was in Al Ain to play rugby, but couldn't keep the ball in the fenced court and the Pom, was a pretty good player. So, it took all of 1 game for this to be all worked out, and once the first bead of sweat was raised, it was racquet's down and open the beers. These tasted great and we had some good laughs. The others had been in the UAE from 5 months to 12 years and each had some funny stories and experiences to share with me, more importantly, if it turns out we (the family and me) stay here longer, they have some good tips on dealing with the array of Ministries you need to deal with here.

Friday being the day off, i hooked up with the Emirates Natural History Group again. The hike this day was through a Wadi reserve at the rear of Jebel Hafeet. This area until only 5 years ago had been a farming area for local goat herders. Recognising the significance and scale of the area, the local ministry were in two minds. Build a golf course or fence the area for regeneration. The golfer in me immediately saw the potential to build a Tiger Woods Golf (the playstation game) styled course with elevated tees and hideously hard rough and OOB areas. But reality is, this is a really unspoilt beautiful area. given, the UAE doesn't have much of this, the right decision has been made to keep as a sanctuary with only limited foot traffic.

The recent rains over Xmas has seen an explosion of native plants taking a semi foot hold through the rocky and harsh conditions. The Wadi running through the middle of this huge valley, had several pockets of wild grasses and flowers in full bloom. There were several Ghaff trees maintaining there presence also. The Wadi is framed either side by massive jutting rock faces up to about 400metres high. It's easy to find lots of fossils and crystallised rocks through the areas also. Whilst the hike was hardly very demanding, physically speaking, it was again, good to get out and see more of areas that not many of the locals even know about. We had to 4x4 into the area, so this was kind of cool too.

I am now counting every day until i can get home to see the kids and FS. Should be home in Mid March, and i am hopeful that by then i will have some certainty as to what the long term holds, regarding a move to the UAE or not.

Sport in the UAE

Above - Soccer supporters are fanatical here. UAE fans celebrating their win of the Arabian Cup Final.

Above - Camel in back of ute on the way to Camel race. Just don't get caught down wind!

Above - Dubai to a 'tee', Magnificent golf course with expanding city in the background. note all the cranes.

Above - Tiger Woods playing his 3rd shot on the 18th, par 5 in the Dubai desert Classic. only 2 blades of grass stopped this rolling back into the water.

Above - Tiger rushing to meet Nick for some tips.

Above - Dreamer, Nick with Winner's trophy. Nice backpack, could i look any more like a tourist?

So, sports in the UAE. If you love Soccer (football), you'll be in heaven here. it appears on 2 out of every three channels and plays games from all over the world.

Last week i was driving home, the streets were packed with cars and people, everyone had their hazard lights on and the young Arabs were doing burnouts and 'bunny hops' down the main streets. They had their passengers hanging out the windows and sunroofs and the police were happily watching and cheering the events. UAE had just beaten Oman in the final of the Arabian Cup, 1-0. i australia the odd fanatical supporter may paint an old Datsun 120 with their team colours. Here, nearly everyone spraypaints the UAE coulrs and flags on their 4x4's, Hummers, Lexus, sports cars and anything else that moves.

Most streets have local kids playing soccer or cricket on the gravelly nature strips or parks and most carparks of Mosques are filled with Pakistan and Indian adults playing cricket.

I was doing a site inspection at one of the parks and came across a couple of local Pakistan kids playing cricket. they had the tennis ball taped one side and all for a bit of extra swing. they couldn't understand what i said, but got the gesture to give me a bowl. The client with me (from Lebanon found this amusing, he had no idea about cricket). I told the kids i was Brett Lee..giggles from the kids. Came in from the run up, pitched a beauty just outside off and...got smashed by and 11 year old. Second ball, told them I was Shane Warne... more giggles.. short run up, bit of wrist action, pitched outside leg, came across, (not unlike the famous Warne / Gating ball),...got smashed for 4 more runs. I gestured my arm was sore, and threatened the kids with some 'chin music' next time.

Went t Dubai yesterday for my weekend. the Dubai desert Classic was on, and this was a rare chance to go and watch the great Tiger Woods and others in action. I arrived in Dubai, was lost immediately, and after half an hour driving in circles, finally gave a taxi driver 40dhs o take me to the Emirates Golf Course. I was so lucky to arrive as Tiger Woods, Miguel Jimenez and some other guys were being announced. I followed the group for the day and saw some great golf. What an experience. Got to see Norman in his last professional event also.

Another huge sport here is camel racing. The camel is revered in the UAE, there is big money to be won on races and as an owner. I haven't been to a race meet , but plan to do this over the coming month or so.

I have been caught behind a ute / small truck a couple of times now where a camel has been transported. Warning to any new comers in the UAE - Avoid this at any cost. The smell is horrendous!! I still have remnants in my car as if the thing was sitting in my back seat.

Other sports unique to the UAE include - hunting with Falcons. This is fairly restricted to the royals and their underlings, but is a tradition still kept. 4x4 motocross is huge amongst the younger generation here too. They all have the quad bikes towing behind their Lexus, Hummer or Pajero, and take them into the sand dunes for some action. Ice hockey is popular in Al Ain too. there is 2 ice rinks, and the junior (6-8 year olds) got a write up for winning some games. Ski Dubai has been operating in the UAE for a short time and skiing and snowboarding (indoors of course) is very popular.

Funny Looking White Fella Running

Above - The view of Al Ain from the top of Jebel Hafeet.

Above - Local kids swimming in the spring falaj at Green Mubazzarah.

Above - The Green Mubazzarah, set into the mountain valley at base of Jebel Hafeet.

Above - Green Mubazzarah, popular picnic area for locals.

Above - Kids swimming pool at Hilton club.

Above - Not too many Roos or Wombats on the roads here, but watch out for the Camels!

Two weeks in, feels like 2 years, but i am much more relaxed about my new environment and what i am in for.

Mind you, the work expectations change everyday here, and everyday there is a new crisis of mammoth proportions. There is an apparent reluctance to act on strategies or solutions, even when i tell them i will devise and implement it for them. Being an emerging organisation that has grown in such a rapid way, has created a vast array of issues relating from available local talent, suitability of positional type, cash flow, communication barriers (about 5 different languages spoken by the staff), a reluctance of the labour force to modify their techniques or equipment and a culture of 'one upmonship'. But I'm not writing this journal as an account of the work, but the overall living away from Australia experience. I must add though, that as frustrating as these listed issues are, they are all part of the experience and sometimes even the most hopeless situations are a little amusing.

Well, last Friday, i went for a drive to the top of Jebel Hafeet, the highest mountain in all of the UAE. Along the way, you pass the Green Muzzabarah, a valley area used by hundreds of locals daily for picnicking and bbq'ing and playing in the spring falaj systems. This is a really pretty area, spectacularly set at the foot of Hafeet. The area is planted with turf and the local ground cover, Sasuvia, to provide a brilliant green setting. This greenery is all planted straight over the desert sands and mountain rocks and is irrigated daily to keep it alive. The water is taken from a natural spring exploding from the same area. This warm to hot, highly mineralised water is also channeled through many falaj systems and the local kids play and swim in these. The water is also channelled into to bath houses. these bath houses are segregated based on gender. That is, the women must not been seen bathing by men, and are therefore bathing in high walled and roofed houses. There is the same for the men.

The drive up to the top of Jebel Hafeet is long and slow due to the winding road and steep batter. At night time the roadway is lit up and looks like a road leading to Heaven. From the top of Hafeet is becomes blatantly obvious how flat the rest of the country is, and should global warming lead to the expected rises in the oceans, then the UAE had better prepare their Wadi's (large dry creek beds).

I received an email from Merv regarding advice for the gym. Nel informed him that the etticate is as follows: 1. Always make sure someone is watching you. 2. Always make sure that the "Guns from Navarone" are on display. 3. Always fain an injury and prove your strength by working through the pain. This technique is guaranteed to work 60% of the time , all the time. Thanks, fellas, I'll take that on board.

Other latest events to occur. Prepared my wish list for the furnishing of the flat. FS will be pleased to learn that I ordered the large 9kg washing machine, and the large 380ltr fridge. I have ironing down pat now also. Call 816 on the hotel phone, someone comes to my room, picks it up and later that afternoon, i have 7 shirts washed and ironed...brilliant system!

Lastly for today... i went running the other evening. Was wearing a pair of floral boardies, and the truckie singlet, had the ipod on and sneakers, no socks. Got to the lobby down stairs to be greeted by many stares and snigger's and whilst i was out the front stretching-up, i saw the reception desk ladies grab their manager and the porters to come and have a look at the funny white fella. You see, whilst the UAE is quite liberal in the rules of the Muslim culture (by comparison to Saudi Arabia for example), Al Ain is still a lot more rurally based and steeped in tradition than it's neighbouring cities of Dubai or Abu Dhabi. And though i was not offending anyone (you would not wear shorts in the rural areas outside of the city for instance), it was a bit novel for them to see such a funny looking fella, with his bowed, hairy legs, red faced and sweating, wearing what must have looked pretty ridiculous to them. None the less it was good to see some more smiles, even at my expense.

I am hoping to move into the flat within the week. To be honest i think i will be writing this for several more weeks based on the speed of events here. It is Australia day tomorrow, I'll sink a beer somewhere and try to find something else to do around Al Ain, as it is also Friday, the day off here. Skype has been good for seeing the kids and FS and talking with them all, and obviously i miss them all so much. I think I'll be home for a couple of days in the first week of March before coming back again. I have to do a visa run before 60 days, and whilst they send everyone else to Iran for this, I've insisted on heading back to Oz to see the family and hopefully do some planning for the future, whatever that is?