Our Parting Shot

The Temple Bar

We have been much too busy enjoying ourselves to bother with an investigation of just where the name "Temple Bar" came from but we have the utmost respect for our Irish ancestors who had both the intelligence and foresight to merge these two fine institutions under one roof.

Danica in Dublin

Paris

Danica and Michael in Arabic

morning on the mediterranean

Cruzin' the Med in May

We were recently able to get away for a cruise of the Mediterranean Sea. We began in Spain on May 11, Mother's Day and our 34th anniversary! A pleasant coincidence! Barcelona, Malta, Naples, Rome, Florence, Nice, and back to Spain. A totally excellent adventure! It was nice to visit places where you could only find sand on the beach and it was less than 106 in the shade!

Mens' Day Out at Khor Fakkan

Yousef and Raffat brought their sons along. One crew prepares the food while the other is engaged in serious debate over the best way to burn the food, just like home. It was nice to be in the background and not hear all of the typical complaints about how I always put BBQ sauce on everything!

Khor Fakkan BBQ

That's the Indian Ocean back there. We just returned from a boat ride and now we're washing food for the grill. Went to Khor Fakkan with a bunch of guys from school. After lunch and before swimming, we just had to play football (soccer) in the sand. I asked my friend and school principal, Yousef, how to say "heart attack" in Arabic.

Oman Fish Story

On yet another trip to Oman, our guides dropped a line off the back of the boat. I wasn't sure what they were after with a single line but they came up with this 3 foot long barracuda with teeth that could ruin your disposition. After showing it to everyone and scaring a few of the passengers, they secured it for a future meal. Lunch was chicken briyanni.

Baytee Baytik... My House is your house.

Ben, Danica, Kira and Chris at our front door in Ras Al Khaimah.

Chill Out in Dubai

This is an ice bar. Everything is ice: walls, chairs, tables, even the glasses for your juice (no alcohol). Winter clothing is supplied and one free drink and all chilled to a steady -6 celsius. Only in Dubai!

Desert Safari

Ben Dhow Diving in the Musandam

Here is Ben diving for pearls in the Arabian Gulf off of Oman. Scores: 6.5-6.5-7.0 Not bad for a rocking boat and a wobbly 2x4 platform. But no pearls!

Musandam III

Oman re-visited! If you come to see us, you're going to see Khasab, the little seaside community at the doorway to the Straights of Hormuz! Kira and Chris at the Golden Tulip after the boat ride.

Spring Break Trip

Chris, Kira, and Ben just arrived for a week's visit. The four of them went shopping at Festival City, Emirates Mall and Wafi Center; a shop 'til you drop tour... while I was busy working! This is the canal at Festival City.

The Tales of Pancho and Cisco

Back in the Saddle Again.... sung to the tune of Back in the Saddle Again

Danica's Kids at Work

Musandam Mountain Safari

Iron Age Dwellings of Shamal

USING THIS WEB SITE .........

Please note! If you are having difficulty loading the entire page, scroll down to the botton right side and click on the "archived" postings until you can see all of them.

Sharjah's famous Canal, Qanat Al Qasba

The Eye of the Emirates is the name of the 60-meter high observatory wheel with 42 air-conditioned cabins. But... did you know that George Washington Gale Ferris was born in Galesburg, Illinois in 1859! And ... he designed and built the first 264 foot (80 meter) wheel for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. And ... our house in Galesburg was a stone's throw from Ferris Street, named for the inventor!!

Dolphins in the Fiords of the Musandam Peninsula

Watch carefully and see the dolphins racing between the two dhows. You also get to see a little scenery of the waterway near the famous Straits of Hormuz. These waters are famous for pirates and smugglers but even more for the extremely small and remote fishing villages nestled into the rocks. Today, the children from these villages travel by boat to Khasab where they stay for for a few days of school each week.

"Invisible Guestworkers"

Office boys. Or office girls if you're in a girl's school like Danica's. These are low paid expats (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Filipino) Many have at least a working vocabulary of 3-4 languages. Many go to work cleaning houses after they pull their day job. At my school Gooti is Indian and Abdulhalam is from Bangladesh. They are invisible to people unless they are needed to perform a service. When I arrived, I noticed there was no daily greeting to them as is the case for everyone else and the daily greeting is mandatory! I pretend I just don't know any better and greet them the same way I do the rest. A Filipino girl at Danica's school is about 28, both parents dead, lives in a small, one-room with seven others, a light bulb and water faucet. That's it. She sends money home for her younger siblings. 25,000 people each month come to the country ... that's Libertyville's population. If this life is better what are they leaving at home?

We did NOT sleep here!

The Abu Dhabi Palace Hotel! An absolutely incredible place sitting right on the Arabian Gulf! Adam recognized a to be unnamed government celebrity sitting in the lobby working on his computer. Elton John will be here January 21. Boy George will be here this week. What an embarrassment! If you have to ask how much you shouldn't stay here! A suite goes for $2,450 a night. Built at a cost of $3 billion, the hotel is a kilometer long from end to end and has a 1.3 kilometer white sand beach — every grain of it imported from Algeria!

Happy New Year 2008 from RAK, UAE!!!

Sea Creatures

You think you have it bad...
this is what the ocean life had to look at!!

Desert Dunes

Adam and Lindsay in the desert soutwest of Dubai.
We spent the day in the dunes driving in an suv then went to a "camp" for an evening program.

The Wedding Dance

Danica is wearing an abaya at the Bidya Mosque! The young man is a friend from the RAK Hilton tour company who just happened to be giving a tour of the mosque that same afternoon.

Camels

We never get tired of watching these strange animals!

Dhow at sunset

National Day Parade at Danica's School

Desert Safari Video

Danica was way in the back sharing a seat with a friend who hates even then most innocent of amusement park rides! After the "bashing", we drove on to a desert camp complete with camel rides, falcons, henna painting, shisha, tea, and a buffet dinner Arabian style (which means at low sitting tables). The entertainment for the evening was a belly dancer; yeessss, quite lovely, thank you very much! This event was really a combination of old and new desert cultures!

"Crabbing" in Um Al Quwain

Here is another first time ever adventure; we went “crabbing”. Despite the fact that Mike’s mother warned him that catching crabs would be a bad thing, we ignored her advice and jumped in. Literally! Once again, we did not know anything until we were well into it! They don’t tell you much over here. We started at the beach in Um Al Quwain, which is an emirate south of us. After sunset, we took a small boat into the darkness and stopped when we got into the shallows near the mangroves and jumped right into the water, spear in hand and halogen lamps in another. Mike isn’t crazy about water, so he stayed in the boat to document the hysteria. Danica doesn’t really like to harm defenseless creatures, so she walked around in the muck laughing at the fish that kept leaping out of the water and smacking her legs. Anyway, a good time was had by all. After the massacre, we went back to the beach for an Arabian buffet complete with our catch of the day.

Falcons on National Day Celebration

Sa'alam is showing me the National bird at our school celebration. Three of the students brought their falcons to school.

Every now and then you get a scene like this one. Click the image to enlarge it. The weather is 66 this morning, a big improvement! We have both been busy with work lately. National Day is December 2, so we have had celebrations at school. We may have some pics later. Exams begin December 4 for two weeks then a break.

Danica's Class "5 Little Monkeys"

25 Arabic speaking 6 year old girls, a pair of scissors, one glue stick, and 10 pencils. That is what Danica started with in September. $1000 out of her own pocket and six weeks later you get this. She's a better man than I am!

Working Stiffs

Lately we have both been traveling to Dubai for work. I have been at the Ministry of Education assisting with the pilot of a new web portal they will use for all of the schools in the country. Danica just reurned from a week of preparation to train local teaching staff in literacy teaching methods. We were able to see the Gold Souk or market one night. (Sorry, forgot the camera!)Dubai is about an hour from Ras Al Khaimah if the traffic is good. Not unlike driving into Chicago from Libertyville except you watch for camels instead of deer-seriously! The weather is just beginning to "cool" as the days shorten so people will begin spending time outside. Often they will pull off the highway into the desert to enjoy the sand, quiet, and darkness! But not too far! The desert area is nothing to fool with and the people who live here know it!

On the Job

Here are some pictures from my school in Al Rams (which means a gathering place or a cemetery!). North of Ras Al Khaimah and just a few miles from the border with Oman. We have a good bunch of boys here who call me “Mr. Michael”. Takes awhile to get comfortable with that. This is an English class of seniors and their teacher. Abdulla is to my left in the tan dishdasha. He invited me to watch his volleyball team one night. This kid can fly!

Dhayah Fort

The Dhayah Oasis area has been inhabited for at least 5000 years and this old fort dates back to the early 1800’s. The man in the photo is a teacher at my school. He gave me a tour of the fort one afternoon since it is only a few minutes from the school. He was born 50 years ago in the date palm grove/oasis you see below in the background. He was then taken BY DONKEY to the local hospital for care. He grew up to go to engineering school in London.

Dubai Burj Al Arab

The Burj Al Arab is a spectacular (7 star??) hotel in Dubai in the shape of an ancient dhow (boat) which is a cultural symbol of the UAE. We ate dinner at a place on a canal in a shopping mall just next door and watched as the hotel changed colors like Buckingham Fountain in Chicago. A "disney world" atmosphere!

Khasab, Oman

On Saturday 10/13, we took a trip into Oman. This offered spectacular scenery wedged between the mountains and the coast. We had a very exciting boat ride on an ancient Dhow and ate lunch with our international (Iranian, Indian, and Pakistani) boatmates. Lunch was served in the traditional manner - right out of the pots. We sat on pillows on the floor of the boat and dined on rice, fish, and dates. Some people jumped into the water for a swim including our New Zealand mate Anne. The water was beautifully clear and we could see schools of angel fish and zebra fish swimming around us. It was almost a perfect day except for the two hour line we had to wait in to get through the border. It was just like going up to Wisconsin on a holiday weekend!

Trip to Al Ain

We had four days off for the Eid holiday that follows Ramadan. One of the days we drove to Al Ain which is the town where Sheik Zayed was born. It’s a very pretty city with an oasis in the middle. The oasis appears to be some sort of labyrinth of walls and roads. We couldn’t figure it out and fearing that we might be eternally lost within the walls, we turned and left the way we came. We’re going to do some research on the internet and venture inside another day. We also visited the Sheik’s palace. It was quite beautiful in its simplicity. It really helped us to understand the people here. Mike is standing with a portrait of the Sheik Zayed (cool shades!)Notice how our guide covered her face when I took the picture. Also, our Kiwi friend (from New Zealand) went with us.

New Band in Dubai

NEW BAND!!

We saw this new band called The Nephews in Dubai over the weekend. Looked eerily familiar! We were able to get a close-up shot.

Thought the long hair look was out but locals really liked it!

Danica's First Iftar with the family of the Sheikh!

October 3, 2007
See me in my party dress? I got all dressed up to go to my first and probably only iftar. I was invited by the granddaughter of the sheik. She sent her driver to pick me up! The iftar for men was going on in the courtyard of the family compound when I arrived just at sunset. It looked like at least forty men gathered around a rug covered with food. We drove past the men to another building. I was told that this was the grandmother’s place. The grandmother is a Bedouin and apparently not that happy to be living in the city. Her place, however, was very comfortable. She had a television on in the corner of the living room. The granddaughter told me that her grandmother likes to watch Arabian soap operas and cartoons.
The room was filled with women. All of them were sitting on the rug and the trays of food were spread out all over. My hostess introduced me to her mother, grandmother, sisters, cousins and friends of the family. As soon as the introductions were finished everyone started filling their plates. They had all been fasting since before sunrise. Each woman began the meal with a few dates and a glass of water. I’ve been told that this is done in order to get sugar quickly into your blood.
Someone, I think it was the mother, filled my plate with chicken, fish, rice and vegetables. Fortunately, I didn’t see anything that looked like goat! Really, everything was very good. The women all ate with their fingers. The rice is pretty tricky. It’s almost as difficult as eating with chopsticks. They saw me struggling and gave me a spoon. When I thought I was going to pop at the seams, they brought out the desserts. I didn’t have an opportunity to refuse. I was handed a plate filled with crème brulee and donut balls drenched in syrup. Needless to say, I went home stuffed.
The grandmother and mother didn’t talk to me very much. I’m not sure that they had much English, but after the dinner the young women all stayed to talk with me. They were just like any young women. They asked me questions about clothing and jewelry. One of them told me that she wanted to be a jewelry designer. Another had aspirations to be a photographer.
One of the girls was recently engaged. I asked if it was an arranged marriage. She told me that the young people don’t really do this anymore. The marriages were a necessity for tribal peace and prosperity but those conditions don’t exist anymore. I asked the girls if their husbands would have more than one wife. The young engaged woman said that she would kill her fiancé if he took a second wife. Sounds like they are becoming westernized in this respect. On the other hand, all a man has to do to get divorced is say, ”I divorce you” three times. Easier than Dorothy clicking her heels together!
I wish I could have taken a few pictures, but the women weren’t keen on the idea. It was a wonderful glimpse of genuine Arabian family life. Honestly, it wasn’t all that different from a typical Polite family gathering. The only thing missing was a case of beer!

Danica's Class

See all the cutie pies in their green and white uniforms. They look harmless, but they can really give you a run for your money. At the end of the day, I keep them singing songs so they'll stay out of trouble. I've taught them Five Little Monkeys and it's hilarious to watch them. Maybe I can make a short video for the blog. Today you just get still shots.

Digdagga, Fujairah, and Dibba

Saturday was a day trip to the other side of the country ... through the desert and over the Hajjar mountains. We stopped briefly at an oasis town called Massafi, one of the only areas that can supply water to the country. We took pictures of the wildlife along the way and stopped at a local market called the Friday Market because at one time that was the only day it was open!
The city of Fujairah was very nice, more developed than RAK, but our Hilton is better than their Hilton!

Prints and the Mayor of RAK

Today's adventure... getting finger printed for our work visas! Definitely a third world experience. Hot, dusty, cramped, incredibly crowded, lines of people (very poor expats of course), and only one, count 'em, ONE less-than-cheerful, plump, female police officer taking the prints.

So! Your word for today is "wasta" which in Arabic means someone with influence who can get you to the front of the line. I have such a person. He will be known to you only as Mr. M. (I call hime the mayor of Ras Al Khaimah and he just laughs!) So... batta-bing-batta-boom ... and inky fingers and no worries! Get in, get out, get on with your life!

We're going to start carrying the camera everywhere because you would not believe this without photographic proof!

Greetings!

This is our first attempt to harness the power of the internet to share our experiences in the UAE!

All is well! 104F. with a dewpoint of 72 for the next week or so.

Ramadan is in full swing