First Ideas of Dubai

Well, I've been trying for days to get my photos on the internet, but we have been having some problems. Abdallah will go out tomorrow to try to see if we can get a faster something to make the pictures upload, but he says that the internet is slow at the office as well. So who knows...
As with the internet, Dubai seems to be rushing to accommodate the huge amount of people that have come here. There is traffic on most streets and constant areas of construction. The huge bridge for the subway seems to be slowly inching it's way around the city and there are rotaries (here they are called round abouts) every 1/2 mile or so. (Which is also converted to Kilometers....um hold on (check with Abdallah...) about .3 KM)
A few things that are worth mentioning:
1. The housing is best compared to areas like New York City. A one bedroom apt is being advertized to sell around $350,000. Cars and food seems to be about the same as the states. Gas (Everyone's favorite topic!!!!) I have a picture of the prices but, again,...internet. For a gallon it is 6.25 DHS (AED-Arab Emirates Dirhams) which is equal to $1.70 per gallon for 95 octane.




2. This is for the women folk!--Remembering that many of the countries in this areas lack trees and therefore paper (Do you se where I am going with this one...) Many of the places (as with our apt in Kuwait have Bidet (the French word for the thing that squirts water, um, you know...) If not then there is a water spray that looks just like the one that is located next to your kitchen faucet. Hence when you go into a bathroom there will be a toilet, and a spray, but no paper. So....always carry tissues with you at all times, cuz you never know which bathroom will have paper and which won't!! Here are some pictures of the type of bathrooms in Dubai. It's laways interesting to see where they come up with these!







3. Onto another topic...the heat! We don't even go out until 6 or 7pm. Then the temp is about 107F. That's when everyone else goes out. Everything is open til about midnight including grocery stores! The heat feels like a blowdryer that is set on low but with high heat blowing onto every part of your body. But it's not as humid feeling as it is in New England probably because there is not even a teeny tiny cloud to even indicate water in the air. And there is a smell like that of a forest fire that had burned out a while ago but it is still lingering in the air.
Well, we have succumbed to the Dubai life and even the kids don't sleep until way past 11. (As I write Khalid is coming into the room for the third time to tell me that he heard a noise) It is now 12:20 in the morning and I have decided to try to get some sleep.
Also, It was Ziyad's birthday today. He turned 4. We will be having a small party for him on Friday (Dubai's "Saturday") Today we went out to a very authentic restaurant...Macaroni Grill!!!