44°
Feels Like 49°
As the temperature got hotter the less I felt like leaving the hotel!
Having written off the hotel breakfast in day one I had got used to walking down the road for breakfast and back via the creek. However the heat meant I had to change my clothes as soon as I got back as I would be covered in sweat. I would then rest on my bed until the sunset.
When that became too much I would miss breakfast and have an early lunch at 11 am , but the hotel restaurants did not open until 1230 so the only outlet was open was the lounge.
The tent card on the tables promoted Pizzas, Breakfasts , soups and burgers.
I asked one day at 11 am if the Pizza was available. I wake up around 3 am each day and was hungry.
"Not until 1230 sir"
"Ok so what can I have? "
"Anything except pizza"
"Can I have the Onion Barjiya?"
"No sorry sir, no cooked food available until 1230- as no chef or Ovens"
"Can I have Greek Salad ?"
"Yes sure" . He went off and called the kitchen and made my Orange juice and them the phone rang and a conversation ensued in Hindi and then he came to announce:
"Sorry sir, no Feta cheese, would you like Cheddar cheese?"
I resisted the temptation to tell him it would not be Greek Salad with Cheddar cheese, or the last time I ordered a cheese platter ( listed on the menu as a platter of assorted cheese with Camembert, Edam, Gouda and cheddar ) I got processed cheese triangles for use on burgers.
Finally I settled for Caesar salad with chicken, followed by Strawberry cake.
The day got better when Erickson arrived ( he was at work from Sunday to Friday so I was all alone) with some snacks at 3 pm , and then at 5 pm we got a Taxi to see the hit show , La Perle.
Tatay receives a Perle necklace from his twin ( I stole this line from TJ)
The story behind La Perle :
It is about a young girl who falls into a dream-like state and travels through the UAE in search of a lost pearl. Unlike other theatrical performances, the La Perle Theatre Show in Dubai is a modern masterpiece, the storyline is subjective to the audience's imagination and understanding.
The La Perle performance fully does justice to the show’s popularity. From acrobats and motorcyclists who perform gravity-defying stunts, the show is a stunning spectacle. There are several instances where the performers will leave you gasping and fearing for their lives. For example, one such stunt is four motorbike riders performing at lightning-fast speed in the Globe of Death. This sequence will leave you in awe of the performers. The show also cleverly incorporates the culture of the Middle East, with twirling dervishes adorned with illuminated dresses on a dark stage. The show also features Chinese Lion Dance which includes incredible leaps on elevated platforms.
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Each segment of the story is taken forward by a mime, who performs flawlessly. The show also features vignettes that include breathtaking leaps, synchronized acrobatics, heart-stopping 25m dives into the pool in the center of the stage and much more. With the unique aqua theatre, the hypnotizing lights and the drama and theatricality of the performers, the show is bound to leave an everlasting impression on the mind of the audience.
The show is a 90-minute long bewitching spectacle and the cast comprises of 65 world-class performers from over 23 cultures.
Source: https://thrillark.medium.com/la-perle-by-dragone-an-unforgettable-experience-ef32cefd5452 ( accessed 31.7.21)
It truly lived up to the hype- with acrobats flying through the air, the motorcyclists, and the amazing pool in the centre of the stage that the Perle kept getting thrown into and reappearing from with several cast members.
After the show we were ushered up 31 floors by a smart young man who explained the whole menu at Summer Palace, part of the V hotel run by Hilton, and given a table by the window with a spectacular view of the Dubai Canal . Here Erickson managed to eat Edamame, Dumplings, egg fried rice and a main course before announcing he was full!
Then we had another taxi ride back to the hotel and after 12 hrs. much needed sleep went for breakfast at XVA art hotel and café , where we were well looked after by the Manager as we took photos and had our wonderful breakfast.
My Indian Omlette with chilis, carrot hummus, Labneh, two bowls of melon, apple and banana and Erickson's salad and French fries ( ok they were mine really!)
Form there we caught the metro to Mall of the Emirates to buy Pasalubong, toiletries, and a replacement electric toothbrush after mine stopped working . We also went to The Cheesecake Factory to ask if anyone had seen Jeyboy. I found he had an Instagram account and sent him a message.
We also watched the kids on the ski slope there which is very surreal when its 40 degrees outside. Welcome to Dubai- the land of the surreal! We had a long walk around the Mall- a pleasant change from walking outside in the heat. However by the time we walked back from the Metro station to the hotel , stopping for more Pasalubong along the way we were drenched in sweat. We ate so much in the day that we did not bother to have dinner!
In the evening another blast from the past , Kuya Drew, got in touch for the first time in 18 months. He still has not completed his degree having dropped out in his third year as he could not afford to pay the fees. I declined to give him more money!
The day before Kuya Jeff messaged me from Cebu to borrow some money as he has been out of work for 7 months due to the collapse of the tourism industry in the Philippines. He wanted 50 bd so he could get back home to do some factory work. Just as he did in 2010 he promised to pay me back when he got a job, so I reminded me he still owed me 100 bd from 2010 and how I would make him pay when I got to Palawan! I have so many people owing me money who are going to clean my house to make up for not paying me that I will not need to pay for a houseboy for a year!
When a third Phillipino I had been chatting to on Facebook in Dubai asked me to lend him money for a "family emergency " I declined!
Erickson left on Sunday night for his last few days work in Dubai and then his move to Abu Dhabi, and on Monday my Indonesian hairdresser friend was off so came to do my long overdue Manicure and Pedicure after we had breakfast at Arabian Tea house ( my first visit there in over a week)
His Cappuccino - and we had Omelets and Arabic Bread
After breakfast we had a walk by the Creek and bought some more Pasalubong. We tried our bartering skills but he told us he had already reduced the price as he realised we were "locals" , Not "Tourists"! I got some nice Arabic perfume ( Oud) for my Thai friends and the obligatory print which I will get framed for my new house .
This print will forever remind me of a wonderful month in the Al Fahidi historic district of Dubai
I bought my friend this beautiful headscarf
In the evening, after he went home, I had a wonderful Lasagna in the Traditional British pub at the hotel....
Italian Lasagna in the English Pub in the Arabian Courtyard hotel in Dubai
with a Nepali waitress and Indian Music- only in Dubai!
Tuesday I spent alone and lazed around the hotel and then on Wednesday I spent the morning in bead before having an amazing lunch at the Arabian Tea room
Then on the way back I found a gift shop with some postcards ( my first batch of 10 took a week to arrive in the UK ) and some gifts. After the persistent Indian salesman tried to sell me perfume, mouse mats and camels I tried my luck at getting my final gift , a toy for Coco's dog Nugget.
"Do you have any gifts for a dog ? " I asked.
He looked puzzled and spoke to the owner and came back apologetically saying :
"No dogs, Only Camels"
Sorry Nugget, I tried!
That just about wraps up my third week here in Dubai. I had my manicure and pedicure and my 4th lot of laundry done, sent my final postcards and got the last of my pasalubong. According to my Mike Roche Calendar on Monday its Hijra but Government offices here will take it on Thursday to give a long weekend as was announced this week:
"The Federal Authority For Government Human Resources (FAHR) on Wednesday announced that the Hijri New Year holiday for the year 1443 will be marked by the public sector on Thursday, August 12, this year.
According to the Islamic calendar, the month of Zul Hijjah is likely to end on Monday, August 9, if it lasts a full 30 days, marking Tuesday, August 10 as Muharram 1, 1443. However, if the month of Zul Hijjah lasts only 29 days, then Muharram 1 will fall on Monday, August 9. The date is subject to the sighting of the moon"
When I was researching this blog and trying to find an explanation of Hijra for my readers who are not familiar with Islam I discovered:
Hijra- India's third gender
"(in South Asia) a person whose birth sex is male but who identifies as female or as neither male nor female.
That reminds me of a joke about Eunuchs that I learnt back at the turn of the century in Kuwait, but even I am not brave enough to print it here- email me if you want to hear it!
According to Wikipedia:
"The Hijra (Islam) (هجرة) is the emigration of Muhammad and his followers to the city of Medina in 622, marking the first year of the Islamic calendar, 1 AH (anno higirae)."
According to Islam in 662 Muhammad and his followers moved from Mecca to Yathrib, which he renamed Medina and started the Islamic Calendar. So while this is 2021 to Christians and others , to followers of Islam it will be 1443 on 9 August. Their first month is Muharram . Muharram is celebrated as New Year's Day among the Muslim community across the globe. However in India it will be celebrated on 19 August!
I hope you are not too confused! So I will end there, and get out of bed, shower, shave and clean my teeth and have breakfast in the hotel as we head to the weekend here. Then I have to collect my laundry and I have a friend coming for lunch.
Take care- more next weekend , when I will be moving to another hotel in Dubai- the Al Khoory Executive hotel , in Satwa, which is the Phillipino district of Dubai, complete with it's own SM Supermarket, Ukay Ukay and cheap food!
Until then this is The British Kabayan signing out from Bur Dubai
Ingat Palagi
Kita Kits xx
Hello, I am The British Kabayan! Feel free to read my stories.
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