Week one in Dubai- December 2021

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          I was packed and ready to go on Fri 10 December- 5 days early!

Things did not start well! My COV 19 vaccine had expired but I got another, I had my PCR test at 3 pm but they did not send it to the lab until 6pm and the results did not come back till midnight- negative- Hurray. I was supposed to be meeting Anis to give him Christmas gifts for his family but he did not show up. Yacouby Car Hire collected the car on time and then I tried to check in on line and it would not allow me. I got so mad after 10 mins on hold trying to call Gulf Air that this is what I wrote on Facebook:

"Why is Gulf Air so awful. Get email telling me to check in on line, spend 30 mins trying to do so but get error message evert time telling me to call an agent. Spend 20 mins on hold waiting for an agent who tells me I cannot check in on line and I have to check in at tge airport. So I ask why they sent me an email telling me to check in on line if u cannot. He said its an automated email that go to all the passengers on the flight. So you just wasted an hours time for over 300 people ??!!"

Then I dropped my favourite coffee mug from Corleen, oops!

Having broken my favourite mug ( a gift from Corleen ) the day before I was reduced to drinking coffee and earl Grey Tea out of the hotels tiny teacups! I am a mug person. The highlight of my final day was an amazing Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding at The Frying Scotsman. After that I fell asleep and woke starving hungry at 5.30 pm and all I had left was muesli and a fried egg sandwich! 

    The Best Roast Beef and Huge Yorkshire Pudding ever- for my final lunch

I wrote a blog about the National days in Bahrain and sent Corleen to get some pictures for me around Bahrain. The kids were out with their parents looking at the lights last night and he asked the parents of the cutest if he could take pictures of them for The British Kabayan Blog. Then I briefed Chester, who is back on TBK team and he is making the pictures ( the rest Corleen will take on the actual National days when there are parades and fireworks) into a vlog which will be available next week. Thanks also to Carl Max and Rachelle and Gilbert Sallicup who sent a series of videos for the vlog with a Disney sound track sung by their boys Shaun and Sam!

Our favourite picture so far ( you can see the rest at https://thebritishkabayan.blogspot.com/2021/12/national-days-in-gulf.html)

During the day I had messages from my friends in Dubai who just realised I was about to arrive and booking their time slots with me. Today Joshua and Jeyboy are joining me for a walk in the park at Al Barsha, then after a pinoy lunch we are off to Mall of the Emirates. 

You can see the vlog that Joshua filmed by clicking on the link below:

Day One in Dubai

I am so looking forward to going to EXPO 2020- delayed for a year by COV 19- they have so many great acts lined up at Expo like Lea Salonga on Christmas day night!

MK and I will also be going to see the Boxtones Duo on 23 December at Offside at JBR in JA Oceans view hotel. Thanks to Wendy Doherty for sharing the dates and the fact they are a great live band. It has been a long time since I stayed up late ( they start at 9 pm) and been to a live gig. I cannot wait to see them play their new Christmas single , "Winter is coming" live . You can see the studio version on their website by clicking here:

https://boxtonesband.com/home#winter-is-coming-the-boxtones-christmas-single

                                     The Boxtones, Live

Joshua is the  recently crowned Boxing champion ( see the photo below from his Instagram account) . He worked for me as a houseboy in Bahrain and before that he was at the Elite and Swiss Bellhotels in Bahrain.  He also worked in HR at Naseef Restaurant's, and is now managing a gym in Dubai ! He is off over Christmas and New Year so is coming for lunch with me in the Observatory restaurant at the Marriot Marina hotel on Christmas day. Jeboy wants to go on the beach at JBR and on the Big wheel at Ain Dubai! This opened in October and is the biggest wheel in the world. Although I am scared of heights it has amazing vies of Dubai, big pods ( like the London eye) and rotates very slowly. When I stayed with Pav at JBR, and when Erickson and I stayed at JA ocean View hotel in 2020 we watched it being built.

You can see their festive packages on their website :

https://www.aindubai.com/en

I had hoped to take 9 friends for Christmas lunch as the cabin rotates twice with a private chef but it was just a PR stunt!  I will go and see Lea Salonga instead!

The biggest wheel in the world , Ain Dubai, on Bluewater island, over the bridge from JBR and the walk.

Somehow I always missed Global Village but Pav keeps telling me it is well worth a visit, so I will treat my friend Thang to a night out there.

So as you can see we have an action packed Christmas in Dubai, and you will be able to read all about it on my blogs . Chester has rejoined the TBK team to prepare a special series of TBK in Dubai Vlogs. Jaydee is also joining the team from Bahrain to help ensure a faster turn around of the Vlogs. Sadly TJ has been slowed down in her recipe vlog creation by Typhoon Odette and a lack of electricity and slow upload speed, as well as her finals at University.

Coming next week - New Year in Dubai when we will be joined by my friend Hamza from Bahrain Inshallah, if he can get away from Bapco!

In January, when things quieten down in Dubai, I have now negotiated a cheaper rate with the Accor Senior Sales Manager to stay in an apartment at the Adagio suites by Accor... more about that in a future blog!