Home is where the TV and Internet is on

Been a couple of days since I posted so I thought I had better put something to paper (oops keyboard).  I am now sitting on the couch in my apartment with the laptop on my lap with the Internet connected.  And what’s more, cable TV is back on as well although the channels remain as they previously were with the 120 non-English channels and about 30 ones that I can understand.  Even so, there is not much choice and there are hardly any sports channels - one Dubai sports and a couple of AlJazeera sport channels don’t really count.  Might need to buy a router so that I can have both going at the same time the Internet connection does both).

Tonight I went to the Mall of the Emirates where I parked under the ski slope.

Just to be able to have dinner, buy some bread and maybe find a Spinneys (local Supermarket chain) as David found a Field Guide to the Birds of Arabia there.  OK with the first couple, no luck with the Spinneys.  Tomorrow maybe.

Celebrations today that the work on Kiva has finally completed!  Now to start paying it off!

Plans for the weekend is to go bush on the Friday (I’ve bought some maps so it will be harder to get lost!) and then to the Dubai World Cup horse racing on Saturday. 

Going Shopping!

Yesterday I needed to get some shopping so it was my first foray to the Dubai shopping scene.  I went to the Ibn Battuta shopping centre which is apparently fairly modest by Dubai standards.  It only has a 21 cinema complex with an IMAX, it’s only about 1 km from one side to the other.  I needed to pick up a clothes iron (there’s an ironing board but no iron in the apartment), some electrical adaptors (the kitchen appliances have round plugs and need to be square UK type ones which also means that I have not been able to charge my shaver or own phone at home) and some other supermarket stuff. 

Went to Geant which is sort of Coles, Kmart and Harvey Norman all rolled into the one store.  Thought also that would be the only place that I would be able to cash the 500 dirham note that was given to me by the ATM yesterday at work (that’s about $170 equivalent).  People who know me know just how much I love shopping and the experience was all that I could have hoped it to be.  Fortunately, they had a really nice exhibition of who Ibn Battuta was in the central area – a 14^th century muslim explorer who travelled throughout the Middle East, to China and western Africa.  Had dinner there at the food court reading the MX equivalent (which looks eerily similar), and decided to walk through the supermarket but got tired before I reached the end – it is that big!! 

It’s a public holiday here tomorrow (Thursday) which means I have a long weekend.  Will be off to do some birding, exploring, driving and beaching. Still do not have Internet access at the apartment so may be out of action for a couple of days.