Turkish Breakfast

Similar to Greek breakfast, or a regular continental breakfast the Turkish put out a tasty array of bread, olives, and spreads. At the Troya Hotel in the Pera neighborhood of Istanbul, the view is also very yummy. It's about 65F, 16C here, with a sea breeze from the Bosphorus.

Should have taken a pic of my fried toast with cherries, but they were devoured before the idea sunk in to blog. 

Erik and I were here two weeks ago on a historical sightseeing marathon, but this week I'm on my own for the IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations) Presidents Meeting. The topic of the meeting is "The Future of Libraries." If the Hunt Library of NCState  University is any indication, scenic verandas are a part of the future of celebrated libraries.

Karma Kafe is on Fire, ladies night at Souk al Bahar

Tuesday night is ladies night at Karma Kafe, meaning if you are a lady you receive three free drinks just for coming by. I met Diane and Mayada last night, along with an army of Mayada's stunning daughters and college friends.

Diane and Mayada, letting their hair down. Buddha illuminated in the background.

We had some refreshing beverages and pleasant chatting. The highlight of the evening was seeing some indoor fireworks. The Souk al Bahar is adjacent to the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall, which has the building illumination, coordinated with the Las Vegas style fountain show every 30 minutes. So perhaps to have a celebration at the Souk, where everyone dolls up and decks out, they really need to DO something... like set the place on fire. So this celebration had what looked to me like Roman candles lit indoors. My first thought was "I gotta get out of here." There were sparks flying everywhere, pouring all over everyone.

I'm surprised the fire alarms didn't go off. It was pretty spectacular-- no one was running away with their hair on fire, and we weren't evacuated. It was a good time, I will probably go back to Karma Kafe or its sister lounge The Buddha Bar. 

Great shot of the Souk al Bahar at night, taken by Elsa. https://www.flickr.com/photos/elsa11/

Frozen coffee season in Dubai

I had a lovely morning, starting with an excellent iced mocha, an invigorating walk, I acquired some much needed new work clothes at the Dubai Mall, then strolled the few blocks from the metro back to my place... Why am I so cranky? Oh yeah, I'm cranky because it's very hot.

I usually like the heat but I've found myself not only having a sandstorm in my sinuses, there seems to be some pollen or other allergen material in the air, plus, I am constantly dehydrated.. I don't know if frozen coffee drinks are all that rehydrating, but they are very refreshing and definitely improve my mood- and for the past several days, I've had at least three a day. Since I have started spending a lot of time exploring cafe options, I thought I would share with you all some of the highlights from recent weeks.

Iced mocha at Emirates Towers Lobby Lounge has had the most impressive presentation yet, with a little syrup jar served on the side.

  
Tim Hortons frozen espresso is the most refreshing,
because it is blended with ice and isn't as overpoweringly
sweet as a frappucino and is only 22 dirhams, which is like $5.
Located on the ground floor of my apartment building,
I can tell Tim Hortons frozen espresso and I
are destined to have a summer fling.

Neither cold, nor coffee, Moroccan tea has really
hit the spot as a refreshing beverage. It is a sweet and minty way
to forget your troubles. It usually has a classy presentation,
even at this touristy little bayside restaurant in the Marina district.
This place makes fresh crepes too, for a really decent price.

You cannot overlook convenience beverages,
when actually working I have a lot of grab and go options,
such as canned coffee and the juices below,
at the Circle K on campus. 

There is usually an interesting selection of cocktails on offer,
each time I see something new-- I wasn't brave enough to try the rose milk. 

Photo of the beach near the Burj al Arab, or the "sailboat hotel." 

There are cool breezes when you are near the water, and when you are in the water, it is like a warm bath. It's easy to get dehydrated at the beach, because you aren't especially hot. If you start getting a wicked headache, you are too late, you need to go inside and start drinking water to turn back to a normal human being. In Dubai you need to drink a lot of water and other drinks to keep your electrolytes in balance. Like the ancient peoples of Arabia, I will be sipping sugary and caffeinated drinks for the foreseeable future because it is now frozen coffee season in Dubai.

Pac-Man on Google Maps

It was fun to visit my neighborhood and get chased by ghosts today.. It was exciting-- but unfortunately the 24 hour French bakery-Amelie's and also the nearby microbrewery- NoDa Brewing were not part of the fun! If this game were to be enhanced, I would ask that instead of fruit or whatever a macaroon or a microbrew were what I was after, because that's usually what I am after when walking in my neighborhood.

Pac man on Google Maps.

Nice to visit home via Google Maps now and then, I miss Villa Heights, Charlotte NC!

Spring break in Muscat! -postponed

Note: we changed our plans again and went to Istanbul instead. Though a visit to Oman is in our future.
Oman is very close to the United Arab Emirates-- sometimes when driving just outside Dubai I come across the border by accident and need to turn around to get where I am going (I am frequently lost.) Even though Zayed University is on spring break currently, my hubby Erik will be visiting during the first week of May and we will have our adventure then. It's nearly a 5 hour drive, but it will be beautiful through the Hajar Mountains and the coast of the Gulf of Oman. Our Yaris will get us there, in sha Allah.

Created with Google Maps and Microsoft Paint.

We are staying at the Shangri La Resort in Muscat. I'm reading about the ancient cities of Oman and learning so much about the history and culture, although I think our big plan is to chill at the resort and go snorkeling some.

Picture from Oman Tourism.

Considering that Erik is working 12 hour days for many weeks leading up to his visit, which will include a 14 hour plane ride for him, I'm alright with having a relaxing vacation at the beach. Isn't that what you are supposed to do on Spring Break?!

From Shangri La Muscat resort website.

Dub Fest

It was overcast and breezy in Dubai on Friday, a perfect day to take a walk to the Al Ghurair Center to see what is going on at Dub Fest. After this 8 mile journey, I needed to have a sit down at an outdoor table of All the Perks, to take it all in. The moment I was served my delicious mocha, it actually poured down rain! How exciting—Philippino ladies were excitedly yelling and running indoors—but they missed it! Our 2-3 minutes of a “Dubai Downpour” was something that you could easily enjoy from under a little cover.

Cool graphic from the Dub Fest program, with raindrops.

After all that excitement, I saw a man juggle knives and a chainsaw.

Stickman juggling knives and a chainsaw. 

Then indoors I saw a guy riding a multi-story unicycle, this performance team from Japan is called Witty Look.

The tallest unicycle ever.

Then witnessed a hilarious dance party, led by Spandy Andy. His profile advises of his philosophy: "Appreciate the fact that you are alive and use your energy to spread positivity. AKA Keep it TIGHT & BRIGHT!!"

Spandy Andy, keeping it tight and bright! 

Let me tell you, he had the moves, and for a culture that isn't very athletic, he had the Arab kids dancing. I rode up the escalator with some Indian ladies and we had a birds eye view of the dance floor,  and the dance floor was harmonious. I couldn’t read the nearby ladies reactions, but I could tell this is something they’d never seen before. Heck—I’d never seen anything like Spandy Andy before, he was absolutely charming.

There was an entire week of this, I wish I got to see everyone at Dub Fest. List of all performers here. How wonderful to gently infuse street entertainment, as you would naturally find in many cities around the world. There are no street performers in Dubai; it’s probably illegal. But bringing them in for something like this is probably more effective than having a UNESCO program to facilitate cultural understanding. Those kids dancing their butts off today will remember this weekend. The people watching quietly while the stickman juggled a chainsaw were so awestruck, they couldn’t bring themselves to clap. Being stunned like that is good for people now and then.  I should have expected it to be a mostly family event, but was hoping there would be more arts and crafts for big people. Dub Fest seems like it was actually put together to bring more people to the shops, the marketing worked and I did buy some Birkenstocks at the Al Ghurair Center. They were having a sale, so I got a pair for me and a pair for mum.

After Dub Fest I rode the Metro back towards the Trade Center, but went past my place to the Dubai Mall. I needed to pay my Dubai Electric Water Authority bill and wanted to use the cool machine to do it. So I took cash out of the ATM and paid the other machine for my utilities. There’s always something new for me in Dubai!!!

Paid my electric and water bill by automated machine.

Is There Such a Thing as Too Much Guacamole?

A South African, a Greek, a Ugandan, a Ukrainian, and a Filipino all work at at taqueria-- which one would you trust the most to make your tacos? I would have said the Filipino before tonight. I don't want to turn this Dubai Diary into a food blog, but there is a whole lot of culture involved in food... My reasoning with initially preferring the Filipino guy is that Filipino food is sort of Asian with a lot of spice and veggies-- in it's own island way, it's really yummy, not as good as Mexican food in my opinion, but has a better chance at flair than other flavor palettes.

The most guacmoled taco I have ever eaten.

I'm not a complainer, but this guy who made my tacos seemed like he'd never tried any of the product he was preparing.. I saw what he was creating for me and wanted to ask him to keep those tacos and I would get back in line and try my luck with someone else.. 

You know if you are vegetarian and you ask for something veggie from an omnivore, you often get the anorexic special? That happens at Subway, where the sandwich-artist cannot comprehend that the tomato is your meat. I digress... It felt like he is not personally a taco fan and this fella was throwing crap on there in such a way-- so much guac, it takes up half the taco, then loads of tomatillo sauce-- it's very salty. I'm fairly nice, so I buy these tacos and eat them. Then I feel that I have had my sodium intake for a month, and am kind of ruined on guacamole for a while, which I thought was impossible, I love avocados in any form, and especially love a mashed concoction. Many bites of each taco were completely guacamole. 

Image taken from a discussion board called Skyscrapercity.com

But if you think about it, we are pretty far from Mexico, here in Dubai, so I should be happy that I have a taqueria near my place at all. During my other weekly visits, I get passable tacos. Now it's obvious to everyone that I eat fast food quite often but experiencing food here is such an interesting inter-cultural event, I had to share this enriching interaction with the world. Can you even imagine someone who doesn't know and love tacos? Inconceivable.