Dubai Arrival

I have finally broken down and posted again so hopefully I remember how to do this. So we arrived here in Dubai on the 2nd of October and I had a couple of days to settle in before I started work on the 5th. Adjusting to the time difference was definitely something that both Camille and I struggled with, dosing off at work was a constant battle. As you can see, I tried to get an early start on adjusting my sleep schedule in the Phoenix airport but it didn't help much.

We have been temporarily staying in the company's apartment and hope to be out of there soon. The apartment search is very difficult here with most listings only staying on the market for one or two days, and don't even get me started about the prices. Here we are just arriving and Camille is sending out the confirmation email that we finally arrived safe and sound.


Let the unpacking begin.


The apartment is located in the Umm Hureir part of town, which is right in the middle of this map. We are fairly close to everything but also right in the middle of all of the traffic and confusion.


The beach has been our favorite spot on the weekends. The sand is great here and extends along the entire coast of the Gulf so there are plenty of beach areas. In this picture you can see a man-made island in the background but they haven't done anything with it yet; the world islands are just behind it. There were a few boats out fishing and there are always lots of wake/ski boats cruising around. It is strange to find that there are no waves along the beaches here. The water in the gulf is calmer than most of the lakes we have been to. Apparently there are waves in certain areas during January and February, which is the only time surfers can take advantage.


This didn't turn out well but in the background is the sand dredge that scoops up the sand on the ocean floor and shoots it out to create the man-made islands; they are working on the Palm Deira here.
Here we are staking out our spot for the day at Camille's favorite beach so far that they nickname Kite Surf Beach. To the left of Camille in the background, you can barely see the Burj Dubai. I have to get some better shots of that later, it's pretty impressive. This beach is located in an older, residential part of town so you can see some of the villas and mosques.


Here is one of the dhows, which were the traditional sea vessels used in this part of the world. These are a big tourist thing to go on.
I'm having issues getting this picture to stay rotated once I upload it but I'll post it anyways. Here is a shot of Camille and the Burj Al Arab, classic Dubai.
So here we have Kitty and I enjoying our favorite pastime; I'm watching TV and she is trying to convince me that she's abused and needs further pampering.


Here a couple of shots of the field office that I am currently working out of on the Palm Jumeirah. Eventually this will be torn down and the last group of condos will be built here.


In the background is a shot of the Dubai Marina area, which is about 10 mile south of downtown Dubai. We're hoping find an apartment in this area.
A shot looking up the left side of the Palm from my office. The other side is complete so I'll get some pics of that later. This is a good view of the condos in different stages of construction.


Here is the Dubawi Island project sign.


Shot of the island from the shore, no much to see yet. Ultimately there will be a resort with a hotel and villas.
This is one of the boats that moves people, equipment, and materials back and forth; the island in the background.
O.K., I'll try to be better about posting in the future. We are having a great time and we are grateful that we made the move over here. Take away the traffic, air pollution, and the housing prices and this place really would be paradise, of course with the help of endless money. Putting all of our affairs in order before coming over went very smooth and we both feel so blessed how everything worked out. We enjoyed visiting all of the family and getting one last good road trip of the U.S. in before coming over, unfortunately we didn't take many pictures of that trip. Plenty more to follow, stay tuned.