That panorama.....

[Hi Gill, I patched those pictures of the mall together. It's huge!! - Sat]

The Indoor Ski Slope

  

  

  

Hope you can patch this together in your mind's eye to see the scale. (I'll work out how to make them into a panorama another time. ;-)

  

  

  

  

Tuesday

Even more tired - so will be even shorter. Couldn't bear the thought of another evening meal alone. Also feel I'm getting cabin fever. Up at 7am, shower & breakfast, 8 minute walk to work,work, lunch at desk, more work to at least 7pm, home, shower, eat, bed. I managed to get off promptly at 7pm today. Had a quick shower and took a taxi to the Mall of the Emirates - apparently the largest mall in the world. It looked close on the map and the hotel advertises itself as 'close to the Mall of the Emirates'. I'm glad I didn't ask if it was walking distance as it turned out to be a 10 minute taxi ride. I had forgotten - that is nearby in Dubai. Without realising what the building was my reaction when I first saw it was wow, the WOW then WOW!!!! It is absolutely vast and 3 stories high with anything and everything. (Yes Sat - there is a Zara here. And Cinnabon - remember that in Thailand?). I had a really good evening. It was great to be out and about. I had a meal at Havana Cafe (grilled prawns). Jewellery shops were something else - the most amazing pieces. They would perhaps even be too ostentatious at an Oscar's party. There was also an indoor ski slope which would be quite fun to try.

I forgot to say - I woke up with really painful legs - namely the muscles behind my knees. I limped about today particularly if I had been sitting down for a while as they would cramp up. That blasted leg extension machine!! Walking around the mall helped stretch them out.

  

  

  

Office Surrounds

  

Monday

I am getting tired now (it is almost midnight) so these catch up blogs will be a little short. Had my 2nd stint of misrabilism on Monday night. Eating alone. Again. But I endevoured to put a smile on my face and have a gambarimasu attitude and that helped. I actually stayed in the restaurant for almost 2 hours. The waiters were absolutely efficient and friendly as usual, but I made myself smile at them a lot and make small talk as that is what Sat would have done. Besides it was nice to talk to someone. I'm now on first name terms - Gyan (Indian) insisted I try a Grappa on his recommendation. He was really chuffed when I said it was the best Grappa I had ever tasted. Absolutely true - most Grappa's are foul but this was actually quite bearable. Had a good chat with Osama (Egyptian). I didn't know how to react when he asked if I knew Osama Bin Laden. I said not personally. Osama talked to the manager and I now have a 15% discount card for when I eat at the restaurant to drink at two of their bars.

Bathroom - I think we may have bought the same shower head!

  

My Room Mark 2

  

My room

  

Ok, so this is a few days late as I was having major computer problems (which I won't bore you with). I made a few notes on what I did on Sunday but I didn't for Monday or Tuesday. Either way whatever I write will be coloured by how I feel now rather than how I did at the time, however much I try to be faithful to what my instant reactions were then.

Sunday:

I went to the gym. It is small with just a few running machines and bicycles, an ab machine, a lat pull down/seated row machine and a leg curl and extension machine. I was very pleased to complete my run really easily even though it was the next step up in training. Then I realised I hadn't of course just done a session on the rower which I normally do first. Then the ab machine - but I think I'll just do cruches in the hotel room in the future as I think thats more worthwhile. The lat pull down and seated row with weights (slightly ow but ok). I then did leg curl and extension which was a real killer, particularly extension. But I pushed myself as I really want to gym it this month. The gym was all to myself which was really nice. I didn't always see how to adjust the machines and in one case was just embarassingly too feek and weeble to do it. It was quite funny watching the gym attendent keep an eye on me without being too obvious as if he was staring at me work out, but always come to my aid when needed. He was very serious and professional. I gave him such a big smile and thank you at the end that he seemed to relax, gave me an apple and suggested I use the women's steam room. Oh what bliss! The steam seemed much cooler the usual - but I guess there is less of a temperature difference than normal.

So far emotionally I have been ok. Not nearly as pained as I thought I may be. I think it is because I am basically totally and utterly in love and also have the absolute knowledge that I am loved absolutely. It gives me enormous confidence and ironically it is this confidence that allows me to be away from my love for such a long time. I think if there was any hint of a doubt I wouldn't be able to go away.

There has been one thing that has got to me and that is eating alone in the evening. However busy Sat and I get, with often one or other of us out in the evening, we make a point of having a meal together. I really miss that. It was funny, there were a few people eating alone in the hotel restaurant and I noticed they all chose seats facing into the restaurant (including me). I guess fundamentally we all have an instinct for human contact. I chose Sea Bass on a bed of spinach, mushrooms and a few tiny new potatos, as it was something that Sat might have cooked. Sat - they poured soy sauce over it which I first thought was odd but it actually really worked. Perhaps you would like to try it?

Ist Day

Breakfasts at the hotel is quite good -yoghurts, cereals, pastries, cooked stuff, juices etc etc. What is really nivce is the fresh papaya, watermelon and rambutan. I also love the honeycombe. From what I saw last night Dubai is vast. Think of the spangling new sky srcapers in Tokyo but instead of having them 1 metre apart from each other there is maybe a football pitch instead. Spent my first (3/4) day at work trying to remember everything thrown at me. Am knackered so I'm going back to the hotel to go to the gym.

Realisation

I've just realised how often I use the word very. Not very good. I better get some sleep. Catch up soon.

View from hotel room @1.16am Dubai time

I had a good flight and watched The Island and Walk The Line. I looked for the Hotel pick up for about 45 minutes when I arrived, before taking a taxi. As a woman alone I was soon directed to the female taxi drivers. The hotel staff are very nice, but were very suprised to see I had taken a taxi as apparently they had sent someone...... The hotel is very new (built at the end of last year) and has free broadband. It is very pleasant and rather like some hotels we have stayed in in Japan and America and Switzerland, Italy & Greece come to that....Anyway nice enough to be my home for the next few weeks. I couldn't sleep so I thought I would set up the camera drivers and start my blog. I had to change a few settings on the lap top, both to gain internet access and also to be able to blog. You impressed Sat? :-)