Arabian winter is coming soon

The Arabian winter is setting in. The nights are becoming chilly and fogs are the norm in the early mornings. This is the best time to visit the gulf region with the punishing summer now gone and the beautiful winter arriving. It could get pretty cold during this time – soon a jacket would be a necessity even in the afternoon! Last year, the temperature dropped to 5 degC in some emirates. And I heard that some years back it actually snowed in Dubai! Flowers will also bloom during the next few months and cities like Abu Dhabi and Dubai would be like the Netherlands with flowers at every imaginable corner of the street. An array of reds, blues, greens, yellows and oranges is a welcoming sight to all visitors. It is really a wonder how the things could change in just a few months time. Back in July and August, the mercury was testing the 50degC mark but now it is trying to reach out to 5 degC. The fogs are very thick in the morning with visibility plunging to less than 100m sometimes and it could be dangerous for drivers. But the weather is wonderful for nice evening strolls and BBQ. It would also be nice to enjoy a steamboat except that I don’t think they have such a thing here. If only the winter is here to stay for long. But come May or June, the summer will again set in and it will be pretty hot and humid again.

No more 1 sen coins

Just read from The Star that 1 sen coins would no longer be circulated in Malaysia soon. Everything would be rounded up or down to the next 5 sen. This means if the item is RM20.01, it will be rounded down to RM20 and if the item is say RM20.03 or RM20.04, it would be rounded up to RM20.05. But this is usually a better way as I’ve always ended up with a bunch of 1 sen and 5 sen coins when I shop/ eat in Malaysia. These coins are quite cumbersome and they simply end up in a plastic box in my room till eternity.

This is pretty much how it’s done here in the UAE as well. There are no 1 fils coins here (at least I have never seen any) and business has always been done by rounding the figure. Even 5 fils are a rarity here. But the ‘kiasu’ people of Malaysia may start to lament that they are losing 1 sen each time they buy a burger and that they end up losing RM3.65 if they have to buy a burger every day of the year. As the saying goes – every cent counts!

Want to know what's happening back home?

I’ve come to know of an opposition rally last weekend in Kuala Lumpur. While I’m not much of an opposition supporter, I always find such news hard to come by in the Malaysian mainstream media. It seems to have been relegated to side-news by The Star. In fact, I get more information whenever I watch or read the online version of Channel News Asia (http://www.channelnewsasia.com) or even when I pick up a copy of the Gulf News or Khaleej Times in UAE or when I watch Al Jazeera on TV. It’s a wonder how sometimes we depend on overseas channels to find out what’s happening in our own home country. I heard that recently Pakistanis in Pakistan had to call their relatives in Dubai to find out what has happened in Pakistan after an emergency order was declared!

But it’s true that my view and perspective of Malaysia have changed ever since I started watching Singaporean news in JB and even more when I started reading Middle Eastern news reports. For example, I’ve never been really aware of massive illegal logging and its huge environmental impact happening in Sarawak. Did you know that the indigenous people of Sarawak set up a blockade some time ago to block loggers from entering the forest? Have you heard of the mass protest by some Indians in front of the Prime Minister’s Office? Ever had a chance to watch Anwar giving an interview since he was released? Have you read Farish Noor’s articles on racial and religious issues in our country? If you think you’re missing out on a lot of info, maybe it’s worth tuning in to foreign media from time-to-time! Not that I’m anti-government but I just feel that we have the right to know more of what’s really happening in order to make informed choices. Whilst Malaysia is a beautiful country and I’m proud to be a Malaysian, there are still many areas that desperately need improvement and hopefully that will come progressively as we move ahead.

Visiting Al Ain

I visited the oasis town of Al Ain over the weekend. Two things come to mind in Al Ain – oasis and roundabout. Of course, this is the largest oasis in UAE with many natural greens which are so hard to come across in the Middle East. And this must also be the roundabout city of the world – there must be hundreds of roundabouts at every intersection of the town. With the mad drivers around, it is really quite interesting to try to tackle one roundabout!

The highlight of the town is of course the oasis itself which is a huge expanse of greens (mainly palm trees) located smacked in the middle of town. The oasis is irrigated with the ancient Falaj system of channels and cloth barriers. Around the oasis are many of the town’s interesting tourist attractions – Al Jahli Fort, Sultan Fort, Al Ain National Museum and Al Ain Palace Museum. Of particular interest would be the Al Ain Palace Museum. This was the home of the ruling Al-Nahyan family of Abu Dhabi. I caught a glimpse of how life was for the royalty before the discovery of oil! I got to see the royal courtyard, private residences, majlis, coffee room and even the royal kitchen (looks like our Mamak kitchen!) Oh…. I even found the royal bed! Not very majestic but very Arabian!

Another must-see would be the Al Ain Zoo. It reminds me of a smaller-scale Singapore Zoo – really very well run and maintained. The zoo is basically desert-themed with many of the rare Arabian animals like the oryx and gazelle. Surprisingly I didn’t see any camels or dromedaries. But I found my ‘rakan sekampung’ – the Orang Utan! The Al Ain Zoo is one of the biggest in the Middle East and is quite a surprisingly nice tourist attraction.

Another interesting attraction was the Jebel Hafeet (Jebel means mountain). This rocky mountain is reached by a 15km winding road which brought me up to a 1500-m peak overlooking the town of Al Ain and its surrounding desert. There is a sense of calm and tranquillity up there – a unique geological site.

Diwali in UAE

Yesterday was Diwali (or Deepavali as it’s known in Malaysia). Although there is a huge Indian expatriate community in UAE, it is quite a quiet affair. Especially so here in Shuweihat where everyone is immersed with the ongoing outage works. The joy of Diwali seems to be drowned by the chaos of opening the turbine. Wished some of my Indian friends ‘Happy Diwali’ much to their surprise. They were surprised I even know that it is Diwali. Many of them had no idea that Diwali is a public holiday in Malaysia. Some are even surprised that we have a thriving Indian community back home (who are citizens of Malaysia!) But it was nice to see the sparkle in their eyes when I wished them, as if to tell that they are happy that someone remembers it’s Diwali!

Talking about the Indian community in Malaysia, I watched a documentary on Al Jazeera channel couple of days ago. It’s called People Power. There was a segment in the show which talks about racial polarization in Malaysia. Apparently there was a huge demonstration by the Indian community some weeks ago at the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya. The show went on to depict how many Indians feel displaced in Malaysia in matters like education, religion conversion, economy etc. There was also a few minutes dedicated to discuss the May 13th incident and how despite the fact that 38 years have lapsed since then not much improvement can be seen in racial relations in Malaysia. In fact, people seem to have become more polarized. Well… it would be nice if you could catch a re-run of that on Al Jazeera channel. I will not discuss any further on such sensitive issue.

Oh… by the way…. HAPPY DIWALI or HAPPY DEEPAVALI to all my Indian friends! Wish you and your family a happy, joyous and dazzling festival of lights!

6 Countries in 1 Day

Was in China, India, Persia, Egypt, Tunisia and Andalusia all in one day, yesterday! Well... inside Ibn Battuta Mall, Dubai anyway. This shopping mall is made up of 6 courts depicting the above 6 civilizations. Quite a nice job done. The Chinese court really transports you to China with the red forts and bamboo shoots. Not bad... Had lunch with a colleague there - Chinese food (nothing like what we have in Malaysia, but then again I can't be too choosy in Middle East!)

Dubai is as it is - ever-changing, maddening traffic and construction everywhere. I visited to collect some parts from my manager who's now based there. It was only a day-trip but I think I'll come again one of these days to pay a visit to my friends there.

Can't wait for the weekend to come, I've planned a trip to Al Ain. Al Ain is an oasis town about 1 hour away from Abu Dhabi city. This is where natural greens can be found! I would also be going up Jabel Hafeet - the tallest peak in UAE. That will be my main pre-occupation for the next couple of days... Forget about work.

USD vs EURO

Saw this little comic in the Gulf News today. The falling USD has been in the minds of many people in UAE. The falling USD (to which the UAE dirham is pegged) and the rising Indian Rupee and Filipino Peso have affected many expatriates here. Many see their income depleting by 10 - 20% when converted to their home currency. To make things worse, people here now have to spend almost 50% more on food and groceries. While rental rates rise like 40% per annum. Terrible! That's why so many people are saying it's not worth it and are returning home. But for everyone who leaves, there is a long queue of people wanting to come in. All for the lucrative oil money. Only good news is, petrol is cheap. Imagine a full tank for RM60? Haven't seen that for years! Well... God knows what will happen in years to come with crude oil moving close to USD100.

Left-Hand Drive

• It is weird why the world can’t decide which side of the road to drive on? Why does UK, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Indonesia and some other countries drive on the left side (hence right-hand driving) whilst the rest of the world drives on the right (left-hand driving)??? Why can’t we just standardize everything and spare everyone the confusion? I even heard from a Sudanese friend, that Sudan used to be right-hand but they have changed all the left-hand some years back. Must have been a major exercise. Imagine trying to do that in Kuala Lumpur!
  
  I’ve been driving in UAE the past couple of days – left-hand driving as opposed to Malaysia! Some points to share:
   Most common (less harmful) mistake is always walking to the wrong side of the car when getting on it. Countless times I have walked to the right only to find that the steering wheel is on the left!
   Groping the left for the hand brake and gear which was not to be found.
   Trying to put on the signal indicator but instead had the wiper on. (Happens if you drive Waja/ Tiara too instead of Sonata!)
   Tend to drive more to the right side of the road. Except in UAE the middle of the road is not on the right. What I find there is the road kerb! Ooops…. Which is when my German friend, Eddy commented that the road doesn’t seem big enough for my Lancer.
   Confusion when reaching a junction! Contrary to popular belief, it’s much easier if the traffic is heavy. Then there would not be any ambiguity on which side is the correct side to turn into. But in deserted areas like out-of-the-way highways and residential zones, I had to spend a second or two to get my lanes right! (Almost turned into the wrong one that day in Ruwais! Luckily I got my senses right!)
   Some roundabouts (or circus as it’s called in Singapore – hilarious thing to call a roundabout) can also be quite dangerous if there are not road dividers leading to them.
   Feels funny turning the head the other direction while reversing the car.
  
  Well… those are some of the issues of driving on a different side of the road. No worries, I am getting used to it as time passes. The problem would be when I have to be rehabilitated when I return to Malaysia!
  
  Another thing to be careful about when driving in the UAE is that there are many crazy drivers around. The highway speed limit is 100 kph in the Abu Dhabi western region and 120 kph in Dubai. But people drive close to 200 kph all the time, swerving in and out, as they liked. There are the Indian and Pakistani drivers who drive madly like they do in their home countries. Not to mention the rich, young and fiery Arabs speeding along with their sports cars! No wonders why accidents are so common. In fact there was a 6 car pile up two days back at Musaffah, near Abu Dhabi. I remembered there was a 20 car accident during the last winter in Dubai. So, drive vigilantly and carefully in UAE!

Short History of Gulf Airlines

As promised, I will give a short description on the airlines here. There was only one combined-airline for the states of Bahrain, Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Oman until quite recently. The airline was known as Gulf Air – maybe some of you may have heard of it. One weird thing is that although Abu Dhabi and Dubai are in the same country (UAE), they operate different airlines. Dubai as I’ve said operates the Emirates Airline which is quite famous.

Some years back, Qatar decided to pull out of the Gulf Air consortium and formed Qatar Airways. (Called Al-Qatariyah) Qatar Airways is famous for its cheap air fare (in comparison to other Middle Eastern airlines). Thus Doha became a ‘budget’ transit hub in the Middle East. In fact almost everyone on Qatar Airways are merely transiting in Doha (hardly anyone checks out there!)

Soon, Oman decided to have its own airlines known as Oman Air. Don’t think this is a very popular airline. And about 3 – 4 years back, Abu Dhabi decided that it was time to have its own airline and thus Etihad was born. I guess Etihad means ‘victory’ as in Al-Ittihad. In the early years, Etihad was known for its bad service and lousy planes. But recently it has up-ed its standard and is on par with Emirates. In fact, I would say that Etihad was probably the best airline I’ve taken so far. Worst could have been Lufthansa! (Then again, my experience with airlines is quite limited)

While all the countries decided to have their own airlines, Bahrain was left with Gulf Air which, by then was bleeding and loosing money like anything! I think it still is loosing money.

And that was the history of middle eastern airlines or rather gulf airlines. On to UAE – there are 3 airlines as far as I could remember! Etihad belonging to Abu Dhabi, Emirates belonging to Dubai and there is a smaller one belonging to Sharjah (think it’s called Sharjah Airlines). This is probably some kind of budget airline since Sharjah is after all the proposed destination by Air Asia X!

Re-Visiting Abu Dhabi

I’ve left Abu Dhabi for 4 months. But now I am back… back to meet old friends, back to tie up the loose ends (a.k.a. cleaning the shit), back to desert life… At least this time around I got a direct flight. I flew in direct using Etihad Airways. Many people asked me what airline this is… well, to the uninitiated, Etihad is the national airlines of Abu Dhabi. This is relatively a new airline. Its sister would be the more established and well-known Emirates Airlines which is operated by Dubai. I will blog later on the history of Middle Eastern airlines on another date (I got a summary of that from an Emirati friend).

Anyway, Etihad was a world-class airline… much better than Qatar Airways, Lufthansa or Malaysia Airlines. The service was good, the seats were comfortable and the in-flight entertainment very personalised. Everyone has his own screen and there is a huge selection of movies, dramas or music to choose from in their in-flight entertainment. The flight was surprisingly full – I guess many Arabs were returning home after their summer holidays. I sat next to a Malaysian lady who’s going back to Saudi Arabia! Gosh… a Malaysian woman working in Saudi! She works as a nurse in a hospital in Dhamman, which is just across from Bahrain. According to her, life in Saudi was terrible but the money was good. There are many restrictions for women there – cannot drive, cannot go out alone (in fact dangerous!). You see, women are basically second-class in Saudi! I wished her all the best and hope she survives there.

I arrived in Abu Dhabi airport past midnight. The airport looked exactly the same as I’ve left it. The inverted ‘bee hive’ is still the master center piece of the terminal. There was as usual a long queue of South Asians waiting for their entry permit while I breezed through the immigration counter. Then, I went straight to the car rental counter and drove more than 2 hours to Jebel Dhanna where I’ll again be staying for the next 1 month plus (Insha-allah!) Reached at 4am there and checked into the camp. Tired, exhausted but not sleepy. Nevertheless took a warm bath and headed to bed.