Dear expats: what do you miss about home?

Every year the expat hubs around the world begin to leak foreigners who flood back to the homeland. Like birds, the migratory pattern is seasonal and routine.

We have lived in two of the world’s biggest global expat hubs, Dubai and Singapore, and the phenomenon is similar in both places.

After school breaks up in June, families depart for the Western world, the husbands only staying a week or two in order to protect their annual leave.

But why do we make this annual trip, at great expense and inconvenience? After all, the husband complains he misses the kids (and occasionally his wife), the children complain that they miss their toys and friends, and the wife is pulling her hair out carting children around single-handedly.

[As an aside, I’ve often heard expat wives complain about hair loss issues. This happens in both Dubai and Singapore. I once put this down to desalinated water (Dubai) and humidity (Singapore). Now I put it down to stress of the Expat Exodus. I’ve just returned from the UK after a four-week trip. One week in Singapore and the plughole looks like the Yeti has fallen down it.]

So back to the subject. There are several reasons why the summer Expat Exodus is a necessary one. Most importantly it is about your identity and place in the world:

1.     We’re expats. We haven’t emigrated. This means we still feel the pull of the homeland. We understand that circumstances and jobs change all the time, and while we may feel that we’re here to stay, we could be gone tomorrow. We are part of a transient society.

2.     The homeland offers us stability in a global economic market that has had its ups and downs. We understand how the homeland ticks. We haven’t had to learn it, unlike our temporary expats homes. There is something comforting and effortless about that.

3.     Culture is important. What is the world without it? And so we ensure our children know what they need to know about bring British, or American, or Australian, or Kiwi.

4.     Family is really where the home is. We make fantastic friends in our expat homes, supporting each other with knowledge and a tissue when our mother is too far away. We all need support, and there is a certain magnetism about being with your own tribe.

5.     Friends also fit into the support category. We are the ones who have moved away and we need to make every effort to stay in touch with homeland friends. Forget about them and your risk feeling like an expat when you return home, starting your network from scratch.

6.     Getting out of the heat. Of course we love the weather where we live, most of the time. But everyone needs a break from 50C heat and 99% humidity.

We all miss different things about our homeland. For some it’s a postal system that runs smoothly (Dubai doesn't have a door to door system). For others it’s the freedom of having a car (Singapore, where the cost is astronomical).

For me, apart from friends and family, it has been the British countryside, gastro pubs and historical houses.  Oh, and strawberries that taste like strawberries, and don’t cost $20 and have a guilty-inducing 10,000 air miles attached to them.

What do you miss and why do you go home? We'd love to know.


Linked to the My Global Life Link-Up at SmallPlanetStudio.com.

The “Hatta Run” is a well-known day trip enjoyed by expats. If your residents’ visa hasn’t been processed, your tourist visa runs out after 30 days. This leads to a rushed scramble to the border to get an exit visa and new entry visa, usually accompanied by lunch and a swim at the Hatta Fort Hotel. I know someone who has been doing this every month for five years. The lunch must be very good.

But there is so much more to see. The first time most people leave Dubai by car, they realise that the mountains are only an hour away. You drive past the large orange sand dunes, and the aptly named Big Red, scattered with the revving 4x4 ants scuttling around, and then the rocky outcrops start to appear.

When you first arrive in Hatta you might think that there is not much to recommend it. On a prominent roundabout, the hotel is one of the first buildings you see, with a parade of shops opposite and then you wonder: “is that it?” Turn right at the roundabout and the narrow lane takes you into the village where you start to get a peak at real Hatta life.

Our first stop was the Hatta Heritage Village nestled between two fortified hills that, although only a short climb, offer lovely views of the surrounding area. This is considered to be one of the oldest habited areas in the area, and the Heritage Village gives a glimpse of the Bedouin past with restored traditional mud barasti houses surrounding the fort complete with bedrooms, majlis and kitchen.

Once you’ve found your historical grounding head to the hills for a picnic. There is quite a lot of road development, but the way is easy even if mostly off-road. You’ll follow water courses, or falaj, and eventually park at Hatta Pools. The deep refreshing pools and waterfalls are reviving, but the calm mirage can mask the danger: given their narrow design flash floods are possible in rainy weather.

Hatta Pools has two reputations. It is a wonderful, geographically interesting, canyon carved by cooling water, where you can take a wander up and down the rock faces and through the pools, have a picnic and watch local boys jump from the cliff tops, leaving their common sense behind them.

Then there is the mess. Bottles, rubbish and graffiti unfortunately litter some of the popular rest spots. It’s a shame that people can’t respect their natural habitats.

However, it’s worth the day trip, even if you only do it once. We’ll be going back.

The practical bit:

What to read: Make sure you have a map. The mountain roads can be difficult to navigate and there are no signposts. Try the Explorer guide: UAE off-road.

Visa: Although Hatta is in the UAE, you will be briefly passing through Oman. This means you’ll be going through checkpoints and will require your passport. The UAE exit checkpoint is a good distance from the Oman entry checkpoint and there is nothing stopping you driving through. You’ll only realise your mistake when you arrive at the Omani checkpoint and get sent back. Driving towards Hatta you’ll come across some low-rise buildings on the right. Stop and make sure you get your exit stamp. You will also be required to have Omani car insurance for your brief drive through Oman.

Hatta Heritage Village: Turn right at the Hatta fort roundabout (04 852 1384). Admission is free.

Hatta Pools: From the Dubai-Hatta highway, turn right at the fort roundabout and follow the Mahdah road through Hatta village. With the Heritage Village on your right drive down the hill and turn right toward the village of Jeemah. The tarmac disappears after the UAE checkpoint. Follow the gravel track to the pools. You can continue passed the pools and continue along the gravel track passed the villages of Ray and Shuwayhah. At the T-junction turn right back towards Dubai-Hatta Road.

“I’ve got a week in Dubai. There is no culture there. How can I spend my time?”

Hold on sister. Open your eyes.

I think broadly, most tourists who land in Dubai fall into two categories. There are those that are content to lie on the beach or by the pool during the day, and fill their boots, or flip flops, with alcohol in the evening. There is something to be said for R&R.

And there are those who are a bit confused and feel Dubai is devoid of culture and doesn’t have much to offer. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

I have to admit, I was a skeptic when I first came here. I’ve travelled all around the world but I couldn’t get my brain to understand what Dubai was all about. I’d heard that it was the Vegas of the Middle East. I’d heard it was all fake. I’d heard that it was gold-plated.

And some of it is. But you only have to keep your eyes open to find out that the diversity and multi-facets of the Emirates is what makes it unique, and therefore confusing because you can’t compare it with anywhere else. You have no frame of reference. Of course, there are still “only in Dubai” moments when you see a shiny gold Maserati, or do a double take when you see a vending machine spitting out gold.

However, I think the best place to start your journey of discovery is at the beginning of history. Find the roots of the place, and then you will understand how the city grows from its foundation. I decided to take my own medicine – I jumped on a Big Bus tour and with my shades on (knees and shoulders suitably covered, of course) I pretended to be a tourist.

I find public transport stressful. There, I’ve admitted it. What should be a service that provides me with a solution when my mobility is challenged, turns into a challenge itself. I worry about missing my train or bus; I worry whether I’ll get a seat; I get stressed about the price of a usually poor service; and living in Dubai I’m pretty much out of practice, seeing as there are no trains, the metro is clean and efficient, and I don’t know how to catch a bus.

On holiday I’ve often seen hop on-hop off services touring around, and I’ve viewed them as a public transport solution, that takes the hassle out of buying separate tickets when I don’t know where I’m heading to, albeit at an inflated price. So that’s something else I have to admit. I’ve misunderstood the point.

The first lesson I learned is that this is not a public transport system. Yes, it takes you from A to B, and on to Z and back round to A if you want it too, but this is tour. We were given personal headphones, which allowed us to listen to commentary, encouraging us to look left or right. The service was punctual, and given the traffic in Dubai, this is not easy to achieve; the staff were courteous and I have to praise the drivers. You need to know how to navigate the dangers of Dubai’s roads, and with a massive bus this can’t be easy.

There are three routes: the red route takes you around old Dubai and the Creek area, the blue route travels down the coast as far as the Palm, and the purple route is a shuttle to Dubai Festival Centre. There are two points where you can change your route: at Wafi Mall and Burjuman Mall. We parked at the latter, and not wishing to rush around with two small children in tow, decided to spend our time on the red route, although it is possible to fit in the blue route too.

Even having lived here a couple of years, we found new places to explore. Here are some of the highlights:

·       Creekside Park: Cost 5Dhs entry per person. You can visit the Children’s museum, Dolphinarium or walk along the Creek promenade. The children enjoyed the mirror maze (20Dhs per child) in the Dolphinarium, but the flashing lights were a bit much for the adults. 

·       Cruise: An hour’s cruise on a dhow takes you to the mouth of the Creek and back. The ticket is included in the Big Bus package. We enjoyed a shawarma while letting the bustle on the river pass us by.

·       Souqs: Whether you’re interested in textiles, spices or gold, this is a great way to see traditional life in Dubai.

·       Dubai fort and museum: Al Fahidi Fort is probably the oldest building in Dubai dating from the 18th century. There are air-conditioned displays that take you through Dubai’s development from the pearl fishing village to the ultra modern shiny city. The ticket is included in the Big Bus package.

·       Sheikh Saeed al Maktoum’s house: the residential quarters of the former ruler of Dubai contains displays and photographs, which give you an insight into Dubai’s humble beginnings. The ticket is included in the Big Bus package.

So whether you’re a tourist visiting for the first time, or an expat who has lived here for years, there is always something new and surprising if you look for it. Just wipe the sand from your eyes.

Tips: If you choose to travel on a Friday little is open until 2.30pm so plan your day accordingly.
Big Bus 24 hour ticket cost: AED 220 for adults and AED 100 for children aged 5-15. www.bigbustours.com

Enter our new Big Bus Tour competition to win tickets worth $120

Welcome to Expat Explorers’ latest competition, in partnership with the Big Bus tours. We have three pairs of tickets up for grabs for Big Bus tours of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Muscat.

How to enter: Read our Big Bus article above and answer a simple question to be entered into the draw. The winner will be pulled out of a hat. Remember to say which city you’d prefer tickets for.

Competition question: How many routes does the Dubai Big Bus run and what colours are they?

Deadline: 10 November, 2013.

Good luck, and we look forwards to hearing from you. Click here to enter. 

There is a miracle growing in Dubai. This arid desert is home to a rainbow carpet of flowers. A small patch of barren land, beside a twelve-lane dusty highway, has temporarily been transformed into a little piece of northern Europe called Dubai Miracle Garden. The dubious claim is that this is the World’s largest natural flower garden.

Landscaping company Akar intend to attract one million visitors a year to see 45 million flowers covering a 72,000 square metre site.

The definition of the word “natural” might be stretched here however, given Petunias are not native flowers, dry sandpits don’t often produce blankets of blooms, and many man-hours have been invested to create this miracle. So is it a success?

In terms of colour, it is. It’s a riot of pinks, purples and oranges. In terms of creativity, marks do have to be given for effort. Pyramids, mounds, arches and even cars are covered in blossoms. And in terms of interest, there were certainly queues of camera clicking visitors, many from the Subcontinent, where there neither the natural environment, or failing that, finances to create such a fanciful and frivolous project.

However, in terms of horticultural prowess, this is not a green-fingered planting achievement. In fact there is very little planting at all. Plastic plots of Petunias are stacked high or laid in rows. It is also not a garden in the true sense. There is little variety in the blooms. I think I may have seen a Geranium, and oddly some umbrellas. But that was it. If you like Petunias, this is a garden for you. But there is a reason why Petunias are used to create the Miracle Garden. With little water they grow impressively well in Dubai.

This wasn’t an educational nature trail where I would learn the healing properties of plants, or their Latin names.

But it is an achievement that Dubai is proud of. Get too close to the flowers, or roll a baby’s pram over the grass, and a man in a fluorescent vest blows a whistle very loudly in your face. And after all, name another country that would choose to grow a flower garden in the middle of a desert? It wouldn’t surprise me if the UAE’s motto became “It hasn’t been done yet, so why not?” It has the tallest building, the largest dancing fountains, the largest fish tank, the largest indoor ski slope, the largest shopping mall – and that’s just Dubai. It might be short of a miracle but this fanciful flower patch is another first for Dubai, and that appears to be how success is measured here. 

The practical bit

·       Dubai Miracle Garden is now open to the public from 10am to 10pm on weekdays and 10am to midnight on weekends and on public holidays.
·       It will close in late-May, reopening in October.
·       The entry fee is 20Dhs for adults and children aged three and above.
·       www.the-miracle-garden.com

Scaling new heights on top of the world
We all know that Dubai likes to be at the top of the charts. And from humble beginnings it has travelled far. Dubai doesn’t really appear on a map until the 18th century. It was a small fishing village famed for its pearls. With cultural influences from Muslim, Turk, Mongol and Ottoman Empires, the Arabian Peninsula then became a British strategic base in the nineteenth century. Having defeated the pirates in the Gulf, Britain offered protection in return for local influence and the Trucial States were born.

So from a piece of grit grows a beautiful pearl. The dancing fountains at the Dubai Mall are the World’s largest, and the same mall boasts the World’s largest fish tank (or to be precise the largest piece of acrylic). The indoor ski slope at the Mall of the Emirates is the World’s longest.  Dubai is also on the edge of the largest desert (The Empty Quarter). In short, Dubai likes its claims to fame; from high rise living and the biggest residential project  (Jumeirah Beach Residence) to the desolate salt flats; from the mountains on one border to the spectacular coral reefs on the other. Dubai is a place to be explored.

We travel around the World, so why not travel up? And in my mind all explorations should start with the Burj Khalifa. Whether you like the high life or not, this is one structure which cannot fail to cause your jaw to drop. It is the spinnaker that keeps this Emirate afloat. It is the pinnacle around which the city revolves, and as the World’s tallest building standing at 828m, it dominates the skyline.

The Burj Khalifa opened in 2010, only six years after construction began. At one point a floor was being built every day and to keep the concrete from setting in the heat, before it reached its lofty destination, ice was added to the mix.

It should be on your travel wish list, but thanks to a new image, which places you right on top of the World, you can now visit from the comfort of your chair.

The interactive photograph offers a 360 degree view, and was created by photographer Gerald Donovan to celebrate the second Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Photography Award (HIPA), which will take place in Dubai in March.

The photograph is really a jigsaw, which allows you to zoom and navigate, and is made from 70 separate 80 megapixel images pieced together.

And it gives you access to a view like no other. Although the public observation deck is on the 124th floor, the photographs were taken from the 160th floor. Whether you suffer from vertigo or not, the final steps on a 200 metre ladder are not ones I wish to take. It sounds like a Mission Impossible, and I think I’ll leave that to Tom Cruise.

If you want to visit the observation deck on the 124th floor book in advance. This not only guarantees your ticket but is also much cheaper than on-the-door tickets. Unfortunately, if a sandstorm blows in you won’t be able to change your visit slot. For tickets visit the Burj Khalifa website. 

To find out more about the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Photography Award (HIPA), and see the 360 photograph, visit their website by clicking here.

Going round in circles: roundabouts I have loved
The topic of traffic and terrible driving is a popular one among expats in Dubai, who like to spend the evening chewing the cud over a glass of wine. And it is little wonder that the habits of some leave a lot to be desired.

As part of the Trucial States, British law governed the roads that were to form the new UAE, and therefore people drove on the left. However, with independence in 1971, and the growing influence of its Saudi neighbours, the decision was taken to switch sides. I’m not saying you should have sympathy with the 18 year old driving a Maserati, who cuts you up by crossing five lanes in one go. But there is possibly an inherent reason why driving standards are poor.

Another reason could be that as Dubai is such a melting pot of cultural diversity, different road rules and habits are thrown together in a kind of road ratatouille. The courteous driving habits of one driver might be getting in the way of the speed thrills of another, for example.

The third reason is the pace at which the road networks and number of drivers is expanding. Fifty years ago Dubai had fewer than fifty cars. Today there are more than 1 million. The roads are clogged with minibuses, taxis, supercars and 4x4s making the driving experience a test of nerves and patience.

I’m not going to name and shame but you can almost identify someone’s nationality by their driving style. While one country’s representative might have a 40% chance of causing an accident, another national statistically has a 400% chance of being the culprit. 

This is not, however, an analysis of driving, but rather a prelude to the fun you can have while driving. On our travels, we have seen some spectacular road systems, interesting signs and wonderful roundabouts. (Yes, I can really be that boring). And this is the topic of the day.

Roundabouts were introduced by the British. (I’m sure parts of the inheritance were more exiting.) But we’re talking about more than a road system here. We’re talking about well known landmarks that provide anchor points to lost travellers when the lack of road names offer few clues.

There is a saying that you know you’ve been in Dubai too long if, when asking for directions to the building opposite, you receive the answer “left, second right, third right, first left”, and that sounds normal. This isn’t a point and shoot society. You can’t aim your vehicle in the general direction you want to go and hope everything will be ok. And forget satnav. Road networks change overnight. Several times I’ve been lost coming home from work.

And even when you do find a street name, it might have two names; an official name and a nickname. Or a historical one and a new one. And forget about the ambiguity created by the different spellings caused by translating names from Arabic.

So roundabouts became important navigation points, and as such the central space within the roundabout has been haloed by some pretty creative monuments and sculptures. I’m pretty fond of the fish roundabout in Fujairah, so named because, well, I’ll let you work it out. And the oyster and pearl roundabout in Ras al Khaimah is pretty special too.

So you see, despite the frustrating, nerve wracking, perilous journeys we make in our cars, roundabouts never fail to raise a smile and lighten the mood. Just make sure you pay attention to the road to ensure you don’t miss your exit and get lost. Once lost you may never be found again.

So, the World did not end. And although I feel a little bit wobbly from the excesses of Christmas, I’m still standing.

The start of a year is a good time to reflect on the past year, clear the slate and plan for the coming year. So what have I got planned?

But before I start thinking of destinations, ticking things off my list, I’ve been thinking about trying to answer the question: “What is travel and adventure?” 

My immediate reaction would be to say it’s about climbing every mountain, fording every stream, following every rainbow…. Hang on. I think I’ve just had a Christmas movie flashback. Truthfully though, I am the type of person to tick off lists. Just ask my husband. But I’m also the type of person who likes to challenge myself, not to be better than anyone else, just to see if I can do it and build confidence.

So let’s take that as a starting point. 

Answer no 1: Travel and adventure help you to build confidence.

I’ve visited 48 countries in four decades. In case you’re wondering there are around 200 countries. It’s almost impossible to say how many exactly – as soon I research the number, someone declares independence, or the United Nations ratifies another application. The point is that borders change, but patriotism doesn’t, and that’s why borders change. The only constant in this is that borders will continue to change. How people respond to their environment is an investigation in itself. Why do people live where they do? This is a question that can only be answered by overlaying different perspectives and asking questions. The answer may be historical, geographic or political. But is always fascinating. In one trip I’ll learn about how the Kiribatis survive on the remote Pacific islands, and on another excursion I’ll learn why the Hisatsinom homes cling to the Mesa Verde cliffs in the US.  

Answer no 2: If the World is a jigsaw, travel and adventure help you to understand how to put the jigsaw together.

That seems to be a pleasing balance. One answer is about the traveller and the other is about the destination. The Yin and Yang of travel: complementary and interconnected.

I didn’t have to travel far to have this theory tested though. My two little girls don’t travel and explore with the predetermined agenda of an adult. We drag them around with us. But adventure is another matter. The meaning was reflected in my three year-old’s face as she casually cruised by me on her scooter (a little bit cocky for my liking, which is probably why she crashed). It was also reiterated in the face of my five year old as she wobbled on her new bike without stabilisers. For my children, these experiences were about what they could do in their surroundings.

So maybe that’s the final answer that ties these musings together:

Answer no 3: Travel and adventure is about learning something new – about you and your environment.

Happy New Year and happy travelling. This year I’m looking forwards to country cottages in the UK, remote tropical island beaches, an African adventure – and a reinforced bank balance.

There are only 15 days until Christmas.

However, if you are a dyslexic Mayan you might believe that the World is about to come to an end before then. You’ll just have to wait until the 21st to find out.

Back to the present day. I’m writing this on the 12th day of the 12th month of 2012. In my slightly obsessive way I see this as a pleasingly balanced date, and everything in my life will become aligned. It’s been a busy couple of years, moving house eight times in eight years, moving country twice, and I’m ready for a rest. But what woman really gets to put her feet up over Christmas?

Here is how I’ve been spending my time over recent weeks.

I’ve created an Excel spreadsheet to help me keep track of present buying and menus for various festive foods (did I mention I was obsessive?). Then the document disappeared inexplicably from my computer and I’ve been left in a state of disarray and panic that I’m about to approach the pinnacle of the Western calendar with no map.

I’ve been pouring over Pinterest to gather quirky ideas for decorating the house.

I’ve decided that for the first time in my 37 years I will make a Christmas cake (I don’t like dried fruit), and I’ve spent time designing what I’m sure will be a magnificent creation (read disaster).

I’ve been wracking my brains for fun activities I can do with the children and have settled on a reindeer snack made of porridge oats and sparkles to sprinkle on the garden.

I’ve been panicking that my five year old daughter has already spotted that our current accommodation doesn’t have a fireplace, so how is the big fellow in red going to visit?

Let me put some of this into context because Christmas will be completely out of context for us. We moved to Dubai a year ago from Chicago, where the snow is piled deep and crisp and even. The air was so cold you couldn’t breath. Christmas lights shone brightly in the clear air.

This year we live in a desert, where the sand is piled deep and gets everywhere. The air is so hot your lungs burn (so why am I thinking of cooking a hot Christmas dinner?). Christmas lights glow in the humid haze.

Now don’t get me wrong. If you’re reading this and you live in the southern hemisphere I’m sure a cold Christmas is just as strange to you as a hot one is to us.

Surely it’s about tradition. As an expat, family and cultural traditions anchor you when everything else around you is changing. It reminds you of your heritage, the path you’ve trodden to get to this day, and Christmas isn’t Christmas without a good dollop of nostalgia is it?

Now I just need to work out how Father Christmas is going to get into the house without a chimney to slide down.    

I’ve never been a beach resort person, although since having children I can very easily see the appeal of a sun lounger, a good book and the chance to be still while the children run off steam in the hotel’s kids’ club. For me, going on holiday used to conjure up images of exotic travel (to satisfy my wanderlust), cultural enlightenment (to satisfy my need to understand my place in the World) and Kodak moments (to satisfy my inner David Bailey).

As an expat, the holiday experience is very different. A trip back to the UK is a wonderful time to catch up with family and friends, and enjoy all the things you really miss from home; decent fish and chips, the local pub, ambling walks or runs through damp forests, buildings that harness centuries of history.

You’re not there long enough for the age-old niggles to matter. It might be raining, but British rain can be so refreshing. It might be busy, but these are your people. Petrol might be nearly £1.40 a litre, but you don’t have a car.

One thing that is missing, however, from the expat’s holiday, is rest and relaxation. You are the returning traveller, and so it’s your responsibility to travel a little more to see people. The UK might be small, but with clogged roads, it’s sometimes quicker to take Route 66 across the USA that drive from Kent to Buckinghamshire. As an expat you took the decision to disengage, albeit temporarily, from your community and friendship groups, and so when you return to the Motherland for a couple of weeks, it is difficult to expect those dear to you to come flocking, flinging themselves at your feet like the returning Messiah.

And so it is for a couple of weeks a year I drag two tired toddlers around the country to stay in spare rooms and on floors of hospitable friends and family, drinking endless coffee and Rich Tea biscuits and musing: “how time’s flown” and “haven’t you grown”. (Parents will recognise the Julia Donaldson Snail on a Whale reference, read and reread to my children.)

Holiday travel is different though. We’ve taken trips to Ras al Khaimah, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, Ajman and Oman.

In contrast to our UK trips, on our travels we:

·       watched Bourgonvillia tumbleweed and sand drifts. It looks so much like the dried leaves and snow of Chicago – directly equal and opposite sights, from cold to hot.

·       drove through wide rocky wadis and marveled whether there was ever enough water to fill them. Apparently, even after a mere shower you can have a flash flood, but given there are few drains and those that exist are full of sand, it’s hardly surprising.

·       looked quizzically at palm tree base stations and wondered whether anyone could be fooled by them.

·       complained that like most trips, the children whinged and whined for six hours of a long, hot drive, then fell asleep just as we arrived.

I don’t want to go around looking for differences. But I do want to keep my eyes open and see how life develops. I suppose my only frame of reference is my personal experiences and this means comparing and constrasting everything I see.

It was on a longer road trip that we were able to get an insight into the Omani’s way of life, which is very different from the urban Emiratis’. En route to Muscat we had lunch at a pretty colonial style hotel. The place was empty except for six locals, in national dress, drinking beer at the bar. What’s strange about that? you ask, until you remember that the Gulf is effectively dry to Muslims. I met a lovely Omani lady through the course of my work, and she explained to me that alcohol wasn’t such a taboo for Muslims in Oman. Their culture is more liberal, less judgmental. Or it could have been that this hotel wasn’t in a busy city so a blind eye was turned? Everyone has a different opinion and it can be a touchy subject. I’m quite partial about a glass of wine, and would not judge other drinkers. For me religion plays not part in and individual’s grape or grain decision, although I believe for some people alcohol is religion in itself. I would not necessarily assume that a Muslim who takes the decision to have a drink is a bad Muslim, but you are judged differently by your peers.

It’s funny how you make snap judgments based on nationality, especially when you live in a cultural melting pot like Dubai. When you first move here you think everyone is racist, but you quickly come to realise that while stereotyping people can be dangerous, it can also be a shortcut to understanding how the place ticks.

I think you can even judge someone’s nationality from the car they drive. I’ll leave you with some examples:

·       Toyota Prado – expat family (Western)

·       Mitsubishi Pajero – expat family (Indian). By the way, if you’re not of a sensitive disposition, look up the meaning of Pajero in the Spanish dictionary. What were the marketing department thinking of?!)

·       Jaguar – older British expat

·       Maserati - Emirati

·       Bentley – Emirati

·       Any supercar - Emirati

·       Mercedes G-wagon AMG – Sheikh