The sun is shining this morning, and after almost 2 weeks in the southern part of the UK I can tell you its quite unusual for their summer so far. Mostly we have had rain, and occasionally some very hectic winds, but after the Dubai heat and dust we really haven’t minded at all. Green is so pretty!
At the end of March I had the opportunity to travel to two new, and interesting places. Lagos (Nigeria in case there can be any confusion) and Beirut (Lebanon).
It was with much trepidation that I approached the first trip. After being promised (perhaps threatened with some might say) a business trip to Nigeria in 2000, and after having what felt like a gazillion injections in preparation for said trip, I never actually went then, or since. I had managed to dodge the bullet a few times, but I could put it off no longer. I wasn’t sure what to expect. People who have been to Lagos either love or hate it, there seems to be no middle ground. Friends of mine have expatted there, and say “never again”, yet I met an Irish lady recently who couldn’t wait to move back there, children and all. The stereo-types are numerous; I wasn’t sure if I would be conned, kidnapped or mugged, or all three. I was very aware that I needed to “be prepared” and so made sure my immigration contact was arranged, as was my driver. I had local phone numbers for emergency contacts I had never met (from friends) saved just “in case”. I was ready!
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Summer is on it’s way, today was around 32 degrees C. It’s hard to get used to the sudden change from Winter to Summer, as Spring doesn’t seem to happen at all. One day you wake up and it’s hot again, all of a sudden. This of course means that all the lovely outdoor activities we have enjoyed over the cooler periods will be winding down, but happily they aren’t all off the menu yet (pardon the pun). Taste of Dubai ran this weekend, and we spent a few (sweaty) hours there this morning.
If you haven’t visited a “taste of …” event yet then you may not know that it’s a massive festival of food – various restaurants offer up tastes of their menus, with the idea that you get a sense of their cooking styles and menus, and then obviously the idea is that you will go and have a full meal there at some point. Really a great way to discover some new places to try for a meal. There was also live music by the “Maple Jacks”, who were amazing. Some of the visiting celebrity chefs also host live cooking stations where they may even teach you a trade secret or two.
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I finally ate at Zuma (DIFC) last week. Thankfully it was a business dinner so I wasn’t paying, as I have heard it is quite expensive.
There are two sections to the restaurant, the upstairs lounge which is more relaxed with low tables and big cushiony chairs, and then the downstairs part which is more restauranty. We sat upstairs, which is supposedly the more popular choice as it’s more vibey. That may well be true but I have to say I’m not a fan of those low tables – the table always feels a little bit far away for me and the top generally ends up being in line with my knees – which usually means I end up having to bring the plate up to my face to eat.
Zuma is a predominantly Japanese-style restaurant from what I could tell, with the emphasis on small plates of food being shared by the table vs traditional starters and main courses. This is fine in theory but let me tell you grabbing a piece of marinated sea bass off a central platter with chopsticks and then getting it safely to your mouth without dropping marinade, or in fact the entire thing, on your lap is quite tricky, and resulted in me not trying some of the courses at all.
Everyone likes presents don’t they? What can be better than an unexpected parcel from home, sent with love? When my Mom told me in December that she had posted us a Christmas parcel I was really pleased. Being an expat means you don’t often receive gifts from your family back home that actually coincide with the event they celebrate – so when you do visit once a year you are handed a bag containing your last birthday gift and one for the coming Christmas. And let’s face it, with the prices of postage these days even the smallest thing can end up costing more that it’s worth to send to someone halfway round the world. I find it easier to buy things online in the country where the intended recipient is actually living, and send it directly. It’s not quite the same though is it as being given something that has been hand-picked and lovingly wrapped and labelled? But as they say “it’s the thought that counts” right? I hope so.
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