Qasr Al Hosn Festival

I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again, but 2014 is flying by. This week has been busy, with our first visitors of 2014, Mark and Kate, with us for three nights. It was lovely to see them and Jo enjoyed showing them around whilst I was working. We've also finally taken the plunge and decided to trust Henry with looking after Archie and Flossie, so we managed to get out for a couple of grown up meals in the evenings as well as spending an hour cycling and walking round the Yas Marina circuit on Tuesday. Kate even managed to fit in an impromptu talk at one of the local schools.

Work itself continues to be varied and busy (and enjoyable). There is a healthy pipeline of new work, and every day brings a new challenge. In just the last week I have been liaising with BDO firms around the world about a bid focused on Abu Dhabi, and it's been great to see just how well the network works at times like these. Tomorrow I have an intern starting for a few months to support me with various projects which will be great as they are things I have been struggling to find the time to progress.

Turning to the weekend, we had a busy day yesterday, heading onto Abu Dhabi Island to watch some of the Red Bull Air Race, and visit the Qasr Al Hosn Festival.

The Red Bull Air Race is an international series of races in which competitors have to navigate an obstacle course (see the strange little cones in the distance in the photo below) in the fastest time. The series started in 2003 and ran every year until 2010, before being cancelled in 2011, 2012 and 2013 due to safety concerns (apparently there were some near misses). Following changes it has started again in 2014, with Abu Dhabi being the venue for the first race of the series.

There was complete traffic chaos so we couldn't get very close to the action. Still it was nice to sit on the beach for a while watching the planes navigate the course, which a couple of them struggled to do without knocking one of the cones down.

Having spent an hour watching the planes we jumped into a taxi to Qasr Al Hosn to visit the festival. Qasr Al Hosn is the oldest building in Abu Dhabi. It started out in 1761 as a round watchtower defending the only freshwater well on the island, and was expanded to become a small fort in 1793, at which point it became the permanent residence of the ruling sheikh.

It stayed this way until the 1930s when revenue started flowing from the granting of the first oil license, at which point it was expanded. It remained the seat of government until 1966 and is now a heritage site, with the fort currently undergoing extensive renovation. The photo below shows the fort in the 1940s. It is now completely surrounded by modern day Abu Dhabi, showing how much the city has changed in a relatively short period of time.

Each year there is a festival at the fort celebrating the history of Abu Dhabi. There are various sections focusing on areas such as the desert, an oasis, Abu Dhabi Island, marine life, and the fort itself. There is also a programme of workshops for adults and children, including palm weaving, kandura dyeing and making fishing nets. Archie and Flossie enjoyed a couple of workshops, including painting an Arabic goblet and making a traditional toy, a hobby horse.

Apart from there being complete bedlam when trying to book onto the workshops, the sessions themselves were very well run, with lots of helpful instructors on hand to help the kids if they were struggling. It was a shame we didn't have longer to do more of the workshops but there is always next year.

As well as the workshops Archie held a falcon, Flossie petted a hunting dog (Saluki), and they both had a ride on a camel. To round off an enjoyable day we watched the UAE's aerobatics team, Al Forsan, performing to mark the end the first day of the Red Bull Air Race. There was something quite nice about watching the modern day air display taking place over the ancient fort.

After a busy day it was back home where Archie, Flossie and I enjoyed a pizza whilst watching Man of Steel (superman), and Jo went out to a traditional Arabic bridal shower at a house on the compound, about which I'm hoping she'll write a "guest post" soon.

Archie's first ride on a camel

Al Forsan Display Team

Anyway, almost time for tea so I shall leave it there for now. As always thanks for reading.

 

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Trip to Fujairah

One of the things we've been looking forward to about living here is the opportunity to visit parts of the world we have never been to before. I'm not sure what Jo's score is but so far I have visited 14% of the countries in the world, so there is lots more to go at.

But before we go further afield there is still plenty of the UAE for us to visit. Of the seven Emirates we have done Abu Dhabi (obviously) and Dubai so far, so at half term we were determined to tick another one off the list. We decided on Fujairah as we had heard good things about it, plus we wanted to scout out some potential camping spots for later in the year.

We booked an apartment at a hotel just outside Dibba, the second biggest town in Fujairah, situated in the North of the Emirate, just across the border from Oman. It was a drive of 160 miles, but the roads were good all the way so it took just under three hours, including a brief stop for lunch.

As we got closer to Fujairah the landscape started to change from sand to rocky mountains. "Mountains" may be too strong a word as they only rise to 1,000m, but that's what they are called, the Hajjar Mountains, or "stone mountains". Anyway they presented a picturesque finish to our journey.

We found our hotel, the Radisson Blu, without too much trouble, checked in and headed to the adjoining beach to enjoy the last couple of hours of sunshine. In the evening we went to another hotel a few miles away and had a lovely Indian meal for our tea.

Much of Friday was spent on the beach, or by the pools, but in the afternoon we went on a boat trip up and down the coastline. The kids really enjoyed themselves, especially when the boat was going at top speed. We saw some interesting sights as well, one of the local sheikh's beach house (complete with helipad), a fish farm (I think it was sea bream they were farming) and a fleeting glimpse of a sea turtle's head!

We also saw the beach which you can apparently camp on. It looked fine, with a couple of small shops for provisions, so we may head back over there with our tent at some point during the rest of this year.

Saturday came too quickly and it was time to check out. We decided to head home via the town of Fujairah itself. En route we happened upon Al Bidyah Mosque, the oldest mosque in the UAE, dating back to 1446, so stopped for a quick photo.

Onwards to Fujairah. The town itself is pretty industrialized, with lots of development going on like in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, but didn't look particularly touristy so we didn't stop.

We did though happen on a lovely park and stopped there for a picnic lunch and a game of football. We've been impressed with the number of parks there are dotted about the major cities of the UAE, all with great facilities, and often very quiet. Jo finds a new one pretty much every week, and Archie and Flossie enjoy trying them all out.

Before too long it was time to get back in the car for the long slog home. All in all we had a fantastic weekend and will definitely be heading back over that way again.

As always, thanks for reading.

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Archie's latest video

Archie's latest video, highlights from his weekend in Fujairah. All of his own work, with a little guidance from Henry. Blog post about a great weekend coming soon.

 

 

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One year on

It was a year ago this week that I first got the phone call asking if I would be interested in being put forward for "a great role in the Middle East". I can vividly remember discussing it with Jo and deciding to find out more just for the hell of it. One thing lead to another, and twelve months later here we are, fast approaching the end of our first six months, enjoying our new lives immensely and relishing the challenges and opportunities at work. Life certainly takes unexpected turns on occasion.

It's half term already in the UAE, 2014 is flying past. The kids only get a couple of days off but we are taking the opportunity to explore a bit more of the country having had a fairly quiet January from that point of view. Tomorrow we are heading off to Fujairah for a couple of nights in a hotel. Fujairah is one of the other Emirates which make up the UAE, and the only one with a coastline solely on the Gulf of Oman, and none on the Persian Gulf. More about that when we return.

Flossie was "Star of the Week" last week

Since I last updated you it has been Jo's birthday, the celebrations of which she managed to stretch out for five days, starting with Friday Brunch at the Ritz Carlton Hotel and finishing with ladies night at the same hotel yesterday. I think I can safely say that she has enjoyed herself greatly.

Brunch with friends at the Ritz Carlton

We've also had another sports day for all three children, and Archie has had his swimming gala, finishing second in a couple of races. He also spent his first night away from Jo and I when he hasn't been at his grandma's, when his class had an "Aussie Sleepover" at school. He was very excited in the run up to it, and had a great time, although a week later and he still doesn't seem to have caught up with his sleep.

Sporting activities

Other than the above, the Candy Crush addiction continues, although I've now been stuck on the same level for a few days so maybe this is where I go cold turkey. I did drag myself away briefly to try the Flappy Bird craze but soon gave up in frustration, thank goodness that has now been withdrawn by its creator!

Hope all is well with you wherever you are, and that those of you back in the UK are coping with the wind and the floods.

Thanks for reading as always.

 

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Archie's Slideshow

Archie has been practicing his film making again......

 

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