GPS leads the way

Someone invited us to "Spring Bamboo Restaurant" but I have no idea where it is.

This is a demo of GPS technology in action. He sent me the coordinates on Google Earth, I put it into my GPS and then I have all I need to drive there tonight.

Looking forward to meeting him for dinner.

Steamed Rice is S$4.80 or more everywhere

I was wrong. I had complained about steamed rice being the equivalent of S$4.80 a bowl at a Jap restaurant (see story) and swore that we will not order it from that place any more, but we were hit by S$4.80 rice again.

Last friday, we had lunch with a group of Singaporeans at Radisson in Deira. I finally received an education on how steamed rice is charged here. In fact, S$4.80 is the cheapest. It can go all the way to S$8.00.

Next time, we would have to "ta-pau" back and cook our own rice.

Our Container Arrives

Got a surprise call from Allied Pickfords two days ago. Our container, not expected 6 weeks from Sep 3 has arrived and ready to be delivered to us. Problem is we are not ready to accept it yet, not until we find and move to our rental apartment. The photo above is before it was shipped here.

Why did I insert this piece of boring news? I want to break a long string of bad news about this place. We want to focus and find joy in the little good things.

Hunting for Property

Just too bad I picked this advert (see above) to showcase my experience in our rental apartment search here in Dubai. This advert is a repeat of the one the agent put up on Sep 23. I tried to reach her yesterday, and left a message for her to call back. I tried again this morning, and again I wasn't successful. I decided not to leave another message. By now, I know their tag line isn't sincere, "we do care, we do call back".

I decided to keep calling her mobile, and was lucky to get through on my second try. Then she dropped the bombshell on me. It was not a 2-bedroom apartment, but a 1-bedroom. Why didn't she correct the error when they list the apartment again? But that is the way the property folks conduct their business here. Of course there are good agents, but I haven't met any yet.

A fellow Singaporean family I met at school is also looking for an apartment. She has even more stories to share as she is much further along in the search. The most memorable one was when she appeared at the apartment but the agent wasn't there. She called her on her mobile and the agent's response was she just got out of bed!

It is also common practice here to view the apartment without the agent. You either pick up the house keys from under the door-mat (I did this once) or collect it from the security counter.

By the way, the landlord doesn't pay the 5% commission, the renter does. Who is working for who?

Flat tire in Dubai

Stymied by a flat tire (see photo) on our company rented Mitusbishi Pajero yesterday. This is not fun experience in the summer. Fortunately the car was parked in the mall's covered car park, but the temperature was still uncomfortably hot.



Didn't take very long for the rescue vehicle to come. As it is Ramadan too, I gave them an extraordinarily generous tip even if they broke one of the nuts in the wheel.



This morning Daisy and I insisted that they replace the Pajero. We have to keep pressing them to do so before they agree. Quite a frustrating experience.



I was quite disappointed when the replacement Pajero arrived. Its mileage was doubled my old one but it was a 3.8L versus the former's 3.0L. When I drive it, it was also smoother and quieter. The previous Pajero must have been in some dreadful accident before.


Here is a photo of the second Pajero parked in the basement of our apartment's underground car park.

Cedars Jubai Ali Intl Hospital

I just came back from my medical test at Cedars Jubai Ali International Hospital. Above is a photo of a plaster I peeled off from my arm. Can you tell what is abnormal about it? Yes, why is the cotton on the plaster? It is because the nurse who took my blood sample didn't remove the cotton before applying the plaster which is, I understand the right procedure. I observe him and the others, there are quite a few things that they don't do here which is de-rigeur in Singapore.

Today I was there for a medical checkup, tomorrow I know I will go elsewhere if I fell ill. However if what you want is very nice people, chit chat and customer service, they are really quite good.

I am not saying they are incompetent, but I think it is a lot likelier that things will go wrong here.

Early Evening at Dubai Marina

Larger photos available at Picasa

A friend took us to his neighborhood in Dubai Marina for dinner one evening. Our srviced apartment is just a short distance away. We decide to come back in the early evening so that we can shoot some photos of the beautiful marina.

The Jap restaurant that charged us S$4.80 for a bowl of rice has its business here too. Avoid it!

Our Air Freight Arrives

Our air freight packed back in Singapore on Sep 1 finally arrived at our apartment on the 17th. We were given 150kg of air shipping allowance. We used only a fraction of it. Included in the freight were basic stuff like rice cooker, deep fryer and very important to Yi Lin, her PC (see photo above). Our Brother scanner-laser printer also came with it but not my main PC, which is on the way by container - another way of saying it is swimming here in a big ship.

Before unpacking. Only four boxes

Outrageous bill for rice

Had dinner at a Jap restaurant in Dubai Marina last night. Ordered two extra rice for the children but never asked how much it will cost - should me minimal right? After all, this isn't live steam fish.

Can't believe my eyes when the bill was presented. 12 DHS or approx S$4.80 for a small bowl of rice!

Anyway the food wasn't great. We shan't be back there for a very long time. Next time, we will ask the price of rice.

Roti is cheap, may be we should eat more bread then.

Half Pedestrain Crossing

Getting ready to cross the road, our first problem is which way is the traffic coming? You see, it is different from Singapore. Here you look to your left, at home it is to your right.

The pedestrian crossing above is quite a challenge regardless of where you come from. Driving on the left or right of the road don't matter as there is only half a crossing here. The law is on your side for the side of the road nearer to you. The other half of the crossing, the law of the jungle rules. See how the two ang mohs prepare to get across!

Location: Upmarket Jumeirah Beach Residence.

Toilets

The less said about this topic the better. A very important if usually unspoken topic. So far the loos here are noticeably cleaner than back home, even from the less classy places. I haven't found or visited the public public types. Back in March when we were in Beijing, we passed by one daily on our walk to Wanfujing. I never went in to check because I refused its uninviting aroma. I saw with my nose, that was enough.

No pictures for this entry. Toilet are simple places. What you can imagine is probably pretty close to what I have seen.

Peaches are cheaper

Peaches are much cheaper here than back home. Earlier I bought three large ones for 11 DHS. Yesterday I picked up five more smaller ones for 12 DHS or approx S$4.80. I imagine that I would have to pay S$7.50 back home.

My really good haul of peaches is not here in Dubai. The one you see here is from Turkey. The really good deal I got was in Australia. I bought them by the crate. I imagine I could get an even better deal had I gone to the farms directly.

I don't think they grow peaches here.

The Nuvi Navigator in action

This is a video of my Nuvi GPS navigator. I have it placed on the dashboard of the Pajero. You can get a feel of what it is like to use one, but in Dubai, you cannot trust its advice completely. Often you just have to ignore its advice or crash into a construction site. Take detour, and let the navigator plot a new route for you. It might take longer but you will arrive at your destination.

Earthquake!

I felt giddy as I stared at my notebook display. I thought it must be the infection trying to overcome my attempt to get the better of it. But the giddiness persisted. I then look up and saw the two lamps in the room swinging. Oh dear, this must be an earthquake.

Hours later my wife called me to tell me that a Richter 6 quake had struck Iran. The UAE is across the waters from Iran.

When I was in Singapore, I have never experienced anything like this. Perhaps my apartment was solidly founded on granite (igneous rock). Now I wonder if the UAE is a high earthquakie risk region. I was detached and very calm.

The ERP in Dubai

Does it work here? Well in a restricted sense yes. On the targeted roads, the traffic has lightened considerably, but the other roads are more congested than ever. There is no way it is going to smooth unless people start to car pool. Dubai does not have a viable alternative in the form of public transport. Re-directing traffic doesn't solve the problem. It only moves it elsewhere. If you can afford to pay the toll, good for you. As usual, it is money rather than government that will solve your problem.

GPS with a pinch of salt

Today took delivery of our company sponsored rental car. You don't get to choose the car but you don't pay for it either. I don't mind, in fact, I welcome it. This Mitsubishi Pajero will be our "camel" for about a month, or until my visit visa expires, which should be sooner.

You can see the car at the petrol station. Took us a while to get there because my Nuvi GPS took us to dead end roads! The device is programmed with the latest 2008 maps but things here change all the time. As a result the GPS advice can be unreliable or downright impossible.

Rule of Thumb - Make sure the tank is always 3/4 full, a rule I learnt from Singapore, as you do not want to run out of petrol. I exaggerate of course.

Computer stuff cheaper than Singapore's

Went to the giant Ibn Bututta mall this morning and found this big supermart of electronic gadgets. The prices are mostly equal or better than what you can get at Challenger in Singapore with member's discount.

My Acer InspireOne costs me S$799 back in Singapore but only about S$750 there. A high capacity sandisk 4GB SD card is only about S$20. Imation CD-R is S$24 for 100 CDs etc., Two years ago, when I last visited it was easily double Singapore's prices for CD-Rs and DVD-Rs.

I shouldn't be surprised by this discovery. A couple of days earlier I had picked up a Netgear switch for the equivalent of S$27.

I do not have precise numbers to offer but large LCD TVs are also cheaper. What I find expensive were HSPDA or 3.5G devices for mobile broadband connection. It is cheaper to buy them as a bundle from Etisalat, their one of two telephony and internet service provider.

Marriage Certificate Attestation in Dubai

If you are sponsoring your spouse to Dubai, you need to bring you marriage certificate to be attested by the Dubai branch of the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The place is very difficult to find and even many locals do not know where it is, and certainly not most taxi drivers. So I like to share my discovery with any of you who might need to have this information.

If you happen to own and use a GPS navigator, you may also input the following coordinates into it. It is N25'15.914 E055'18.925. And if your GPS is portable, take it with you in your cab. Tell him you want to go to the Etisalat's office on the Creek (they all know this). When you get nearer, direct him using GPS.

Below is an album of visuals on what to see and expect.

Same building, Different apartment

We moved from the 9th floor to the 6th floor tonight. It also means we migrate from our tiny 1-bedroom to a very spacious 3-bedroom apartment. We got upgraded for free because we were promised a 2-bedder before we came.

You can tell that the look and feel between the two units are the same. Since there is nothing very interesting to show, I decided to let you take a peek at the machines that are used to create this blog and other e-communications from us.

Internet connections

The serviced apartment only provides one free internet point for one PC. You want more, you pay and I don't want to pay. So I went out to the Mall of the Emirates and bought the above switch at Jumbo Electronics for the equivalent of S$27. Now all our three computers can access the Internet.

It is Ramadan

Ramadan Kareem! (I have yet to learn what Kareem means. Plan to find out today)

It is Ramadan, and Muslims fast from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. As there are so many foreigners in Dubai, some food outlets cater to their needs but special arrangements must be made. As a result, no open eating but behind curtains.

I observed that pregnant women are exempted from fasting. I saw a woman's husband buying a hot chocolate drink for his pregnant wife yesterday.

Pricey Al Majarah

So this is what I would have to pay for our Al Majarah apartment were we walk-ins. Very pricey isn't it?

A first peek at our serviced apartment

We have finally arrived in Dubai at about six in the morning. We wasted a lot of time in the airport bus because our plane wasn't taxied beside a connecting bridge. I have taken for granted that unless you are travelling budget, you always get on and off a commmercial plane this way.

We checked into our serviced apartment at about 8.30am this morning. Look at how messy it is. As I write this, it hasn't gotten better and we don't care because we are moving to a bigger apartment tomorrow - From a one-bedroom unit to a three-bedroom one. We were promised a 2-bedroom one but were unpleasantly surprised when told only a one-bedroom one was reserved for us. They kindly suggested that we can have the 3-bedroom apartment when it becomes available tomorrow.

Time to sign off. We are heading to the mall to buy essentials, and I hope a GPS unit to be used when we drive our car later.

The battle of the heart and the mind

Went to Mandai Columbarium this morning to visit my in laws and late mom niches. In the afternoon I will have to send the car to the dealer I sold it to as promised.

My head tells me that the Internet and Jet travel have shrunk distances but emotionally I sometime feel that I am really going away to a faraway place, i.e., read leaving family and friends.


Photo: My mom's niche

Photo: Daisy's parents niche.

Surprise sent off party

Literacy gave her a surprise sent off party tonight. It was a pity that Zhen didn't take her phone with her. Why leave a 5 megapixel camera phone at home for? I was chagrined at her. Now there are no pictures of this wonderful group she feels most at home with.

One week's work

All the packing done. Finally the movers came and in just a few short hours, they hid all our stuff in one standard cardboard brown, took it downstairs and into this lorry which will then transfer it into a container for shipping. Every box is tagged with number, identity and a brief description of its contents. We wouldn't be seeing our belongings again for the next six weeks. We should be out of the service apartment and into our rental one by then.