Weekend Excursion from Dubai . . . FALCONS AND OTHER ARABIAN BIRDS OF PREY - The Banyan Tree Al Wadi Resort, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE

The sun has not yet peaked over the desert dune outside our villa.  A soft, cool breeze is the only thing interrupting the quiet, predawn calm. Roger is still asleep, but I am up determined to photograph the elusive animals that are said to roam the nature preserve that is our private villa’s “back yard.” 

After almost an hour, my only sightings are small birds that appear just as light begins to crest the ridge.  As the early morning sun lifts higher, the sounds of the desert softly rise and larger birds present themselves.  We have been promised sightings of gazelles and the arabian oryx. I wonder if they will appear.

TOP 10 REASONS I LOVE LIVING IN DUBAI!!

I have been living in Dubai for a little over a year now and can say unequivocally, “I LOVE DUBAI!!!”

I have many reasons to love Dubai:  the rich history of this young country that I am privileged to explore; the interaction with different exotic cultures (well, they are exotic to me;) laughing about the absurdity of getting into a cab only to find out you have been in Dubai longer than the driver who hasn’t a clue where your destination is; celebrating little victories of surviving daily life as a first-time expat American living in an Arab country; and the melding of old and new traditions.  This could go on and on, but thanks to my collaboration with a few friends, I have come up with The Top 10 Reasons I Love Living in Dubai... 

DUBAI SOUQ SHOPPING – FOR THE ADVENTUROUS

I originally wrote this article for fancyzipper.com, an online fashion magazine, that has graciously allowed me to repost it here on my blog.  Dubai has many amazing shopping venues, but be a little adventurous, step back in time and explore the traditional Arab souqs. They are amazing.  Here is your roadmap!

Dubai is a unique city bursting with exotic and eclectic experiences.  The old world splendor of Dubai Creek with its mysterious souqs and traditional abra water taxis provide the backdrop to the amazing architecture of soaring skyscrapers.  The alluring azure waters of the Arabian Gulf and the graceful golden dunes of its desert are the natural boundaries of the city. Dubai offers a truly awe-inspiring Middle East experience in a modern and safe setting.

This is a city where shopping is a national pastime; a city that is fiercely challenging London’s ranking as the number one shopping Mecca in the world. Dazzlingly beautiful mega-malls offer an over abundance of high-end designer shops just waiting to dress a well-heeled clientele. 

JUMEIRAH MOSQUE - Guest post by Anne "The Writer" O'Connell

One of the great pleasures of living in Dubai is enjoying unique adventures with friends. Recently Anne O’Connell and I went on a tour of the Jumeirah Mosque. This is one of the programs of the Sheikh Mohammad Centre for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU) that strives to remove barriers between people of different nationalities and raise awareness of the local culture, customs and religion of the United Arab Emirates. With Anne and I both being raised Catholic, we were amazed at some of the similiarities of the faiths. 
Please enjoy Anne’s account of our visit to which I have added photos.

DUBAI LITERARY FESTIVAL - FINDING PEACE . . . BROTHERLY LOVE . . AND LAUGHTER IN DUBAI – PART 3 - LAUGHTER Marina Lewycka

In this third and final segment of my blog about Anne O’Connell’s and my experiences at The Emirate Airlines Festival of Literature you get to meet one hysterically funny lady.

Our final session is with Marina Lewycka – say that three times with marbles in your mouth!  Marina is the author of A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, Two Caravans and We are All Made of Glue. Anne and I prudently share the purchase of these three books with promises to share as soon as we have finished reading.  

DUBAI LITERARY FESTIVAL - FINDING PEACE . . .BROTHERLY LOVE . . . AND LAUGHTER IN DUBAI - PART 2 - BROTHERLY LOVE Tariq Ramadan

Part 2  of Finding Peace, Brotherly Love and Laughter in Dubai is about Tariq Ramadan’s presentation, “Charting a Course Between Islamic Values and Western Cultures.”  This seems like an interesting choice since both Anne and I had decided independent of each other that we want to use some of our time in the Middle East to understanding this mysterious Muslim faith.

The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature  proves to be one of the best experiences in my first year of living in Dubai.

DUBAI LITERARY FESTIVAL - FINDING PEACE . . . BROTHERLY LOVE . . . AND LAUGHTER IN DUBAI – PART 1 PEACE Greg Mortenson

Where can you find an American mountain climber aka philanthropist whose quest for peace turns stones into schools; a Swiss-born Muslim Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxford who proposes a future where Islamic values and Western culture are in harmony;  and a zany Ukrainian lady whose writings are described as “mad” and “hilarious” and whose mere entrance into the room elicits warm bubbles of laughter?

The answer: The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in Dubai.

Accompanied by my aspiring author friend Anne “The Writer” O’Connell, we embark on a two-day adventure into a multicultural literary scene.  While we are both veterans of The Broward County Library Literary Feast   in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, this is our first experience at this similar event in Dubai.