Arabian nights: Tales out of the UAE - ABu Dhabi and Dubai Part 2: Dinner on a Dhow boat

On our first evening in Dubai we decided to go for dinner on a traditional Dhow cruise, so we arrived on the bank of the man made canal after making a booking on an unknown boat and were greeted by hundreds (and I literally mean hundreds) of wooden boats (dhows) lit up like Christmas trees. It was a spectacular sight with one problem - which one was ours?

After a couple of harried, confusing calls (I only heard one side) and a bit of a mission up the canal we were now looking for a boat called Duty next to the Star of something or other. We found the boat the Star of something or other but not Duty. Then we realised it was GT not Duty. Well that is what we surmised since it happened to be next to the Star of something or other. We did surmise correctly so without further ado we boarded the two story, well lit Dhow and were led below deck to enjoy our pre-trip juice.

We were only due to leave  8:30pm so we were sitting chatting, doing the touristy photo thing when they cranked up the music. Out poured Britney Spears - The Ballads. The men in our party (and most of the women to be fair) looked around in abject horror wondering if they had time to abandon ship before we left for our dinner trip. I must admit that after the Britney faded away and the Celine Dion ballads took over I wanted to join them! I think it would have been okay if it had been background noise, but it wasn’t! And it didn’t stop.

After awhile we eventually left and after watching a whole set of near misses as the other 99 Dhow boats left their little docking stations (a little like bumper cars, fortunately no-one collided, near misses aside). As we anchors awayed the food was served and it was surprisingly good! Really yummy some kind of veggie soup followed by a buffet that featured an amazing veggie curry and a whole host of unidentifiable desserts (I tried all of them and I am seriously okay not finding out what they are), well apart from the fruit salad.

While we were busy digesting and watching the other brightly lit boats passing us and the bits of scenery we could see on the banks the entertainment for the evening started setting up. It was a magician (and we were now being serenaded by discordant Christmas carols). I must say, the magicians one saving grace was he turned the music down. Shame he actually wasn’t a bad magician cutting ropes and rejoining them, making things disappear, substances change and levitating tables but he had no stage presence at all. Poor guy!

Our little magician wrapped up his show as we finished our cruise. I’m not going to lie, we all upped and bolted as soon as the plank was down. Unfortunately everyone else had the same idea so we were stuck in a little queue, moving out in single file with a song about sexy Tarzan and a whole lot of Janes playing in the (loud) background. It sounded like it was sung by chipmunks. It was all I could do to not collapse in absolute hysterics! Once we were off the boat we indulged our hysterics, I have to say it was actually a very entertaining evening!

Arabian nights: Tales out of the UAE - Abu Dhabi and Dubai - Part 1:

I was driving around Abu Dhabi with my mother yesterday (on the right side of the road which to me is just wrong!) and in between flinching and twitching, convinced we’re going to collide with oncoming traffic (even though we were in the correct lane, obeying all the traffic rules unlike most people on the roads) I noticed that I hadn’t seen many mosques. I had heard the call to prayer constantly, from the apartment and while driving around, but I hadn’t actually seen many mosques. So I asked my local encyclopedia (mom) why I hadn’t seen any mosques, considering we are in a Muslim country. My encyclopedia gave me an odd look and said “well there is a mosque every 500m”. Now this just boggled my mind, how could I not be seeing a mosque every time I turned around? I mean 500m really isn’t that far! Apparently they are mostly off the main roads. I, of course, remained slightly sceptical.

Later in the evening I was sitting on the balcony, enjoying a G&T absorbing the bright lights of the city below me when I realised there are a lot of green lights. Basically every 500m or so there was a building lit up with green lights - see where I’m going with this? It is incredible - all the mosques are lit up on an evening with green lights. Looking down from the balcony all the roads are lit and most of the buildings, especially the tall ones have lights of some kind on them but in between there are dark patches. In between all the well-lit up areas and all the dark patches, at very regular intervals, there are mosques glowing green, and this stretches out as far as you can see into the distance. It is spectacular!

I wondered if there was any significance to the green, as far as my local encyclopedias (this time both the rentals) were aware, they weren’t sure. After all the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is lit up blue, as are the mosques in Dubai. Either ways it really is a pretty incredible sight!

Jealousy makes you nasty

Jealousy is a strange emotion, in small doses I used to think it was healthy. It makes you try a little harder, do a little more, efforts that any relationship, fling or otherwise can always do with. The catch is that it’s poisonous, it fuels your insecurities and spite, and no matter how hard you try and how attentive the partner you stop believing it. The thing is trying hard is a great thing, trying hard because you’re jealous not so much.

On a realistic level is it fair to despise that beautiful, incredibly sexy girl on the dance floor because of the way she is? No not really, but there is often a little something in you that hates her anyway which is very unfair when most of the time she is just minding her own business and dealing with the very raw side effect of seducing without meaning to – it’s a bitch!

I used to think ‘well don’t give me a reason to be jealous and I won’t be!’ That’s bullshit. That means you’re looking for reasons and should take a time out to figure out what is going on in your head.  If you are with a man (remember he most likely wouldn’t be with you if he didn’t want to be) and they notice another woman, it’s most likely because they are not blind, not because they are comparing you and are now demanding an upgrade. Mind you it often takes very little for you to get it into your head that she’s pulling moves on your man, and if she isn’t and you are being fanciful your subsequent blow up is going to make you look petty and drive a mountain sized wedge between you, and if she really is hitting on him it’s up to him to shut her down and return to you!

Look I’m not saying turn a blind eye if your partner has a roving eye, if it really is a roving eye and you can live with it fine carry on, what I’m saying is if you’re uncomfortable try to find out why and fix it or maybe it is just a bad egg and let it go.

I’ve been on both sides of this particular fence – I have poisoned a good relationship with my jealousy and I’ve been the unassuming (and undeserved) target of another’s. Neither side is particularly fun. Nowadays I have decided if I start feeling jealous I don’t feel secure. If I don’t feel secure it would never work so walk away early. Sure it’s harsh but it’s a lot safer than tearing yourself and someone else up over a jealousy. Keeping this in mind every situation is different and try go with your gut – it’s usually right.

Jealousy is not only nasty, it’s a toxic poison – AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!!