Abu Dhabi and leisure......

Clouds and Rain – THAT’S NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN HERE !

To be fair it didn’t last very long before bright blue sky came out and everything steamed nicely – but it was still a bit of a shock with a hangover on the motorway !

Just to clarify that last statement – I didn’t have a hangover because I drank to much……..it must have been the jet lag…..not Frankie’s (that’s Frankie Dettori and Marco Pierre White’s restaurant not Frankie and Bennies !)

Yesterday I was mostly in Abu Dhabi to talk to a very nice man about some contract work (20 weeks) in Abu Dhabi (well, about an hour outside Abu Dhabi actually). I got a lift down from Dubai with my hostess who works there and commutes every day, about an hour, down the most soulless 4 lane race track, sorry, motorway. It rained nearly all the way there !

Good meeting, lots of wandering about taking in the sights – which are very different to Dubai. Much more down to earth and bustling rather than the shiny chaos that is the Emirates second city. Then back to Dubai to take in some of their sites…….£13 for 2 beers !

Today I have drunk coffee at the National Exhibition Centre, played golf at the Montgomerie club and walked around the largest shopping centre in the world (1200 shops and restaurants) then bought a ticket (about £17 in advance but just over £70 if you want to go straight up !) for the worlds tallest building – Burj Khalifa. I have to be there at 1000hrs tomorrow morning so I’ll fill you all in later tomorrow (I have another “interview” at lunchtime tomorrow so I won’t be back till later in the afternoon. I’ve also been on the metro which is worth a mention as it’s efficient, cheap, interesting and spotless – hurrah !

See you all later before I fly back early on Friday morning.


The largest shopping centre in the world !



Sunny Abu Dhabi (with green things !)

The oddest building I think I have ever seen - just outside Abu Dhabi

A traditional mosque in amongst the chaos

Dubai Marina at night (obviously !)

Can’t Be Sensible !

Most of you know why I’m here but for those that don’t I’ll sum it up – I need a job ! Work has dried up in the UK and after my Iraq experience the Middle East looked a good alternative……it’s as simple as that really.

I have friends here and that helped but basically I applied for some jobs, hooked up with appropriate people on Linkedin and applied for some more jobs. One thing led to another and having spotted a likely looking job (Bid Manager with Military Experience) from one of my new “Connections” on Linkedin I sent her my CV, she rang me, I modified my CV, she put it forward, I modified it again and then had an hours telephone interview followed by a request to come out for a face to face interview (which I had this morning, but more of that later).

The “Can’t Be Sensible” statement comes from the last 24 hours (or whatever it is with time differences) – I was dropped at Northampton Station yesterday morning at 0900hrs to get a train to Birmingham International – which sounds simple enough……. “Due to planned engineering works” I got my second mode of transport at 0915hrs. A coach took me to Rugby where I caught my third mode, a train to Birmingham International, where I caught my fourth mode, a monorail to the airport.

The second delay followed shortly afterwards – 40 minute delay for the plane to Dubai. The plane (fifth mode) finally takes off with the promise of making up time (it didn’t) and in fact landed an hour after it should have done. We then taxied half way around the UAE, stood in a queue for ever at immigration and then mercifully only had to wait about 10 mins for my bag to come out (I had packed for cabin baggage only but although I got the size of the bag right I was undone by weight – airlines will screw up your plans somehow !). Then my sixth mode (a taxi) to my friends apartment in Dubai Marina – it’s 0215 in the morning by then (2215 UK time) and I fell exhausted into bed 15 minutes later……..but could I sleep ! I woke at 0700, an hour before I needed to and haven’t stopped since. Meeting with the recruitment consultant, well over an hour travelling to the interview, an hour and a half interview, another half an hour in a taxi and now I don’t know what to do with myself, sleep, shopping or beach (and I’m bloody starving !). I’ve spent about £50 in taxis in the last 24hrs as well. Anyway, my point is, it can’t be sensible to think rationally about a job after all that…….

That’s all you get from me today but here are a few pictures to keep you going !

This is the view from my current bedroom window !

Downtown Dubai from the front of a very clean Metro.

The local wildlife outside the office (although they are moving shortly so it's not that normal......)

I'll try and make this trip as interesting as possible although I suspect there will be more photos that text cause I'm not sure how interesting me talking about it will be frankly !

Lastly, can I offer my sincere condolences to my friends at BPM racing (http://www.bpmracing.co.uk/) who lost everything (and by the sound of it, I mean everything) in a huge fire yesterday. I hope you find the drive to pick yourselves up and start all over again (as they say) and if I can do anything practical then I'm right there to help.

Right, food, shop or eat, that is the question (or questions !)