New pictures

Hey everyone!

Here are some more pictures for you to enjoy. As you can see, the sky is getting blue, a sign of Fall's arrival. Everyone here can't wait for Fall. That's when we can actually walk outside without getting heat exhaustion. The first picture depicts Sheikh Zayed Road, the main thoroughfare in Dubai. Along the left of the street you can see the new Metro rail that opens tomorrow morning at 9:09 on 9/09/2009. Silly, I know. The tickets are incredibly cheap, so I'm sure I'll eventually ride one somewhere. However it's not necessarily convenient for we who are living in the suburbs. The Sheikhs of each Emirate tend to have disagreements amongst themselves, so the Metro currently only runs throughout Dubai, but not into Sharjah. So we'd have to drive to get to the nearest Metro station. During rush hour it may be feasible, but at any other time I'd rather just drive to the malls. In this picture you may also notice that the traffic is quite reasonable. This is true only on Fridays and Saturdays. From what I've heard, people generally avoid Dubai during the work week...for fear of death.

There are also a couple pictures of me with the two most famous Dubai landmarks: the Burj al-Arab and of course the world's tallest building, Burj Dubai. I may never get into the al-Arab since rooms cost in the thousands per night. But I've heard I could get in and have a cocktail at the bar on top of the hotel for a mere $200 or so. Not bad, right?

Well, it seems as though the University will have a one-bedroom apartment available in the coming days, so when I come back with Kate after our wedding, we'll have a small abode waiting for us...complete with a bidet. I'm curious enough to try it someday. I'll certainly let you know how it goes. :)

I hope all is well in the States!

Ben

Golf in the UAE

Hello again everyone.

I've recently discovered something that I'm not too happy about. Every golf course here seems to be some form of quasi-private club. Anyone can still play, but nonmembers must pay astronomical fees. We're talking $50 for nine holes. Then you include cart and beer and it's sheer madness...MADNESS!!!

An alternative is to get a club membership which would cost Kate and I over $3000 per year, depending on the course. So then I have to ask myself, "Am I really going to golf more than 50 times or so to make a membership worth it?" I'd like to say I would, but then again, I doubt it. I miss the land of milk and honey where I can find courses that only cost $15 for nine.

Transporting clubs is also expensive. British Airways, our trusty university chosen airline, charges well over $100 for an extra bag. So taking clubs back and forth to the States every summer seems excessive. But buying an extra set here is worse. Nice clubs are priced well into the thousands of dollars. Such is my dilemma.

I think I'll focus on tennis until we move back to the States. At least tennis courts are free...

Ben