From Abu Dhabi to Dubai...

what a hectic week it has been...

Apartment-check
Visa renewed- check
Abu Dhabi yacht show + gigayacht party-check
Berkeley visit-check
Moving-check
Furniture buying...nothing more than 3 spoons and forks...

first thing we did was drive (7 hours total) from Abu to Oman and we basically drove only 200km!!??!! their border system is so unorganised, we can do U-turns right in front of an agent! we can get exit-entry visas into Oman for the price of 6 omani rials (which = to 60 dirhams= to 17 $) but the catch is you have to pay to exit UAE and pay to get back in...

Oman is beautiful, mountains everywhere, and camels laying around ... feels a bit like Afghanistan, although no talibans there!

on the way back we got hit by a sandstorm followed by 2 rainstorms and it has completely destabilized the country...flooded highways, pools instead of parking lots, uprooted trees...this country never planned on having a regular rainstorm, it's as if we were hit by Katrina 2 when we barely had a little rain...

i'm starting to understand how this country functions...slowly!

ournew apartment has a kitchen (yes a luxury here not to share a kitchen with everyone else) and a very comfy blow up matress (hint hint). That's the only piece we own but not for long! Ikea trip is on the list for tonight!!! never been so excited to buy furniture!

Tomorrow we're going to Abu for the "wakestock" (ok people have to stop copying woodstock!!!!) a wakeboard event on the Corniche, with free concerts and waves and beach!!! (bet some of you are a little jealous :)

then we're hitting the old town Deira for some native feel (i.e. market ) i'll let you know about that...i'm sure i will talk about some smells, which here are mandatory..ranging from indian taxi driver armpit, to heavy incense, to Dubai water (we're in the process of buying a water dispenser, never going to cook with our tap water...eeew) to over-perfumed veiled ladies...
if only pictures captured smells you could understand what i'm saying ...