clean sheets

So what did I do this weekend? Oh, just took a little dip in the Persian gulf. It's so much prettier than
I expect, each time I visit Dubai beaches. I guess the name Persian Gulf conjures up images of oil and war and then instead there's the elegant Burj al Arab, fine soft sand, and turquoise waters. It still doesn't seem entirely real to me that I live here.

Milosha & Krassa in Safa Park

I also went to Safa Park with a few friends from last week's trip to Socotra Island (a blog post about that amazing adventure is in the works too) and enjoyed seeing the place so well used- families, sporty groups (cricket players- now there's a sport I know absolutely nothing about!), birthday parties... it's hard to think I'm living in a desert while in the park. And I went to a ladies night at a Mexican/ shisha joint in the Dubai Marina area which was my first foray into that part of town- but not my last. It feels a little like hanging out in Barbie's world, things are a little luxe and plastic, but so pretty. We drank free margaritas, ate half price duck quesadillas, smoked an apple hookah and watched yachts cruise past as the sun set.

Oh and I did laundry- far less exciting but perhaps still worth a comment. In so many ways the UAE seems to have taken their development cues from the US more than say, Europe. I think it's a product of the era in which they were growing so rapidly- the 70s, 80s and into the 90s- the US was at the height of its culture exportation days- pre Bollywood, post Beatles. We were creating MTV and cable television, car phones bigger and heavier than bricks and Nike shoes. We were exporting consumerism- maybe something that resonated with the Bedouin trading past of the region? Now that oh-so-American phenomena of the mall is done here in spades. The UAE has out-mall-ed the USA. Car culture is king, luxury rides, oversized SUVs, muscle cars... again, it's more American than America in some ways. But not when it comes to appliances for some reason. Dishwashers are stunningly inefficient, running several hours even in the "Eco" setting. And dryers... I hear that people in villas or big compound houses- and that probably includes most Emiratis- have dryers more akin to those I'm familiar with but just about every expat I know in the high rises has this oh so European tiny
washer/dryer combo that doesn't actually dry. It just spins wrinkles into everything. I have a few contraptions for hanging all my damp wrinkly clothes but I was stumped on how to deal with my sheets- nothing big enough to hang them from/ on- so I caved and just sent them out to a laundry. Free pick up and delivery. Talk about your first world problems, have to send the sheets washing out because I've nowhere to hang dry it and my "dryer" won't fluff and dry.

clean sheets (at least i put them on the bed myself!)