John Cornhill

John Cornhill
Hello and Dubai……………Hello all again. Here I am in Dubai staying with Jillian West who was a teacher with Chesham Prep. until August 2005 when she took a 3 year contract to teach here. I flew out of Heathrow (T4, what a horrible place, queued one an half hours to check in with BA) Friday evening, arrived Dubai 8am Saturday (+4 hours). Sunny and warm here, how is it back there I wonder? The most striking thing about Dubai is the huge amount of development completed and underway. Hundreds of high rise buildings for offices and accommodation, new housing areas and roads everywhere. Jillian’s apartment is near a shopping mall and ski resort but on her side on the 4th floor looks out over acres of sand with two other apartment blocks standing in isolation in the ‘desert’ and a low rise community in the distance. Nearby is the 14 lane highway that goes through the suburbs and eventually to Abu Dhabi. The apartment is very spacious with a large sitting room, dining room with balcony, two bedrooms, three bathrooms and kitchen. There is a swimming pool on the roof, but with no water at present due to a leak which is a very bad thing to have in a pool on the roof.
Visited Fran, friend of Jillian, who has an apartment in another block, where we relaxed on sun-beds alongside her roof pool in the sun for a few hours. This was very welcome after the flight.
Jillian then kindly took me to the creek that winds its way into the centre of the city from the Arabian/Persian Gulf. We visited the Bastikia Area in which old living quarters have been preserved and re-constructed typically with a central courtyard surrounded by living rooms plus a wind tower designed to draw cool air down into the rooms. Also walked passed the Rulers Court which is Dubais government buildings, then around the Majlis Art Gallery and then the Zayad University Exhibition on the life of the late Ruler of Abu Dhabi and President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayad. The Sheikh is revered as a great leader and visionary who massively influenced the development of the Emirates. We had an excellent meal in a restaurant alongside the creek on which hundreds of abras (water taxis) rush up, down and across whilst much larger dhows, carrying cargoes, and other vessels trundle throught the creek. Didn’t see any collisions though. Had Moutabel and Baba Gannou, both aubergine based, dips with flat bread to start, then I had Hummour fish – very tasty – with mixed veg and also tried a bit of Jillian’s King Fish also beautifully cooked.
Walked on to Heritage Village where the local community is celebrating their new year. Watched groups of man dancing and chanting in traditional dress (which many wear daily anyway) comprising Condora (white full length shirt) Shemarg (white or red and white head-dress) plus Agle which is a thick black cord band that secures the shemarg and is also used to hobble camels. Also watched and listened to bag-pipe bands and children dancing. Everyone happy and enjoying themselves, a great place to be.
Best Wishes to everyone,
John