John Cornhill

John
Mon/Tues 22/23 January
Two quiet days. Walked along to nearby Mall of Dubai which appears to contain every shop you can think of , from Debenhams to Harvey Nichols to Boots as well as hundreds of small specialist shops. The top of the ski slope sticks up and out from one end of the mall. The mall goes to 4 storeys high but the top of the slope must be the equivalent of 12 to 15 storeys. On Monday also walked a neighbours dog a couple of times during the day; a soft white fluffy thing that would make an excellent rug. Back at the apartment two local boys turned up for tutoring by Jillian who got back from work shortly afterwards. Their father owns the company that supplies and installs the glass in many of the most prestigious developments here. They came again on Tuesday with their elder brother. The children here have to learn 3 languages, arabic, english and usually french; but the arabic they have to learn is a traditional version that is quite different to the everyday spoken language – a bit like italians having to learn latin I guess. So really they are learning 4 languages, as well all of the usual subjects. Tuesday I tried to get into the Keplinski Hotel gym but a very nice reception lady said it is too small to admit casuals so I used the apartment block gym; some of the equipment doesn’t work but there was enough for me to do!
Forgot to mention on yesterday’s blog:- I rode a camel. bloody long way up! good views though. Jillian got some photos. Must try again to get photos onto the blog. I quite fancy going camel racing while I’m here.
Back to the present, this evening (Tues) had an excellent meal with Jillian at the Sezzam with an excellent view of the skiers and snow boarders. Very pleasant. See you all again soon, been here 4 days already. All the Best,
John Cornhill