20 August 2008
15 August 2008
OMAN and Dubai
Crossed over into Oman yesterday, went to the Hatta Mountains, which i think are made of iron, so hardly any vegetation. the temp was 44deg and it's nice to be in the aircon! The wadis (riverbeds) are dry as a bone, but it doesn't take much rain to cause flash floods).
Last night had a dinner cruise on a dhow boat on the Dubai Creek, tons of other boats around, good Indian dinner and even...a BEER!!! (The choice last night was Heinkenen, Heineken, or Heineken, different from dinner the other night where the choice was Fosters, Fosters or Fosters!! - i came all the way from Australia to Dubai to drink an Australian beer that Aussies don't even drink !!)
I hate to be the bearer of bad news....but petrol here is about 25cents per LITRE!!!! the heat is so intense that people don't walk anywhere, they drive. And if that's all they pay for petrol, no wonder!
The border crossing into Oman was quite funny...lots of gates, barriers and guard huts, but only 3 guards working (\friday is their weekend). It was apparently too hot for them to leave their air conditioned hut and check our passports so they just waved us through!
Today i planned to do a chopper flight and see the gold souk. unfortunately not much is open due to it being a weekend (??) and the heat is a little too intense for helicopters....so i went (along with the other billion residents of Dubai) to one of the few open air conditioned shopping malls and bought some gold!
Last night had a dinner cruise on a dhow boat on the Dubai Creek, tons of other boats around, good Indian dinner and even...a BEER!!! (The choice last night was Heinkenen, Heineken, or Heineken, different from dinner the other night where the choice was Fosters, Fosters or Fosters!! - i came all the way from Australia to Dubai to drink an Australian beer that Aussies don't even drink !!)
I hate to be the bearer of bad news....but petrol here is about 25cents per LITRE!!!! the heat is so intense that people don't walk anywhere, they drive. And if that's all they pay for petrol, no wonder!
The border crossing into Oman was quite funny...lots of gates, barriers and guard huts, but only 3 guards working (\friday is their weekend). It was apparently too hot for them to leave their air conditioned hut and check our passports so they just waved us through!
Today i planned to do a chopper flight and see the gold souk. unfortunately not much is open due to it being a weekend (??) and the heat is a little too intense for helicopters....so i went (along with the other billion residents of Dubai) to one of the few open air conditioned shopping malls and bought some gold!
14 August 2008
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
I arrived at midnight to 35degC, steamy, sultry, hazy, humid, HOT!!!!! Yesterday I did a city tour and saw air conditioned bus shelters plus not many people on the street during the day...most shops close between 2-4 for siesta (only they don't call it that here...they just close). During the day the temp was in the mid 40s, it's hard to be motivated when you just feel limp and the heat just sucks the life out of you.
I shopped for bottled water and my fave travel snack (Pringles) at the local supermarket Spinney's. They have a 'Pork Shop for non-Muslims' next to the regular supermarket. A lot of brands are the same, and even written in English, as well as Arabic.
There is plenty of construction going on in Dubai....apparently 40% of the world's cranes are being used in Dubai right now (!!). Plenty of Indian and Pakistani people here, in fact, i have not met a Dubai 'local' yet. To work here you can get a 3yr visa but are not able to become a national, so workers just get their visas renewed every 3 years.
A massive train system is under construction and when it's done it will be fantastic.
I expected Dubai to be like Las Vegas, bright, gaudy, and tacky. It is not like that at all. The new buildings and hotels are all kind of sandy coloured rendered construction, they fit in perfectly with the beach colours. They have whole neighbourhoods of same things, for instance, the Knowledge Village - universities, colleges and schools, all in one area. I have had a look at Ski Dubai, it's attached to a huge shopping centre. Not sure if I will in fact have time to ski there, i'm too busy seeing the rest of Dubai. Last night I went out to the desert in a Chevy Tahoe, in a convoy of about 30 cars, we went to a camp and sat on woven cushions, ate an awesome dinner and watched belly dancing. i got a henna tattoo on my hand, it will last about 10-12 days apparently. I am impressed with the belly dancer, who, after sweating her ass off and dancing for about 20mins, would have chewed up a billion calories!
I am meeting a few Aussies and Kiwis, either returning home, or going on to take cruises in Europe. Everyone here speaks English, some a bit dodgy but understandable nevertheless! My hotel is a non-drinking one, as a lot are. The main larger hotels have bars, but mine does not, and i haven't worked out where to buy any, it's not like Poland where beer etc is readily available at the corner shop or supermarket. The guys at the front desk of my hotel are all doing deals with their mates for tours..it seems a little dodgy...but you get that!
Today i'm going out to the desert and mountains, then on a dhow dinner cruise. It's hard to do stuff on your own as it's way too hot to be wandering around by yourself, although the crime rate is virtually nil - i guess people are too busy working, and too hot to be causing trouble! Unemployment is almost nil here. Dubai is awesome, i wish i was here for a longer time. I plan to go to the gold souk (market) tomorrow and check out jewellery. Apparently the good price to pay is between 18-20 Durhams (about 4-5 Aussie dollars) per gram. i have no idea how that compares to anywhere else...but I'll check it out! I'm also hoping to get a helicopter flight tomorrow, but you have to fill the whole helicopter, and so far i have been unsuccessful......stay tuned! will write more tomorrow, unless i melt away!
I shopped for bottled water and my fave travel snack (Pringles) at the local supermarket Spinney's. They have a 'Pork Shop for non-Muslims' next to the regular supermarket. A lot of brands are the same, and even written in English, as well as Arabic.
There is plenty of construction going on in Dubai....apparently 40% of the world's cranes are being used in Dubai right now (!!). Plenty of Indian and Pakistani people here, in fact, i have not met a Dubai 'local' yet. To work here you can get a 3yr visa but are not able to become a national, so workers just get their visas renewed every 3 years.
A massive train system is under construction and when it's done it will be fantastic.
I expected Dubai to be like Las Vegas, bright, gaudy, and tacky. It is not like that at all. The new buildings and hotels are all kind of sandy coloured rendered construction, they fit in perfectly with the beach colours. They have whole neighbourhoods of same things, for instance, the Knowledge Village - universities, colleges and schools, all in one area. I have had a look at Ski Dubai, it's attached to a huge shopping centre. Not sure if I will in fact have time to ski there, i'm too busy seeing the rest of Dubai. Last night I went out to the desert in a Chevy Tahoe, in a convoy of about 30 cars, we went to a camp and sat on woven cushions, ate an awesome dinner and watched belly dancing. i got a henna tattoo on my hand, it will last about 10-12 days apparently. I am impressed with the belly dancer, who, after sweating her ass off and dancing for about 20mins, would have chewed up a billion calories!
I am meeting a few Aussies and Kiwis, either returning home, or going on to take cruises in Europe. Everyone here speaks English, some a bit dodgy but understandable nevertheless! My hotel is a non-drinking one, as a lot are. The main larger hotels have bars, but mine does not, and i haven't worked out where to buy any, it's not like Poland where beer etc is readily available at the corner shop or supermarket. The guys at the front desk of my hotel are all doing deals with their mates for tours..it seems a little dodgy...but you get that!
Today i'm going out to the desert and mountains, then on a dhow dinner cruise. It's hard to do stuff on your own as it's way too hot to be wandering around by yourself, although the crime rate is virtually nil - i guess people are too busy working, and too hot to be causing trouble! Unemployment is almost nil here. Dubai is awesome, i wish i was here for a longer time. I plan to go to the gold souk (market) tomorrow and check out jewellery. Apparently the good price to pay is between 18-20 Durhams (about 4-5 Aussie dollars) per gram. i have no idea how that compares to anywhere else...but I'll check it out! I'm also hoping to get a helicopter flight tomorrow, but you have to fill the whole helicopter, and so far i have been unsuccessful......stay tuned! will write more tomorrow, unless i melt away!
10 August 2008
Polish food
I am loving Polish food..it reminds me of when i was growing up!
-barsczcz=beetroot soup
-pierogi=dumplings filled with cheese, meat or potato
-bread with LARD , yes, LARD instead of butter, it has tiny bits of bacon in it ...interesting....
-sausages, sausages and more sausages, breakfast, lunch and dinner yay!
-the BEST mushrooms and mushroom soup i have ever tasted
-bigos=kind of like hot sauerkraut (cabbage) with chunks of meat, or sausage
-smoked dried cheese sold on the street
-barsczcz=beetroot soup
-pierogi=dumplings filled with cheese, meat or potato
-bread with LARD , yes, LARD instead of butter, it has tiny bits of bacon in it ...interesting....
-sausages, sausages and more sausages, breakfast, lunch and dinner yay!
-the BEST mushrooms and mushroom soup i have ever tasted
-bigos=kind of like hot sauerkraut (cabbage) with chunks of meat, or sausage
-smoked dried cheese sold on the street
09 August 2008
08 August 2008
Zakopane and Polish culture
I'm in Zakopane, a ski resort town (think: Whistler) at the Tatra Mountains. So far we have rafted down a river with guides who have been doing this for hundreds of years (well, not the ACTUAL guides we had (!) but the job has been passed down thru the generations), visited a lake and mountain accessible by horse drawn carriages, and taken a gondola ride up the top of a mountain. The crowds here are massive, it's summertime, and it's much busier here even then in Krakow. Lots of Polish tourists, which is different than a couple of years ago, apparently, when the tourists were mostly foreign.
Since joining the EU, Poland has become more accessible, but also more expensive. People here have more money to see their own country, and shopping is increasingly expensive.
My sister-in-law Molly has been learning Polish words, and we have been laughing our asses off ever since. The word for 'pee' is similar to the word (to her, anyway!) for my brother Chris's name in Polish. Today, i wanted to ask for a receipt for my taxi fare, and the word is similar to the word for 'flower' and 'kitten' so i had some fun! we are all learning easy words, and trying to order meals in Polish. Something we are getting used to is paying to use public toilets: it costs about one zloty, so I have nicknamed it 'one zee for a pee' LOL. One zloty is about 50 cents Australian. A big glass of beer is about 8 zloty, and the beer is delicious! We have shortened 'zloty' to 'zee' which makes things easier to discuss.
I have to laugh at the hotel rules here: smoking is allowed in rooms, even pets, but ironing? it's a no-no: fire hazard!! Here in Zakopane the people are friendlier than in Krakow, i make it my mission to smile and say 'Dzien dobry' (good morning/hello) to everyone i see, this kind of freaks them out coz i don't think they're used to it.
I am learning all about my family history. My grandmother used to be a ski bunny here in Zakopane, she was quite the social butterfly. is it any wonder i was named after her? the really funny thing is that my name is quite common here, so i am constantly hearing it being called out by mums to their kids, and i turn around thinking they're calling me! they, of course, pronounce it the right way, 'Vanda', which i love.
If i had known beforehand about this internet stuff, i would have brought my laptop. in the Krakow hotel, they had one internet computer for public use, tucked into a small hot cupboard underneath the stairs. In this hotel, there's no computers....and in this internet cafe, the whole operating system is of course in Polish, which makes it really really hard to know what i'm doing...thus no pictures uploaded yet, sorry!!
Since joining the EU, Poland has become more accessible, but also more expensive. People here have more money to see their own country, and shopping is increasingly expensive.
My sister-in-law Molly has been learning Polish words, and we have been laughing our asses off ever since. The word for 'pee' is similar to the word (to her, anyway!) for my brother Chris's name in Polish. Today, i wanted to ask for a receipt for my taxi fare, and the word is similar to the word for 'flower' and 'kitten' so i had some fun! we are all learning easy words, and trying to order meals in Polish. Something we are getting used to is paying to use public toilets: it costs about one zloty, so I have nicknamed it 'one zee for a pee' LOL. One zloty is about 50 cents Australian. A big glass of beer is about 8 zloty, and the beer is delicious! We have shortened 'zloty' to 'zee' which makes things easier to discuss.
I have to laugh at the hotel rules here: smoking is allowed in rooms, even pets, but ironing? it's a no-no: fire hazard!! Here in Zakopane the people are friendlier than in Krakow, i make it my mission to smile and say 'Dzien dobry' (good morning/hello) to everyone i see, this kind of freaks them out coz i don't think they're used to it.
I am learning all about my family history. My grandmother used to be a ski bunny here in Zakopane, she was quite the social butterfly. is it any wonder i was named after her? the really funny thing is that my name is quite common here, so i am constantly hearing it being called out by mums to their kids, and i turn around thinking they're calling me! they, of course, pronounce it the right way, 'Vanda', which i love.
If i had known beforehand about this internet stuff, i would have brought my laptop. in the Krakow hotel, they had one internet computer for public use, tucked into a small hot cupboard underneath the stairs. In this hotel, there's no computers....and in this internet cafe, the whole operating system is of course in Polish, which makes it really really hard to know what i'm doing...thus no pictures uploaded yet, sorry!!
06 August 2008
Impressions of Krakow
We are leaving Krakow this morning for Zakopane, a resort town in the Tatra Mountains.
Krakow has been fantastic: i love the old buildings, they are being restored but my favorite are the old crumbly rundown ones, the cobblestone streets and the clip-clop of the horses pulling carriages, the trumpet player in the top of the church, every hour on the hour.........tons of restaurants and outdoor cafes, bars and shops, street vendors selling pretzels, amazing Polish chocolate. On the downside, the service industry is pretty blase and somewhat unfriendly. Apparently tourism numbers have fallen way down as things are getting more and more expensive. We see large groups of Irish and British buck's party groups, drunk and obnoxious on the streets at night.
Last night we toured the Jewish part of town: amazingly, there are only around 200 Jews living in the area, but the Polish people keep their traditions alive with festivals and restaurants. We ate at one of the restaurants last night, the food was wonderful, and we listened to a live classical/jazz trio amidst the flickering of candles and the cool breeze blowing lace curtains in through the windows. Our tour leader, Yolanta, grew up here and her passion and love for the city comes through at every opportunity. She wants us to put the word out that Poland is not just Auschwitz, but rich in culture and tradition. And she's right: everyone should visit Poland!
Krakow has been fantastic: i love the old buildings, they are being restored but my favorite are the old crumbly rundown ones, the cobblestone streets and the clip-clop of the horses pulling carriages, the trumpet player in the top of the church, every hour on the hour.........tons of restaurants and outdoor cafes, bars and shops, street vendors selling pretzels, amazing Polish chocolate. On the downside, the service industry is pretty blase and somewhat unfriendly. Apparently tourism numbers have fallen way down as things are getting more and more expensive. We see large groups of Irish and British buck's party groups, drunk and obnoxious on the streets at night.
Last night we toured the Jewish part of town: amazingly, there are only around 200 Jews living in the area, but the Polish people keep their traditions alive with festivals and restaurants. We ate at one of the restaurants last night, the food was wonderful, and we listened to a live classical/jazz trio amidst the flickering of candles and the cool breeze blowing lace curtains in through the windows. Our tour leader, Yolanta, grew up here and her passion and love for the city comes through at every opportunity. She wants us to put the word out that Poland is not just Auschwitz, but rich in culture and tradition. And she's right: everyone should visit Poland!
Auschwitz and Birkenau
Today was a tough day. We visited the concentration/death camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau, where 1.5 million people were tortured, starved, hanged, gassed, and burned. It makes it even more real to see where it happened, and learn about the lives of the people who suffered at the hands of the Nazis. I can't say anymore, except that sometimes learning new things is not enjoyable, but necessary nonetheless. If we don't bother to learn about history, we cannot change the future.
04 August 2008
3 August 2008
There are 50 churches in Krakow. I think we have seen MOST OF THEM now! Fascinating history in each one, and beautiful ornamental touches and stained glass windows and ...crypts...graves...church stuff, you know. I am eating an awful lot. Today i ate uszki, bigos, pierogi, barszcz and drank some more Polish beer. I have tried beer with raspberry juice, quite refreshing in this heat actually. I am starting a beer glass collection (don't ask!) and this is going to be difficult since my suitcase will weigh too much for the plane!
My brother Chris is annoying as all hell, but our antics are amusing the rest of the family, so I'm glad we can offer some comic relief to the church visiting...
We are discovering all kinds of things about Krakow, like the service industry. They are not very friendly. Sometimes downright SURLY....now that we have worked out the 'money tray' issue we are getting along just fine. What is the money tray, you ask? In grocery stores, the cashier does not want to touch your hand when taking your money, so this involves placing your money on a small tray...and then the cashier places your change on said tray. No hand touching allowed. Now that this issue has been resolved we feel confident in buying things such as bottled water, yummy chocolate, and strange forms of snack food/chips (ketchup flavour??). Also, unfortunately, some Euros have fallen into my wallet and it's hard to tell the difference between Euros and Zloty (Polish currency) - we are calling them Zs. I get nasty looks when trying to pay with Euros...they don't like those here.
Although i have been doing a bit of running, I'm not game to be skipping outside....yet... Early in the morning is apparently late night for some, (wow, was I really like that in my younger years?)....so i get a lot of strange looks from the wasted Irish and British buck's party groups stumbling around the cobblestone streets at 5.30am. There seems to be a lot of those.
I am practicing my Polish again..not with a lot of success...but at least i am saying Please and Thank You and Good Morning happily...when i get blank looks i realise i'm speaking Spanish and not Polish!
I am one step closer to uploading some pics on here. The hotel internet computer is 1) a Linux operating system and 2) ALL IN POLISH!!! so i have no idea what the commands are, or how to implement anything. Luckily Karon (sis-in-law) brought her laptop so if we can get some wireless action, i can do my pics tomorrow.
Tomorrow: the Salt Mines and a little bit of shopping. I bought myself a new pair of Docs (sandals) but i am going to spend some more money...after all, what are holidays for?
My brother Chris is annoying as all hell, but our antics are amusing the rest of the family, so I'm glad we can offer some comic relief to the church visiting...
We are discovering all kinds of things about Krakow, like the service industry. They are not very friendly. Sometimes downright SURLY....now that we have worked out the 'money tray' issue we are getting along just fine. What is the money tray, you ask? In grocery stores, the cashier does not want to touch your hand when taking your money, so this involves placing your money on a small tray...and then the cashier places your change on said tray. No hand touching allowed. Now that this issue has been resolved we feel confident in buying things such as bottled water, yummy chocolate, and strange forms of snack food/chips (ketchup flavour??). Also, unfortunately, some Euros have fallen into my wallet and it's hard to tell the difference between Euros and Zloty (Polish currency) - we are calling them Zs. I get nasty looks when trying to pay with Euros...they don't like those here.
Although i have been doing a bit of running, I'm not game to be skipping outside....yet... Early in the morning is apparently late night for some, (wow, was I really like that in my younger years?)....so i get a lot of strange looks from the wasted Irish and British buck's party groups stumbling around the cobblestone streets at 5.30am. There seems to be a lot of those.
I am practicing my Polish again..not with a lot of success...but at least i am saying Please and Thank You and Good Morning happily...when i get blank looks i realise i'm speaking Spanish and not Polish!
I am one step closer to uploading some pics on here. The hotel internet computer is 1) a Linux operating system and 2) ALL IN POLISH!!! so i have no idea what the commands are, or how to implement anything. Luckily Karon (sis-in-law) brought her laptop so if we can get some wireless action, i can do my pics tomorrow.
Tomorrow: the Salt Mines and a little bit of shopping. I bought myself a new pair of Docs (sandals) but i am going to spend some more money...after all, what are holidays for?
02 August 2008
Krakow, Poland
I am in Krakow, a gorgeous city surrounded by a 4km circuit park, and a huge town square in the centre. Yesterday (1 August) was the anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, and so there was a memorial 1-minute of silence in the town square, a parade and lots of singing. Mum found it a bit emotional. Later on the town square was a hub of activity, tourists, locals, young and old. There are heaps of outdoor cafes all over, and a stage had been set up for some live doof music for the young crowd. We ate in an outdoor cafe with the sounds of classical piano and violin playing next to us, enjoying a Polish beer.
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