.............Cheryl And Ron

Cyprus - Day 2 and 3

2011-08-30T23:42:00.000+08:00

Cyprus – Days 2 and 3.

We woke both days to a blue sky and blue ocean. Not just blue – th kind of blue you see in the best picture postcards. Deep, bright sapphire. Temps around the 25 in the morning were a welcome change from the 35+ in the UAE. A lazy start, then a stint in the gym, followed by breakfast and a swim, and getting some serious tanning begun, filled the first few hours both days.

Yesterday we decided to do a bit of a tour into the mountains. And so off we went at around 12:30’ish in the little Kia. This is definitely the smallest car I’ve ever driven. A bit like a sewing machine on wheels – but thankfully it seems up to the task and we zip down the motorway to our turn-off into the foothills. The countryside is quite bare and stark. Signs of recent wheat/hay harvests are here and there, but otherwise there is little obvious agriculture, and certainly no grape growing to be seen (disappointing, that). A few villages pass and we stop for a coffee. The deep, small cup, boiled type that gives your heart the jumps and keeps you awake for the next 36 hours – yum.

During coffee we decide to head for a monastery, about 30km ahead. The road takes us well into the mountains and the vegetation slowly changes from barren to sparsely wooded to forest. We pass charming picnic areas, a little old church dating back to the 1100s and push on over unsealed roads. Finally the monastery, Macharais, is in sight – and quite spectacular (http://www.kypros.org/Sxetikos/Monastiria/MachairasE-1.htm). Apparently it also dates back to the 1100s.

Moving along, we wind our way over the top of the next mountain and begin the slow descent back towards Larnaca. Along this route we encounter a sizeable village called Lefkara, which turns out to be a little tourist hub for lace and silverware. Totally charming and beautiful. An hour here and the call of an afternoon drink is too strong to resist so, with wallets untouched, we head back to the hotel.

Finally, dinner calls and we head out to a nearby local restaurant where we gorge on slow cooked lamb, pork and beef with assortments of veggies and salads. Best part of the evening is the live music trio – a guy on the balalaika, another chap on keyboards and woman with the loveliest singing voice. Replete with food, wine and lots of lilting Greek folk songs we return to the hotel and sleep soundly.

Day 3 begins as above. At around 1 o’clock we drive along the local coastline towards the nearest town – Agia Napa (pronounced Aiya Napa). But there are again some sights along the way. Yesterday was filled with beautiful blue skies - today is spectacularly so. And the ocean is the brightest blue I’ve ever seen. We stop to gaze at a little chapel on a headland, some tourist boats groups of people snorkelling in that deepest of blues. Agia Napa is pretty – lots of nice looking streets, but also a bit disappointing. Every shop is either a tavern, restaurant, or tourist souvenir shop. However it does have a redeeming feature. Hidden behind all these tourist traps is a lovely old chapel and monastery (I'm beginning to think that every town in Cyprus has one or more of these). And so after some browsing, a beer and buying a few essentials, we return to the hotel for a quiet end to the day, reading (and writing this!).

Tomorrow we’ve booked a cruise up the coast. I’m hoping the ocean and sky are still as beautiful and blue as today.

Cyprus - arriving

2011-08-30T22:14:00.000+08:00

We arrived in Larnaca, Cyprus at 5am and picked up a little Kia Picanto - definitely not a pocket rocket - just a pocket really! Snug inside we took off to have a look at Larnaca as the sun rose, thinking we might find somewhere to have a coffee and watch it all happen. Unfortunately we were the only people awake in Larnaca - couldn't even get a coffee at Maccas - they were asleep too. Anyway we found a nice spot to sit and watch the sun come up and a table to pour over the map of Cyprus and find where our hotel was located.
Larnaca is a nice seaside town of fairly sizeable proportions and we found our way around quite easily. We had to head off in an easterly direction along the southern coast of Cyprus to find the Grecian Park Hotel in Protaras which was about 50 klms away. After deciding that not one cafe was open (we searched hard) we cranked up the Picanto and hit the road.
Cyprus is a rocky and barren island along the route we took - lots of limestone and pumicy looking rocks and what vegetation there is dry and brittle. However the Mediterranean is magnificent - as clear as sapphire and just a bright and glistening.
We eventually found our hotel only to be told our room would not be ready until at least 2pm and that we would need to wait as the hotel had been full the previous night and people (of course) were still eating breakfast and grabbing their last swim. We decided to use the time to explore the surroundings a bit and so we went off to Potaras and Paralimni to see what was happening locally. Both are very picturesque villages with miles of holiday accommodation. It seemed like half of Britain was here on holiday as everywhere we went there were British accents obvious. So we had oriented ourselves to our part of the island and decided to go back to the hotel and pass the time till we could check in.
They gave us a couple of towels and we changed and spent a few hours by the pool. As you can see in the photos it was no trouble at all to fill in time around the hotel! The Grecian Park is acknowledged as one of the "great hotels of the world" by a plaque in the foyer and we could see why that might be the case - it is LUSH! (As our Welsh friends Ange and Liz would say!)

So we swam for a while and sunbaked and waited..... and waited..... and waited until eventually we got our room. The room has a seaview and is just really lovely.

Here are some pics!

Return to the UAE

2011-03-05T00:54:00.000+08:00

Well, we’re back in the Middle East. And so I thought I’d see where the blog was up to and found we hadn’t updated it since September. How bad is that?

So how did we end up back in the UAE? Not hard to explain really. We came for a holiday in October – just visiting friends. After 18 months in China, of which more than 9 were at freezing point, Cheryl has still not been able to get work. This arose in conversation while we were with friends in Abu Dhabi. One conversation led to another, and another, and several interviews later, Cheryl was offered a great job. We leapt at the chance.

At that stage we weren’t too concerned about me getting work – figuring I’d pick up something when we got here. In fact I was looking forward to at least a few months of being a man of leisure. Silly me. Almost as soon as Cheryl landed hers, I got to interview stage and now I’m working for the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) as a cluster manager.

So Cheryl moved over in mid-December, having packed most of the house things up and left me with the landlady’s furniture and a minimal kitchen pack. Not wanting to dump too badly on my employer, I stayed until the end of the semester and came over at the end of January.

Cheryl spent her Christmas with Liz, Mark and Ange Stevens and also spent three weeks staying with them before heading off to New Zealand for her work. Cheryl is working for Cognition Education which is a New Zealand based company and she is part of the corporate HR team as HR Consultant – Gulf States. She is spending most of her time in her base office in Abu Dhabi and is also responsible for HR matters for all the Gulf countries Cognition works in. It looks like she could be visiting Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, maybe Kuwait and Bahrain. So we are keeping a close eye on what is happening in all of the close by Gulf States.

And it’s been all go. Cheryl is incredibly busy and loving the fact that she is again using all those fantastic skills she has. I’ve had a cruisier start, but am also relishing the role mentoring a small group of principals through their school improvement process as part of the school reform agenda.

On reflection we both agree that China was a fabulous experience. My school made leaving a heartfelt experience. Lots of staff and kids wishing me to stay – but also wishing me the very best in my new country. They were all just lovely. And we wouldn’t have swapped the China experience for the world. But it is SO good to be back in the warmth, in the very cosmopolitan Abu Dhabi.

Unfortunately circumstances didn’t allow for us to have a break back in Australia between China and the UAE - but we’ll be back soon. We’re eagerly awaiting the birth of our first grandchild courtesy of Mike and Bec and will be on the first plane as soon as that happy event occurs.

Next weekend we will move into our accommodation in Abu Dhabi – up until now it has been a nice little hotel apartment but it is really just too small for what we like – needing to spread our wings and feel settled. We have purchased a Prado so we can whip out into the desert with the Abu Dhabi off road group.

We will have lots of bedrooms and bathrooms so the calendar is filling already. Lee and Betty are booked in for August – both ways on their trip to Europe. So let us know if you are planning to pass through – we make great tour guides!

Dating Aussie Girls | Socyberty

2010-09-09T19:13:00.000+08:00

Dating Aussie Girls | Socyberty

Overnight cruise on Halong Bay

2010-08-06T18:59:00.000+08:00

How do you begin to write about a mind blowing, wildly spectacular experience! Halong Bay in North Vietnam was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994 and ranks right up there with some of the most spectacular natural environments in the world. I think a collage of photos of the Heritage listed area will probably do the trick without too many words to say. Ron and I were lucky enough to book a suite on a junk with only 2 other people booked in. It is monsoon time in Vietnam and people seem to be avoiding the place in droves. However we have only had a few showers and our overnight trip was not marred by even a sprinkle of rain. The boat was a replica of a 14th century Vietnamese Junk - and our suite came with a very modern king size bed! I had visions of sleeping in hammocks!

Bath time on the streets of Nanjing

2010-07-31T10:20:00.000+08:00

We were wandering home from the performance at Bailuzhou Park and came across a family having heaps of fun on the footpath near the bus stop. Mum and Dad were giving the children a bath in a large plastic wash basin. The older of the children did not like having water over her face and was screaming at top pitch when we arrived, while the little one just puddled away in the water!

This looked like a nuclear family so I don't know how they fit in with the one child policy but I may be making assumptions and they were neighbours or cousins - or something else altogether!

A musical play in Bailuzhou Park

2010-07-31T10:14:00.000+08:00

Last night we decided to retrace our steps to Bailuzhou Park. On our previous trip we had found a stage all set up on the lake and some seating. On asking around we found out that at 8 pm each evening there is a performance. Last night was a lovely clear and balmy evening so off we went to see if the performance was on (you can't really trust advice in this place - so we went fully expecting that it would not be on!) We had no idea what sort of performance to expect but thought it was a good excuse to get away from the house for a few hours.

What unfolded was the story of 2000 years of Nanjing. Unfortunately our camera hasn't taken great pics at night and at distance but anyway - here are the few we took that turned out OK. It was a delightful show with boats gliding by with singers on them and beautifully constumed dancers. There was also a large screen that described (in Chinese) the history of Nanjing up to the Qing dynasty.

Japan and Korea in the rain

2010-07-22T09:42:00.000+08:00

July is monsoon time in Asia and a few typhoons hang around dumping heavy rain and blowing winds right up the Chinese coast and into Japan and Korea, so you would wonder why we might choose to cruise at this time of year! I just was not aware that it would be so darn wet and, after all, this is when Ron has his holidays. We left Shanghai on the 11th July in a warm, humid drizzle on board the Legend of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean International cruise ship bound for Japan and Korea and seven days on the sea.

We have not been regular cruisers and only have one other trip under our belts - the South China sea cruise we did in 2007. So we approach cruising with a bit of a dubious attitude - isn't it really just for old people (and we are not yet that old are we?), and isn't it packed with Asian gamblers and will we feel like sardines crammed into a small space with hundreds of people we would rather not be with? In fact nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, the passengers were in a majority from Asian countries - after all we were cruising in Asia! The overwhelming majority were from China and they were families, sometimes 4 generations from the great grandma through to the only child. And they were having just the same sort of holiday any Aussie family would be having! There was a small casino on board that opened in the evening and stayed open till the wee hours and, yes, the casino filled with people who wanted to use it but it was just a small part of the ship and only one of the activities that were happening at the time.Mostly we felt we were living in a 6 star hotel with everything laid on and staff who would do anything to make life easy, pleasant and fun. I had also heard that cruise ships turn into drunken dens of iniquity! I saw no evidence of this but Ron did note that there was a Spanish guy who was watching the world cup final at 3 am who was rather strongly inebriated and showing very vocal support during the game! So really for most of the time the cruise felt right for us and we had a great time. All negative perceptions thrown out the window and now thinking we might try another cruise sometime soon! you can't go wrong checking into a 6 star hotel, unpacking your bags for a week and visiting 2 countries and four cities and never having to wait in a queue or repack your bag! Here are some pics we took when we got onboard and before there were a lot of people around:

That's me sitting in the casino - the only time we visited it really! And then clockwise - the card room, the whirlpools, art gallery, dining room, library, looking over the outdoor pool, internet cafe, and looking down into the music lounge.

Our first port of call was Kagashima in southern Japan. At all ports you could choose to take a guided tour of some of the highlights of the town but Ron and I have seen enough temples and Asian markets to last us a lifetime so we decided to abandon the guided tours and just go experience the city. Armed with a map we wandered the streets of Kagashima and found a market style shopping centre, a bank and a beer. The rain had started to bucket down so we grabbed a cab and headed back to the ship with 2 umbrellas added to the luggage. We all know if we buy an umbrella it ensures it won't rain anymore so we were placing our holiday in the hands of the umbrella gods!

Next port was Nagasaki where the typhoon was in full swing and the rain was falling almost horizontal driven by a strong wind. Sounded like a good day to hunker down with a good book and keep warm and dry! So Nagasaki did not get a visit from us - we observed it from the ship. Does that count as a visit? Oh well - that's how it went. Some of the more intrepid cruisers went to see the Peace Park and the Memorial Museum but I have to say all that war stuff just leaves me feeling depressed and overwhelmed by sadness. Our dinner partners came back from the visit very subdued and quite saddened by the atrocities of WWII and the nuclear holocaust.

Fukuoka gave us a morning of sunshine before turning on the buckets of rain - so off we went into the subways, exploring underground shopping centres and eventually finding me a new camera to replace my other little portable one which I think I have now worn out completely! We strolled some shopping arcades and eat streets, Ohori Park and the Museum of Modern Art. Ohori Park was lovely, filled with ponds with lotus floating on them and really very similar to parks in China, except much better maintained! We enjoyed the museum and picked up a few arty postcards, wandered around the park and found a coffee shop and then headed back to the ship.

Busan in Korea greeted us with a slightly better day and we were now adept at working out the subway systems under these Asian cities. They do transport so well. The curiousity of the locals was quite funny - everywhere we went we were nodded to, smiled at and greeted with courtesy and respect. We spent a short while in a Cultural Centre and the Museum of Busan. Both very interesting and a great way to hear about the history of Korea and it's interactions with China, France, Russia, the USA and Japan. I reckon those poor Koreans have as much fighting spirit as mortally wounded bulls in a bullring - They just keep fighting back!

Here are some pics from the trip :

Picnic at Lion Rock Beaut Spot!

2010-07-01T08:27:00.000+08:00

Summer has come to Nanjing with a blast. Temperatures during the day have not fallen below 30 degrees for a few days now and it is muggy and tropical. What a contrast to the snow an ice of a few months ago!

So to celebrate the good weather and take advantage of lovely balmy evenings we decided to take a picnic dinner to the Lion Rock Beaut Spot - yes, that is the official name! Here is proof!

We had no idea how to find it so my friend Sian who had visited before came along to be the guide!

Ron has been collecting some Chinglish signs, just for fun, and there were many to be found here at the Beaut Spot. (More news on Chinglish later!)

Now there is not much to say about heading out for an evening picnic really, however the picnic spot was delightful and the Champagne and prawns with seafood dipping sauce, followed by honey soy chicken drumsticks, potato salad and a green salad, crispy bread rolls accompanied by a nice bottle of French red was certainly a tasty repast! So it's really not too tough in China now the winter is over!

I think you will agree - the setting was very nice!

Great Wall of China

2010-06-27T20:04:00.000+08:00

One of the things to do in China, in fact a must do, is to see the Great Wall of China and it is really amazing to be able to walk along pathways and through buildings that were originally built in various stages from the 5th Century BC up to the 16th Century! The Chinese name for the GW is "Wanli Changcheng" and it means the long fortress of 10,000li, which is just short of 9,000 klms and just over 5,500 miles. Most of what remains of the GW was built in the Ming Dynasty between the 14th and 17th centuries. We visited the Mutianyu section of the wall which is about a 90 minute drive from Beijing. Although it was Sunday there were not so many visitors as to make it crowded or uncomfortable and we had lots of opportunity to take photos and not have them full of people. This is quite different in China as most tourist spots have wall to wall people and you struggle to get photos that don't have people in them.

At Mutianyu we were able to take a gondola style cable car to a high point on the wall and walk about 2klms to a chair lift that takes you back to the entrance area. Along the way you climb and descend hundreds (no - probably thousands) of stone steps. You also pass through a number of watchtowers and along some parapets. It can be done at a slow ambling pace and there are lots of places to stop and catch your breath. There are also some small stalls that sell water and iceblocks, Coca Cola and other soft drinks and BEER!

At the entrance to the site there is a small tourist shopping area selling "I climbed the Great Wall of China" t-shirts and other touristy paraphenalia. We got the T shirts!

So I guess now we can say - "Beijing? Been there, done that, got the t-shirt!"

The Forbidden City

2010-06-26T19:29:00.000+08:00

After Tiananmen Square we crossed under the road and came up at the entrance to the Forbidden City. The reason it is called the Forbidden City is because no-one could enter or leave it unless they had the permission of the emperor. UNESCO lists it as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world. It is a World Heritage Site. And so there are a lot of reasons to visit if you are in Beijing! Some statistics quoted from Wikipedia say the Forbidden City was built in 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 surviving buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms and covers 720,000 m² (7,800,000 sq ft). It was impossible to visit all aspects of it in one afternoon. There is a lot of information in the Wikipedia entry at this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_City

I was struck by the fact that an ancient imperial "city" would have a picture of Chairman Mao mounted above the entrance. He actually wasn't anywhere around when it was built and didn't come along till centuries later! The Emperors would roll in their graves to think that Mao now has pride of place at the Tiananmen Gate to the Forbidden City! I suppose Mao is just there to keep an eye on happenings in Tiananmen Square. I got my camera out to get a photo with one of the guards and he quickly said "No Photo" quite emphatically - however I had already taken this one and it seemed OK at the time.

You can wander for days through the Forbidden City and I imagine you could get lost in there without too much trouble at all. However Ron and I had taken advice from our friend Lynn who had said not to follow the tour groups up the middle of the city and to branch out to one side where there were far less people and in fact quite a lot of lovely things to see. We decided to head off to the right as we entered the main part of the palaces and found ourselves going through the Galleries of Treasures. it was much quieter than the central path that went through all the palaces and it was very interesting as well - lots of museum pieces that indicated the life of the emperors and the lifestyle of the court.

I wouldn't have missed it as it was genuinely stunning. However if you really have an interest in Chine Imperial history you will need at least three days to explore it.

Tiananmen Square, Beijing

2010-06-25T11:55:00.001+08:00

In 1989 there were several incidents in and around Tiananmen Square where intellectuals and students had gathered to mourn the death of Hu Yaobang, a Chinese official, and former General Secretary, who had taken a stand against corruption in the Chinese government and had also led a pro-democracy movement in China. The death of Hu Yaobang was a catalyst for massive rallies by students, anti government protestors and intellectuals opposed to the communist regime across China but more so in Beijing where many thousands of protestors staged events for about 3 months from April to June. Scuffles broke out between the protestors, who were promoting democratic and economic reforms, and the state police and security. The army was called in to clear the area on the 4th June and that day is now remembered in many parts of the world (but not in China) as the day of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Some reports have up to 3,000 people killed but here in China it is still only known as the June the 4th incident and is swept aside as an insignificant event in Chinese political history.

I had expected that the square would be quite large and imposing and I guess I also expected that there would be some attention to the event and memorial to the victims - I am not sure what I really expected! However what I found was simply a fairly large square with Mao's mausoleum in the central area and a number of monuments to the the martyrs of the communist revolution - including a tall obelisk which is the Monument to the People's Heroes - shown in the collage above. There is no evidence of the massacre or the students who died there and life goes on as if it really never happened.

The square is situated in front of the Great Hall of the People and across the road from the entrance to the Forbidden City and the Palace Museum. The area is easily accessed through the Tiananmen subway station.

Muchou Lake Nanjing

2010-06-14T15:20:00.002+08:00

Muchou Lake is situated just south of Nanjing City. Like all the lakes I have seen in China the water is very thick and green and I wonder just how the fish survive! However the gardens have been put together beautifully and apparently there is a legend about the lake and the "Lady Muchou" who was a peasant girl who married a nobleman and lived happily ever after. Therefore the lake is said to be popular with young lovers and families. It is certainly busy on the weekend. However it is a lovely place to have a walk and do some people watching and we have visited a couple of times now.
I am always amazed when you see these beautiful gardens and lakes just how the buildings have fallen into disrepair and how unkempt and unclean they are - they look like they need a good wash and a man with a toolbox hanging about all the time. I must admit there is no rubbish laying around because there are people who clear it away. However the museum at this park was a very dismal sight with what would have been a lovely display of Chinese brocade, but all the models hair was moth eaten and it had fallen all over the clothing and there was dust (many years of it) settled on the displays. There are a whole lot of people sitting around trying to flog souvenirs and it really would only take a few hours a week for some of them to actually put in an effort to maintain the displays! Oh well that's CHINA!

Dragonboat Festival Nanjing

2010-06-14T15:16:00.000+08:00

This weekend marks the annual dragonboat festival and holiday in China. We made two trips to Muchou Lake to have a look at the dragonboats. These photos were taken on the practice day - we didn't get there early enough to get photos on the day of the big race and it was so crowded near the shore we could not get a good vantage point. However it was a great day - very festive and the people of Nanjing were out to celebrate. Lots of families were out in the park and we only saw one other western person there! They really need to publicise these events better so people can go along and see what is happening.

The village at Huang Cun

2010-05-27T10:27:00.000+08:00

Nestled at the base of Huangshan, Yellow Mountain, is the delightful village of Huang Cun. Legend tells us after the village was totally destroyed by fire hundreds of years ago a sage was consulted who told the villagers to rebuild in the shape of a water buffalo. As part of the rebuilding the village has built in fire protection with small streams running through the streets and a central lake called the Half Moon Lake.

These days the village has outgrown the original design and there are houses and shops outside the core village and lining the banks of the lake on one side. However much of the initial village is still in existence and the villagers proudly open it daily to tourists.

On approaching Huang Cun, at the base of Yellow Mountain (China's Grand Canyon) it is clear this is a popular tourist spot and a favourite place for artists to practice their craft. Artisits were sitting on small stools with their paints and easels developing a variety of renditions of the lake, the bridges, the village and the surroundings. My effort at painting the village is included here!

Within the original village there are small shops and restaurants dotted along the winding pathways and it is not unusual to run into a family of geese out for a stroll. If you get lost you find one of the small canals that run along the pathways and follow the flow of the water back to the lake.

The villagers are very welcoming and will allow you to photograph them at work and rest. There are many opportunities for a photographer to record very authentic photographs of ancient Chinese culture and living.

A day out with Henry, Amanda and Qian Yi

2010-05-27T10:14:00.000+08:00

It has been some time since we had this day out but I have just found the photos and thought I would put them up. Ron works very closely with Henry (He) Congpei and he is the most delightful man and ever so helpful. Henry has been responsible for much of our happiness in Nanjing. He has acted as Ron's right hand man, translator, interpreter, advocate and friend and all the while has also been the communication anchor between Ron and the Chinese staff and NFLS. Henry is a gem beyond being able to measure in value.
One day last year we went to the zoo with Henry and his family - his wife Amanda and his son Qian Yi (who has since decided his English name will be Thomas - ala Thomas the Tank Engine!) Zoos in China are not really very pleasant places when you compare them with modern zoos and I struggled with the conditions the animals are kept in. The Pandas seemed to have a nice enough home but most of the other animals, although looking healthy enough, were in very poor containment and many were obviously emotionally stressed. Also the visitors to the zoo were not very careful about where they threw their rubbish and many of the cages had plastic waste and food wrappers strewn around.

Qian Yi was the saving grace of the day. At the time he was still 2 and full of fun and excitement. He has defintely inherited Henry's good nature and sense of humour and mischief. Amanda was kept on her toes racing around after him and playing with a bubble gun that really was more fun than the zoo!
We had a delightful afternoon and I just love the pic of Ron with Henry and family - one of the happiest moments in Nanjing.

Xuanwu Lake - Nanjing

2010-05-27T09:58:00.001+08:00

Xuanwu lake is approached through the Xuanwu gate in the Nanjing city wall. Xuanwumen Metro station is the closest to the lake. The name Xuanwumen means Xuanwu gate. Nanjing city sits to the south west of the lake. It is a quick ride on the metro from the city.
The lake is dotted with five islands and each of these has a history in legend. Chinese families enjoy the use of their parks and lakes and you will find it is a popular place for Chinese people to spend the weekend.

The islands can be accessed by hiring small electric cars, boats or by walking. They are all inter connected with pathways and bridges. A convoy of electric open busses circles the park at an alarming rate so watch out for them as you amble along the paths! There are many boat operators who will hire you a boat to drive yourself (pedal or electric) or you can cruise the lake with a driver taking the boat through the arched bridges and around the islands.
Legend has it that a large black dragon came to the lake one day when the clouds were settling low. There are also some stories concerning snakes and turtles that are said to live in the lake. The waters of the lake are now quite polluted, probably not a home for much marine life at all, more or less a large dragon. However there will always be a number of people fishing along the shores and they set up tents and spend the better part of the day picnicking in small groups. It is a lovely family environment.

There is a garden sculpture that depicts 2 dragons fighting and a large sculpture of a female in Buddhist regalia surrounded by children. I have not been able to find the significance of this statue and fountain but it is quite impressive.
Kite flyers can be found on sunny days with slight wind. Watching a string of hundreds of kites rise into the summer sky is quite spectacular.

There are a number of roadside restaurants and cafes dotted through the park.
All in all a lovely way to spend an afternoon in Nanjing.

Chrysanthemum tea from the slopes of Yellow Mountain

2010-03-14T08:26:00.000+08:00

The Chinese are tea drinkers. Everywhere you go in China you will see people carrying jars of tea - literally their old recycled glass jars with lids! And the tea can be green or brown or even red! Often is has bits and pieces floating in it - flowers and roots, leaves and stems.

One of the popular teas which is said to relieve head aches is Chrysanthemum tea. In these pics you can see the tea growing in the terraces on the side of the mountain. At the time we visited they were harvesting yellow and white flowers. the people work incredibly hard bent over all day with huge packs on their backs, but they still had a ready smile and a wave for us.

Embroidery shopping in Suzhou

2010-03-14T08:10:00.000+08:00

Visiting the silk embroidery workshops in Suzhou has been yet another highlight of being in China. Silk embroidery is an ancient art here and the women who do it are just magic. They can make two sides of the same embroidery absolutely identical. I also saw an embroidery where the two sides were different and the embroiderer made two completely different pictures from one side to the other - I was fascinated - How do you do that? And there is not a knot or a loose thread showing.

We left very early on a miserably cold day just after a light dusting of snow. Driving to Suzhou we went through quite a few snow showers and rain and I have to say I was questioning my sanity on coming out on such a dismal day. We arrived at the Embroidery Street where there are over 300 embroidery shops and workshops. It was impossible to visit them all. Many of them actually have very similar products and some stand out as just superb. I guess it is like any other craft - there are artisans who are masters and others who, although quite competent, will never reach that level of expertise.

In the top right corner of the collage you can see the silk embroidery I bought. It is goldfish/koi in a circle feeding on lotus flowers. It is strikingly beautiful and I have been "eying it off" at our local markets for a while now! I bargained like a veteran and was able to get it very cheap - cheaper than the piece of glass in it would have cost me in Australia (let alone the embroidery, the frame and framing materials) and for about one third of the price I could buy it for in the market. I could have bought many pieces - but what do I do with them!

Our first Chinese New Year

2010-02-16T17:29:00.001+08:00

We arrived back into China from the Philippines on Chinese New Year’s eve. What a contrast. For the last week we had been experiencing hot, humid days, perfect for swimming and just lounging about the many lagoons and pools of the resort. Often too hot to sit in the sun we generally stayed in the shade – and still managed to put some colour back into our long since faded suntans. Nights were warm and balmy – usually just warm enough to require a little bit of air conditioning. And now we were in Nanjing, on the airport concourse waiting for the bus, 10pm at night, snow on the ground, minus 3 deg, and despite us putting on our jackets the freezing breeze is cutting through our clothing.

In the distance we can see occasional flashes of light but that’s not unusual in this land where everyone has access to fireworks at all times of the year, using them for celebrations and to mark the passing of loved ones. The bus trip is uneventful and we arrive in the street about 3 kilometres from our apartment. That’s too far to drag the suitcases so we walk to the nearby main intersection and wait for a cab. It’s cold. A cab stops. We finally arrive back to our apartment …… and wish we had left the floor heating on.

Every now and then a flurry of fireworks is heard in the distance. Fortunately our double glazed windows keep out most of the cold and the noise. While we’re waiting for the house to warm a little (A-C is going full blast) we settle to watch a bit of TV. Before we know it, it’s close to midnight. Those flurries of fireworks are becoming more frequent.

Midnight.

Now I’m sure almost everyone who’s reading this will have some kind of memory of childhood cracker nights and perhaps the occasional bonfire; Queen’s Birthday, Independence, Guy Fawkes, whatever. Remember those little skyrockets? Put the stick in a bottle, light the wick and get away quick? Or the ‘flowerpots’ with their cascades of colour, the roman candles that sent bright balls into the air for 10 or 20 metres. Maybe you remember other western New Year’s eves – with their city-wide fireworks. Sydney is always spectacular with its Harbour Bridge backdrop. And then there’s Paris, London, New York all telecast to the world. Spectacular displays all of them.

Then let me tell you they all pale into insignificance compared to what a city of 9 million individuals, each with their own supply of major fireworks can do. You see while fireworks seem to be freely accessible to all Chinese throughout the year, generally they are not very evident in the shops. But leading up to New Year, like it used to be in my younger days, the shops are full. And the fireworks – these are not the little skyrockets, flowerpots and roman candles. These are big. Starshells come in boxes of 12 or more, the size of a case of Fosters. Light one wick and they go off in succession. There are industrial sized cannon shells that can rise to hundreds of metres before loosing their bursts of colour, clusters of noisemakers, Whirling wheels … and all available in bulk to the entire city. Our small corner supermarket down the road sells them from a 50 ft container load parked outside.

And all this has been saved for one 30 minute period of absolute, sheer insanity. Outside our apartment men light big boxes of mayhem, oblivious to the cars they stand between. The sky glows with continuous explosions of colour. Not confined to one display area, these come from the parks, from between buildings, people’s patios, tops of buildings, in the street, traffic islands. Little children share the thrill of ‘light the wick - get away quick’. Fathers hold tiny babies while having their turns at sending off howitzers of noise and stars.

We’re tired, but there’s no chance of even thinking about going to bed. Inside our double glazed apartment we can’t hear the TV. And finally, after an hour, it begins to subside. We go to bed and sleep.

Next morning it is strangely silent. The snow has covered the city in a muffling blanket of white. It is cold. We spend the day indoors. And then the snow begins to melt. And as it melts, exploded boxes, empty cannons, stains of black and brown powder are revealed along with all the other detritus of exploded fireworks. Red paper and cardboard mixes with the snow, littering the footpaths and forming its own coagulated version of crimson papier mache in the gutters, under the trees and shrubs and on the footpaths. So passes Chinese New Year 2010.

Yellow Mountain - Huangshan

2010-01-31T12:03:00.000+08:00

It is now a few months since we visited Huangshan - China's Yellow Mountain, which is also known as China's Grand Canyon. If you have ever seen the typical paintings of China's mountains - craggy and peeping through the clouds - this is where the painters received their inspiration. The mountains are particularly steep and seem to jut up through the clouds. The day we were there was quite clear and so we didn't get that sense that the Chinese speak of, that the mountains float in a sea of clouds. Instead we could actually see how high we were and how steep these mountains are. It is quite scary really and the paths and passages can be quite a challenge. Thousands of steps that go on for miles!

You travel to the peak in a cable car that holds about 100 people. You can see it in the bottom right photo. So you can imagine if that cable car holds 100 (and it looks so small) just how vast and impressive the mountains really are.

It is a tradition to purchase a lock, have your names engraved on it and clip the lock to the chain fences. The fences really do not look capable of holding you back from falling and the drop to the valley below is terrifying. I am not sure how I managed to stay there and not go into a total anxiety state! (I am not good on heights!)

All over the mountain paths you will come across Chinese men who are carrying supplies and building materials in baskets and on their shoulders. I could not believe the loads some of them were carrying, easily 50kgs and more.

The mountains are dotted with resting places that have traditional pagodas, and there are several hotels to visit where you can get drinks and food.

Zhenjiang and the home of Pearl S Buck

2010-01-31T11:50:00.000+08:00

The highlight of our trip to Zhenjiang was a visit to the house of Nobel Peace Prize Winner Pearl S Buck. She wrote a number of novels about China and was given credit at the time for being an ambassador for cross cultural relationships between America and China. Her father was a Christian missionary who worked on his ministery in China for most of his lifetime. Pearl spent many years in China living in the house in the collage (above).

We walked through some streets in central Zhenjiang and passed a number of local vendors selling their wares. Top left is a man supervising the firing up of a traditional Chinese oven, next to him another man makes popcorn. His right hand is turning a handle that is pumping the bellows to keep the fire hot, while his left hand is turning the cast iron circular oven over the coals. We could hear the corn popping inside the oven. Bottom left is a failrly typical local cafe. A woman peels and sells water chestnuts which have been steamed. Another woman is selling goose, duck, chicken and pigeon eggs.

Jiaoshan Mountain in the Yangtze River

2010-01-25T15:53:00.000+08:00

About an hour out of Nanjing and still on the Yangtze River there is an island in the middle of the river. The local people call it the "mountain that is in the river" - Jiaoshan. On this island there is a temple, an Imperial residence (where the Emperor used to stay) and a fort. It is a lovely place to visit. You can go there by taking the train to Zhenjiang and then catch a bus to the wharf and a ferry to the island. It is such a peaceful and pretty place, even in the middle of winter when the trees are bare. I can just imagine how beautiful it would be in the summer when all the trees have their foliage.

A stroll along the Qinhuai River

2010-01-25T15:44:00.000+08:00

What have we been up to - I can almost here the question coming in over this airwaves! Well actually we have been up to quite a lot but we just have not been up to writing up the blog - please forgive us. I am going to make a concerted effort over the next few days to bring you all up to date and show you some fabulous things we have been doing in China. As a start these pics are from a short stroll we took along the banks of the Qin huai River last weekend. Hopefully Nanjing is starting to warm up again and although we were still rugged up and it was only 11 degrees that is better than what we have had for a while!

The Bridge at Huang Cun

2010-01-06T11:30:00.000+08:00

This painting has taken a while to get underway since our trip to yellow mountain. This is my depiction of the bridge at Huang Cun at the foot of Yellow Mountain - Huangshan.

Nanjing Jazz - COOL ?

2009-11-18T22:10:00.008+08:00

We had the Nanjing International Jazz and World Music festival last weekend so we went out and watched a few bands. Friday night was a freebie invitation to opening night – crowd of a thousand for a very eclectic jazz band (Torsten De Winkel the Canary All-Stars). Picture these: the 6’6” sax player - seemed like he’d be right at home in big boots clodding around the Welsh moors with a herd of sheep; a bass guitarist - looked more like an escapee soccer thug from Coventry prison; a percussionist - straight out of the annals of Clive’s India, a blind Spanish lead singer, and a 6’4” Dutch lead guitarist who’d have been more at home in a Hoffbrau Haus with a litre of beer in his hands. The drummer was the only normal (?) looking one there. But could they play!! Oh yes. AND sing.

Next day we had a lovely lunch at the Sofitel – full buffet with bottomless glass of wine listening to Tango Extreme playing music inspired by the Argentina of the 30’s and 50’s. And all for $50 a head. We sat and drank a bottle of wine each and ate for about 2 and a half hours on and off – V nice!

Weather wise - - -It is b***y freezing here – it snowed yesterday & last night - down to MINUS 10. WHAT am I doing here?? I seem to recall saying I’d go anywhere there WASN’T snow !! ??

We had to go out on the Saturday (between Jazz bands) and buy me some thermal underwear. Cheryl doesn’t need it YET because she doesn’t go out in it much unless absolutely necessary – and then it's in the middle of the day instead of at 6 in the morning like this dope!. So I had a choice of white which made me look like a stretch Mr Magoo, (or the Michelin man – take your pick) and camouflage which made me look like Rambo (well - - - you know what I mean)! Cheryl likes the Rambo look, though she says that the virginal white has its own attractions! So I left for work in the morning with the new thermals on under my shirt and trousers, a new wool jumper over that, then my suit coat and to top it all off my winter parka and my leather driving hat that is lined with quilting. And carrying an umbrella and wearing 2 pairs of socks! - - - And that was just to go out to the road and catch a cab! When I got home this afternoon I walked through the door with the chin chatters, & feeling like an Eskimo. But I was then met with some nice thick hot vegetable soup and a chili for dinner - - gotta love that woman.

Cheryl is still not working and even though she don’t really get bored (doesn’t know how!) she does get a bit lonely. She’s met up with a couple of nice people, has a coffee on a regular basis, but having seen them once in a week there is not much more to it really! Writing and painting are keeping her occupied, but it’s not the same as working. Even so, she is happy and settled and really getting to know her way around Nanjing far better than me – all I do is go to work and come home!. (Late addition - some part time work is coming her way – nice).

And now it's Wednesday, and although it's not snowing any more, it is still below zero. How long is summer away???

Putting up the Christmas tree

2009-11-18T18:51:00.006+08:00

I always think it is just amazing when things fall into place as if they were planned that way. Ron invited some people over for a get together on Friday night this week - that's the 20th November. Now I am a complete sucker for Xmas - love all the bling and baubles, flashing lights, food and wine, nativity sets....it's the full razza mattaz for me. Each year Ron just sighs and says - "What ever makes you happy - go for it!" So when the whiff of a party was in the air I thought it just must be time to put up the Chrissie decos - of course.

So out came our gorgeous nativity set from Italy, the Christmas lights and baubles we had left from the UAE and a determination that Friday was going to be the start of the festive season. I needed a Christmas tree and some more decorations and I just didn't know where I would get them. I have been wandering the shops and have seen no decos on sale, though all the Malls have Christmas written all over them right now!

I met a couple of my friends for coffee and mentioned I wanted to find a tree. I suggested I thought IKEA may have some by now and I would probably make the trip (which it is from our house - about 30 minutes on the bus) and pick up a tree and some baubles. Lynn suggested she was also going to get a tree and that she thought she knew of this shopping mall that had a Christmas section, but was not sure she could find her way to it again. She gave me some general directions and I thought it was probably both too hard and perhaps a bit hit and miss and IKEA would be easier. So I set my mind to catching the bus on Thursday and getting a few small decos (IKEA is expensive!) and making a pretence at Xmas cheer! And then on Tuesday night Lynn phoned - "Guess what - I have a driver for tomorrow. Bruce doesn't need him for work and I thought we might go find that mall and get a couple of trees!" Without a second thought I agreed and we made the arrangements.

I caught the bus from my place to Lynn's, passing IKEA along the way, and the driver and Lynn studied the map and decided they knew where they were going - so off we went. Well - I couldn't believe my eyes - she took me to a place that is 3 stories of "Made in China" and cheap as chips! There was a section that had Christmas decorations that had been sort of subsumed into the Chinese souvenirs section - Christmas trees in all sizes, with and without optic fibre lights, baubles and snowflakes and ...well... really - it was ALL there. We both decided it would be a Chinese Xmas theme and proceeded to buy lanterns and charms in a red and yellow theme. It was great fun.

We then shopped the other sections of the three floor supermall and got a few little goodies and headed home for dumplings and noodles - what a great day.

Here is the Christmas tree with all the Chinese charms and the lanterns, as well as lights and baubles - Christmas has come to Nanjing!

UAE Impressions series

2009-11-06T15:04:00.003+08:00

Well it took a while but I have finally finished my "Impressions of the UAE" painting series. The paintings were finished a couple of weeks ago but the vector diagrams have just been completed and they are all now looking pretty great I think!

I have placed all these designs at 2 print on demand websites. That means that anyone can go to the websites and order calendars, gifts, cards, mugs - even baby bibs and barbecue aprons!

There is an Aussie website and an overseas one. The Aussie one does not do gifts but does a great job on calendars and cards and framed prints. Here is the link - Cheryl Malloy on Redbubble.

The overseas site posts to any country in the world including my favourites - Vanuatu, the UAE and China! There are heaps of nice gifts and cards, calendars and prints to buy! Here is the link - Cheryl Malloy on Cafepress.

I would love it if you could buy some of the gifts, and better still get your friends to buy them as well!

Russian porn stars, Chinese horror movies and Halloween.

2009-11-01T20:00:00.001+08:00

A cloak of smoke descended on Nanjing for Halloween. And rain drizzled. Everywhere people in hoodies and under umbrellas. It was as if Halloween could not happen under clear skies and clement weather. Halloween brought Autumn to Nanjing. However there is not much that can dampen the spirit of Nanjingren when it comes to an excuse for a night out.

We had read about a jazz guitarist appearing at one of the restaurant nightclubs and decided to brave the scary streets and see how Nanjing does jazz. As we approached the restaurant we were greeted by Chinese staff in masks and cloaks and looking particularly ghoulish in a glamorous kind of way. The restaurant had all the usual Halloween trappings, pictures of pumpkins and ghouls, candles inside watermelons (they are cheaper than pumpkins) and the staff were really getting into the swing of it.

We were shown to a table and given masks to wear. The masks were more of the Venetian Masquerade Ball type, glitter and feathers – but hey, we were not complaining. It was all in the spirit of the night and so we put them on.

Some musac was playing, the sort of background but soft loungey type, until a young Chinese man approached the stage with an alto saxophone (maybe Kenny Chee?). We settled to listen to some cool New Orleans or R&B then for his last few numbers he played the Carpenters and Lionel Richie while in the background there appeared Russian music videos that were verging on pornographic – we glanced at each other and made the comment “Only in China” and had a bit of a giggle! He wasn’t a bad saxophonist, save for a poor choice of music, and his friends thought he was just great, each song being enthusiastically applauded and smiles all round.

At about this time we were approached to draw a card from a tarot pack. Later in the evening there would be a card draw with prizes. The first prize a large handmade clipper style model boat, second prize a new antique toy truck and third prize a toy cricket bat with a boat in a bottle set into it. (???) We spent a few minutes wondering just what we might do if we won first prize and decided we could put a message in the boat and put it into the Yangtze. We wondered who might find it and if they would give us a call.

The next artist to grace the stage was a young Chinese woman complete with waist length wig in marvelous curls. From the waist up she was pure glam and bling. Below the waist denim mini shorts, black stockings and a pair of knee high cream stiletto boots. This young woman had a delightful voice and proceeded to deliver a few popular Chinese songs – they were nice and she sang well. The songs she sang in English sounded Chinese too. Her voice was nice and, after all, we are in China and Chinglish is accepted and used everywhere. The Chinese don’t get it when we don’t understand!

The Russians were still cavorting around bedrooms and bathrooms in a marble mansion and by this time they were naked and being pretty risqué! There was a spa bath in there somewhere and at times there were different men and women making out with each other but the singer held her own and charmed the audience with her repartee and rendition of Chinese pop.

A magician visited our table and performed some sleight of hand tricks. He was very clever. Dinner arrived and we ate while the Russians got it on in the background, the Chinese girl sang up a storm and some people played darts very close to our table. All the while the floor was vibrating to the bass of the discotheque next door and I am not too sure that the walls were not vibrating too – or was that the Russians cavorting!

The food was delicious and served with a glass of champagne (well, sort of champagne) another glass of red wine (well, it was also sort of red wine) and some watermelon juice – presumably made from the hollowed out watermelons. The staff fussed over us and did everything they could to make us feel comfortable – at this stage the Russian porn stars had been replaced by a Chinese horror film – lots of gore and angst, just what you need as you are trying to consume a plate full of food in the dark.

I have never been in an environment with so much sensory overload. Clearly the Chinese cope very well with this and it seems that if you add more and more fun elements to the night ( did I mention the DJ/MC, the cocktail mixing performance, the maitre de hovering within a few feet, the waiters visiting the table every few minutes, the mirror ball spinning on the ceiling) the night will be much more fun, fun, fun. Not too sure what happened with the advertised jazz guitarist – the waiters and the manager had no idea what we were talking about when we asked. Perhaps the guitarist got caught up in some other pursuit that night. Perhaps we had been in the wrong restaurant all the while. I came home exhausted and happy – it’s fun living in China!

Fireworks and chickens cause chaos…and hilarity!

2009-11-01T10:57:00.000+08:00

It is not unusual to be walking down a street in China and “Kapow”, bang, bang, bang – fireworks just start going off all around you. It could be because there is a funeral, a shop opening, someone getting married, a birthday, or just to honour some long lost ancestor and bring luck and good fortune.

This morning I was on my way from the bank, where I paid some bills, to the telephone company and then to the laundry to pick up some shirts. Just a normal day really, wandering the suburban streets and doing my chores. When it all started! Bang,bang,bang – only about 50 metres away. Well I have to say it always takes me by surprise and I nearly hit the deck thinking that there was a battle beginning in the streets of Nanjing. However before I had the misfortune of placing my face on the concrete I looked up the road ahead of me and couldn’t believe my eyes.

A lady had been approaching me with several boxes piled high, she was just a few feet away. She was getting ready to strap the boxes to her bicycle, when out jumped a couple of chickens! They had obviously been startled out of their semi comatose state by the fireworks and they were on the run. The lady had some experience with these fowl creatures and she quickly grabbed one by the wing and hung on despite all the squawking and fluffing of feathers, however she wasn’t quite so lucky with the second one and it took off like a Ferrari down the street. So off she went with the other chook firmly in the nook of her arm, leaving her other parcels on the roadside.

As the escapee reached the road a #121 bus came around the corner and went straight over the top of it. I held my breath, I didn’t want a dead chook squished in front of me and I knew the poor Chinese lady was also holding her breath – this bird was probably on the menu for her restaurant tonight! The bus continued on its way and the chicken emerged startled and more frightened and determined to outwit busses, cars, people and bikes and head for the hills.

Now chooks don’t seem to run in straight lines and also don’t seem to know where they really want to run to. Add in a healthy dose of adrenaline and you have a chook doing circuits at pace, being chased by a Chinese lady who is yelling to all her ancestors and clutching her other precious cargo to her breast.

I am not one for chasing and catching chooks. I have no experience in the field at all. All the chickens I have cooked for dinner come frozen from a deep freeze and ready plucked at that! But I was up to clapping my hands and steering the chook back in the direction of the lady. I hovered back and forth at the edge of the road clapping and flapping and keeping the poor thing from become a drive thru corpse!

The neighbourhood had all come out to see this mad foreign woman clapping and dancing on the edge of the road; the chicken panicked and prancing and the poor Chinese lady huffing and flustered, with the other chook tucked firmly under her arm. I was successful at keeping the chook off the road, however it darted straight into an open door nearby – a restaurant where people had just sat down to tea. They all jumped up and the chook started flying from table to table and finally out the door. The mechanic from the shop next door, the security guard from the bank, the waitress from the restaurant and the poor Chinese lady chased and cornered the chook and managed to capture it.

Meanwhile I gathered the boxes back together thinking that she would need them to put the chooks back in. The people in the neighbourhood were looking at me quite suspiciously – I think they thought I was going to light off with the boxes. So I waited and watched till everyone had calmed down, meanwhile tidying the boxes and getting them ready to become chicken prisons again.

The poor Chinese lady had gathered her dignity again and with a chook under each arm she managed to mount the bicycle and stuff them into one box. She left the other box on the ground where I had put it. She must have said “Xie Xie” (Thank you) about 20 times in a few minutes as she rode the bike out onto the road and off to home. A few minutes later you would never have known – all had returned to normal, except for the giggling laowai woman, strolling up the road with happy tears rolling down her face. It is so much fun living in China!

Now you can purchase Cheryl's Art on Redbubble

2009-10-20T16:40:00.002+08:00

It is going to take a bit of time to get all the artwork up and on the site as it needs a lot of editing and some of the work will be digitised with vector technology.

However! I have made a start. You can find me on "Redbubble" at

http://cherylmalloy.redbubble.com/

Please visit and let me know what you think of my art. If you want to order you can!

The Nanjing Cableway

2009-10-13T09:45:00.005+08:00

Just this weekend we decided to take a trip up Purple Mountain. The best way to do that was to hop a cable car.
Purple Mountain is the lungs of Nanjing. It is a huge Park that also has a few other attractions we will visit over time - Dr Sun Yatsen's Mausoleum and Museum, an Aquarium, Botanical gardens and lakes, The Nanjing City Wall and the Xuanwu Lake. It is quite heavily vegetated and I was hoping it was effectively sucking up most of the carbon Monoxide from the pollution in Nanjing. This proved to be a forlorn hope! When you look at the pictures you will see just how polluted it is here. These pics were taken in the autumn, so it was not yet cold enough for heating fires. They were taken mid morning so probably not a lot of cooking fires. And they were taken at the end of a holiday period of one week - so you would think the pollution would have been down a bit with some industries maybe taking some time off!

However this is where we live now and it doesn't effect me anywhere near as much as the desert did. I have done a collage of pics. The pollution is clear in the top photos - you could barely see Nanjing which is only a few kilometres away.

Visiting the parks is a very popular outing and there were literally thousands of people on the mountain. Generally people live in either very small (by our standards) housing or multiple family units. Young people spend a lot of time just hanging about using their mobile phones.

Suzhou, City of Canals

2009-10-04T22:18:00.005+08:00

We have just returned from a delightful weekend (well, 2 half days and a night) in the city of Suzhou. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzhou, http://www.suzhou.gov.cn/English/index.shtml)

Suzhou is about an hour’s train ride from Shanghai. Saturday morning, bright and early we met our travelling companions, Sue, John and Tina at Nanjing railway station and board our train. Cheryl and I are travelling light with just a backpack between us. The trains in China that we have experienced so far have been excellent. Yes, we travel first class because it’s cheap and we can book seats – but from what we see through the windows, there’s not a lot of difference with other fare classes. The train is fast, comfortable, and above all clean and well serviced.

Flashing through the countryside at speeds of up to 200kph, we arrive in Suzhou about 11:30. Thanks to our lovely Tina, who is Chinese, and takes on the role of translator and trouble shooter for the weekend, we skip the long taxi cues and soon have a minivan take us to our lodgings, the Pingjiang Lodge. (http://www.the-silk-road.com/hotel/pingjianghotel/index.html) This is a hutong, a culture hotel. It was once a small village like complex with multiple rooms in a warren of hallways and connecting courtyards. Parts are some 450 years old and the hotel claims to have items dating back to the Ming Dynasty times. It is totally charming. And even better, it is right in the middle of a local tourist area leading directly to some of the picturesque and historical sites in Suzhou.

After a delicious lunch and a bottle or two of Tzingtau in the hotel restaurant, we spend the afternoon wandering along the local streets alongside one of Suzhou’s many canals, gazing into corridors and shops that are little different from times of centuries past. Along the way, two players are presenting an opera on the footpath cross the canal. A simple backdrop and a tape player is all the support they need for this open air theatre. There is a tourist site – the Humble Administrator’s Garden nearby and undaunted by the crowds, we venture inside. It’s not huge (about 4 Hectares), but quite beautiful. A mini botanical gardens, with pergolas, hills, lakes and grottos scattered throughout. We think it’s lovely. Unfortunately, about ten thousand other visitors also choose to spend the afternoon here with us – which makes for quite a crush of people in parts. But then this is China.

Wandering back to the hotel, we take a small catnap and then it’s time for a light dinner. Back up the same street where in the afternoon we spotted a local dumpling restaurant. Again the food is yummy, and this time, cheap as well! Wandering on after dinner we stumble on an English Pub. Well of course this is a compulsory stop, where we watch a little footy, down a lager or two (and some chardy) before getting almost lost and taking a very long way home.

The next morning we begin rather casually and decide to take on Tiger Hill - Suzhou’s major tourist attraction. Our intrepid Tina is told that a number 2 bus will take us all the way. You Beauty! Off we go t the main street nearby. It’s Sunday morning, the streets are crowded (as they are every day), and Number 2 bus takes ages to arrive. When it does, it is very - - -very full. But, when in China …..

And so we are on - and in very close contact with a number of the locals! The streets are as crowded as the bus – and progress is painfully slow, despite the driver’s liberal use of his horn. At one point, so many people get on the bus that he can’t shut the doors. The driver stops the bus. A crowd crams into the back door. Driver shouts something and after a few murmurs and shouts to and fro, several people begin collecting bus fares from those that came into the back door. They jump out the back door, run to the front, pay the driver, and run back to the back door before he shuts it and we are off again.

By now we’re wondering if we’ll ever arrive. “It looked much closer on the map” But eventually we do. Begging for a coffee, we search high and low – plenty of bridal shops - where is Starbucks when you need them! By this time we’re a little concerned that traipsing into the Gardens of Tiger Hill, with the other 25,ooo people may not be a wise choice if we also want to catch our train at 4:15. So instead we catch a canal boat back town.

What a delightful journey. Photos don’t do it justice. We wander through a series of canals between centuries old houses and other dwellings past ramshackle extensions over the water and little stone patios almost falling into it. There are windows open everywhere allowing us a voyeurs view into the everyday existence of these canal dwellers. This place is just gorgeous. And remarkably clean. The sky is blue. There seems to be little air pollution and so the buildings and streets aren’t continually grimy, as in Nanjing. Everything appears clean, tidy and generally cared for.

Another local lunch (costing the amazing amount of about AUD$12 for the 5 of us and we travel by bone-jarring tuktuk back to the hotel. The advantage of the tuktuk is that they aren’t held up by the traffic, squeezing between busses and cars where a taxi can’t. A quick cuppa, and another tuktuk and we’re back on the train headed home.

Suzhou, we’ll be back. The Venice of the East is a delightful place – and well worth a longer visit. And yet again, we have the beginnings of another firm friendship.

Holed up with a very sore foot.

2009-09-25T10:03:00.002+08:00

Yes well that says it all really! I have a very nasty and painful right foot which does not seem to be getting any better despite advice from doctors, friends, relatives and my Mum! So I am trying to rest it as much as possible - everyone said to do that!

This means I have a lot of time on my backside in a chair so I have started writing for the internet - have a look at my articles and photographs at http://www.triond.com/users/Cheryl+Malloy

I'd love it if you left comments on the articles and while you were there click through to a few of the ads on the page if they interest you.........that way I get paid for my work!

New post on my art page

2009-09-25T10:00:00.003+08:00

Please visit www.cherylmalloy.blogspot.com and have a look at the blog I have started for my art. I love to receive comments so if you can master leaving one (I know it may not be easy for some) then please leave a comment about the pieces or some guidance for me to improve.

"How expat are you really"???

2009-09-10T16:31:00.000+08:00

Today I went walking with a lovely group of (mostly) women in Nanjing. We wandered the streets close to the city and discovered lots of really authentic Chinese communities where people have obviously been living for many years. There was a fabulous market in a back street where there were absolutely mounds of wonderful fresh produce and also some live animals (including snakes) for purchase, presumably for consumption. We also visited a Buddhist temple which had an 'antiques market'. The woman who led the walk was patient with the slower people and we really just ambled along mingling and talking and generally enjoying ourselves with our cameras at the ready. How lovely!

During the walk I was talking to one lady from Europe and I would like to recount our conversation because it has made me think about the question in the topic - "how expat are you really?" The conversation went something like this:
1. Hi, are you new here in Nanjing?
2. Yes I am. I have only been here for a few weeks
1. Welcome, I am sure you will love it it is an interesting place.
2. Thank you. I am already enjoying it and starting to find my way around.
1. Which compound do you live in?
2. I live at Muxuyuan - it is a bit out of town on the eastern side of the wall
1. So who else lives in your compound?
2. I don't know any of the people yet, except our immediate neighbours. It is hard when we don't speak Chinese yet.
1. Oh but who are the other expats living there?
2. None. I haven't seen any other western people in our compound or in our community. It's nice really - I feel like a bit of a novelty, though I could sometimes do without the attention!
1. Yes but you do have a driver that can take you around
2. No I don't have a driver
1. Oh then you use the cabs
2. No it is a bit expensive when you live out of the main city. So I take the bus
1. OMG - that is so unusual. You are so brave! I have been here for 3 years and I have never taken the bus.

This conversation has really left me wondering about the experience of being an expat. We have chosen not to live in expat compounds in any of our overseas experiences and we have always chosen to live as close a life as possible to our neighbours. I know we are earning more than many Chinese so we will not be expereince life as the Chinese do - that would be too hard for us.

A fit of the giggles

2009-09-07T04:27:00.000+08:00

I am spending a lot of time catching busses in Nanjing. People here are just not that used to seeing expats outside the city walls – well it seems that way to me. Each time I get on the bus – and even just waiting for the bus – I often wonder if half my breakfast is still on my face or if I perhaps have horns growing out my head! I truly am the object of a lot of staring and more than a little giggling. This attention is quite blatant and I am getting used to it and just taking it in my stride.

Today I got on the bus and sitting directly across from me was an older couple with what appeared to be their grandson sitting on their knee. They were obviously doting grandparents and he was the apple of their eye. However they did not have the view of him that I had. He was about 3-4 years old and sitting directly facing me. Where the fly in his pants was there was no zipper and so he was just sitting with his tiny penis peeking out of the hole. As we went along he was giving it quite a lot of attention and I just couldn’t help but giggle! Grandma and Grandpa had no idea – and I doubt it would have mattered to them anyway – but it really had me almost in a state – a fit of the giggles and no-one there to share my giggles with! Even the people sitting next to me remained totally composed and seemingly oblivious. I could barely contain myself and on exit from the bus just burst out laughing. It was one of those rare moments of absolute joy!

On our way to China

2009-09-06T21:34:00.003+08:00

Our arrival in China has been a long awaited and anticipated event! We left the UAE on the 3^rd July and it is now almost the 3^rd of September. So the move has taken the better part of 2 months and they have been very interesting months.

Leaving the UAE we headed from Abu Dhabi to London. We had never been to England before and so we were really looking forward to this very first experience of Pommyland! Heathrow airport was one of the most frustrating parts of the journey. We couldn’t believe that an airport that can move a major number of aircraft safely and efficiently could get people movement (immigration, customs etc) so wrong. We stood in line for over an hour (perhaps nearly 2 hours) just to get through immigration. The system for doing this was ad hoc and disorganised and unnecessarily long. However once through the procedures it’s a quick train trip to Central London and to our hotel in Paddington.

During our London stay we managed to fit in a number of the major attractions and also managed a trip to Coventry for the Godiva Festival. I think Ron was looking forward to naked ladies with long hair riding horses in the main street – it would have been very disappointing for him as the only Lady Godiva we came across was a woman of our own vintage dressed in a long white period costume ‘frock’ and wearing a wig! She did not have her horse with her at the time and remained fully garbed for Ron to have his photo taken with her! However it was a brilliant day and the sun shone (30+C) and we even managed to get a bit sunburned! I hear this is basically unheard of in England! The day in Coventry also included a music festival and a carnival as well as a lovely trip through the English countryside by train. We noticed the canals along the way and thought that one day we might return and explore England via the canals.

London was abuzz with tourists and it was the weekend of the Gay Pride celebrations. We did the red bus tours and also walked for mile upon mile to see the Tower Bridge, Tower of London, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. We walked a lot in Kensington Gardens as it was so close to where we were staying. We saw “Wicked” at one of the theatres in the West End, “Peter Pan” in a special tent style theatre in Kensington Gardens and did a jazz show at Ronnie Scott’s jazz club in Soho. I am not sure we could have fitted too much more into our 6 days. I think I would like to live in London for a while, or at least in England, and explore more of what there is to see, particularly to visit Scotland, Ireland and Wales as well.

Back to Abu Dhabi for a quick flight change and on to Brisbane. In Brisbane we caught up with family and really just relaxed and recovered from jet lag. The trip took close to 36 hours all in all and was only saved by being able to upgrade to business in the first leg. We will never look at flying in the same light again – wherever we go now it will be business class – it is just so much better and generally worth the cost to upgrade (if and when we can afford it!). After catching up with Helen and John, Garth, Mum, Gary and Fran, Di and Stan in Brisbane we fly down to Sydney. On the Central Coast we stayed with Deb and George and Terry and Brian and had a fabulous weekend away in Orange doing some wine tasting and merrymaking! It was lovely to catch up with all our friends and share some very precious time with them. One really funny highlight was Ron and Murray dressed as Emiratis taking a day trip around the Central Coast in Murray’s little yellow sports car. It was a hoot! We caught up with all Sydney people, both family and friends and then shot off to Melbourne to see Nerissa.

And then on to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia for a few days. We stayed at the Sunway Lagoon Pyramid Hotel (how many words does there have to be in a hotel name!) Anyway it was just like being in the Middle East again – lots of women in black robes – it was quite strange really! I think the hotel must be very popular with Emiratis and Saudis – they were everywhere! I was the only white woman swimming at the pool – all the other women were sitting around in their abayas and shaylas and watching their children and husbands swimming. There were some Japanese and Korean tourists who were in stark contrast with their skimpy clothing and swim suits!

Unfortunately I was robbed in the shopping centre and it left a really nasty taste for Malaysia. Apparently there are gangs that work the shopping centres regularly – so the Police told me. Malaysia is a beautiful place to visit and a lovely culture but watch your purse! We rode elephants, visited temples and watched a fabulous cultural show. However I am not keen on KL and if visiting Malaysia again I think I will head out to the coast and a more relaxing beach style holiday.

And now we are in China! So look out for the next few posts where we will introduce you to Nanjing.

We will soon leave the UAE

2009-06-14T15:02:00.006+08:00

It is with mixed feelings that I write this post to let you know that we will soon be leaving the UAE. This blog has really slowed down lately and I guess that is a reflection of the fact that we are probably doing nothing new here. In fact life has settled a little to a fairly mundane pace and one that is becoming routine. There is nothing wrong with that! It is nice not to have to face exciting new challenges on a daily basis and also not to be continuously in a place where you are discovering new things - just a nice laid back bit of complacence has it's role to play in keeping us all sane!

Al Ain has been very good to us and for us. I had started, at an earlier stage, to do some reflections on the UAE and had intended to do some more. I am going to endeavour to get it all down today. These are 'Cheryl's Reflections' - Ron will have his own, and they will be different because we have expereinced this place quite differently at times.

How do you start to reflect on 2 years of life? Perhaps the way to go is to start with any regrets! If I get that out of the way first I can end on a positive note as is my custom. So I ask myself the question - 'What has been the downside of living in Al Ain?' and I have a few things to say about that!

I have missed my family and my friends back in Australia more than they will ever know. They anchor me. They are strength to me to be able to do this expatriate life. I look forward to their emails and SMS messages. I love SKYPE! I think sometimes they have forgotten me but inevitably the ones that matter most pop up from time to time with a short message or a call, a note on Facebook, a card for a birthday, a chat in a chatroom. It can be lonely living overseas when the people who are dear to you are thousands of miles away.
I have really missed our children (both mine and Ron's) and I think that has been more about not being there for them watching their lives each day and being integrated into their important events. It is a high price to pay and one that saddens us from time to time.
I am not there for my Mum who is getting older and this pulls on my heartstrings at times. I am blessed that she is well and that she supports me in what I am doing here. My sister has been wonderful with keeping in touch and providing news and family links that have been really important.
I really wish it didn't take so long to meet people here. Everyone is here for a purpose and they are getting on with it and so their lives are very bound up in their work. This makes it difficult to interact with people. In the last 3 months I have met some wonderful people I would love to have known better but it is now too late to develop those friendships as geographically it becomes impossible to get to know them better! I will be even more determined in Nanjing to ensure I am meeting people frequently. You meet the most interesting people working as expats - they have a similar approach in a sense and an adventurous spirit so we seem to 'click' with many that we meet.
I regret that I didn't get to know as many 'local' people as I would have liked to. My experience is that Emirati culture, generally speaking, is closed and exclusive. It is so different to what I am used to with divisions between the genders and formalities and customs that are so contrary to my way of life. I tried but found it very difficult to become close to any Emirati, male or female. There are a few notable exceptions to this and they were people I worked with who treated me with respect and friendship at work and I reciprocated as best I could. I was invited to events and into homes and was treated magnificently as a guest. The one true exception at a personal level was my friend Ameera Al Khabi with whom I felt like just one of the girls. I deeply Appreciate Ameera's generosity and friendship. This is one of the downsides of being an expat - you never really quite fit into the local scene, always a visitor. Your difference is a barrier. And the truth is I was not comfortable trying to be like the local people. Their religion, culture, customs and traditions are special and belong to them and they do not rest comfortably with me. This has been a learning for me as an expat - I can only be what I am and I need to be who I am. As an expat I will always be an observer as I just don't have the history and experience of the locals. However this will never stop me from trying to integrate as much as possible.
And perhaps the last regret is that we do have to move on and that means leaving some good friends behind. Moraig and Brian, Lizzie and Mark and many others. Some from Ron's work, some from mine.....the list goes on. It is hard to say goodbye because the reality is that where we are going is so very far away that the chances of getting together again are quite limited. However, as with friends left in Australia, we will stay in touch and catch up when we can. The world is a small place now due to the internet and fast convenient travel.

And now that the regrets are out of the way I will focus on what has been good about being in the UAE and in Al Ain.

What a marvelous adventure we have had! For me it is firstly about the people and we have had some of the best people come into our lives since we started on this gig. There are now 80 entries on this blog since we arrived in the UAE and most of them mention our relationships with people and the wonderful times we have had with them.
The places we have visited from here have been - Turkey, Oman, the Musandam, Egypt, Morocco, Spain, Portugal, South Africa, Italy, Thailand. We have visited all the Emirates - Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah and Um Al Quwain. We have stayed in very flashy five star hotels and travelled thousands of kilometres in planes, buses, trains and cars!
Al Ain has been a haven away from the faster paced life in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and yet we have been just a short distance from these two exciting and interesting cities.
We have experienced living and working side by side with people from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Palestine, Syria, America, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the Phillipines, Sri Lanka, Morocco, Libya, Ireland, England, Wales ... and so many more I can't think of them all. The UAE is a truly multicultural, though intensely culturally and economically stratified, country.
The call to prayer sounds 5 times a day and it is so routine for us now we don't even notice it anymore. We see muslims going to their prayers at the mosque or just pulling over on the side of the road to pray in the sand and the sun.
We see the traditions associated with costume and events and we now understand them and can appreciate them for what they are and what they mean to those that practice them.
We are convinced the worst drivers in the world are here in the UAE. Large 4x4s travelling at nearly (and sometimes more than) 200klm/hr on the highways are a terrifying reality here. So we are glad to have survived it and we now look forward to what we are told are even worse (but in a different way) drivers in China!
And we have survived living in the desert.
Some of the different things here to home - the shamals, the sand, the wind; the heat (hottest was nearly 60 degrees), the lack of rain and subsequent dryness that burns you; the date palms, camels and goats; the bedouin and farmers; the magnificent dunes, forts and palaces; the opulent Emirati housing; the labour camps; the oases and the falaj systems; women in Burquah, abbayas and shaylas, and men in khandoora, ghutra and egal;... and so much more.
We have felt 'at home' here for 2 years. We have not seen any violence or heard about much at all. We have felt safe and secure in our home, on the streets and in the community.

We have loved Al Ain and will speak very positively of the time we spent here.

Soon we are off to China via London and a few weeks in Aus. Life is good, exciting and another challenge is looming on the horizon. Let me at it! I can't wait!

Our lovely little girl in Vanuatu

2009-05-19T13:50:00.003+08:00

I have just realised that I didn't put anything up on the blog about my trip to Vanuatu recently. One of the main reasons for going was to catch up with Neneth and Morsen and meet my little piccinni blong Vanuatu - Kiosha Sandy.

She was just six months when I was there and cute as a button. She looks just like her Dad. I met her real grandma, Ruth, (of whom I am very jealous) and her great aunt (Miriam) and other family members. I am known as her "Granma blo Aussie" - Grandma from Australia! Here is a pic of her and her Mum, Neneth. Unfortunatley Morsen was out of the country when I got there so I missed him but have caught up on Skype and email.

In this pic Kiosha was having her first taste of a strawberry milkshake and she loved it!

In the meantime! I just can't keep up!

2009-05-19T13:14:00.006+08:00

Well such a lot has happened since my holiday in Australia and I just have not had the time to update this blog.

We had a lovely weekend in Muscat with Liz and Mark Stevens. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt - Very POSH! and visited the souk at Mutrah. There is a long story that accompanies this trip but it is one better told over a dinner table! Here are a couple of pics!

We have also been to a wedding on a dhow on Dubai Creek. Sarwat and Nauphael looked divine and it was a truly lovely and befitting celebration for an important occasion. I had a "Shalwar Kameez" made and some of the girls from Sarwat's school came in saris and other eastern dress. It was fun and the food was great and the evening was fabulous. More pics here

We have also had a couple of nice weekends in Dubai and a visit to Abu Dhabi and we are off to a 50th birthday party this weekend and a Ball next weekend. No stopping us really!

Ron is doing his Master's degree through Newcastle Uni. I have been chief research assistant and also helping garth and Neneth with their studies!

When I was back in Australia I also visited Vanuatu to see the YCV people and catch up with some volunteers........YES - I have been busy!

Victoria after the fires

2009-03-03T12:35:00.007+08:00

I left Abu Dhabi last week on my own. Ron has stayed behind to work and I am off to play. Flying from Abu Dhabi to Sydney has become routine and although it is now something I can do without trepidation it is still a very long flight - 14 hours and we race the daybreak to Sydney. It is strange to get on the plane in the morning and also get off in the morning (of the next day) having spent 14 hours somewhere in the twilight between. Usually if I can get about 4-6 hours sleep I can weather the flight quite well, stay awake for the next day and crash back into a routine fairly quickly. This time I just couldn't sleep much at all and spent the whole time watching movies and playing solitairre. On arriving in Sydney I transferred to a later flight to Melbourne, spending about 2 hours at the domestic terminal in Sydney. Arrived Melbourne about 2pm and by the time I reached the hotel I had been travelling and not sleeping for just over 24 hours - however it was only early and I felt I shouldn't sleep till night time so I just kept on till 11pm before crashing completely!

I met up with Nerissa in the afternoon and we sat and chatted and then walked to Chinatown for a lovely dinner and then down to Southbank for a drink and back to the hotel. Nerissa had made all the arrangements and the apartment was perfect. By the time I hit my bed I doubt I could keep my eyes open another minute and I went out like a light till 8.30 the next morning!

You can NOT go to Melbourne without doing some shopping - I believe it is the capital for shopping in Australia...so just one pair of pants and two tops later....and some new swimsuit bits...oh, yes and a nice little cammie.....we stopped for a coffee and headed off to Gippsland where Nerissa lives.

Nerissa drives a very sleek looking Holden Astra convertible - silver with red leather seats - how racey! So we drove out of Melbourne and along the freeway with the top down, until it really got very breezy and a bit cold and we pulled over and raised the lid and cruised on to her home in Churchill.

Churchill was the focal point for some of the devasting fires that swept through Victoria last month. They lost over 200 buildings in the area and 11 people were killed. It is a frightening reminder of just how dreadful Aussie bushfires can be. The fires in Churchill were deliberatley lit and this makes it all the more nasty. Nerissa lives in a perfectly gorgeous cedar log cabin style home and after evacuating for four days she was so pleased to see it still standing on her return after the fires. Many of her neighbours were not so lucky and within about 50 metres of her home you can see the evidence of fire - 100 metres away there is total destruction. I think whatever God you believe in had his eye on their property and blessed them.

So I am spending some time with Nerissa, Chris and Leigh - very leisurely and just today the weather is cooler and a light rain has been falling. Tomorow we set off for Sydney with a slow drive along the coast............I like being on holidays - here are some photos from the fires, you can see just how much they destroyed. If you look closely you can see a house that was burned down on the hill... Nerissa says it was a white stone house and it really looks like it is out in the open - the grassfire was really intense. Look at the bottom of the trees and you can see the ash that is now a carpet - this area had lots of undergrowth and it has just disintegrated.

Last, lucky last..... lovely Lisbon

2009-02-23T17:10:00.007+08:00

The holiday is now fading into oblivion and I have to get this finished before I head off on my next adventure which is to Australia in just a couple of days.

We have never been to Portugal and I have to admit I really thought it would be not much of much at all. Well I was in for a delightful surprise. I am not bilingual and I find languages difficult when travelling. Although I know a bit of French I get lost in conversation almost immediately...I am happy to read a few brochures and attempt a translation and I find I am really pretty good at it - my French vocab is quite broad, as long as I am reading it. I have no facility for language recall to construct sentences. My mind is not as quick when trying to interpret a conversation and sometimes the accents just stump me. So travelling in many places in Europe including Italy, France and Spain I have found myself struggling with conversation and very thankful when someone turns up who can either understand my very elementary attempts at their language or, better still, just speaks English. Please don't think I believe everyone should speak English, I find languages fascinating and just wonderful to listen to people chattering away in what to me is unintelligible nonsense. I am so envious of people who have learned a couple of languages when they were young and now have the facility to pick up, think in and speak another language.

So why am I going on about language! Well in Portugal (and Lisbon in particular) the locals seem to be very well versed in English with most speaking and understanding a few words and everyone we met very keen to have a go and try to communicate with us. Waiters, taxi, bus, tram and train drivers, hotel staff, museum staff, and just people in the streets were really happy to answer our questions and to try and speak to us in our language. I have to say it just made travelling so much nicer for us and also a lot easier. People in Portugal were very friendly and accommodating.

Lisbon is a gorgeous old city with many new parts that have developed over the years. The centre of the town has some fabulous attractions which can all be seen on a few trips with the city's sightseeing tours. There are three ways of travelling around and doing the sightseeing tours. You can hop a tram which will wind it's way through streets that a bus would have huge difficulty negotiating. A good walking tour would be possible in slightly more clement weather than we had. And there is a BIG RED BUS! The red bus does 2 or 3 different tours, the tram does a couple around the city and you could walk for miles on a nice day, especially along the river. The little streets and alleyways of the older part of the town, particularly down near the Tegus River are still as they were many years ago with their tiled facades and picture windows with flowerpots. There are enough churches to keep the avid church goer in a fresh place of worship every Sunday of the year! I have collaged some photos from Lisbon but our stay was too short and the weather too bad to do Lisbon justice.

So what did we do? Well we spent a lot of time on the sightseeing tours because you could see from the bus/tram and not be too exposed to the weather. We got wet walking the streets of the old part of the town and we visited the World Expo site. We also went to Fado Club to hear some delightful music. We bought a tricky little cap in a shopping centre to keep the rain off my glasses, and one for Brian Minns (our housesitter) to keep him warm in Scotland! And when it was just too wet to do anything the Australian Open was being broadcast on the telly so we just put our feet up and watched the tennis.

And we found the heart and soul of Portugal - well I think it is anyway - it is called Fado music. Please, if you have any soul or if you like music in any of it's forms, acquaint yourself with Fado. Where the Spanish have flamenco with it's gorgeous dancing and guitars, the Portguese have this divine lilting music, often accompanied by solo or duet in voice, and a few guitars as well. I immediately fell in love with it and found I could just sit mesmerised by it for hours.

Algeciras, Seville, Jerez and Cadiz.....Spain

2009-02-15T18:15:00.004+08:00

We stepped off the ferry in Algeciras at about 5pm and headed from the wharves towards the town. We had our backpacks firmly insitu and we were feeling like teenagers off exploring the world - not a care in sight! We had decided our time in Algeciras had to be cut short due to the long ferry ride and we needed to start heading to Seville. We found the bus station and purchased tickets for the bus at 7 pm - express to Seville. As it was only 5pm we thought we would find a bite to eat and log on at an internet cafe to book our accommodation in Seville. Our estimated time of arrival was to be 10pm. There was a nice little kebab bar near the bus station and he told us where the internet cafe was. We checked email and the inevitable Facebook, ate a kebab, booked into a hotel and headed back to the bus station to catch our bus in plenty of time - it was about 6.30. So we sat at the bus station and bought a cup of coffee and watched platform 22 to see when the bus would come in. Well we sat and sat and thought the bus was late. Ron went to ask if there had been a delay.........no delay........the bus had already gone and we had neglected to check time zones - we had gone forward an hour and had not changed our watches! The girl in the ticket booth looked at Ron like he was a dim witted idiot and issued tickets for the next bus at 9 pm! We had not thought for a minute about the time difference! I wonder how many others have made this mistake - C'mon fess up...let us know!

So now we arrive in Seville at midnight. There are no taxis at the bus station. There are no busses at the bus station (other than the one we got off) and we have no idea where our hotel is! We trudged off into the streets nearby to see if we could hail a passing cab. After a while one came along and we hopped in and were taken to the most gorgeous little boutique hotel in the old part of Seville - lovely room, lovely courtyard, lovely bathroom, lovely bed, deep sleep!

We have now become Big Red bus junkies and first thing we asked at reception was whether there was one in Seville - sure enough there was and it stopped about a kilometre's walk away from us. Off we went to find the stop. The walk took us along the river which is a lovely pictuesque stroll - rowing boats, people walking, jogging and pushing prams: skateboards and rollerskates, bikes and scooters; and the steady hum of the morning traffic. Once on the bus we did a full circuit of Seville and picked out the places we wanted to return to, namely Triana and the Plaza de Spana, El Arenal Flamenco Club and the Museum of Fine Arts.

Alighting from the bus we walked across the river to the area known as Triana and went in search of Tapas and a glass of good Spanish wine. Well the Spaniards are used to the odd tourist or two. The Brits flock here in summer. We were taken into a cafe with the promise of tapas and wine. They served up enough seafood tapas for half of Britain (if they had been there) and we had the best wine we had enjoyed on the trip so far! It was delightful walking the streets of Seville on a Sunday with all the locals out drinking coffee and children playing about. We visited the Museum of Fine Arts which was spectacular - see photos on our website - and then returned to the hotel to prepare to go to the Flamenco Club - El Arenal. It was very traditional flamenco and we had front row seats. The tapas was very tasty and the sangria was my choice for a drink.

The following day we hired a car and went to Jerez, the home of Sherry, and cadiz, an island on the southern coast of Spain. The Spaniards seem to sip sherry at any time of day and I have to agree it is a nice tipple! Once again the hiring of the car had to do with the weather and we had a pretty wet day for our drive to Jerez and Cadiz - not many photos I am afraid. However there were dry patches as we went through the countryside and once again it was just nice to sit and relax in a warm car and take note of the scenery and the daily activity. Spain is as fascinating historically as many of the places we visited in Europe on other tours. Names are dropped like Columbus, Vespucci and Cortes. It would take a month or more in any of these towns to learn about the history and soak up all the stories.

On returning to Seville we stopped in at the Plaza de Spana (see photos) and booked the bus for our last leg of the trip - to Lisbon in Portugal. We will revisit Spain if we get the chance. In fact we would love to have another 100 years to live so we can visit all the places we have been over again and really get to know them - ah! but this is the tragedy of being a tourist and not being able to live everywhere, though we are giving it a go!

On to Tanger and the Mediterranean coast

2009-02-11T19:24:00.006+08:00

It was another fairly bleak day as we set out on our trip north to Tanger so we were thankful to be in the car with the aircon and protected from the weather. We will return to Fes - there was a lot to see and do that we were just not able to enjoy due to the very bad weather conditions. We stopped by the old city on our way out of town to see if the weather had cleared enough to park the car and wander off into the souks and see the tanneries, but alas Allah had decided that Fes needed water that day and he was pouring it down in bucket loads! So we stayed in the car and set our compass (because we couldn't see much through the rain) towards the Mediterranean. We enjoy car travel and it allows us to stop when we like or to slow down and observe things we might otherwise not see on the train or a bus.

As we drove we came into (and out of) good weather along the way - so we did get to admire the countryside, the villages and the spectacular scenery of northern Morocco. Steep snow capped mountains, beautiful green valleys, flocks of sheep with the ever present shepherds, people going to markets with produce and coming home with supplies, suicidal taxi drivers who were in a race from village to village (usually in a Mercedes sedan from the 70's), women carrying huge baskets of sticks (presumably firewood) struggling along the road, children playing soccer and walking along the roads to and from school. It is a colourful country and the population is spread evenly across the land once you have left the big cities. There were a lot of abandoned buildings that stood testament to urban drift and many of the buildings people were living in appeared to be poorly constructed and serviced. I don't think rural life in Morocco is as prosperous as it may have been in years gone by. We noted the avenues of grapevines in some areas and wondered if the poor grapes from those vineyards were the ones that were destined to be tortured into Moroccan wine.

As we approached Tanger the traffic became quite heavy and it is amazing how quickly you find yourself in another set of city streets with traffic lights and mad drivers and only then do you realise how much you can contribute to this confusion by not knowing where you are going. Our compass was still set to find the sea so we just kept going until we saw a sign to the port area and decided to follow it. There is a lovely seaside boulevarde in Tanger, lined with hotels and cafes, a long promenade for walking and a huge beach area where there were horses exercising. We decided it would be nice to stay in a really lovely hotel called the Rif and Spa. It is built with all the features that we had come to know as a Morrocan style and it was lovely - I can recommend it as a great place to stay in Tanger, even if a little expensive. Previous guests have included Winston Churchill and Elizabeth Taylor, so I can only guess that at one time it was a very flashy place! I think Tanger must have had a real heyday in the 50's and 60's but it is struggling to maintain it's grandeur now and development appears to be occuring very slowly. Apparently it is a great holiday destination for the British - there were quite a few of them about despite the cold weather and the staff at the hotel said they arrive in droves with the summer warmth, much like the flies do (and they chuckled about that!). I can imagine it would be lovely in the summer and the city is certainly geared for tourists with discos and bars and numerous restaurants.

We took a drive out along the Mediterranean Coast, also known as the Moroccan Riviera, had lunch at the Sofitel which had a really nice art exhibition on at the time, the work of a local artist mostly in oil and some acrylics. The coast has been set up as a holiday destination and there are a number of small towns, large hotels and tourist attractions like water parks and amusement centres. There are also lots of opportunites for purchasing Moroccan pottery and other handicrafts. Pity we only had the backpacks - I could have bought a suitcase full of them!

And then it was time to leave Morocco. We packed up the trusty backpacks, handed back the car and headed for the pier at about 10 am for the midday ferry. Once again a cold raining and miserable day and hoping for better weather on the 'other side' of the Straits of Gibraltar. To give an indication of the weather the fast ferry we were about to board was cancelled - weather too rough for the crossing. So we were redirected, after running all around the docks in the rain and changing our booking, to the car ferry that was being loaded and should "leave soon". Well it didn't leave soon at all and we spent about 3 hours watching the ferry being unloaded and loaded with lorries and cars. It was actually quite fascinating and we could not believe how much came out of the ferry and then how much they managed to put back into it again! The most amazing part was the traffic management - people, cars, lorries, campervans, little towing tractors, forklifts and motorbikes went scurrying in every direction and there seemed to be just one guy telling them all what to do - mania on wheels it was........but fun to watch. Small children (and big kids too) would have been amused for hours.

We finally made the crossing to Algericas arriving there at about 6 pm - 5pm Morocco time - and THAT is another story. Let's just get this blog up first and maybe early next week you will hear the tale of the time in Algericas!

Check out the photos on www.picasaweb.google.com/cherylandron If I am ever going to get this done I just have to leave photos out!

Fes, Meknes, Azbrou........and SNOW!

2009-02-05T20:13:00.006+08:00

The trip from Marrakesh to Fes by train took eight hours because we had to return via Casablanca, and the train was running about an hour late by the time we reached Fes. Eight hours is a long time to not go to the toilet! However the trip was pleasant enough and we shared our compartment for most of the way with four women who got onto the train on the outskirts of Marrakesh. One of the younger women spoke a small amount of English and we exchanged a few words but exhausted those fairly quickly, so we read and snoozed and time passed slowly. About half way between Casablanca and Fes a man joined us and he spoke good English and in fact became quite chatty. He was employed by the Ministry of Tourism and he was keen to help us to have a great time in Fes, which he claimed was the best city to visit in Morocco. We chatted away with him (I think his name was Youseff) and he told us all the things we should see and what we should do in Fes.

After being on the move for quite a few days, and getting all the lowdown on what to see and do, we decided to stay in Fes for two nights. The first night, after the long train trip, we wandered the city and just took in the atmosphere. Fes has a rather grand boulevard that runs the length of the city and is very festively decorated. Despite the cold and occasional rain people were out in the streets in vast numbers. It was lovely just to feel like you were part of it all.

Youseff had told us to visit the old city and the Medina, but we were sort of all over the old cities and Medinas by then and didn’t fancy getting lost in another labyrinth of souks! So we decided to hire a car and head off into the countryside the next day. Youseff had also suggested we should visit some of the small towns in the Atlas Mountains – so that was the mission. He had mentioned Meknes as it is in the winegrowing region and Ron had told him of his interest in Moroccan wines – we were ever hopeful we would eventually find a good one! So we plotted a course that took us in a large triangle out of Fes to Azbrou to the southeast and then across to Meknes, which is south west of Fes, and then back into Fes. We planned on having a late lunch in Meknes and giving Moroccan wine another go.

Well what a day this turned out to be. After a hilarious start trying to find our way out of Fes with the help of a few roadside tourist guides (people we stopped to ask who could not understand us – or we could not understand their directions!) we eventually hit the road to Azbrou. In fact once out of Fes it was very well signposted and we had no trouble finding our way. We drove along and saw some great examples of country life, little villages and people going about their business. A few towns we drove through had markets that day which meant there were sheep and goats on the road and people moving about with produce for sale and shoppers with big bags of stuff headed for home. We just love observing the everyday goings on and seeing how people live their life in these strange and wonderful places.

The road kept climbing and we noticed the temperature dropping on the “incar thermometer”. The countryside started to change and vegetation became sparse and rain began to fall…..and then it was sleet….and then it was SNOW! The temperature had dropped to 1 degree and the windscreen was fogging up and we were finding it more difficult to see out. The scenery became totally white and we were in a downpour of snow. Now snow was the one thing I definitely had NOT expected to see in Morocco. After an hour or so of very careful driving we came into the town of Ifrane where we stopped for a coffee and a warm up at a roadside cafe. It was still sleeting and it was so cold I couldn’t believe it! On to Azbrou where once again it was raining and freezing cold so we decided to stay in the car and just keep going to Meknes. The Moroccan countryside is spectacular. We had expected desert but were really pleasantly surprised with rolling green hills that reminded me of New Zealand and the south coast of New South Wales in Australia. I would like to go back to the area around Fes and to Fes itself. We didn’t stay there long enough to do it justice! We didn’t see the tanneries and dye shops where they tan and die leather – and apparently they are an absolute must.

Meknes is an ancient town and has a wealth of history to be explored – but not on a cold rainy day verging on snowing! So we went to the Atlas Hotel and had a lovely lunch – Harira Soup. Now I have to say this is just a sensational soup and I am going to search the net to get a recipe. I believe it is a Moroccan Wedding Soup but is also used as a hearty winter warming brew and in Ramadan for breaking fast at the end of the day. It is spicy and hot and yet sweet and full of veges – YUM! It really warmed us up after our freezing morning drive. Meknes was another reason to return to Fes for another holiday one day. Oh and we did find a bottle of Moroccan wine which we drank half of and took back to the hotel thinking we might drink the other half ….. well it wasn’t that good and so it met a draining end!

It is really scary when foreign police pull you over – you just know you must look like a criminal to them – they all do to us! So we were pleasantly surprised when the nice men in blue from Morocco were really convivial and happy to wave us on and wish us a good day at the three places we were pulled over. Ron was pretty naughty and crossed an unbroken line and they still greeted us nicely – warned him not to do it again – and waved us on the way!

We wended our way back to Fes and decided after our big adventure we would treat ourselves to a nice meal at one of the good hotels in town, and maybe a nice bottle of (not) Moroccan wine! After another disappointing venture into the subtleties of Moroccan wine I was drinking a Martini and Ron had found a ‘reasonable by Moroccan standards’ red to wash down a pretty ordinary meal. It really is better to forego the alcohol and eat local!

Fes has a number of fabulous things to see and do but we are now feeling the pressure of our timetable and the need to head further north in order to make it to Spain and Portugal in the timeframe for this holiday. The weather is not really tourist weather and although we were rugged up it is not so much fun in the rain…….and we think that further north there is more cold and rain………why did we decide to do this part of the world now – well the answer is simple – we might not get the chance again – so make the most of it!

Marrakech Express……… “all aboard the train……”

2009-02-02T21:25:00.006+08:00

I can’t think of Marrakech and not think of the song – Marrakesh Express. So – of course – we caught the Marrakech Express from Casablanca. Trains in Morocco are reliable, clean and efficient transport and the people you meet are friendly – though the toilets need to be avoided at all costs! Our little compartment would fit 8 but we travelled with 5 most of the way and had plenty of room. We met a merchant from Marrakech, Aziz, who owned a carpet and artisans shop in the souk behind the Medina in the Old City. Now there is a theme developing here – there is always a Medina and they are usually in the Old City. A Medina is like a town square but probably more. The Medina is a seething mass of humanity late in the afternoons and into the night when people meet to chat, eat and entertain themselves as well as pick up their local produce, bread, spices etc. The goods are very well priced and so you will see the local working people come to the Medina to shop, rather than the shopping malls and stores. However you have to have magnificent bargaining skills and if you look western in any way you just resign yourself to paying double what the locals do (at a minimum) and still getting a bargain! The Medina in Marrakech is legendary in Morocco. The people start to gather in the afternoons and there are snake charmers, troubadours, actors, athletes, belly dancers, poets, jugglers and more setting up to attract the money of people passing by. It is an atmosphere where you can easily be sucked into the crowd and surrounded in a flash – SO – Aziz warned us to stash all valuables (or leave them at the hotel) as thieves use this environment to quickly relieve unsuspecting tourists of anything they have that is valuable and not attached, or carefully hidden in a trusty money pouch under a few layers of clothing. Aziz suggested visiting one of the many restaurants around the medina where you can climb to the balconies on the first floor and survey the action from a safe distance while you have a coffee and some delightful Moroccan pastries, a tagine or one of many other tasty dishes. We stopped in at the Argan Café which was just around the corner from the main entrance to the souks. If you want to sit on the first floor balcony where you can see everything happening you have to buy a meal. We had already eaten lunch so we were relegated to the second floor where they serve coffee and pastries. We watched the sun go down and the Medina came to life before our eyes. After coffee and pastries we decided to find Aziz’s shop in the souks – he had provided a map and we did find it, however Aziz was not in and we wandered off to explore the alleyways. Once inside this area you could be lost for hours – and we were. We had no idea where we had wandered to and had to ask several people for directions to find our way out. We would get so far and argue about which way next and have to ask someone else. At one stage I thought “OMG I am never going to get out of here”. Ron’s sense of direction is hopeless and I had lost my way and had no landmarks ……… not good at about 8 pm and getting busier and hungrier! We did eventually get out and found our way to a lovely restaurant on one of the main roads where we met up with another Aussie couple from Adelaide. There are Aussies everywhere! Another spectacular Moroccan style feast and some VERY ORDINARY Moroccan wine. Ron says Moroccan wine may not be the worst wine in the world but I have yet to be convinced. I think Ron succeeded in finding a mildly palatable red, well at least drinkable, but I could not find a suitably tasty white. I reckon you would have to be desperate for a drink to stoop to Moroccan white wine. Just as well I have a taste for vermouth – I could usually find a Martini Bianco – perish the thought of abstinence. Many Moroccan waiters tried very hard to get us to drink their wine and we are suckers for a good story and lived in hope of finding something palatable – Yes, I guess we are just suckers really – many dirhams down the drain and Ron is drinking beer and I am on the Martinis!

Here is a collage of photos from Marrakech - and then we went to Fes..........

Casual in Casablanca

2009-02-02T17:52:00.012+08:00

The ‘winter’ semester break started on the 15^th January and this just happened to coincide with Cheryl’s resignation from the UAE University. For a number of years we have been saying our European tour of 2004 was incomplete because we didn’t get to Spain. We just didn’t have the time and the original tour had exhausted the coffers. (In other words we had extended the mortgage to the equivalent of the GDP of a small nation!) So we had promised ourselves a return to Spain for many years. The travel director was on the case late last year and deals were struck to use up our frequent flyers with Etihad and head to Spain. Now unfortunately Etihad doesn’t fly to Spain directly and that meant searching for some creative flying patterns. We decided on Abu Dhabi to Casablanca, overland across Morocco, pick up a ferry somewhere in the north of Morocco to Spain and then to find an airline that would get us back to Morocco on time to fly back to Abu Dhabi by the 30^th January – the trip would take 12 days in all. One option was to include Portugal and to fly back to Casablanca from Lisbon in order to return to Abu Dhabi. So that was how the plan fell into place.

We arrived in Casablanca in the early morning after flying overnight from the UAE. Petit Taxis are the main form of transport within the city. I am sure (and this picture supports me) that they keep the taxis going by taking one part of of one and putting it in another! These tiny taxis were very cute, quite cramped for someone who is 6"4", but very efficient!

Our hotel – the JM Suites – was located within walking distance of the old town and Medina, the souks and the Hassan II Mosque. So after checking in and dropping off the bags (we were so proud of ourselves – backpacks with a COMBINED weight of 13 kg between us!) we headed off on foot to see what Casablanca had to offer. We were not disappointed and the rounding of every corner provided a new and different experience.

One of the first things we noticed was that people (and mostly the men) wore a garment called a ‘jalaba’. This is a garb that may be of any colour and some are patterned with stripes and checks. When the jalaba is worn with the hood up it creates the impression of an elf – or a wizard – depending on how tall the wearer is! The lower part is a gown similar to the khandora or dish-dash of the UAE. The upper part is a hood that stands up like a pixie cap. However it is common clothing for Morocco and is so typical that it can be seen in all Moroccan towns we visited. I think they were made of wool, possibly woven from goat or sheep, and they appeared to be waterproof and warm. Ron could not be convinced to buy one – we had to remember our pact on backpacks and no extra luggage!

We were wandering through the souk close to the old city and there were some very interesting stalls with shoes, spices, herbs, meat, lighting, clothing and all manner of items displayed on tables or hanging on walls. We met a man called Achmed who was charming and took us to many of the stalls and told us about what they were selling. He gave us directions to get out of the souks (thank heavens because we would have been totally lost!) and to follow the wall to the grand mosque of Casablanca – the Hassan II mosque. He also convinced Ron to buy some magic snake oil (just joking) and of course we feel he had an interest in being so friendly – but we also know that we benefitted fabulously from his advice and guidance and his charm. (Yes Wynne – we were probably swindled/ hoaxed … but we were happy to have the company and we didn’t feel too put on!)

After wandering the souks of the old town we headed for the Hassan II mosque which is located on the seafront. It is a magnificent building. Many of the mosques we have visited are beautiful, and their beauty usually lies in the tranquility and sanctity of them. The decorative tiles and carved finials, gates, entrance ways and etc. are spectacular at this mosque. In fact the mosque that is just near our place in Al Ain is built in the same style and has many of the same tiling features and decorative stonework.

A highlight for us in Casablanca was the Al Mounia Restaurant. It is a Moroccan restaurant that specialises in Moroccan cuisine. We both had tagines that were spectacular accompanied by Moroccan style salads and side dishes of olives and pickles. I am absolutely won over to tagine style cooking!

We enjoyed Casa but I have to say Morocco had lots more to offer and Casablanca was not the best of it for us…………..next is Marrakesh…………

Reflections on the UAE – Part two – Accommodation

2009-01-04T14:38:00.008+08:00

Before coming to the UAE we had received a notice from the people at GEMS identifying the basics we would be provided for our accommodation here – and in truth we were only promised some VERY basic provisions – and a one bedroom apartment. Somebody at GEMS had developed a Spartan list and so our expectations were not so high – the list was quite definite, down to how many teaspoons to expect!

We spent the first 3 weeks living in the Grand Flamingo Hotel in Abu Dhabi – a dry hotel without a swimming pool or any recreation areas. I spent most of the day in the room in the hotel watching movies on television, writing letters and postcards and waiting for Ron to return from work so we could venture out on to the streets. It was August and the temperatures were around 50 degrees so I was not often tempted to go much further than the internet café across the road from the hotel during the day. We filled our evenings with exploring the city, the restaurants, the malls, the parks and gardens, the Cultural Centre, and in fact there are quite a lot of lovely things to do in Abu Dhabi.

Ron bussed it to work each day which added about 3.5 hours to the work day for him and the rest of the Al Ain crew. He was really looking forward to moving up to Al Ain as soon as possible. He came back each day telling me something else he had noticed about Al Ain and about the general feeling of the school and the town. He was not shown our accommodation as it was not yet finished and ready to move into.

Now I have to say after being volunteers in Vanuatu and living in Port Vila we were not the fussiest of people. We had lived in a very old town house (70s built) in Port Vila and I think the furniture had been in the town house since the day it was built and it was grotty and rickety. We had put in quite some effort to have the furniture repaired and reupholstered and new curtains made and had bargained hard with the owner to get these things done – mostly at our cost! So arriving in our apartment in Al Ain was a much anticipated event – and we would really have settled for much less.
Our apartments are brand new – only just finished the week we moved in. There are 10 apartments in the block and 9 of those are SIP apartments. We have neighbours from Ron’s team and also from the girl’s school. We were allocated a delightful 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a combined lounge dining area. There is a reasonable size kitchen and an extra room designated as a ‘maid’s room’ – though how anyone could live in something so tiny really bemuses me – so we use it as a storage room.

Our apartment was furnished with brand new couches, dining table and chairs, TV and sideboard, beds, fridge/freezer, washing machine, wardrobes and dressers and the kitchen had some basic necessities – kettle, cutlery, a 4 setting dinner set, a couple of saucepans, a wooden spoon…really just some VERY basic items. We were also supplied with a vacuum cleaner. We were in fact quite happy and set about augmenting what we were supplied with by hunting through the home shops and supermarkets to set up home. A home is something rather personal and I was very happy to be adding the personal touch to our new home. There was a flurry of activity to get some rugs for the floor and some linen for the beds, extra kitchen equipment and decorative items. I have to say IKEA did very well out of us and our home could almost pass for an IKEA brochure page! But we are very happy and quite comfortable. Just the other day I looked around the apartment and commented to Ron – “We arrived here with 2 suitcases – where did all this stuff come from!” I won't tell you what his response was but I believe he thinks I might be responsible for all the things we have accumulated!

When it comes time for us to move on we will have a big garage sale and move on to the next appointment with a couple of suitcases – and I guess we will do it all over again. The community in Vanuatu benefitted greatly from our rampant consumerism and the community here will also. Our attitude is that it is all just stuff – stuff that has made our life comfortable, memories from trips we have made to different countries and objects of art we will keep to tell our grandchildren (I live in hope!) about in the future.

Our accommodation was as much as we needed – a bedroom for us and one for guests that might come along - it was more than we had banked on. We have lived very comfortably and the people who have visited us have commented on the homeliness of the apartment. I have watched as the newer people in the contract have arrived and most have been very satisfied with their allocation. There are always some who expect far more than reasonable and they are the people whose cup is always half empty. Here are some pics of our home – you can see for yourself it is adequate and comfortable. We are grateful and very happy!

Reflections on the UAE – Part One – Friendships

2009-01-03T15:10:00.004+08:00

I write this entry for people who look to this blog to make decisions about coming to the UAE and just how they might fit into the community here and meet people and form friendships. Many of the new people at Ron’s work have said this blog was a great source of information to them – so I would like to consolidate that information in segments about friends, work, accommodation, the community, and anything else I think may be helpful.

My experience will not be the same as everyone’s of course. I tell it also in a positive light because that is who I am – I don’t often indulge in negativity – my cup is never empty or even half empty – it is full, not even half full. My life is what I make it and I am putting full effort into making it fun and adventure. I make no apologies for this!

After arriving here in Al Ain I met up with a few people and started doing the ‘trailing spouse’ thing. That is what they call the wives or husbands who come to support their other half who is ‘gainfully’ employed. There are many women, and quite possibly a lot of men (though I didn’t meet more than one or two), who arrive in country with their partners who are employed. Some people make a life out of being a trailing spouse and I decided that I would give it a go. I had glamorous notions of sipping cocktails endlessly by the pool!

I met some lovely women – Moraig, Ivett, Lesley, Grace….and many others, in the first few weeks I was here. Moraig had started a thread called ‘Living in Al Ain’ on the British Expats website. I found it when I was still in Vanuatu and started corresponding with her before arriving here. We met for coffee and talked about any attractions that were about the place and also visited a few. We introduced our husbands to each other and met at night in the international hotels for dinner and drinks and events. We had parties and dinners in our homes. We drove to Abu Dhabi and to Dubai. We shopped to fit out our apartments and villas and we really ‘gelled’ as a group. Moraig and I have gone on to be the closest of friends. There are some people you meet that you know are destined to be in your life forever. This in no way devalues other friendships – it is just that some will always be very special, and I am blessed with a few very special, close and very dear friends.

Once you meet one group of people the network starts to expand and I have to say my friend Moraig is a master of this art! She met people on line and in the malls; she lived at one of the hotels so she met people in the gym, the bar, the restaurants – and really just anywhere. She was a real lynchpin for people interacting socially. Through Moraig I was to meet some really lovely people who have saved our sanity on many occasions. We now have a close and very special group that we share a lot of time with and who contribute so much to our peace and stability here. Moraig and her husband Brian, Mark and Lizzie, Gail and Peter, Grace and Richard…..and more…must know just how much we enjoy their company and I think we will be in touch for many a year to come.

Some weeks later the SIP team recruited a woman from Victoria to manage the girl’s school team. Nerissa arrived the day after my birthday and moved in to the apartment downstairs. Within minutes of meeting Nerissa we were chatting like old mates from school. She was living on her own, her husband had chosen not to trail her across the globe! It didn’t take long for us to establish a lot of common ground and interests and we have spent hours chewing the fat, diagnosing the world’s problems, discussing management strategies for her work and Ron’s, and laughing our way through some very good and very funny times. Her team of consultants also live in the same building as us so there was always the opportunity to swap a story, catch up on some news and provide support to people who were stressed, stretched or feeling the effects of culture shock! Nerissa is also a pretty good networker and through her we met a few gems – including Gary and Suzanne Bluff – Aussies who have lived here for years and wonderful people.

Reality set in after a few weeks of swanning around the countryside drinking coffee and cocktails! I have always been a working woman! I craved the challenges that only work can provide. I had joined a choir (God knows I am no singer and now the rest of the world does!) – it was a strategy to meet new people. One of the ladies at the choir became my employer and subsequently another good friend – Sheila was the Acting Director of Human Resources at UAE University and she encouraged me to apply for a job that she thought I was most suited for – Manager of Professional Development and Learning at UAEU. Now I am going to leave my discourse about work to another entry – the focus here is friendship. Sheila and I became great coworkers and also good friends. She has returned to Canada now and is working at the College of the Rockies, Cranbrook Campus in British Columbia. We are now email friends and we ‘speak’ to each other every few weeks. I am sure we will meet up again in a time in the future.

Well Sheila was right – the job was written for me and I was successful in getting appointed to it. Now I was exposed to many people from a range of cultures, both local and expatriate. There are some that stand out more than others but I have to say this work environment was really good. I was able to make a huge impact on staff development, I connected with many people who showed warmth and friendship and who welcomed me to their offices and I engaged with people who were both expert at their jobs and willing to help me with mine. A few friends really stand out – Heba from UITS, Najwa from the Secretary General’s office, Susan from recruitment in HR, Khaled who worked with me for 6 months, all the people in HR and mostly Mostafa who ended up being the backbone of the Staff Development Unit. I am leaving the university soon – just because I can and I didn’t come here to make a career or to work too hard. I have made a significant contribution, I am happy with that and now my life and interests will take me somewhere else to meet more new people and do more interesting things.

Ron’s work has also contributed to our friendships. When we first arrived in Al Ain the SIP Team consisted of about 12 people – Ron’s school and Nerissa’s school. Now there are about another 80 people in Al Ain who are members of the SIP team. It is impossible to have a personal relationship with everyone of them. Friendships are about sharing common interests and enjoying each other’s company – so having a choice of another 80 people to while away the time with has been fun. Also there are the groups from Abu Dhabi – and we have spent quite some time back and forth and enjoying their company too. It would not be fair to single out too many people from this group – let’s just say there are many that we are happy to pass the time of day with, share a glass of wine and even party hard with – New Year’s Eve was a hoot!

This experience in friendship has been a most positive one. I have had a great time, met many wonderful, interesting and warm people. My life has certainly been enriched by these friendships and though some will fall off the radar eventually, some will be lifelong friendships that I will value and cherish for many years. So if you can adopt a positive approach, seek out people and welcome them with open arms and leave judgments aside – go ahead take the challenge, move to another country – this one or some other – you will never regret the move!

New Years Eve 2008 - 2009

2009-01-01T19:48:00.001+08:00

What a hoot we had last night up on the roof! We had a NYE party and everyone had to dress in the era of the year they were born in. Needless to say there were a lot of fifties rockers - but there were also reps from the glamorous 60's, 70's and 80's as well. What a great night!

Christmas in Al Ain

2008-12-26T20:09:00.004+08:00

We spent Christmas at home in Al Ain this year. It had a pretty rough start with Ron being doubled over in pain and having to be admitted to hospital. Apparantly he had a kidney stone/s and it caused him excritiating pain for a few hours late on Christmas Eve and early into Christmas morning. So at 1 am we found ourselves on the way to the hospital through a very thick fog! A few hours later and after an injection for his pain we were sent home with instructions to follow up in the morning! So the better part of Christmas Day was spent in thehospital having tests done. Anyway the stone must have decided to dissolve, move or explode (!) and by the evening Ron was in fine form to go to Christmas dinner at gail and Peter Mapham's house.

We had a terrific night with them and Mark and Liz Steven's, Tracy and David Davies and our dear friend Brian Minns. The photos show us all enjoying ourselves - and a fabulous dinner!

Ulusaba - The Big Five - Fabulous!

2008-12-19T23:46:00.011+08:00

After spending our few days in Capetown we rose at 4am to set off on our trip to Ulusaba. Early morning flight out of Capetown to Johannesburg and a transfer to a small plane to take us out to the game reserves that sit next to the Kruger National Park. The reserves used to be fenced from the Kruger but now it is one large open area that allows the animals to pass freely and wander all around the reserves and the Kruger National Park. Ulusaba is owned by Richard Branson. Now we all know that name is linked with adventure and fun – so we were really looking forward to an interesting and adventurous 3 days. We were not disappointed – Ulusaba could not possibly disappoint even the most discerning traveler – it is heaven with staff!

On arrival we were met by some guys from Ulusaba who greeted us with a bottle of champagne and asked us to sit and take it easy while they prepared our transport to the Rock Lodge. The lodge is where we are staying and it is perched high on a kopje above the plains with spectacular views across waterholes and bush, over looking the other part of the resort – the Safari Lodge, which is located on the edge of a small waterway leading to a dam with hippopotamus and crocodile in residence!

The views were gobsmacking! We spent some time on a tour of the lodge – beautifully fitted out in true safari style, just like you see in the movies! The staff all came up and introduced themselves personally to us, with a handshake and a welcoming smile from everyone. They remembered our names the whole time we were there and addressed us by them at all times – of course we had difficulty remembering all of theirs! The service was nothing short of spectacular and every little thing was no trouble at all.

We had booked 3 days of ‘full board’ which we expected would cover our room and meals and tours etc. We were pleasantly surprised to find this also covered all our alcoholic drinks, laundry (though we didn’t need to use it), internet, sunscreen, insect repellent, and generally all facilities other than the health and beauty spa. The food was gourmet, the wine excellent. We even had our own private wine tasting from Sir Rick's cellar. We locked our wallets in a safe and never had to put a hand in our pockets for a thing. Here are some pics from around Rock Lodge. If you go to our album website at www.picasaweb.google.com/cherylandron you will see more photos of this fabulous place and a couple of short movies.

Of course you go ‘on safari’ to see wild animals – and mostly particularly the Big Five – elephant, lion, water buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros. We were not disappointed and were stunned and amazed that the animals can be seen at such close quarters. We had lions and leopards within a few metres of us. The elephants actually came right up to the transport. Here are our best photos of the Big Five.

We also saw some other fabulous animals and many of them had their young with them. A zebra that was only a couple of days old, a newborn wildebeest, monkeys, hyena, giraffe……and the list goes on.

One of the highlights was visiting the local village of Justicea. We were greeted by young people and taken around to see various sights and activities in the village. There was traditional dancing, gumboot dancing, some women making maize porridge, a boys choir and a mixed choir. We had a lovely time, though a bit rushed – I would have liked the opportunity to talk to people. It was clear that this is a regular tour occurrence in the village and they had a program to present. All in all, a very special 3 and a half days.

Bridget's very short (too short) holiday

2008-12-17T23:50:00.004+08:00

We have planned and schemed for months for Bridget to come and stay for a holiday. The grand plan was 3 days in Abu Dhabi, 3 days in Al Ain and another 3 days in Dubai. Well I have to say it was an absolute whirlwind holiday and we had a fabulous time. The best bits were the sitting around catching up on friends and family and talking it all over and analysing it all to the tenth degree (as we do!).

We 'did' the Emirates Palace and the Grand Mosque, the malls and shops, some local restaurants, a jazz club and city tours amid the crazy traffic - and that was just the Abu Dhabi bit! On to Al Ain to meet friends and acquaintances and sip wine and visit the (you guessed it) malls, and the souks and the livestock market. All the while chatting and laughing and generally having a great time. On to Dubai for henna tattoos, a dhow cruise, and walking the souks and (once again) the malls. We had a glorious time even though most of it was spent battling the Dubai traffic.

The highlights were the Emirates Palace, The Grand Mosque, the dhow cruise, lazy day at the Hilton with friends, henna tattoos, the textile souk and the waterfront in Dubai and the Madinat at Jumeirah City, a visit to the Atlantis Hotel on the Palm Jumeirah - oh yes and I shouldn't forget the Islamic Arts Institute! The malls were fun but paled into insignificance when compared with all the rest and with numerous bottles of white wine, good food and hours to chat. Photos are on the Picasa site at www.picasaweb.google.com/cherylandron

A few days in South Africa

2008-12-17T00:24:00.005+08:00

One of the nice things about the second half of the calendar year in the UAE is all the short breaks you get!

So this time we decided to go to South Africa. The lovely travel director (Cheryl) organised a fabulous 7 days. 3 in Capetown, 3 in a safari lodge. The lovely Cheryl has also told me that the first 3 days are my job! SO……………..

I loved Capetown ( at least in the summer anyway). We arrived late-ish in the afternoon on Saturday the 6th December. We were met by a driver from the hotel and taken to a gorgeous boutique hotel (The Ambassador) on the west coast of the cape. We came into our room and looked directly over the pool onto the Atlantic Ocean.
For us, who have been starved of sea views and the soothing sound of the shushshussshhhing surf for sooo long, it was delightful. That evening we caught the hotel shuttle into the Capetown waterfront zone. For the Sydney-ite readers, it’s a bit like Darling Harbour, but with a working harbour alongside. Restaurants galore, a few daredevil rides, buskers, lotsa shops and souvenir places etc. we found a nice balcony, ordered our wine and then the food (got the priorities in the right order) and enjoyed the ambience of being able to drink and eat outside, looking at the view and passing parade.

Next morning we did the Capetown tourist things – up to Table Mountain and a red bus tour. Table mountain is over 1000m above the town. You get about 300m high on the road. The rest is walk it (no chance) or cable car. See the photo for an idea of what this is like. Up there it is quite spectacular – like being in a helicopter with a total view of the town – and a bit scary as well – there are no high barriers separating the pathways from the drop – just a few little stone walls.
We again spent the evening in the waterfront area – a lovely restaurant called the Green Dolphin. Good food, good wine, and a jazz band. Sheer bliss!

Day 3 is wine tour day. Cheryl had lined up a private tour and guide. Gail (from Cape Sensations) was a walking encyclopaedia on Capetown and environs and particularly the Stellenbosch area. All in all this day we visited 9 wineries, and tasted at 5. Lunch was at another winery and superb. I’ve been lucky enough to visit most wine areas in Australia, and a few in France. I have to say the Stellenbosch is equal to or better than any of these. The scenery is beautiful – valley views, mountain backdrops, blue sky --- and good wine! My definition of heaven. Another attraction is that the wines are so cheap. A good wine at the cellar doo can cost as little as 40 - 60 ZAR – equal to about $4-6. A top wine can cost as little as 90 – 150 ZAR ($15). Most of the tastings cost a nominal fee – but that was always waived if you bought wine. Brandy is also a popular drink here and a number of wineries produce excellent examples. I indulged myself and bought a 20 year old brandy ( $30!).

And so we returned to the hotel after a fabulous day, and then indulged in yet another delicious meal. By this time the belt is getting a little tight. – and we still have 4 days to go!

And now here's Cheryl to do the bit on the safari at Sir Richard’s place.

A bit more about work

2008-11-26T18:14:00.003+08:00

OK.

I’ve been very lazy in my writing – nothing on the blog since September 22. My mother-in-law and her friends have noticed!!

Hard to actually believe time has passed so quickly. But that’s a bit how things go at times. As when we were “at home” (where’s home these days ????) life gets caught up in the mundane happenings of what has to be done every day. Up for work, shopping, cooking, sleeping, a bit of exercise, visit a few friends and so on. Before you know it the weeks have gone. And there haven’t really been too many momentous events since September. Both our work has gone on as normal.

My challenges with the senior management of the school continue – Will they ever “get it”? ……………….. Sometimes I wonder. ............... But then there are some leaps forward at times too and I mustn't discount them – like the signs that the middle management team (Heads of Department) are really beginning to grow into their role, taking on increasing responsibility and actually making things happen in the school. Last month we had a parent evening in the school. I’d designed it as a curriculum expo type evening. All the departments were asked to put on a display and show what was happening in their departments. And they did. We had science experiments, displays of student work, curriculum books – all much like I’d have “back home” – albeit on a more basic level. And over 120 parents attended. ……… and then the boss was supposed to get a parent council selected/elected. Oh well – 2 steps forward and one step …...............

Still, need to keep focussed on the hits rather than the misses!

Cheryl’s challenges continued at her work as well ……But she can tell you about that some other blog-time!……….

One major happening for us has been the departure of our dear friends Moraig and Brian. They left us mid November to flit back home to NZ and then off to St Petersburg. We have grown very close over the 12 months we’ve known each other. Cheryl actually “met” Moraig before we left Vanuatu – on the net. This has left a significant hole in our life and social calendar for it was rare for us to go more than a week without sharing some kind of outing, dinner or other event with them. However at time of writing the actual location of their new adventure is up in the air again – another victim of the economic situation. Still, part of the wonderful journey of our brief 2 years O/S is that in both Vanuatu and the UAE we have made some friends for life. And with each we have made a pact that we will meet up somewhere in the world every year.

Jenga

2008-09-22T21:10:00.006+08:00

We have found a game that is just great - it is called Jenga. Maths teachers provide reasons for the damn thing falling over! Accounts people try and calculate their way to winning! Primary school teachers think they are back in the classroom! Architects find the structures you can build amazing! Princesses get precious about who is going to win! VW drivers think they can take all the risks they can't on the road! Security people just don't play! Grandmas laugh! The rellies from Qld are simply bemused and befuddled! World travellers have played it in exotic places! .........and we have passed many an hilarious evening having lots of fun with it................

Rain in Al Ain..........rarely

2008-09-22T21:04:00.001+08:00

It is not often we see rain in Al Ain! A few weeks ago - yes time has slipped by - we had an afternoon storm that bought heaps of rain and wind. Our street became awash with water that took about 3 days to evaporate. The children in the street only see real rain (not just a light shower) maybe once or twice a year so they were outside running around in it and standing with their arms in the air trying to drink it. Reminds me of kids I met from the Outback who came to Sydney to see rain for the first time (years ago now!) Here are some photos of an Al Ain Rain storm..........from our bedroom window!

Anywhere else these pictures would be common place!

My work in Al Ain – A reality check?

2008-09-08T19:15:00.000+08:00

A recent anonymous comment on an early blog post “My work in Al Ain” has made me think a little about the work we do and the story that Cheryl and I present here on our blog.

Given my background knowledge about the PPP project initiated by ADEC and carried out by some international private operators, I have found your account too beautiful to be true. There is a lot of unsaid regarding power conflict among all the involved parties, teachers` resistence to change, students` misbehaviour and you name it.
Implementing school reform is not as easy as your blog suggests especially in Sultan Bin Zayed School.

A later comment by the same anonymous person seeks to engage me in discussion about the changes and other philosophical points. So:

Maybe it’s just our inherent positive nature that makes it sound “too beautiful”. This blog is simply our story. It is not, and was never meant to be a forum for debate or philosophical discussion, an incentive for others to follow our footsteps, or a justification of what we do (or what others do) and we have no intention of allowing it to be diverted into such. If others wish to debate this, then let them create their own forum and not invade our story. I say again – this is just our story of our time in the UAE. We could be here, or we could be in Italy, Vanuatu, Africa or Bulgaria, we’d still be writing it. Yes, part of the story relates to the work Cheryl and I do. Most of it relates to other events – call them adventures if you like, we do. We write it for us, our friends and family. If others read it then that is one of the many byproducts of our new communication age and the internet. If they have questions, we’re happy to respond, and have done so on many occasions – just not via the blog.

That said, I do want to make a few things clear. Nowhere have I said that this work of educational reform that the leaders of this country have required be embarked on is easy. All change is difficult – for the change bringer and for those having to change. Resistance is an inherent and very necessary part of the process. It stems from fear of the unknown, need to maintain power relationships, job insecurity, and many other perfectly valid causes. No matter who or where you are, when someone challenges your practices , this can be extremely threatening. We all find it difficult to move out of our comfort zone; more so when job security is seen to be at risk.

In fact I would expect and hope that all members of the education system here, at all levels, do offer resistance, but with good intent and conscience. And we, the de-facto agents of that change, have a duty to listen to those we are working with. For with that resistance, we learn important lessons not only about how we can best support people, but about all those things that need to be preserved. Without this, the result would be a clone of some western education system that would be superficial, culturally inappropriate, and ultimately unsustainable.

And yes, with their eye constantly on the results of their students in the various indicators /exams etc, teachers will be torn between implementing the new teaching practices and calming down the unmotivated disruptive students. Part of our job is to help them manage this and to understand that it isn’t a choice between the two. Good teaching creates good learners and good classrooms. Not easy - no matter if you’re in the developing world or the developed world – East or West.

And that is all I have to say on that in this blog.

Dear Anonymous,

if you want to further this discussion, then step out from behind the mask and create your own forum, & if it piques my interest, I’ll contribute and even possibly put a link to it.

Ramadan and fasting explained

2008-09-03T16:56:00.002+08:00

This article has been circulated at the University. I don't know who the author is but the information is clear and well written. For people who have never expereinced Ramadan it provides some good insights:

"Ramadan is a special month of the year for over one billion Muslims throughout the world. It is a time for inner reflection, devotion to God, and self-control. Muslims think of it as a kind of tune-up for their spiritual lives. The third "pillar" or religious obligation of Islam, fasting has many special benefits. Among these, the most important is that it is a means of learning self-control. Due to the lack of preoccupation with the satisfaction of bodily appetites during the daylight hours of fasting, a measure of ascendancy is given to one's spiritual nature, which becomes a means of coming closer to God. Ramadan is also a time of intensive worship, reading of the Quran, giving charity, purifying one's behavior, and doing good deeds. As a secondary goal, fasting is a way of experiencing hunger and developing sympathy for the less fortunate and learning thankfulness and appreciation for all of God's bounties. Fasting is also beneficial to the health and provides a break in the cycle of rigid habits or overindulgence.

THE MONTH OF RAMADAN BRIEFY EXPLAINED
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim Lunar calendar. The Month of Ramadan is also when it is believed the Holy Quran "was sent down from heaven, guidance unto men, a declaration of direction, and a means of Salvation". It is during this month that Muslims fast. It is called the Fast of Ramadan and lasts the entire month. Ramadan is a time when Muslims concentrate on their faith and spend less time on the concerns of their everyday lives. It is a time of worship and contemplation During the Fast of Ramadan strict restraints are placed on the daily lives of Muslims. They are not allowed to eat or drink during the daylight hours. Smoking and sexual relations are also forbidden during fasting. At the end of the day the fast is broken with prayer and a meal called the iftar. The fast is resumed the next morning.The good that is acquired through the fast can be destroyed by - the telling of a lie, slander, denouncing someone behind his back, a false oath, greed or covetousness. These are considered offensive at all times, but are most offensive during the Fast of Ramadan. Thus one of the objectives of this month for a Muslim is to purify himself / herself from ill characteristics that are within one. A spiritual cleansing through a physical action.

During Ramadan, it is common for Muslims to go to the Masjid (Mosque) and spend several hours praying and studying the Quran. In addition to the five daily prayers, during Ramadan Muslims recite a special prayer called the Taraweeh prayer (Night Prayer). The length of this prayer is usually 2-3 times as long as the daily prayers. Some Muslims spend the entire night in prayer.
In the last ten nights of this month, Muslims search for a special night called Laylat-al-Qadr (the Night of Power). It is believed that on this night Muhammad first received the revelation of the Holy Quran. And according to the Quran, this is when God determines the course of the world for the following year. When the fast ends (the first day of the month of Shawwal) it is celebrated as a "holiday" called Id-al-Fitr (the Feast of Fast Breaking). Friends and family gather to pray in congregation. Meals are prepared and family and friends have a joyous day.

THE IMPORTANCE OF RAMADAN TO MUSLIMS
Ramadan is important for Muslims because it is believed to be the month in which the first verses of the Holy Qur’an (the divine scripture) were revealed by Allah (God) to Prophet Muhammad (570-632 C.E.). From time to time, Muhammad used to go out from Makkah, where he was born and where he worked as a caravan trader, to reflect and meditate in solitude. Like Abraham before him, he had never accepted his people’s worship of many gods, and felt a need to withdraw to a quiet place to reflect on the One God. One night, while contemplating in a cave near Makkah, he heard a voice call out, telling him to “Read!” Muhammad protested that he was unable to read. The voice insisted again, and then a third time, and Muhammad found himself reciting the first verses of the Qur’an: “Read, in the name of thy Lord, Who created—Created man, out of a clot (embryo). Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful, He Who taught the use of the pen—Taught man that which he knew not. Nay, but man doth transgress all bounds, In that he looketh upon himself as self-sufficient. Verily, to thy Lord is the return (of all).” (ch.96: 1-8)
The voice was that of the angel Gabriel, and he confirmed that Muhammad was selected for an important and challenging mission—he was to call people to monotheism and righteousness.

Muslims consider the Qur’an to be God’s speech recorded in the Arabic language, and transmitted to humanity through Muhammad, who is considered the last of the prophets. This tradition of God-chosen prophets or messengers is believed to include such figures as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus. Muslims believe that over a period of twenty-three years, various verses and chapters of the Qur’an were revealed to Muhammad through Gabriel. The Qur’an is comprised of 114 chapters of varying length, with titles such as “Abraham,” “The Pilgrimage,” “Mary,” and “Repentance.”

During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset every day. This means not consuming food and drink, including water, during the daylight hours. For married adults, it also includes refraining from marital relations during the hours of fasting (i.e. the daylight hours). In the Arabic language, fasting is known as sawm. Muslims arise early in the morning during Ramadan to have a pre-dawn breakfast meal, known as suhoor. At the end of the day, the fast is completed by taking the iftar meal, which usually includes dates, fresh fruits, appetizers, beverages and dinner. Later in the evening, Muslims attend special nightly prayers (called tarawih) at their local mosque. Each night during Ramadan, approximately 1/30th of the Qur’an is recited in the tarawih prayers, so that the entire scripture is recited in the course of the 29 or 30 days of the month.

WHY MUSLIMS FAST
For Muslims, fasting has a number of benefits:
1. It helps one to feel compassion for those who are less fortunate and underprivileged, since each day Muslims feel greater appreciation for what they have as a result of feeling hunger and thirst.
2. It allows one to build a sense of self-control and will-power, which can be beneficial throughout life in dealing with temptations and peer-pressure. Through fasting, Muslims learn to control their natural urges such as hunger and thirst, and thus are able to better resist temptations for things which are not necessary, such as drugs or other unhealthy or harmful substances and behaviors.
3. It offers a time for Muslims to “purify” their bodies as well as their souls, by developing a greater sense of humility, spirituality and community. Ramadan is a very spiritual time for Muslims, and often they invite each other to one another’s homes to break the fast and pray together. A greater sense of generosity and forgiveness is also characteristic of this time. As with other duties in Islam, fasting becomes obligatory (i.e. one becomes accountable) after the age of puberty.

EID Al-FITR
After the end of Ramadan, a very festive and joyous holiday is celebrated by Muslims, known as Eid al-Fitr [eed ul fit-ur], the Festival of Breaking the Fast. On the day of the Eid, Muslims attend special congregational prayers in the morning, wearing their nicest clothes and perfumes. After the completion of prayers and a special sermon, Muslims rise to greet and hug one another, saying “Eid Mubarak,” which means “Holiday Blessings.” Later on, Muslim families visit each other’s homes, and have special meals together. Children are often rewarded with gifts, money, and sweets.

Just thought you might be interested. For us it means quieter and shorter working days. Yes we do observe the fast during the times we are at work, though we might take a short drink of water. If drinking at work we will make sure that it is done discreetly as we do not wish to offend anyone who is fasting. The shops are open at different times which means you can't just pop out for a coffee or have lunch, but it is a small inconvenience in the greater scheme of things really.