Sponge Bucket: the grand land of sand.

bonjour! i tell you, it's going to be a relief getting to spain after this time in france, and i say that only because of the language barrier. i have spoken spanglish pretty much ever since i got back from south america three years ago — 'hola' has replaced 'hello', 'donde?' has replaced 'where?' and it's not uncommon for my pals to hear me trill, 'ohhhh muuuuy bien!' at them whenever they do something pleasing. so to come here, where they speak a similar, yet oh so different, language is very confusing for the old noggin. many, many times i have answered someone 'si' when i meant to say 'oui', and beamed 'gracias!' at a bemused waiter after being served a glass of wine. they think i am a 'retardo'.

anyways! this post is not about france (sorry, sorry, i know that's what everyone is waiting for!). this is about my time in dubai with my beautiful, beautiful sister, hayley, and her equally blessed-in-the-genetic-lottery boyfriend, jeremy. they have lived in the united arab emirates for four months and six months, respectively, and love the great sandy city. i admit, i had some trepidations about going to a place that boasts such extravagance and a lack of trees... but once i had dismounted atop of my very high horse, i understood why so many people move there. it is a city built for adventurers, for lovers of warmth and sunshine and cold beers and weekends away and having friends from all over the globe. yes, it is definitely extravagant and as i kept saying, i felt like i was in a flo rider video most of the time. yet i truly had a brilliant time there and not only because the souks, mosques and old clay buildings reminded me of aladdin (the very best disney movie of all time).

during my time in dubizzle, i sunbaked, snowboarded (in a mall!) and swam in the persian gulf. i went on a boat, climbed the tallest building in the world (and when i say climb, i mean got in an elevator) and got a massage in what was, undoubtably, a brothel (long story but let's just say by the time i realised where i was, it felt rude to back out. so what if i had to lie face down on an old towel covering a mattress on the floor, with a ominous box of tissues next to my face? so what if the 'masseuse' made me wear a man's shirt and pants the whole time and barked 'TURN OVER' at me, no doubt pissed she wouldn't be getting a bonus from our session?) i ate delicious food from all over the world, smoked sheeshas and drank many, many bloody marys — my drink of choice when on vacay (fyi, i tend to become an alcoholic when i travel).

but, like any country, the UAE has it's good points and it's bad points. i wish they weren't so wasteful with energy and natural resources; yet they are also building the world's first entirely green city (mazda city in abu dhabi, look it up). i loved the diversity of the people who lived there; yet hated how someone from india was paid less than a quarter of what someone from australia would earn, doing the same job. however, i felt very humbled that, in a strict muslim country, i could wear shorts and a singlet and no-one batted an eyelid; when sadly, my burqa-clad sisters aren't always awarded the same level of respect and understanding back in my home country.

above all, i was just so happy to see my beloved hezzle and jeremy. they were so, so welcoming and spoiled me rotten during the week i was there. they went out of their way to make sure i had a great time and it was because of them that i did. i miss them so much and wish i had longer with them, but i know our paths shall cross again soon enough, hopefully in some beautiful exotic country. and hopefully, one day, i will be able to repay them the favour.

ok enough chit chat. here are the photos!