The Sojourner

You are probably aware that water is a prized commodity, whether it is in South Florida or in the Arabian desert.  Here in Dubai we boast one of the highest water consumptions in the world.  Daily usage is in the order of 750,000,000 liters per day (200,000,000 U.S. gallons).  Over half of that comes from desalination of the waters of the Gulf.  Here is what 550 liters per person per day makes possible.




It does not look like desert does it?

It is also worth noting that the people living in the Emirates are among the thirstiest people on the planet.  With an annual per capita consumption of 265 liters of bottled water, we are staying well hydrated.  Most of this water comes from underground springs in the mountains.

Regardless of this conspicuous consumption of water, it is used for the maximum effect.  Virtually all watering is by ground level or subterranean drip irrigation.  Even the plants growing alongside the roadways are hydrated in this manner.  (These greenbelts along the highways serve to hold back the shifting desert sands.)  The relatively lush vegetation is a haven for many species of native and transient birds.  One of the early acts of Sheik Zayed (the founder of the modern Emirates) was to import over 100,000 birds to populate the kingdom.

The greatest drawback of creating this abundant fresh water is the energy required to pump and purify it.  This sin is shared by anyone with exorbitant water demands, whether it is a kibbutz in that country to the north of here or a booming community in Florida or Arizona.  Reality is that there is no such thing as a drought if you are wealthy enough to be able to alter nature.  Tell that to those poor sub-Saharan nations.

Whether I'm right or whether I'm wrong,
Whether I find a place in this world or never belong,
I gotta be me, I gotta be me,
What else can I be but what I am.

Sammy Davis Jr.

On Monday, I flew to Muscat, the capital of Oman, to accommodate residency issues with my visa.  The flight on Oman Air was a short fifty-minute hop to the shores of the Indian Ocean.  Distance-wise, it is about the same distance from Tampa to Miami.  As we headed southeast, we crossed the red sands of the desert and the Hajar Mountains.



The cabin crew aboard the 737-800 was all Thai.  They were all lovely young women or transgenders.  (I cannot tell the difference.)  A remarkable event that took place during the flight was meal service.  When was the last time that this happened to you on a fifty-minute flight in the U.S.?  The Arabic airlines generally offer superior service in comparison to Western carriers.  Furthermore, they are terrorist-free since there would be no point in blowing up a load of "homies".


Muscat is a city of about one million inhabitants.  It is slow-paced and laid back in comparison to Dubai, but this is a nice change.  It is a pleasant amalgam of desert, ocean, and mountains.  The area reminded me a little of part of the coast of Southern California.







The airport was nicely done with Islamic architecture.  The terminal was not large but outfitted with Western restaurants including Costa and Dairy Queen.  It is a small world.  I looked for a souvenir shot glass for my oldest son since he collects them.  Good luck with that shot glass thing in an Islamic state.  The most abundant souvenir was frankincense.  Apparently, the Omanis have been producing this fragrant product since Biblical times when it was worth more than gold.

I returned to Dubai on the shores of the Gulf in late afternoon.  The little journey was a nice respite from the usual routine of work.  I have a place in my heart for the Omanis since they were very instrumental in the release of a young American hiker who was being held by the Iranians.  It was good to visit this ancient sultanate.  When my wife visits early next year, we may arrange a return trip.

Today did not start well as I awoke to a splitting sinus headache.  I put this behind me after taking a Panadol Sinus (Australian Tylenol) and swimming for a kilometer.  I was able to face the day with a clear head and the hope of good things, since it was my day off, Friday.  (Remember that this is the Sunday of Islamic countries.)

It turned out to be a magnificent day with respect to the weather.  The sky was clear blue and clouds were forming.  This was in stark contrast to our usual dust-filled vistas.  The last time that I savored such a day was last August while having an outdoor lunch in Hampshire in southern England during a business trip.

After my traditional Friday breakfast of toasted waffles, I drove to Ras Al Khaimah to go flying.  If I had been flying a glider, I would not be writing this  entry, because I would still be up in the sky.  I flew the little Ukranian microlight that I usually fly, which is very lightweight but a lousy glider.  The thermals were everywhere.  I saw six dust-devils (visible thermals) which was unprecedented for me.  There were cumulus clouds forming all across the sky that was also rare in the Emirates.


It turned out to be a great day for the beach.  The camels were enjoying the waters of the Gulf as I flew over them.  Some were walking through the mangroves and apparently grazing.  This was new to me.  The flamingos were present in great numbers in the flats as they showed off their pink and white wings that were trimmed with black.

I flew north toward the Omani border before turning around to return to the airport.  The wind had shifted to the northwest and I was feeling lift off the sand dunes along the shoreline.






I was having much more fun than the folks in the expensive homes along the dunes.

Maybe someday the sheiks will allow gliders that silently ply the sky on currents of air, but until then I am thankful for these rare clear days in the Arabian desert when it is possible to enjoy an out-of-glider experience in a little microlight aircraft in Allah's airspace.

This entry will be most appreciated by my fellow pilots.  I thank you groundlings for sharing the joy of my flight.

Driving in Dubai and the Emirates can be a challenge, apart from the erratic and often dangerous practices of fellow motorists.

The highway system in the Emirates has been produced in less than fifteen years.  It was largely designed by engineers from the West.  The most prominent traffic control feature is the roundabout.  Roundabouts have been adopted because it is believed that four-way stops would totally baffle the local drivers.  Some have interesting features like four lanes in and three lanes out.  When you are aware of these quirks, it is great to study the neophyte drivers.

Another memorable traffic control feature is the speed bump.  They are everywhere and often in series of two or three.  They are serious big humps that will destroy the suspension of an unwary driver.  After one-and-a-half years of driving, I hardly notice them anymore.  I just slow down subconsciously.

Since the road system has been constructed so quickly, there are relatively few cross streets. Sometimes you will drive past your destination on the wrong side of the median and are forced to drive fifteen or twenty kilometers to find a U-turn to change direction.  Being an aircraft pilot helps because it is necessary to "fly a pattern" by planning the correct routes to your destination.

To make driving more challenging, there are no street addresses in Dubai, which is a city of one-and-a-half million people.  Consequently, navigation is by landmarks.  The only city that I found more frustrating was Tokyo, which has street addresses but they are in chronological not numerical order.  Landmarks are a must there as well.

You may ask, why don't people just use GPS's?  Some have these miraculous little devices, but they are of little use here because the streets are so new or still under construction.  I have found that a road map and a dashboard-mounted compass to be the best system for navigation.

Sometimes I have to find places from "outer space".  I use Google Earth to determine the coordinates of my destination.  If the new place is in a totally unfamiliar area, I punch the latitude and longitude into my aviation GPS.  There are no streets in a flight GPS but the arrow still points to the destination.  I have successfully found my way to camel racetracks in the middle of the desert in the middle of the night with this method.

Every country has its driving challenges.  If you are not up to them in the Emirates, take a taxi.  They are very inexpensive.

At this time of year, many of my friends from the American West have their pulses quicken with the advent of the first big winter storm that blows in from the Pacific.  They are anxiously anticipating the first snowfall in the high elevations of the Rockies, since this is the first harbinger of ski season.

Here in Dubai, we can only say "been there...done that."  Ski season for us is as easy as a trip to Emirates Mall.  You are able to do practically anything that you can imagine at one of over thirty malls.


If you get tired of the sultry days with the mercury over 50 C and the sky full of dust off the desert, don your cold-weather abaya or kandoora and have a respite from the heat in our winter wonderland.  Eat your heart out Aspen!

As you may know, pork is conspicuously absent in Arabia.  I have to savor the "other white meat" when I travel.  My day-to-day fare usually consists of flat bread, goat, yogurt, and dates with hot tea.  Seriously, most Western foods are available here.  After living on your own cooking, every now-and-then you have a craving for a beef steak cooked on a grill.

Last night, I shared this experience with friends at a restaurant near the Aviation Club, which is within walking distance of my flat.  I was accompanied by my mate from Zimbabwe, who is of Scottish descent and was born when the country was known as Rhodesia.  We were later joined by an old friend from my former company, who is also a Scot who lived in South Africa for a couple of decades.  He brought his stunning girlfriend, who is a Russian ex-patriot that has lived in Dubai for sixteen years working in the travel-tourism industry.

We dined in the courtyard.  The temperature is finally cool enough to go outdoors once again.  Now daytime highs have lowered to around 38 C.  It does not get cold in Dubai...it just gets "not-hot".  Our conversation touched on our experiences from living around the globe.  It is great to savor the lives of others vicariously, because the world is too big to visit everywhere oneself.

After a good meal of tasty New Zealand beef steaks, we walked a short distance to the Irish Village for a couple of pints.  This is an authentic Irish pub that provides us infidels with ties to the West in the form of libation...Guiness and Kilkenny, as well as good conversation.  It is the center of a major celebration on St. Patrick's Day.

Sustained with good food, drink, and conversation we were ready to go back to our everyday lives. 

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?

Five Man Electrical Band

I am an American glider pilot working as the engineering director of a marine outfitting company that builds interiors in Dubai and then transports them to superyachts being built in shipyards around the world.  I live in a studio flat near the Khor Dubai ("The Creek") in Al Garhoud.  I work daily with Brits, Aussies, Kiwis, South Africans, Philippinos, Indians, and Sri Lankans.  As of now, I am the only American in my company.

After living in the Emirates for one-and-a-half years and sharing my photojournals with you, I have been asked to pass on my experiences, reactions, and thoughts about my life as an ex-patriot.  A book did not seem appropriate because my experiences are on-going.  Sharing a daily journal can be tedious and dull.  I am not quite hip enough for a Facebook page.  I have decided to document my stories through this Web log.  I hope that you will enjoy visiting from time-to-time and sharing your comments.