The Sojourner

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.