I have mentioned the Club in a few posts already, so let me show and tell what I am referring to. When we were exploring all of the areas of town to live in, our realtor suggested that whichever place we decided on, we should choose a club to join so that we would be able to establish connections with other expats in the area. Her top suggestion was The British Club. The British Club was established on land donated by Sheik Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan for such a purpose. At the time it was WAY out of town. Not so much any more. It turned out that my husband knew quite a few of the members already, so getting a recommendation and a couple of seconds were pretty easy for us, and we joined. This has been an excellent decision for us.
The Club as it is now known (having dropped the ‘British’ part several years ago) has been a godsend for me. It offers a wide variety of classes from fitness, to languages, arts, and drama, to specialty clubs like SCUBA and book clubs. There are also 13 different Food and Bev outlets on site. 
I go to yoga and pilates classes there several times per week, and my husband and I frequently go on the weekends to just relax and enjoy the private beach. In the latest ‘Best of Abu Dhabi’ voting, The Zest restaurant won best healthy eating restaurant, and boy is it good! 
Located inside the Fitness Center building it is one I frequent often. On weekends many 
of the people my husband works with get together at the main bar or restaurant and enjoy a stress blowing evening together. We join the fun occasionally as well.
Recently The Club held its annual Guy Fawkes night, and we invited some friends to join us for this unique evening. Historic Side note: Guy Fawkes was possibly England’s most notorious traitor. He was one of 13 English Catholic men who, in 1605, plotted to blow up the British houses of Parliament, and in the process kill King Edward, possibly the Prince of Wales, and multiple members of Parliament who were making it difficult on Catholics in England at the time. (Today they would be called terrorists.) The plot was unsuccessful due to the fact that one of the members had a crisis of conscience and warned a Parliament member. Guy Fawkes was caught with 36 barrels of gunpowder, and subsequently executed as a traitor. The incident became known across England as the Gunpowder Plot. On the night that the Gunpowder Plot was foiled, bonfires were lit across the country to celebrate the safety of the King. Since then, November 5 has become known as Bonfire night or Guy Fawkes night.
The Club had a bonfire in the back parking lot, followed by fireworks over the beach. Multiple options for dinner and entertainment were offered, something different in each outlet. We opted for the picnic basket for 2 on the lawn at The Wharf, with a great view of the fireworks. So we made reservations for 2 couples, and wondered if we had done the right thing.
Our friends arrived on the night in question. We shared a cocktail at su
nset, then moved over to The Wharf, found our assigned table on the lawn, and waited anxiously to see what we got ourselves into. Not to worry… This was NOT your average picnic basket. OMG!
Each basket came with a bottle of bubbly, but we opted to trade one of our bubbly bottles for a bottle of the house red (a very nice tempranillo) which made for a more balanced offering overall. 
The fireworks began shortly after we sat down, and everybody paused to head for the beach for a closer view. What a great night!
Overall joining The Club was a great decision. Having a very comfortable place to go for activities and events, where we can take friends and family (should they opt to visit) is terrific. The very International vibe of the membership mirrors Abu Dhabi in general, and the venue offers multiple amenities together in one spot. It’s a welcoming home away from home.
ngredients here… I finally made it to a spice souk. WOW! My favorite shop had over 30 bins each filled with a different ground or whole spice (or spice mix)
and great raw ingredients like turmeric root and vanilla beans. Other bins had many different teas, dried fruits, grains, and beans. He also had 3 cuts of saffron. It is 
more expensive than the other spices, but WAAAAYYY less than it is in the US.
That makes total sense in light of the weather, and is something we will keep in mind moving forward. As a result of this phenomena there are MANY more clubs and classes available now than there were in the summer. These public classes include just about every type of exercise, cooking, dancing, language, writing, and every type of art or craft you can imagine. The clubs are for those who enjoy movies, books, gaming, eating, wine tasting etc. These types of classes and clubs are typically found just about any place, but it certainly feels as though there are a LOT more offerings here. Maybe I am seeing so many because I have the opportunity to participate in whatever I want to. It could be I am looking a bit harder! Whatever the reason, I am thrilled to know I can develop quite an interesting and varied weekly schedule for myself. Had I come back a couple of weeks earlier I would now be taking both conversational Arabic and writing classes. Good news – both of these are offered again after the first of the year! I will definitely be taking part.
Along with the great weather and increase in people, also comes a plethora of outdoor festivals and entertainment opportunities. Most of these are offered in one of the many outdoor parks here in AD. To date each of the parks I’ve seen here, much like all of the outdoor spaces, are beautifully designed and well maintained. There are usually multiple water fountains and other water features, meticulously maintained landscaping, and multiple covered spaces of varying sizes for picnics or other gatherings.
nt more to the overall market than just the produce. Simply put, this is a weekly family event. There are food trucks, stalls for kids that feature everything from bubble machines to face painting, crafts booths, and just about every other things you can think of including an outdoor movie space. One booth had some great outdoor lights, another had really pretty handmade dresses, and another had locally made craft soaps. As usual I got stuck at that one and could not walk away without at least one bar of camel milk soap made with organic essential oils. Very cool!
long with a huge variety of offerings from Apples to Zucchini. It was a beautiful thing… and I was in heaven! The best news is that the market runs every Saturday for 7 whole months (first of October through the end of April.) Then the weather gets too warm, so they shut it down and do home delivery only during that 
time. (Really? Gee what a shame 
!) Please understand that ‘seasonal’ here is a weird term, at least as it applies to produce. There is not a real winter, so the growing season is most of the year. I imagine that the blistering heat of July and August may preclude some things from growing, but with very little effort and a whole lot of shade and water one can likely continue to grow whatever doesn’t require actual cold weather.
lothed, most have transportation of some sort or access to it. This considered as close to ‘middle class’ that you can get in this country, and I would say that with very few exceptions (only 1 I’ve met) they are extremely kind, giving and happy people.
He does pretty well for himself based on my experience with the variety and sounds of the Dij’s in the area. I am sorry I did not have the phone with me as I passed one particularly beautiful wooden dij last week. I am not kidding – it was gorgeous!
make their wares to sell. I pass this guy when I walk down to McLeodganj. He is one of 3 people in the area who makes wooden stamps by hand. Many of the local clothing shops feature a guy on a sewing machine at the front making what he is selling. There are quite a few jewelry shops with the artist in residence. There are many differences in quality and design. Likewise with the 3 or 4 leather working shops in town.
visit that town next trip! My favorite so far are the ones made of yak wool. Yak wool is soft, warm, lightweight and not at all scratchy. There are more colors and combinations than you can possibly imagine. This weekend I am planning to go all the way down to Dharamsala (it’s 2 miles – gasp!) and check out he shops there so I can complete my Christmas shopping. (Yes that’s right I said COMPLETE! Hehehe) I am told the ‘big city’ has some different shops with a few more diverse types of wares. I hope that’s correct.
ions. Our instructor is both an MD and an Ayurvedic Doctor. Many of our classroom conversations include comparisons of Western Medicine to Ayurveda, and also the places where they work together. There are things Western Medicine is very good at – Emergency Medicine being the one most commonly cited. Ayurveda is a long term approach to overall health, and frankly, 5000 years ago they didn’t have car accidents and bullet wounds to contend with, so that makes sense. The biggest concern was why people were suddenly getting sick when they moved away from more solitary and familial/tribal living in the jungle t
o the larger communal and multi-cultural living of villages, towns and cities.
e are learning some of the most basic Ayurvedic treatments, including massage, (oil, dry, and with freshly made bolus). We have learned the indications and contraindications for each, and which bolus to use for what complaint. We take turns being the practitioner and the patient – which makes it really fun.
It had paused this morning when I left my room for breakfast at my favorite local place at the top of the hill. I placed my order, pulled out my Kindle, and began to read. The breeze became stronger and I was momentarily chilled. The owner of the restaurant came around and closed some of the windows to temper the air flow, and the rain started to become steady and stronger. I lost focus on the story as a memory came to me of rain on a tin roof and I look up. The entire roof here is metal, and the sound of the beating rain is deafening… and absolutely wonderful. I look out the window to my left, straight into a tangle of trees, ferns and Oh. My. Gosh… Mountain laurel blossoms. I am not in India. I am a child in the North Georgia mountains, laying on the screened porch of my grandparents cabin on Lake Burton. The rain on the tin roof, the woods, the mountain laurel, they are all there as well. It was the best place in the entire world when I was a child (and to be honest, it’s still in the running in my adult mind.) The memories hit me hard as the sounds and smells of the rain, and the surprising appearance of previously unnoticed mountain laurels take control. For some reason I start crying and laughing simultaneously. I really like it here.
loyee housing, and a building with 24 clean and bright private rooms with individual balconies over the town and valley. The name is his jesting nod to those who did not believe in his determination. The people who work there are all smiles and positivity. They greet us each morning with huge smiles and cheerful good mornings, and each and every one stops at the table to chat as we have our tea. Even on the mornings we opt to breakfast elsewhere, their enthusiasm is not abated.
haramshal
a Park, and the trail through it is called the Himachal Trail. I wonder if it is similar to the Appalachian Trail, instead running along the Himalayans. Given the 
location, probably best for me not to hike it. Between the airport and our destination are 2 towns, the one we come to is Dharamshala, the largest town in the precinct. We reach it at lunchtime when the locals are in the streets. Oh my! Getting 2 vehicles and hundreds of people up and down this road requires that we slow to pedestrian speed and fold in the side mirrors. We creep along the street. 
As people pass us, it is apparently accepted practice for them to reach in through the window and steady themselves by grabbing onto the seat back. It took us a good 10 minutes of the drive to get through what by any standards is a very, very, small community. All of one main street with one side street in each direction. The second town we come to is Mcleodganj (pronounced MAC lee odd gahnj). It is here that the Dalai Lama has his monastery. Macleod is a distant downhill kilometer from where I am (between here and Dharamshala) and it is commonplace to see the red clad monks in town and walking the roads. We reach Bhagsu Nag and our driver asks again where we are staying. Turns out our accommodation is in Upper Bhagsu. The driver stops at the local cab stand to get directions and then turns around and flat out tells us no, his car will not make it up that road. Holy Crap! If it has done fine and he has not hesitated thus far, what must that road look like? He turns in and takes us to the first (and it turns out only) parking lot that he can turn around in and lets us out. It is all of 10 yards up the road, which to us does not look significantly different from the rest of the road. 
We grab our luggage and begin the trek up the road. At the first turn we see what the cabbie was saying. The road really isn’t all that much different, but it is just a bit narrower, and the grade actually may be a bit tougher. Initially we do not see any cars at all, though eventually a jeep passes us (naturally with horn honking). It seems like forever (about ¼ mile) before we see our destination, and another 50-60 yards before we reach the entrance. We go up 3 flights of uneven concrete stairs to our room, drop our bags, and head back out. For a number of reasons (having nothing to do with location) we decide the place I had booked was just not going to work out. So we wandered the street looking at what else was available beginning at the school (bottom of the hill) and ending at Sky Pie Guest House. If/when you have time please go online and read all about it. It’s wonderful! The service, room, staff, and overall energy are all fantastic. I am supremely happy, and grateful to be in this beautiful place. I have done it! I start school tomorrow! YAY!!!
road with a smallish shoulder becomes something between 4 and 5 lanes of living vehicular dance.
Everybody darts in and out of whatever spot they feel will get them to their destination more quickly. They do so with copious horn usage, quick reflexes, and absolutely no fear. At lights the motorcycles and scooters somehow work their way between cars (though I have no idea how, as closely as they are packed) and end up at the front of the line. When the light turns green, a virtual sea of 2 wheeled vehicles takes off in every direction, gunning it as they do so in order to gain an extra few seconds in their travels. The sidewalks and side streets are teeming with people moving in every direction, with and without apparent purpose. 
Our commute to the hotel takes over an hour, and we have the opportunity to see the many different ways people live and survive in a city of this size.
laugh with our escort at the cacophony of car horn, just as Italians cannot speak without using their hands. “When you test a new vehicle here, you must also test the horn!” Eventually I imagine, you learn to tune it out unless it is close to you.
advised to depart in plenty of time to be able to make it through the rush hour traffic so as to reach the airport in plenty of time to clear security and make our flight. The drive in daylight is not as friendly. While the lack of infrastructure and poor housing conditions were obvious even at night, what we could not see then stares us in the face during our drive back. I knew that only 40% of the population of India has access to sanitary facilities. I knew not to drink the water or eat the street food. I did NOT know that what appeared to me to be a city refuse dump was actually a community… until the light of day. People sleep in the median, on the sidewalks, inside unlit buildings that are either falling down, or under construction (I can’t really tell). They make homes out of cardboard, tarps, sticks and metal. 
Whatever they can cobble together to provide themselves shelter. I wish I’d had my camera at the ready for the one image that is strongest in my head. In a sea of trash and tarps, I saw a man seated atop what looked like a pile of corrugated metal. He was meditating… legs crossed, hands relaxed to his knees, eyes closed, head turned slightly up. He was finding calm in the chaos. I was in awe and felt a deep respect for his ability to do that.