> OVERVIEW - RUSSIA - CHINA - OMAN - DUBAI - ITALY
>> WHY DUBAI? - DIARY
> AUGUST 2007
SEPTEMBER 2007
OCTOBER 2007
NOVEMBER 2007
DECEMBER 2007
burj al-arab
at dubai marina
view of downtown dubai from festival city canal walk
more of the marina
Well, we're here...again! Last time was on account of Cyclone Gonu, but luckily this time we're here to stay. After stocking up on a goodly proportion of spirits from duty free in Oman (no liquor licence on tourist visa stamps), we arrived today and the first thing that struck us was the heat - it's definitely hotter here than in Muscat. It's a stiffling kind of heat and one that makes you glad to get into the a/c of the hotel. Golden Sands Hotel Apartments, that is. One of the cheap-but-nice options in the city. So sorry to disappoint those who thought we might be staying at the Burj Al Arab, the magnificent billowing-sail-shaped hotel with its own helipad and underwater seafood restaurant (to book your stay, go to www.burj-al-arab.com). The £30-plus for a couple of drinks is a little off-putting!
Mon 20th August 2007
I have a lot of ideas about what I'd like to be doing over here, although my new boss doesn't seem to be clued up to the sound of jazz/improvised music beyond that god-awful "smooth jazz" muzak stuff. Still, there's time yet to change "hearts and minds", I hope. Later, over at Dubai Marina Walk, we managed to get a close look at some rich people's yachts and felt very much out of place in this billionare's playground. Everything seems a little too fake here, built on top of the desert. I don't feel the roots and "vibe" of human existence like I did in Mongolia and China and even neighbouring Oman. There's no pulse. Maybe it's the sheer size and scale of the roads, buildings and endless shopping malls that is too much to take in. I'm not sure, but it's an unnerving sensation that is difficult to explain. Hannah feels it, too.
Thurs 23rd August 2007
[Ed's note, Dec 2007: Some internet research back in the UK has brought up the following article about the much-touted "tribute to fine living" that is the Burj Dubai and surrounding area. Please click and read this article from March 2006 in the Guardian newspaper about the conditions under which this symbol of 21st Century Dubai is being built: Revolt stirs as Dubai aims high.]
Thurs 30th August 2007
Also on the Mongolian front, one of the musicians who expressed interest in being part of the Jazz Mongolia Summer Camp is currently in Ulaanbaatar performing, giving lessons and workshops and generally spreading the jazz word for a couple of weeks. Guitarist Ben McDonnell has been invited by the Giant Steppes of Jazz NGO and is performing in a concert at the State Philharmony Hall this evening. It's great to see that others are taking up the Jazz Mongolia challenge and running with it. Good luck Ben and enjoy the khuushuur and airag!
Our week at Golden Sands is over and we're just waiting to move into our apartment over at Festival City. The other new teachers recruited from the UK and Syria are not arriving till the end of the month, so it's still all a bit unreal at the moment. A couple of days ago we were shown around the new branch just down the road from the Mall of the Emirates site. It's still being furnished ready for the teaching term to start. I've got my own room from which to plot my improv revolution, with a Kawai upright and some brand-spanking new shelves to house (at least at first) nothing more than my old battered miniture Real Book in its "Sky Shopping Centre" plastic bag all the way from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia - fellow UB expat frequenters of Mealody Jazz Club - you must remember my white and red plastic wrapper for all things jazz? [Ed's note April 2008: still got it, still using it...]
Moved into our studio apartment today. The Al-Waha Community Residence is a 50-minute walk from Festival City Centre (we know because we actually walked it, in the afternoon heat like fools - not recommended by the way!) and is adjacent to the Al-Badia Golf Resort and the Ras Al Khor nature reserve. There are flamingoes in the reserve, but we were only able to see them from a taxi - too far to walk. The flamingoes are going to be the star attraction in yet another new luxury development, the Lagoons, though I'm not sure if I understand how anyone is allowed to build in a nature reserve in the first place?! Festival City is still pretty much under construction, including the marina and canal walk - which is disappointing, but typical of our experience of the place so far. There are great views over to downtown dubai and what will become the world's tallest tower (the Burj Tower) sometime next year. It already dominates the skyline - see the picture to the left (the tower is that ridiculously tall thing to the left of the other comparatively-small-yet-actually-huge skyscrapers in the picture).
Over in Mongolia, is seems like the end of an era has come with the departure of Andrew Colwell - bound for Istanbul to learn the Ney flute. He is obviously not content with khoomei, dombra, morin khuur, ikh khuur, tumen khuur, double bass, flamenco guitar and piano (I know I've left some out there). I could never have achieved so much in Mongolia without Andrew's dedication and hard work. He's a true musical pioneer.