ATM Dispenses Gold

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Only in Abu Dhabi would there be a vending machine that dispenses pieces of Gold-and there is.

Installed just this month in the Grand Lobby of the Emirates Palace Hotel (self-proclaimed 7 Star) is a machine that will give you small pieces of gold pressed into coins and tiny "gold bars" of approximately 0.05 grams. Pretty small, but still expensive. The price you pay per ounce is slighter higher than the gold rate of the day, but it comes in a beautiful gift box.
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The machine was cleaned out in only a few short hours the first day it was opened.

Fabric Adoption Party

I have discovered that people who travel a lot, move a lot can become a bit eccentric about strange things that they simply must have, in spades. One of my friends here is very serious about clothing and shoes. She has turned one entire bedroom into a closet/dressing room; a small office serves as her shoe room. She spent a lot of time in Asia where having items custom made for you is very inexpensive plus she sews clothes for herself, too. As a result she purchases a lot of fabric, much of it still on the bolts. It lines the walls of her sewing room, dining room and half her hallway-floor to ceiling.
We all regularly razz her about it, because she will tell us about this new fabric she bought. So she decided to have a fabric adoption party where she would allow her friends to come select anything they wanted as long as they promised to actually have clothing made of it.
What an absolute sight we were-15 women eating brunch and pawing through all her fabrics. One lady cut fabric solidly for about 3 1/2 hours.
I came away with two armful loads of some of the neatest fabrics. I got pink/cream hounds tooth tweed (skirt suit), black sequined (cocktail dress), Chinese silk brocades (fitted dress), the perfect red twill (sheath dress), dark blue/white dot rayon (full skirted summer dress) and so much more...there's linens, silks, shantung, chiffon, cottons, formal fabrics, casual, fabrics for skirts, jackets, pants, even proper broadcloth to have a perfect white shirt made. I have to admit she’s rubbing off on me. I have had several items made for me because it is just so cheap here, plus shopping is pretty poor.
EVERYONE left with loads of stuff and she was left disappointed that we didn't even get into several (like 20) full chest sized bins.
We had so much fun! I simply cannot believe how much and the quality of what I have been given for free. We are planning to put money into a pot to pay for her to have a spa weekend retreat-what a wonderful gift to us.

Not Much Going On

You haven't heard from me because there simply is not much to say. 
The weather is now 100 degrees, wind blows and the sky is dusty most all the time.
Just like everyone else, I had to get my taxes done, still have clothes to wash, dishes to clean, shopping and cooking to do.  Pretty mundane ordinary things.
I'm going through all my things and paperwork, beginning to prepare for a move.  'Vid would laugh because I still clean like I used to and now I don't have my own dumpster...plus I give a lot of things away when I clean like this and there's no Goodwill close by. 
I have lost some weight and have clothing too big, books that have been read and CDs that I have transferred to Ipod-but, of course, I have bought a singing bowl, a Yemeni hat, many scarves and some nice pieces of jewelry during my stay.
If you are interested in having exquisitely crafted silk, cashmere or pashmina scarves-now is the time to speak.

Speeding Tickets

The friends who know me well are NOT going to believe this!!!  I just checked my ticket status-I have NONE!!!  No speeding tickets for me!  I've been tooling around town for a year and half and have not gotten one ticket - it is actually quite shocking to me.

We shall see if it holds true, or if the "system" just hasn't posted them yet.  When I check out of the country I will have to pay all fines or bills.  If there are any they will be produced at that time.

Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates just finished a trip to the Middle East where he visited Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.  I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to see the Secretary speak to a group of military members.  I enjoyed it immensely and absolutely love the comraderie the military have within their ranks, along with their competitive nature.  It always makes for a good time!

UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan,

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates & U.S. Ambassador Olson

In case I haven't said it much, the UAE is very certainly a good friend to the U.S.  Of the Gulf countries it is probably the most tolerant of non-Muslims and other cultures.  There is cooperation on many fronts, as long as our interests are the same.  This place, this area of the world has grown on me and I think I may very well return for a future tour.  Time will tell.

Future Posting

It is late evening on a Saturday (much like Sunday evening back home because tomorrow is work) and I'm hanging outside on the covered balcony.  It is a unique sight in the desert-it's thunder-n-lightening with a bit of rain.  I've got Dire Straits and the Trio on and my laptop out.  Peaceful is all I can say.  

No one's life is idylic, certainly not all the time, but this is a moment of pleasure and contentment.  I now know where I will be heading off to next-Brussels, Belgium.  I know it will be a nice posting and I'm sure I will have visitors which makes me happy (knowing I won't be lonesome because many will want to visit) and knowing it is less than a full day of travel to get home.  At the same time, as I look to the future, all the constants that I cling to in my daily life will be changing regardless if I want them to or not.  Other dear friends are departing post just like I am, some heading for adventures I wish I could share.

I have been moved within the Embassy to another position.  If you don't already know Embassies are generally understaffed, some more than others. This one is certainly in need of a little "depth of bench."  So the position I currently hold is up for immediate filling, but I'm not scheduled to leave before Sept.  My new post wants me by August and there is supposed to be time in between for training and home leave in the US.  I don't know when, what will happen. 

Uncertainty is a constant for all of life I suppose. 

Hatta Pools

One of my goals is to experience wherever I am, you know, be where you are.  I'm lucky enough to have friends who enjoy offroading and exploring, which is good because we regularly get lost together, LOL.

Got a call in the morning asking if I wanted to go to Hatta Pools, leaving in 15 minutes.  First I said no, then changed my mind and off we go!!  The town of Hatta is in the Hajjar Mountains, just over the border from UAE into Oman.  It's one of the highest elevations on the Arabian Pennisula and has water year round.  We drove for a few hours seeing new, but similar countryside which I still enjoy.  We laughed as we played our ipods on speakers that it was funny to hear Lynyrd Skynyrd as our background music, when the landscape does not match!

We passed thru an area that seemed like a tourist area filled with campers and all terrain vehicles playing wildly in the dunes-we must return for fun there!  After finding the tiny town of Hatta, winding thru unmarked streets and following the strangest of directions we finally found "where the pavement ends."  There we turned onto a well worn dirt road and slowly made our way to the next land mark.  With each turn the road got more rugged.  Topping a hill we broke out into the most beautiful golden orange vista of rugged mountains ringing a deep valley.  After stopping to take video we proceeded to the bottom of the valley and hiked the rest of the way down to the Hatta Pools.

The water has carved out rock (that looks like concrete) and created a miniature grand canyon. 

There were quite a few other people there, including some young Arab men in their dishdashes and their many four-wheel drive vehicles.  They were having a great time trying to get up and over the rugged terrain, yelling encouragement and challenges to each other (even in a foreign language you still understand).