Back in Dubai and off to the desert

I can't believe it has been over 2 months since Sri Lanka. With the countdown to Christmas well and truly on the way, I find myself once again wondering what happened to this year? Life just seems to be speeding up.

It has been a busy October and November in the Burke household. Not long back in Dubai and I was in full force University mode as I completed 5 uni assignments in that many weeks followed by two 72 hour exams on successive weekends. Brendan was the ultimate pit-stop crew, with endless cups of tea, and just the right amounts of chocolate and red wine when it got really bad! As I now wait for my marks to come back, I am relieved that it will soon be over and happy to farewell a year of full time work and study... the dining table is now cleared of my study clutter and we can reclaim our weekends for fun and relaxation!


We now have the time to explore Dubai a little more, especially its culinary side which is as diverse as the residents of this city. There are some amazing foodie opportunities here and we have been searching high and low for some of the gems this place has to offer. A great incentive for this project is our relatively new blog "The Travel Bites" which we have specifically set up (as the name would suggest) to review some of the amazing (and terrible) places we eat at while we are traveling. So far it is mainly focused on places in Dubai, but next week we will be spending a week in Paris/London so I am sure we will have plenty of new material for the Travel Bites site. A shameless plug perhaps, but we are proud of our new pet project and hope that, if nothing else, it will encourage us to get out and experience the culture of wherever we find ourselves by the best means we know how - the food!

We also (finally!) went on a desert safari last weekend. Having sent many a visitor off on these adventures, it was about time we did one. Guests have given us mixed reviews on these outings and although we were well aware of the touristy elements of these trips, it was something that needed to be ticked off the list. Cheesiness aside, it was a nice afternoon and evening in the desert that our little lancer simply could not handle! We went with Arabian Adventures and it was quite a well organised and classy affair. Our driver was great and gave us just enough dune bashing time before we all started to feel a little green around the edges.

They had a huge camp set up in the dunes where a lavish Arabic buffet was put, on and the wine (funnily enough from Australia) is free flowing. After dinner finished the lights dimmed and the Belly Dancer made an entrance. This is ordinarily the point where the cringe factor starts and Brendan and I would retreat away. However, it wasn't too over the top and the dreaded crowd participation was not called for so we all relaxed and sipped on our wine while enjoying the cooler Dubai temperatures. While we probably didn't get as much out of the trip as someone new to Dubai would, it was fun for what it was and we won't be left wondering whether we should have done it 5 years down the track.

Another event worthy of mention was Thanksgiving dinner put on by the wonderful Hamish and Danielle. One of the great aspects of Dubai is that it attracts people from all of the globe, bringing with them their food and culture. Danielle, a Californian at heart, generously shared a part of her culture with us by inviting us to her potluck Thanksgiving dinner this weekend. We (and by we, i really mean Brendan) were assigned the task of making Cranberry sauce, Roasted Vegetables and Creamed Corn. While we are all familiar with the tinned variety of cranberry sauce and creamed corn, it was fun to source the ingredients to make these recipes from scratch and I think it helped get us all a little more involved in the Thanksgiving traditions. It was a great night as people from all backgrounds got together and shared way too much fantastic food over a few glasses of wine - we left with a belly full of Turkey and pumpkin pie, some new friends made and even more appreciation for a great circle of friends we have found in Dubai. For all out bitching and moaning about some elements of Dubai (rightfully so in many cases), the people are what make it special and we have found some very special people!

Enough for now. Time to pull out the winter woolies and get packing for Paris. The croissants are calling me! Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and until next time...


 //Kate