Hitch your camel to a palm tree....
Just returned from Dubai via Singapore. Not much evidence of camels but plenty of cranes (of the mechanical variety) as the transformation of this particulaly emirate gathers pace. Apparently Dubai has (comparatively) little oil but is pretty much the business capital of the UAE - the other emirates have significantly greater amounts of oil and Dubai is now no longer oil dependant. Certainly tourism is well-catered for here. Apart from the 7 star hotels, it has shopping malls that even HK would be envious of - one having its own ski slope.
Also spent some time in in Singapore and then Macau a couple of weeks ago where I stayed in what was described as a 6 star hotel. Not sure whether it was that luxurious (the rooms were enormous though). It was certainly rather over-engineered in the lighting and bath controls department. There appeared to be two light settings - moody down-lighting or off. It was a major struggle to work out how did get any of the lights to work again after everything went off (and it was not simply a question of turning the switch back to "on") - sophisticated it may have been but blundering around at 4am trying to work out the way back to bed was more challenging than was strictly necessary. The bath controls were equally confusing. Although the bath was big enough to swim in, its taps were without conventional knobs and there was what later turned out to be a shower attachment masquerading as a temperature control. Having sprayed myself and most of the bathroom by turning the shower attachment around (I thought it would actually turn the water on - I was right except that it came out of the top of the attachment rather than the taps next to it), I then nearly dislocated my knee in trying to avoid a futher jet of water when pressing various random buttons on the taps themselves. Very unsatisfactory. No doubt very high tech but certainly needed written instructions.
Anyway back in HK for the next few weeks and we are expecting visitors tomorrow. Having only been away for a week it is extraodinary the progress of V in her walking - last week she looked a little like a drunk at closing time, this week, she is walking like a stiff-legged John Wayne entering a bar loooking for the first whisky of the day.
Also spent some time in in Singapore and then Macau a couple of weeks ago where I stayed in what was described as a 6 star hotel. Not sure whether it was that luxurious (the rooms were enormous though). It was certainly rather over-engineered in the lighting and bath controls department. There appeared to be two light settings - moody down-lighting or off. It was a major struggle to work out how did get any of the lights to work again after everything went off (and it was not simply a question of turning the switch back to "on") - sophisticated it may have been but blundering around at 4am trying to work out the way back to bed was more challenging than was strictly necessary. The bath controls were equally confusing. Although the bath was big enough to swim in, its taps were without conventional knobs and there was what later turned out to be a shower attachment masquerading as a temperature control. Having sprayed myself and most of the bathroom by turning the shower attachment around (I thought it would actually turn the water on - I was right except that it came out of the top of the attachment rather than the taps next to it), I then nearly dislocated my knee in trying to avoid a futher jet of water when pressing various random buttons on the taps themselves. Very unsatisfactory. No doubt very high tech but certainly needed written instructions.
Anyway back in HK for the next few weeks and we are expecting visitors tomorrow. Having only been away for a week it is extraodinary the progress of V in her walking - last week she looked a little like a drunk at closing time, this week, she is walking like a stiff-legged John Wayne entering a bar loooking for the first whisky of the day.
posted by Taitamtales at 8:32 pm
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