On to the next great adventure

This day began impossibly early – I was collected from the camp at 0500. The reason for such as early start was that I was going on a balloon trip over the Masai Mara. We arrived on an open area somewhere in the reserve – at that time in the morning it could have been anywhere. However, as eth sun rose, we were treated to a spectacular sunrise:

Whilst the sun was rising, the crews were inflating the balloons ready for take off:

At this stage if I hadn’t already guessed, I realised I really needed a better camera for the purpose, so most of the photos taken in the air aren’t really up to much. However, just to prove I was up there,



The trip took us about 30km across the reserve, and we spotted a range of game, but none of the big 5 – which just goes to show that whilst a balloon is a great way to see a place, you can’t actually take it where you want to go – the wind is king. We did fly over a hippo who had taken a stroll on the banks of the Mara, though:



Anyway, once we landed, we were treated to a champagne breakfast out in the bush, which was a great end to the ride, and to start the rest of the day. I wasn’t due to meet up with John until 10:30, so a driver from the balloon company drove me around for the next couple of hours.

Patrick – the driver’s name – took me back down to the banks of the Mara, and pointed out a number of crocodiles – which reminded me “Never smile at a crocodile ....” but this one looked particularly fine:



He was then determined to complete the big 5, so we drove round for a while, listening to the radio – as ubiquitous as the white Toyota van and we soon got a pointer. Driving off at a rate of knots, we found this character:



Shortly after we saw her, and stayed – in company with a collection of other vans – taking photos, we got a steer to the last of the 5, so headed off to find the location. Half an hour or so later, we arrived on an open hill side, to find 4 or 4 safari vehicles, and one lone leopard:



Leopards are particularly shy, and hard to find, so this was a great result – and it stayed strolling across the hill for 15 minutes or so with a posse of vans in it’s trail.

Shortly after this, with the big 5 firmly in the bag, I met up again with John. He was disappointed that he had not been the one to find the two missing animals, and so determined to find them in a better location, or doing something more interesting. The first we found was another – or possibly the same – leopard, hiding from the sun, which seemed pretty sensible by that stage:



We then went on the trail of more wildebeest – not hard to find, since they are everywhere at this time of year – but particularly to see if we could see them crossing a river. They are the main players in the migration, moving to find water and food as the season changes –others follow, but wildebeest are easily the biggest number. The problem they have, particularly when crossing water, is it makes them easy prey for predators. Not being entirely stupid, they know this, and so they can take a long time plucking up courage to make a crossing. Once one starts, they all tend to follow, but you can wait a long time – even days – before they do.

We went back to the Mara River to try and see this; on the way seeing rather more hippos:



Moving along from the hippos, we found a herd of wildebeest who were possibly thinking about making a crossing. That said, they say of the Masai Mara that there are so many people who come to the reserve, the wildebeest actually come to watch the people. This shot could well bear that out:



The wildebeest had a few false starts at crossing, but eventually thought better of it so we moved off in search of other sights. We missed the actual capture of the zebra, but arrived to see the aftermath:



Fairly visceral, and the picture doesn’t do it justice, but an amazing sight. Looking elsewhere, we found some more lions, with something of a puzzle on their hands:



First of all working out what the tortoise moving towards them actually was, then how to eat it:



Looking at animals being killed by predators, the cycle wouldn’t be complete without seeing the dustbins of the plains:



Inevitably there are a variety of vultures, and this was only one type, more were spotted as we drove around, but not all as photogenic as this lot(?!)

The last spot of the day was the largest antelope around – the eland:



We found this whilst looking for more leopards, but in the event, none were prepared to show their faces – probably a wise move, given the number of white van men tracking them down. Eventually, we left the park, but on the way back to the camp, John insisted on taking me to a Masai village. It was quite an experience, and reminded me of the Auden piece – some 30 inches from my nose ... as about 10 Masai warriors cam bearing down on me, and didn’t stop at the requisite 30 inches, but kept on coming. This was part of their welcome dance, which they insisted on my joining – the least said of that the better. Still, it did put paid to the question posed in the film – “Can white men jump?” Of course they can:



Or perhaps not:



Enough, then for one day, and time to beat a hasty retreat to the camp.

Lions and tigers and bears ... part 2

As we drove through the area, John had an HF radio on, and was chatting to other drivers across the reserve. This steered us nicely to



who had terribly haughty looks (shades of F&S’s gnu) but suffered us to stop and take pictures. With that, we had one out of five, and were well on our way. The next thing John heard was that someone had sighted rhino, so we took off at a rate of knots across the reserve to get to the place they had been seen. It shows the power of the radio net (HAC types take note) – the first thing we saw was not the rhino, but



Shortly afterwards, though, we sighted them in the bushes, as they began to make a dash for freedom:



and 2 were in the bag.

Whilst looking for the next target, we saw some stripey beasts. Earlier, I’d seen



And on the area, I then saw



I was a touch confused – stripes on the road, but no animals, stripes on the animals, but not on the road, and not a Boletia beacon in sight – what is the world coming to? In any case, we kept pressing on, and passed this fellow:



John, who is a mine of information, told me that there are 3 types of giraffe – the Mara giraffe, of which this is an example, the Rothschild’s giraffe (don’t they just get everywhere?) and the Reticulated giraffe – and we were expected to see all 3 over the course of the trip. Thus, on this separate count, one down ...

It was beginning to get late, and we were thinking of heading for home, when the trusty radio came to our rescue again:



and three were on the score card – all we needed now was to see a leopard and a lion... so with that, we headed out, after a good day on the range.

Eventually, then, we arrived at the Mara Springs tented camp. I had had to change the dates of travel, so I know the arrangement had been last minute, and I had been fitted in where they could. However, I’d expected a 5 star experience – not because I can’t rough it, but that was how it had been billed. I was just a little surprised, then, to discover the tented camp, although it did have fixed tents, and beds in those tents, had little else by way of amenities, including lights, power, and even towels. The less said about the amenities the better. No great problem in itself- I’ve been known to live rough when wearing a green suit, and even on self inflicted occasions. However, it would have helped if I’d been told in advance, so I could have brought a torch, etc. Anyway, tiredness conquered all, and also the thought of a horribly early start in the morning, so that concludes the report from the first day on safari.

Lions and tigers and bears ... part 1

But then again, I’m not in Oz (or Kansas), and you don’t see too many tigers and bears in Kenya. Having thought I was set for a 7am start, whilst having dinner the night before, James came to find me and said the vehicle that was taking me was being serviced, and wouldn’t be ready until 9 – 9:15. No great problem there for me – glad of a lie in ... In any case, I was duly ready at 9 am, all ready for the great adventure. James arrived at 9:15, full of apologies, and saying the service wasn’t complete – did I mind a little delay. So far, no problem – I was keeping going on adrenalin in Dubai, but now I’ve stopped, I’m falling asleep at every opportunity.

Anyway, around 10:30, he decided the vehicle would take too long to get to the hotel, just to go back out the same way, so he called a friend to drive us out to meet the safari wagon.

All so far still sounds simple- it couldn‘t stay that way ... once on the road, in a nicely appointed Range Rover, we got caught in a traffic jam- there had been a bad accident on what was the sole route out in our direction. Net result was a magical mystery tour of the back streets of Nairobi, which really underlined the difference between the haves and have nots – plush villas and estates cheek by jowl with corrugated iron shanty towns. In any case, we eventually found our way out of town, and met my driver on the outskirts of Nairobi. Having thought I was doing well in the Range Rover, I rather expected to have a similar quality of transport through the journey to come. I was a little taken aback to find that actually I was to travel in what looked like a beat up old Toyota van. I was introduced to John, who is to be my constant companion for the next 7 days, and climbing aboard, we finally set off on the great adventure.

The plan had been to arrive at the first camp for lunch, then set out on a game drive. In the event, we were so late that John suggested eating en route, and going straight to the reserve. The first part of the journey was fairly straightforward, but as we entered the rift valley, there was a dramatic change of scenery.



Having stopped for the obligatory tourist photo,



and indulged in some retail therapy, we pressed on towards the Masai Mara. Round about this time, I passed out, so can’t say a lot about the scenery for a while.

Eventually, though, we reached the reserve – we’d entered what I thought was the park a while before, and there was no evidence of game. However, we finally reached the checkpoint where we entered the reserve proper, and fairy quickly things changed.

The Toyota van I’d been a bit suspicious about turned out to be ubiquitous – most parties use them; they have a roof that opens, so you can stand as you drive through the park, and get a 360 degree view- the Land Rover seated version in retrospect isn’t as good or the purpose.

The big thing in the Masai Mara, for those who haven’t been, is to see the “big 5” (so much for lions and tigers, etc.) They are lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo and rhino. Quite why, when there are so many other things to see as well, I can’t say, but in any case, this is what drives people who come to this reserve. The first thing we saw, on entering the reserve, was actually some wildebeest:


Closely followed by various forms of antelope:



Impala



Thomson’s Gazelle, and the Grant’s Gazelle, which for some reason I can't upload a photo of.



And shortly afterwards, and not at all dreadful, the hartebeest. Not a gnu in sight – what were
Flanders and Swan talking about?

Freedom ...

... at last. Here I sit in the Nairobi Serena hotel:

http://www.serenahotels.com/serenanairobi/default-en.html

dealing with a few last bits of business. I know I shouldn't but better to deal with a few points now than get clobbered when I get back to the grind. I arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport earlier today, to find it pleasantly cool. A warm summer's day, for the UK, but compared to where I've just come from, really comfortable.

Sorted the visa, through immigration, and emerged into the sunshine to be met by a friendly guide - James - whose main effort was to get me to the hotel in one piece. Given we saw 4 accidents within a mile of the airport, I'd say he did pretty well. I was a bit slow getting the camera out - missed some good shots (will get into the habit over the next few days) but one things that struck was almost I was back in Dubai - the rate of building on parts of the route was frantic.

Anyway, I arrived at the hotel in one piece, thanks to James' good offices, and now have the evening to myself. I had thought to go to

http://www.tamarind.co.ke/restaurant.php?id=1

but having been told I'm leaving this perfectly good hotel at 7:30 in the morning, and had precious little sleep over the last few days, I may think better of it - I'll report on that next time. In the meantime, I'm heading to a number of game reserves, staying at lodges and tented camps in the Serena chain, so you can see most of them from the link at the top. First stop is the Maasai Mara, staying at the Mara Springs tented camp for a couple of nights, so expect more pictures, and less verbiage from here on (unless I can't resist the urge to pontificate about something, which is quite likely!)

In the meantime, one picture I did manage to take in Nairobi, since it tickled my fancy, was



You'll have to click on the picture to download it and see the sign more closely, but it looks like something we could do with in a few other placees I know!

Anyway, I have an appointment with dinner and drink (somewhere), and then an early bed to make the most of tomorrow. Don't miss the next thrilling episode ...

Farewell to all that

And finally ... for the time being ... starting to climb walls, working 14 hour days for the last 10 days or more, and dying for a break. Still, with a deadline to complete the office, and open for business on the 20th August, time waits for no man. As of the time I left the office on the evening of the 6th, we'd done the following:

Starting with



which is what I saw when I first saw the office space in February, we've moved though



to



Of course, whilst I've been involved in many aspects of the project, my main focus has been the IT provision, so just to show I have been playing with computers as well, the server room has also come together:



Of course, I had thought to include pictures of other areas of Dubai, but practically, what you see is pretty much all I've seen - all work and precious little play. Once the office opens, I hope(?) to have some time for myself, and will explore parts of the town unseen by human Whitaker - and post some pictures to prove I did. For the moment, you'll have to take my word that - certainly from the building point of view, Dubai is an incredibly vibrant place - to drive down the Sheikh's highway is to pass through the most extraordinary range of building, from low rise villas to a broad range of tower blocks - an architects paradise. Some of them are indifferent, but there are a number of gems, well worth a trip to look over.

Given the current world financial climate, the most incredible thing is the rate at which they are still building - it begins to look like you could have your own personal tower block. The again, of course, you do need to take a long view when building - I can't help remembering when Olympia & York were in deep trouble with Canary Wharf. 20 years on, all that is forgotten - I can't help thinking that will be as true of this place.

Anyway, at last, I can say I'm done with Dubai for a while - holiday beckons, and I'm off to Nairobi. Can't wait - and I'm sure if you are following my random thoughts, you're saying thank heavens that's over - now we can get to the fun bit!

All for now - heading for points south.

What do people talk about?

Just a quick, idle thought (for once, briefly, I have an idle moment(which should probably be spent sleeping!)).

Typically, British people spend an inordinate amount of time speaking about the weather. Given the variation of types of weather there, that has some merit - a bit like the Inuit, who have something like 19 different words for types of snow. The trouble with Dubai is that can get a bit staid:

Nice day again today.
Yes, the sun was out
...

Any variations on a theme? Perhaps not.

Still, I'm pleased to report it was a nice day, the sun WAS out, temperature was - well, way above blood temperature anyway - and no sign of change in the next lifetime. All good fun, and it keeps us off the streets (apart from mad dogs and Englishmen, of course.)

Anon

Happy as ...

... or at least as close as I could find a suitable picture- it's amazing what gets blocked by the proxy servers here.

After a few days where I don't seems to have stopped working - no time for the important things like blogs, eating, sleeping, etc, we seem to be making some progress. The main issue is getting connectivity. If you're not familiar with Dubai, you should know that there are 2 telecommunications companies - Etisalat and Du. You can't really choose which gets your business - for the most part they are geographically based, so if you're in one area, you can only have Etisalat, in anothe - e.g. JLT - you can only have Du. When I first had dealing with both companies, about 18 months ago, it could take over 2 months just to get a quote - actually getting lines - phones, internet, etc - was something of a pipe dream. I placed orders with Du a couple of months ago, and was told to give them 2 working days notice when I was actually ready to have the lines connected. As you can imagine, trying to set up servers without internet connections can be a touch difficult, so if Du hadn't delivered, I would obviously be in the do-do.

I'm pleased to relate that Du did, so I'm out of the do-do - at least at the moment, so back in it like the pigs at the top! How does the song go? Do what you do do well ...

Back when I get another free moment. Oh - by the way, I'm taking off to the plains on the 6th August, so should change topics then!

Two nations divided

It's often said that Britain and America are two nations divided by a common language. (If you feel like wasting some time, you might try to find out who coined the phrase - opinions seem divided between Shaw, Wilde and Churchill, which probably means it was someone completely different. (Shades of Monty Python coming on..))

Heaven knows, it can be difficult trying to express yourself when you think the person you're speaking to has the same language, only to realise that they have a totally different understanding of what's being discussed. Of course another aspect of that is the value of one's word. It always used to be said in the City of London that one's word was one's bond - so there was no need for a contract, as the promise was sufficient. (Whether there's still any value in that these days is another question.)

Trying to get things done in Dubai is an education. With such a diverse range of nationalities here, English, in various guises, is the lingua franca. Many other languages are spoken here, but as so often around the world, the common means of communication falls back to English - or variations thereof. All that can make those of us whose first languauge is English a bit lazy, as we know we can get along without learning other people's tongues. I always think it's worth remembering that if I have difficulty understanding someone speaking to me in English, they're still doing far better than me, since I can't begin to speak their langauges.

That said, there seems to be culture here of promising what they think you want to hear, rather than the truth. "This product/service will definitely be here at 1100 am tomorrow", said day after day after day begins to get a bit wearing. "This kit is on a 4 weeks delivery cycle", and it still hasn't arrived after 9 weeks. The list is long and growing - I'm here on a fixed timeline, with rising costs, and working on the basis of promises made days weeks and months ago, and each day there seems to be a further delay. Obviously anything can be subject to unplanned circumstances, but an upfront statement of the issues, and constant communication of progress would ease things, whereas the repeated promises of definite progress, repeatedly broken without warning until too late begins to sap confidence and question why I'm here. Of course, the more time one spends here, the more one starts to realise that that is how things work in Dubai, and so one starts to work round it. Even so, I have to question why it should be so - surely there's scope for someone to deliver a more responsive service. Watch this space ...

Anyway, rant mode over for the moment - back with more or something later.

What's going on???

I seem to recall I said the next posts would be a series of rants about trying to get business done in Dubai, but they managed to get the air conditioning working in the server room last night, so I'm a little more chilled out now. Don't know how long that'll last, so I'll take the opportunity to post some pictures of Dubai, or part of it, at least ...

So far this trip, I've stayed in JLT, so haven't had time to get photos of the rest of Dubai (watch this space). Given that, these are local:

As I said, I'm staying in the Bonnington



This shot is taken from the Almas Tower side, and shows what's proving to be the bane of my life - although the buildings are next door, they haven't finished the Bonnington surroundings yet - that corrugated iron in the foreground would be the direct route through - might not sound much, and in truth it isn't very far, but when the temperature is in the mid 40s (C), having to walk all the way round the block can feel like a lifetime. The area where the wall appears to be cut away is the swimming pool, which is in the open air, and probably the most sensible place to be.

The Bonnington is part of an Irish chain - the next picture shows the base of the Almas Tower, but to the left you can see the Cavendish Restaurant, and Healey's Irish bar. The Almas is the building in the centre of the picture, with the angled glazed podium, and disappearing our of view at the top of the shot.



Actually, though I've said getting things done here can be like pulling teeth (have I actually said that? If not, take it as read!) sometimes things can be turned round remarkably quickly. I was here a couple of months ago for a week. The next photo is from almost the same place - the garden element appeared within a couple of days...



... so some things can take place fairly quickly. Getting back to the Almas Tower, I rarely get far enough away to get it all in one shot, so having seen the base, the upper part looks like this:



It's the tallest building in JLT - in fact I think the second tallest in Dubai, after the Burj Khalifa, which of course is the tallest in the world (this is Dubai, after all.) The area is still very much under development - the lakes of course are artificial, and this one - in the distance - has only just been filled in:



The one on the other side is still being tanked, but you can see the idea ...



Of course, Dubai is in the throes of completing their Metro - it's largely open now, though typically, the most useful stop for me - JLT - isn't open yet. Not just for transport - it has the only footbridge to cross the Sheikh's Highway, which certainly isn't something to risk on foot - the M25 would be easier. The stations are very stylized - the best bit is they're fully air conditioned - but I can't help thinking they remind me of the sand worms from Dune:



By way of a parting shot, I mentioned that the swimming pool in the Bonnington was part of the way up the building- on the 11th floor, as it happens. Some developers obviously thought that was a half measure - with apologies for the very grainy shot (how do you clean the windows on a 60 story building?), this is just one of a number of buildings that found somewhere else to put it:



Oh - by the way -if you didn't know or hadn't gathered, if you click on the photos, they will download and open in higher resolution. Anyway - so much for the picture fest - I'll get back to reporting the trials and tribulations of doing business here later!

Where am I?

OK - having got rid of the reason for being (watch out for the Rorschach inkblots - I feel they can't be far away!) I'll set the scene for where I am, and what I'm doing. Right now, I'm back in my hotel, trying to cool down, having been working in an office space where the air conditioning isn't yet commissioned, most of the external walls are glass, and the outside temperature is well over 40 Deg C. If ever I wanted to know what a joint of beef or a chicken felt like in the oven, I'd say I've a pretty good idea now. (Not that I really did want to know what they felt like - that's carrying existentialism way too far for me.)

Anyway, the hotel in which I sit is in Dubai. I'm sure you all know where that is, but for the avoidance of doubt, it's in the Persian Gulf, round about here:



Dubai is broken up into a number of areas, some of which are Free Zones - relevant to what I'm dong, so I'll get back to that later - and others are just municipal areas, just as you'd find anywhere else. This map shows a fair breakdown of the areas:




Within Dubai, which is one of the Emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, or UAE, I'm in an area called Jumeirah Lakes Towers. This is just inland of the Dubai Marina shown on the map above. In addition to Dubai building new islands - the Palms, the World, etc - they also create lakes and waterways inland. Some of these are low rise; JLT, as you might guess, is an area of tower blocks, surrounding a number of lakes.



The Almas Tower - the round location shown between the 2 lakes to the left - is where the office that I'm working on is located; the hotel is - on this image - immediately below the Almas Tower and to the left of the road.

As I noted earlier, Dubai has a number of Free Zones. If you set up in business in Dubai, broadly you can do so in one of 2 ways. If you set up "on shore", you can trade more or less anywhere in Dubai, doing anything (subject to your trade license.) However, your business must be 51% Emirati owned. If you set up in a free zone, the business can be 100% foreign owned. There are pros and cons to either approach, and the reasons for selecting how to set up a company here are far more complex than I want to trouble you with in this post. The reason for getting in to the issue of Free Zones, is in general you must set up in the Free Zone that relates to your business type. Hence if you're in finance, you must set up in the Dubai International Finance Centre, if in Internet, then in the Dubai Internet City, and so on.

The commodities market, although a governing body was created (the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, or DMCC), didn't actually have a physical location, so if you were in that market, you could set up anywhere, and operate under the DMCC regime. However,after a few years like this, the DMCC now has a home, and any businesses that operate under this authority have a time limited period within which they must move to the new Free Zone. Just in case you haven't spotted where this is going, the location of the DMCC is Jumeirah Lakes Towers, and the DMCC organisation itself is in the Almas Tower.

The DMCC fills 3 floors of this building; the remaining 60 floors or so are beginning to fill up with commodities organisations. The reason, then, that I'm here is to help commission the new office of a firm for which I do work in the UK, but actually has it's head office in Florida.

That should round this post out nicely - the next will probably be a series of rants about the joys of doing business here - but in the meantime, you might find the following links interesting - for the DMCC, and the hotel in which I'm staying. See you on the other side ...

http://www.dmcc.ae/
http://www.bonningtontower.com/