Where to start....well it has been one week since I left sydney, so lets start at the beginning:
First stop was Dubai to meet up with Az. The plane trip was painful but at least I didn't have to eat crappy plane food as I pre-packed my meals for the 14 hr trip. I know, it sounds like I'm being a little neurotic but I can highly recommend it if you want to feel half-decent on the other end. The envious stares you receive from other passengers and hosties just add to the fun. What did I have?
1. Chicken curry with roast veg - ha to make sure not to add too much liquid due to restrictions!
2. Marvellous mince with roast veg
3. A raw chocolate and coconut ball.
4. Sachets of artisana coconut oil and butter just in case.
Take that emirates!!!
So - Dubai day one (the day after I arrived):
Az and I decided to go on a hop on hop off tour of the city. Dubai is quite an amazing place but not somewhere I could spend a lot of time. It is quite materialistic and over the top - beyond the designer shops and extravagant buildings, there is not much more to see and do. On our way back through we will go dune bashing.
At the end of the day we visited the souks (markets) - gold, old and spice. I loved the spice market - the shop owners were keen to teach me about (and sell me) all they had on offer. I could have stayed longer but Az was getting frustrated (he hates markets!) and it was starting to rain. Heading to the fish and produce markets, the death stares that were flying my way from my dear husband were increasingly scary, so we decided to head home....
Unfortunately we missed the last bus back to where we needed to be. Instead, the bus dropped us off at the Deira centre mall to catch the metro back. Easy enough, right? Wrong! Az had been in Dubai for 2 weeks so I trusted that he knew where he was going - especially considering you can only go in 2 directions! We bought our tix and raced down to the platform (why we were racing, I do not know). As luck would have it, Az made it onto the train and I was left on the platform as he waved at me from behind closed doors with a smirk on his face. Admittedly it was kind of funny. But a little unnerving. Being a blonde woman in Dubai by yourself is not so fun. All good - I would just get on the next train and meet him at our station which I thankfully knew the name of! However....upon getting on the train I realised I was heading in the wrong direction! Amusement turned to anger. 2 directions to choose from and he got it wrong! Okay deep breaths. I would hop off at the next stop and head back the other way. Trains come every 5mins. But at what point would Az realise he was on the wrong train? (It turns out it took him one more station- hee hee)
Finally - in the right direction. I arrived at our station and then realised how big it was - was I to meet him on the platform, where the tix are bought, or outside??? Anger turned to panic. I decided to wait where the tix are bought.
No sign of Az. After 30mins panic turned to desperation. I was freaking out, to say the least. I had no phone and didn't want to try and get home in case Az eventually turned up and I had left. Not to mention there was a very dodgy looking guy staring at me. This was turning into a disaster. I was on the verge of tears, busting to use the bathroom and about to venture out when I heard my name being called - there he was! He was on the platform right below me the whole time! Words cannot express how relieved we were! All anger forgotten. Moral to the story - don't rush when you are on holiday!
Now you are probably thinking this isn't very nutrition-oriented. Well, you are correct. For the next couple of months this blog will also be serving as a travel blog through South America. However, I plan to eat my way through the continent, experiencing the local fare and sharing it all here. I may even con Az into doing a few posts on exercising abroad.
Just quickly to finish off this post - my first delicious food experience was in Dubai. Now, there are a lot of sweet shops in Dubai - candy, cakes and chocolates. It's probably not just a coincidence that they also have a large market for special "diabetic foods". Apparently diabetes is a huge problem in the UAE. Hmmm.
Anywho my amazing food experience was at a restaurant called Tribes in the mall of the Emirates. This is an African-inspired restaurant with great atmosphere, superb service and insane food. I enjoyed the oxtail stew which came with extra broth. As I sat there chewing on the bones I was as happy as a pig in s... ! If you go to Dubai, don't miss this place!
Well my thumbs are sore and I'm getting burnt so I'll end things here. Hopefully I can post some pics at the end of this. Right now I'm going to go for a stroll around Palermo, Buenos Aires in the hope of finding some organic produce....
