After a good flight in the A380 (note to self don’t sit on the back row as it’s near the toilets and a space where people gather to chat) I went to the visa collection point picked up my paperwork and after that had my iris scanned which I’m told is one of the first steps to getting a proper work permit. After passport control with more photos I collected my luggage and found my driver who took me from the airport along the 8 land highway to Ajman about 25km from Dubai itself where the station is based. We arrived just before 3am and I installed myself in my flat which is quite large with a kitchen, hallway with dinning table, lounge with a sofa and chairs, satellite TV although the selection of channels for me is rubbish BBC World being the best I’ve found so far and a balcony, my bedroom has plenty of storage and an en-suite bathroom plus I have another showroom come toilet.
I think it’s fair to say I wouldn’t have picked a flat like this myself but it’s clean and tidy with plenty of space and storage and reminds me of a package holiday hotel room. I think it’s been updated a little recently although a trip to Ikea will be required as having only one plastic (I kid you not) plate and cup isn’t ideal plus I need some pans, a shower curtain and few other bits to make it more homely and also a supermarket shop is required as a man cannot live on dried noodles, apples, bread and butter alone!
I guess the office is less than 5 minutes walk from here so a car isn’t required but what I do need a broadband connection as soon as possible as I being out of the loop isn’t a lot fun, I also need to get a pay as you go sim for my phone as I suspect it costs a fortune to send texts to the UK on an O2 roaming deal.
Off to Dubai itself shortly to have a look around with some of the other guys from the station and that will no doubt give me a better idea of what the country is all about.
More photos here
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