the final countdown (doo dee doo dooo)

the final countdown (doo dee doo dooo)

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Discussion

shirt

Original Poster:

23,487 posts

208 months

Saturday 9th April 2011
quotequote all
evenin'

assuming this little debacle is settled:
http://www.pistonheads.com/xforums/topic.asp?h=0&a...

I'll be there in 14days! biggrin

still masses to do at home but, inshallah, everything will be tied off before the big day. thoughts are now turning to a couple of practical matters that Google isn't helping with. to you guys they're trivial, so here goes.

the booze import limit, is it 4litres or 4items? I've seen reference to both and am intending to bring 4x70cl plus 1x1l bottles.

do I need a travel adaptor?

can I bring foodstuffs? I want to bring a bottle of expensive aged balsamic as that's how I roll.

can I buy a prepay sim card on arrival - i.e. before going to work and having visas comfirmed?

and that's about it! any other tips and 'dont forget' s would of course be welcome. anything legal you'd like me to bring you, just ask.

also been told I have sunday off as my boss won't be there, so I'll have 2 days to settle in and nose around. I was hoping to get a full body massage (i've shovelled 3ton of gravel today and that's only 1/3 of the garden finished) so if you could recommend somewhere good and reasonably priced that'd be great. a proper kneading is most overdue.

looking forward to my first uae ph meet smile

Hitch78

6,117 posts

201 months

Sunday 10th April 2011
quotequote all

I think the booze is items - you can ask at Duty Free when you land as I have heard three and five as the answer. We bought five bottles of white wine last time we came through Abu Dhabi.

English plugs.

Bring your vinegar, if it is that important to you. It'll have to go in your luggage though and I'm not sure I'd risk ruining all of my gear with a breakage though. We gave all of our stuff like that away on our last night in our house - one friend even left with half a bottle of ketchup and a few pickled onions!

Sim is dead easy - probably available at the airport, if not they are everywhere else.

My advice is leave as little to the last minute as possible - get all of your stuff stored/given away/sold etc., all of your papers organised and all of your jobs jobbed. Then you can enjoy your last few days with mates and family, arrive at the airport nice and relaxed, and enjoy a pre-flight beer whilst getting your head around your adventure!

Good luck with it all.

Emsman

6,974 posts

197 months

Sunday 10th April 2011
quotequote all
Ah, its that time already......

Hich has answered all of the important stuff- sim cards everywhere so dont worry about that- set skype up too and off you go.

Not sure on the boioze limits- i arrived with 1 bottle of gin with no problems, although in fairness, i had drunk it in the lounge befroe departure (nearly missing my flight in the process-whoops)

I have jnr coming out out on the 16th and cant bloody wait, but strongly suggest we organize a beer (or several) shortly after- i attended wafi on friday night just gone- 4 live bands (2 terrific) and since i havent had a drink in over 3 weeks, decided to reach a stage of utter refreshment- this was acheived with stella, guinness, and a 10dirham promo on Jager- looks like medicine but makes you worse, not better. Yesterday was not a good day. At all.

Look forward to seeing you here soon- its a great place to be.

yorky500

1,715 posts

198 months

Sunday 10th April 2011
quotequote all
Ooooooooooo, and its just starting to warm up nicely for your arrival - 38 Deg C.

Have a great trip over and leave the thermals at home.

K50 DEL

9,353 posts

235 months

Sunday 10th April 2011
quotequote all
Booze limit is 4ltrs, each time I fly in I buy 4 bottles of wine and 1 bottle of Vodka.... there's a pretty good duty free shop after baggage reclaim so don't worry if you run out of time in Heathrow.

Simcards are readily available, they cost 99 AED plus whatever top-up you want to buy, you'll need your passport to get one as they take a photocopy of it as ID proof.

Can't help you on the massage though I'm afraid!

shirt

Original Poster:

23,487 posts

208 months

Sunday 10th April 2011
quotequote all
the vinegar is an oddity, it costs the same as a bottle of scotch and I'm looking forward to strawberries & balsamic with a bottle of duvel on my balcony smile

95% packed now, most stuff either tipped, given away or left for whoever buys my house. I was surprised to see how good a tool chest I'd built up, giving that to my dad. mates are coming for a send off party next weekend so they can divvy up the rest if they like.

house should be 100% done by thursday. sorting estate agent, solicitor etc. this week as well as dissolving my ltd co. hopefully next week will be all lie ins, dinners and nights out.

38degrees you say? arse.

dxbtiger

4,441 posts

180 months

Sunday 10th April 2011
quotequote all
Yeah the weather has definitely turned for the worse in the last week, still beats the english climate though!

Why do you have to get your medical done there? That's a new one for me, all mine have been here

shirt

Original Poster:

23,487 posts

208 months

Sunday 10th April 2011
quotequote all
I think its just to check to ensure I'll pass the meds out there. the xray was fine and I've had a full std screening recently so I know I'm hiv free. it was amusing to see i had 10missed calls from HR as she got the wrong end of the stick.

Hitch78

6,117 posts

201 months

Sunday 10th April 2011
quotequote all
Massage places are plentiful - there are a couple in the Marina - Dreamworks being one of the better. No Happy Endings though if thats what you're after!

Emsman

6,974 posts

197 months

Sunday 10th April 2011
quotequote all
38 degrees.

But don't worry- tonight is a reminder of home- huge thunderstorm blowing over, pouring rain and some pretty impressive lightning.

shirt

Original Poster:

23,487 posts

208 months

Sunday 10th April 2011
quotequote all
Hitch78 said:
Massage places are plentiful - there are a couple in the Marina - Dreamworks being one of the better. No Happy Endings though if thats what you're after!
far from it, I need a thorough kneading as every day I wake up to a muscle I never knew about is aching. always fancied having regular massages and not having to worry about inadvertently walking into a knocking shop will be nice.

dxbtiger

4,441 posts

180 months

Monday 11th April 2011
quotequote all
Stay away from bangkok massage in the marina then!

Hitch78

6,117 posts

201 months

Monday 11th April 2011
quotequote all
Really? I saw that place and thought it looked a little moody.......might have to pop in now!

IanUAE

2,945 posts

171 months

Monday 11th April 2011
quotequote all
Hitch78 said:
Really? I saw that place and thought it looked a little moody.......might have to pop in now!
Thinking the same thing...

Chilli

17,320 posts

243 months

Monday 11th April 2011
quotequote all
I was driving along Jumarah ( I can never spell that) beach road where all the health clinics are and noticed one called "The Stroke Centre". What a cracking name!

dxbtiger

4,441 posts

180 months

Monday 11th April 2011
quotequote all
IanUAE said:
Hitch78 said:
Really? I saw that place and thought it looked a little moody.......might have to pop in now!
Thinking the same thing...
Housemate went a couple of weeks ago.

They were quite taken aback when he said he only came for a massage!

shirt

Original Poster:

23,487 posts

208 months

Tuesday 19th April 2011
quotequote all
rowlocks.

apparently there's been some sort of housing crash here in the uk meaning, after 3yrs hard graft and a ton of money, if I sell now the profits would barely cover a week's stay at the burj al arab. above my head right now is a cartoon thought bubble going pop which previously contained my dubaian '65 mustang.

quite pissed off as it goes. not looking forward to being a landlord but I guess the best bet is to forget about it and sell in 5-10yrs time.

mines a pint - of scotch.

Emsman

6,974 posts

197 months

Wednesday 20th April 2011
quotequote all
Shirt-
When do you land?
Where are you staying?
When do you Start work?
When is the best night to introduce you to a pub?

shirt

Original Poster:

23,487 posts

208 months

Wednesday 20th April 2011
quotequote all
Emsman said:
Shirt-
When do you land?
Where are you staying?
When do you Start work?
When is the best night to introduce you to a pub?
Hi matey,

I land Saturday morning about 7am. should sleep well on the plane and the hotel are meeting me in arrivals so I'll be ready to explore from the off. My mate is meeting me that morning so day one will hopefully entail my first brunch!

Staying at the Grand Millenium in the TECOM complex. Start work Monday as my boss isn't in on Sun.

As for drinks, I should think anytime will be good. What does your 'research' suggest? smile

dxbtiger

4,441 posts

180 months

Wednesday 20th April 2011
quotequote all
You have a Belgium beer cafe in your hotel.

That's a good introduction to the price of getting pissed here.

Can recommend the 'Kwak', absolute rocket fuel!