Termites can be a problem in Al Ain. We got these unwelcome visitors in our new villa recently. Here’s what we found behind one of my bookcases… You can see the gap at the end of the row of tiles in the skirting board where they were coming through. (Houses aren’t brilliantly put together here […]
Challenges
English speakers aren’t always easy to find
You will find that most of the taxi drivers, local shop owners, cleaners, ironing shop workers, tailors, etc speak very little English. So it helps if you are good at playing charades! If you have an iPhone, you will find a range of free or low-cost translators which you can download and use which will […]
Electricity spikes
There are occasional electricity spikes. About 3 weeks after we arrived here, I found that one of the mains adapters on one of my Apple MacBook pros had blown completely, the fuse had blown in the mains adapter for our second MacBook Pro, and the mains adapter for one of our iPods also blew completely. […]
Driving on the roads in Al Ain
Let me say that this is an adventure! On a 3-lane road, if you are in the middle lane, you can expect to be overtaken on both sides at the same time which can be a little unsettling occasionally! If you are in the outside lane you can expect to be tailgated on a regular […]