Behind the glitter of the Gulf...

Cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi have been dazzling visitors for years now. The capital of Qatar, Doha, is heading I'm that direction too. But behind all the shiny sky scrapers and outrageous-sized malls lies another reality. That of the migrant workers that are hired to build these structures... It really is nothing short of modern-day slavery.

I visited Doha just a couple of weeks ago and I thought I might share some of the photos I took during our long weekend. I changed my mind and I am sharing this video instead.

Tired, but refreshed

Sounds like an oxymoron, but that is how I feel after the weekend that passed! Tired from lack of sleep. Refreshed from having spent some time outside the kingdom with a friend and her family.

On our way back we drove through a sandstorm and when coming home we were greeted by a house covered in a layer of dust :)

It was great to see Doha, a city that is what I always hope that the Kingdom would be: neat, clean and organized. Maybe one day...

The return

I am back from dazzling Dubai, after having enjoyed a great time with my family! Now my parents and brother are safe back home in Finland, my husband left in the early morning hours for the site. Our adorable girl is catching up on some sleep next to me in our bed. I am back online after almost a week off. It felt good to disconnect for a while. It seems that nowadays you're expected to be available 24/7, if for no other reason than everyone else's peace of mind.

I'll be online from now on, but maybe more sporadically. Maybe not.

Here's a snapshot of a beautiful Dubai moment - Khalifa and the moon.

Very Important Princess

Dethär är nyheter som man inte hör ett knyst av här i Saudiarabien http://yle.fi/uutiset/saudiprinsessa_yritti_paeta_6_miljoonan_euron_hotellilaskuaan/6149712
Saudiarabiens kungligheter avnjuter något av diplomatisk frihet i sitt eget hemland och många av dem utnyttjar sin status i olika sammanhang, bland annat för att få prioritet vid sjukhusvistelser, tex. kan de kräva att få sina små åkommor åtgärdade på bekostnad av en annan patienst livshotande tillstånd. Ni kan läsa mer om det på Blue Abayas blogg här (på engelska).


Dethär når inte över nyhetströskeln i Saudiarabien, dels för att ingen vågar kritisera en medlem av den kungliga familjen, dels för att det inte anses vara något utöver det vanliga.

Recently the Finnish Broadcasting Company published an article on their web site telling the story about the Saudi princess that had escaped an upscale Parisian hotel without paying the bill. A bill that amounted to 6 million euros no less.

This does not surprise me at all as the Saudi royal family has a very special status in their home country, something that most of them do not shy away from using - and abusing. It even goes so far that at the local hospitals they will insist on priority treatment for minor ailments at the cost of other patients' lives! You can read more about that on Blue Abaya's blog post about it here.

Any of this does not reach the news over here in Saudi Arabia. Partly because nobody dares to critisise the royal family, partly because this type of behaviour is nothing out of the ordinary...

28 hours in Dubai

Detail of the restaurant interior
Bild av restauranginteriören

Last weekend we did a quick visit to Dubai. We only stayed one night and the main reason for our visit was to visit friends, rather than taking in much of the sights. I am sure we will go back, flying there only takes an hour. As a comparison, Sydney to Gold Coast is an hour and a half and either me or my husband traveled every weekend for a few months!

We did squeeze in a dinner with family friends and my husband got to catch up with one of his childhood friends! We also witnessed that a man wearing the traditional outfit, the thobe, can skate!


Förra helgen gjorde vi en blixtvisit till Dubai, det blev en vistelse på ungefär 28 timmar. Men flygresan tar bara en timme, så det blir nog säkert ett eller flera återbesök!


Under vår visit hann vi äta middag med familjebekanta och min man passade också på att återuppleva gamla minnen med en barndomsvän! Vi kan också konstatera att en man klädd i en thobe, den hellånga klänning som är den traditionella klädseln för arabmän, visst kan skrinna!

Water feature in Dubai Mall
Vattenfall i Dubai Mall shoppingcenter

Massive aquarium in Dubai Mall
Jättestort akvarium i Dubai Mall

Who said that a man in a long dress can't skate?
Visst kan en man klädd i klänning skrinna!