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18 October Time to goHere we are all packed and waiting for our transport to the airport with wonderful memories of an excellent trip
On our last full day yesterday a lot of time was spent by the pool although I pulled myself away in the afternoon to go horse riding. It was brilliant......I had a few aches afterwards but everthing is ok this morning
The final of the holiday scrabble competion will take place on the plane and already the tide has turned
We are now looking forard to being home to see the family and friends
16 October In the desertWe moved out of town today and after a 60 minute drive arrived at a desert resort. What a change not to have the lovely sea breeze we had on the beach, its really hot here
After some orientation we found the camels and didn't take much persuasion to go for a ride. That was really interesting, especially the getting up a down bit...the camels that is!
It was back to the pool and scrabble and the end result was no change in the score
The sunset tonight was spectactular and I hope my pictures do it justice
Must go and make some plans for tomorow 15 October Moving onOur time in Dubai has been special and its been great to see life here. The hotel is excellent and the staff attentive to our every need
We have made friends with a few people especially a youing couple form Birmingham who are in our Villa area. They have two samll children and we've lots to chat about when we meet for a pre dinner reception each evening
The beach is a major attraction and seems to take most of our day time hours although I tore myself away yesterday afternoon for a spa treatment which was well worth the effort
Today is our last full day here so it's off to the beach now for the final roasting
Tomorrow we move to a desert resort for two days before returning home on Saturday with lots of pictures and great memories
Sheila is now one game up in the holiday scrabble competition 12 October Old dog.......new tricksAfter a few days on the beach, sunbathing, swimmimg, walking, playing scrabble, reading and sleeping we decided it was time for some action so this morning we headed for the desert and joined the Sand Riders
These are little automatic two seater buggies which we drove accross a fully fledged expanse of sand dunes.
It was an exhilarating adventure in the buggy which has a full suspension system, four point saftety harness and roll cage
We got a chance to take pictures of camels close up as well as admiring the breath taking scenery
Complete with helmets, gloves and goggles we enjoyed the experience along with three other couples and one gentleman and would you believe we were all from Ireland...what a coincidence!
The only problem with it was that it didn't last long enough, so who know what action packed activity wil be next
Just for information Sheila is three games up in the holiday Scrabble competition........but I think I'm better at the buggy driving!
09 October New experienceSheila and I have just moved on after a full 4 days in Bangkok where we experienced our first ever taste of Eastern culture. The thing that struck me most was the size of the city and I don't think I'd realised its population was well in excess of the Island of Ireland
With limited time to explore, choices had to be made, so with the help of our local tour guide we set about the task
A trip to the Royal Palace. the Temples of the reclining and emerald Buddas, the floating market, a cultural dancing show, River City and the Paragon Plaze all got on to the Agenda
Each had their own charm and points of interest and helped us appreciate the environmnet
Our base for the trip was the Oriental Hotel on the Chao Phrya river and it was a unique experience and I don't think I have ever experienced a level of (discreeet) service like it and there was a level of attention to detail which was exceptional
The standard of cuisine was in a class of its own and offered a wide range of dishes focusing of course on local fare
At the hotel we met a guy called Michael Hunter who I know from the Rotary Club of Belfast West and we has dinner one evening with his wife and he - small world!
We got quie a surprise on the way to the airport to hear that there had been serious rioting the previous day and this was confirmed by the local press. THis was news to us and we were totally unaware of what was happening - quite reminiscent of the bad old days at home
Our present location is Dubai where we are settled by the beach and plan to enjoy a relaxing time
02 October End of an eraAfter 45 years at Asdon, today was my first day totally away from the Company. My final day was Tuesday and yesterday I was there for a meeting to finalise things and clear my personal belongings from my office
In addition I received my first ever P45 form although I haven't quite worked out what I'm supposed to do with it
I have been overwhelmed by the cards, emails, texts and good wishes I've received over the past few days and they have certainly eased the transition for me
This should be helped even more over the next two weeks as Sheila and I are setting off on holiday tomorrow for 2 weeks and we're both looking forward to the break
After that a whole new world and set of disciplines will open up for me and I'm really looking forward to that
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