debliz | ExpatWoman.com
 

debliz

debliz
452
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Latest post on 27 December 2014 - 15:44
We have several rugs which help to muffle the noise so the vacuum comes in handy for them, and also for vacuuming mattresses and other furniture such as our settee and chairs which do collect dust unfortunately.
debliz
452
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 26 December 2014 - 23:57
If your vacuum cleaner uses bags then bring a good supply with you - never found bags for my Hoover and ended up buying a bagless vacuum cleaner
debliz
452
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 16 December 2014 - 15:53
I believe that once you have residency you have to have a UAE driving licence to be able to drive.
debliz
452
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 20 November 2014 - 10:26
You're welcome. Hope you enjoy your trip to Oman - it's a fascinating country and the Omanis are some of the friendliest and most gracious people we've ever come across. Have fun!
debliz
452
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 19 November 2014 - 19:03
You would be able to buy an Omantel or Nawras/Oreedoo sim card at any of their outlets. You just have to show your passport. There is an Omantel shop/office in Shinas (where exactly I don't know bu tI'm sure they will be able to tell you at the Wajaja (Omani) border control. Open Sunday to Thursday 8am to 6pm, Saturday from 8am to 1.30pm, closed Friday (according to the website haha). The card is called Hayyak (in the case of Omantel) and is prepaid. We had an Omantel sim card topped up with a prepaid Hayyak card before we got our residency here in Oman and stuck it in our spare phone when we visited so it was certainly possible two years or so ago and i can't see that it would have changed now. HTH
debliz
452
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 14 November 2014 - 11:21
"Mamsir" :(
debliz
452
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 14 November 2014 - 08:58
I thought that importing foodstuffs of any description into the US was a strict "no no" ?
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 08 November 2014 - 12:42
If you can't find a table cloth perhaps a bed sheet would do the trick?:)
debliz
452
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 03 November 2014 - 15:58
Neos on the 63rd floor of The Address Downtown. Right opposite BK and with great aerial views of the fountains. As before, though, no open toes shoes for the gents. (Not cheap, though.) As before, too, go early to get seats in the window. <em>edited by debliz on 03/11/2014</em>
debliz
452
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 26 October 2014 - 10:30
We are not, have never been and I don't believe we will ever be a 'United States of Europe'. One size does not fit all - it never has and it never will.
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 26 October 2014 - 10:25
Same thing happened at Heathrow T5 at the end of June this summer. Computer crashed and very few bags left the airport. We were flying to Edinburgh and the pilot was livid - he wasn't told that he only had 19 bags in the hold until he pulled onto the finger at Edinburgh. Give the crew their due though - they all hung around and made sure that we all got the forms to fill in so that our bags could be delivered when they finally got to Edinburgh and handed out 'compensation claim' forms for those who wanted them. Makes me wonder though - why all the panic about taking bags off a flight if the passenger doesn't board the flight. After all, tens of thousands of bags were carried unaccompanied last June and, doubtless, the same will apply this time.
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 25 October 2014 - 23:15
Does anywhere serve alcohol before noon - unless you are staying at an hotel and call room service?
debliz
452
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 28 August 2014 - 13:21
Try Tavola and/or Lakeland
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 21 August 2014 - 13:11
How about a salad nicoise using salmon instead of tuna? With a light dressing of greek yoghurt, lemon juice and a touch ( or more if you prefer) of minced garlic instead of mayonnaise or vinaigrette?
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 10 August 2014 - 16:40
Would pillow cases be a suitable alternative?
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 07 May 2014 - 16:56
Considering we are all non UK residents now and the amount of applications they must deal with I don't think 7 weeks is a long time Or is that just me? I So ... Does anybody know exactly what is being done while our applications are being "processed"? When still back in the UK we managed to get passports renewed within two weeks. What is so very different that it can take three or four times as long just because the application is received from overseas? And, why can't our embassy/consulate do the renewals any more? They appear to do little else than host opportunistic politicians and so-called "heads of industry" . And the argument that it isn't safe to send blank passports overseas doesn't wash. The last major theft of blank passports was from a lorry somewhere near Liverpool if I remember rightly. And ....... I must remember never to start a sentence with a preposition ;-)
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 07 April 2014 - 14:20
Have you checked out Home Centre? They normally have a selection.
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 06 April 2014 - 12:53
Received my new passport from UK this morning having couriered it to them on 28th February. Passport office took delivery on 4th March. Still waiting for my old passport to arrive, though. Sorry, can't help with your travel query.
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 28 March 2014 - 13:15
Another Dubai anachronism - a ten-day festival of light followed on the 29th (tomorrow night) by Earth Hour.
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 28 March 2014 - 12:17
Huh! Typical. Sent mine off for renewal a month ago (and they'd taken the money even before we dropped it off with the courier) and still waiting.
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 01 May 2013 - 23:27
Hi Aroha, We've had to insure our contents with the UK company which insured our container load of belongings when we moved to DXB in 2005. We tried to insure contents in DXB but everybody wanted either receipts or valuations for anything over, I think, AED2,000 which simply wasn't practical - much of the furniture we took to DXB with us was over 200 years' old. As we bought more items (silk rugs etc) we took photos and sent them to the company and they adjusted the premium accordingly each year. We've simply carried on insuring our contents with this company. We insure through a broker who are then underwritten at Lloyds. We probably pay a bit too much but for peace of mind, to be honest we don't much care. We'd rather be fully insured rather than under-insured and have to argue the toss should one of our more expensive silk rugs (for example) be damaged beyond repair. It was the nonsense of having to get valuations (couldn't find anyone who could value a Tudor oak chest in Dubai for example - our shipping valuation wasn't accepted because it was more than six months'old) and we simply gave up. Hope all is well with you and yours after this evening's monster storm.
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 01 May 2013 - 19:54
Sorry - looks like it's staying this side of the mountains :-)
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 01 May 2013 - 19:28
Sorry folks - all the thunder, lightning and rain is here in Muscat. A real doozy of a storm - gale force winds, non-stop lightning (sheet and forked at the same time) for the last 40 or so minutes and still going and simply torrential, torrential rain which is now easing off. We're safely at home - hope everyone else manages to get home safely. Not a great start to the three day weekend ... Oman changes to Friday/Saturday weekend this weekend so for most tomorrow is an off day.
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 01 May 2013 - 03:04
Azaiba has said, 'yes' but not sure what she was referring to - whether she has experienced crime or whether she is insured. We were in Dubai for seven years before moving to Muscat and we always had our home contents insured - not just against theft/break ins but also for damage caused by rainfall, leaking water tanks and any other thing you can think of. This was brought home to us early in 2006 in Dubai when there were very heavy rains and neighbours about four doors down from us had water flowing through the ground floor of their home which had to be pumped out. They tried to claim from the developer who said, 'your home, your responsibility'. To this day they still have sand bags stacked outside the front of their home. We also experienced a broken water tank in the ceiling above our bathroom which, thankfully, didn't damage anything. However another of our neighbours in Dubai who owned their home experienced something similar with the water tank above their kitchen ceiling which has damaged their kitchen worktop, obviously the ceiling, but also wrecked their microwave oven, their plumbed in dishwasher, their all-singing-dancing refrigerator with ice maker because the water caused a massive electical fault. They weren't insured for anything - neither buildings insurance nor contents - it's now up to them to fix everything Personally I can't think of any circumstances under which I wouldn't insure our household contents. We always did this back in our home country (UK) so why not wherever we choose to live now? Some may see this as wasted money - we don't.
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 01 May 2013 - 02:14
Thank you so much ladies for giving me so many chuckles today - it's been priceless.
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 01 May 2013 - 01:53
It's so very easy to make your own chicken stock. Use the bones from a previously roasted/cooked chicken (or buy a pack of chicken wings), place in a pan with half an onion, a bay leaf, half a chopped carrot, perhaps a brocolli stalk and/or cauliflower stalk and a couple of black pepper corns, cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer for about 20 minutes. Cool, remove the vegetables, pepper corns etc and strip remaining meat from the bones. Use the stripped meat in a stir fry and rapidly boil the remainder of the stock until reduced by 50%. Freeze in ice cube trays and add to baby's food as required. No salt at all and all the goodness of the chicken and vegetables.
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 30 April 2013 - 16:06
Fortunately, I don't care what other people think about my fashion choices. LIKE!
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 28 April 2013 - 09:32
The name change of the Bypass (E611) happened a few weeks' ago. Most of our friends have gotten around the new road names by calling the E311 'the old Emirates Road' and the E611 'the new Emirates Road'.
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 28 April 2013 - 03:23
As Azaiba has said, the rain has been here in Muscat - nearly all day today with lots of thunder and lightning - and more forecast over the next couple of days. LOVELY - it's put off the summer heat and humidity by another few days or so - we've had no need for A/C at all for the last week or so
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 26 April 2013 - 15:59
Wonderful isn't it - and this time we don't have to drive to MQ to jump in the puddles outside of Al Fair:-) Such a shame, though, on the other hand. I'd planned to do several loads of washing today LOL
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 23 April 2013 - 23:38
Dyson dyson dyson! Expensive yes, but it's just the best. It won't break, I promise ;) It won't break if only you use it - a Dyson most certainly isn't maid-proof. We had one in Dubai and within two years it was held together with duct tape. He have one here in Muscat but only my husband or I use it. We have a much cheaper Hoover which our part-time maid uses.
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 20 April 2013 - 18:28
We bought a wireless doorbell from Ace in late 2005 and it was still working perfectly well when we moved to Muscat last June. All we had to was replace the battery occasionally.
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 18 April 2013 - 17:02
We were told by RTA, Police and our insurance company last year once our residency was cancelled we were not able to drive our car on our UAE driving licenses even though they hadn't expired. Once we had our new visas (if this was going to be the case) our driving licenses would automatically become valid again.
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 14 April 2013 - 01:10
Don't know if this helps at all but way back in 2005 we bought furniture from The Warehouse (behind Gold & Diamond Park) and they coloured it to match our other furniture. In the end we bought several pieces of furniture from them - their catalogue is extensive and their warehouse out the back is enormous.
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 13 April 2013 - 01:30
Hi there Mai2013, You're pretty much correct in everything you say. Except that we had freezone visas in Dubai which we kept until very recently which meant that we had residence visas in both Oman and Dubai. However, back to your post ... Point 8) We always had UAE/Omani insurance for our car when we lived in Dubai because we made so many visits to Oman. When you de-register your car in Dubai and get export plates you have to get insurance for wherever you are exporting your vehicle to which will also cover your car for the period you are in Dubai before you actually take your car across the border. Ask at the express desk - export plates and insurance can be valid for different periods ... we just did ours for one week as that was all we needed. Once we'd imported the car to Oman we arranged insurance with the same company we'd used in Dubai (which gave us no claims) before taking it to the Registration office opposite the airport. The reason we use this office is that it's only about 15 minutes from where we live and much closer to the other one you mentioned. Good luck and welcome to Muscat - hope things go easily for you and your family move. PS: What we found to be so refreshing here in Muscat is that that the authorities try and make things easy despite the occasional language barrier.
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 07 April 2013 - 11:44
Ah, thanks, Azaiba. We had the wind last night - ripped the top off our pergola :( Still no rain here though - perhaps we'll do as you suggest and nip down to MQ for a rain dance!!!
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 07 April 2013 - 11:03
Hey, Azaiba - can you please send some of that lovely rain up to Seeb ... we've got nothing here yet :(
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 06 April 2013 - 02:09
Have no idea where you're travelling from but the Golden Tulip by the airport is the nearest hotel to both golf courses.
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 04 April 2013 - 02:02
Well it's many, many years since we had any kind of Landrover (it was a Disco) back in the UK and it was totally cr@p. Having had German or Japanese vehicles we thought we'd try and support British and what a huge mistake that was. Bought a 2 yr old Disco from a main dealer (very low mileage) and 12 months later when major service and MOT was due guess what the cost was. GBP1,700 and LandRover had paid for GBP800 so total cost would have been GBP2,500. And that was back in something like 1994 ish. Yes, yes, I know that it's many years' ago and that apparently all Land Rovers are better now but I'd never touch one again. We've stayed Japanese ever since - back in the UK it was Mitsubishi Shogun (Pajero) and, yes, we did drive off road - it wasn't a Chelsea Tractor - and here in the ME it's been a Toyota LandCruiser which has also been off-road.
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 31 March 2013 - 02:10
Hi, bodabz, thanks for that. Have visitors from the Uk arriving tomorrow for two weeks and guess that all of you have spring break/Easter holiday. If you can cope with a late 50 year old (with no children) then it would be lovely to join you all one morning.
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 31 March 2013 - 01:07
You should have seen some of the questions on TripAdvisor going back to 2005 plus a few years. Not only - 'is there electricity?' - and this from people staying at JBH and similar hotels. They said they'd been told that there were no taxis so how would they get from the airport to their hotel - one response was that they had robotic camels with a baggage/passenger sleigh behind. Another asked if it was possible to buy milk to which the response was that camels were available for milking. More recent questions (the last year or so) aren't quite as hilarious but can certainly make you chuckle out loud or raise your eyebrows at the stupidity. Having said that, we moved to Muscat last summer and my parents (being too old and unwilling to travel and visit us) are convinced that we live in a slum area simply because the Google Earth photo we sent them shows the contractors site not far from our villa. They regularly ask if our internet works - while we're chatting on that s k y p e thing. Edited to add that there is a huge amount of general ignorance worldwide about the Middle East. All we can hope is that when friends and family come to visit they can take home with them a more positive view. <em>edited by debliz on 31/03/2013</em>
debliz
452
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 23 March 2013 - 01:19
Presents for 'grown up' children stopped when they were 21 but that's going back well over 20 years now for great nieces and nephews but the same applied for nieces and nephews (no children of our own). As for immediate family members (siblings and parents) we all agreed that, once we'd left the UK in 2005, sending each other presents (either cash or kind) would be a nonsense. We treat each other on our (somewhat infrequent) visits back to the UK instead. It may not work for some but it works for all of us.
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 16 March 2013 - 01:49
Looks like there are a few new residents at The Wave. We're fairly new here ourselves - moved here last June but have been somewhat busy extricating ourselves from Dubai. Anyone fancy meeting up for coffee at Costa some time?
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 12 March 2013 - 10:25
Saw this on The Wave's community discussion forum - any use? March Boot Camp Saturday March 2nd - Wed 27th March. Come on down to the Wave beach and join in the fitness fun. Boot Camp is a fun way of getting or keeping fit. We have a wide variety of fitness levels exercising with us, from the complete Newbies on the path to fitness to the Super Elite! So don't be afraid to come and join up there is something here for everyone. Our group dynamic is an excellent motivator, and you'll see the Results! You train for 4 weeks, meeting every Sat, Mon and Wed at your chosen session time. Pick from 5.30am, 8.15 or 5.30pm. If you need to swap between sessions you can do that! Sessions last for one hour. Fees cost 40 Rial for 12 sessions over a 4 week period. http://www.thewavecommunity.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=579&sid=d19dd0020dfa7aa226a80b657ab5bf9f
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 26 February 2013 - 01:07
To be honest, if I had a cash buyer I'd take that over a financed buyer despite a financed buyer offering a higher price. Cash is king and there's nothing like having that money in the bank (or in cash in the hand).
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 23 February 2013 - 01:16
Hi Amigo, I'm afraid I can't help with advice about whether or not you should sell your car. We simply did it because the maths added up. We also had a 2006 model but we'd paid for an extended service warranty which expired early in 2012 and we had to actually pay for a service shortly before we moved to Muscat. When we bought our new car we also paid for an extended service warranty which will cover the next five years - not particularly cheap but it does mean it will be serviced at a dealership with 'real' parts and, in the event of an accident, repairs will also be carried out at that dealership. When we went to get Omani plates for our old car and it had to be tested at the Registration centre the ROP test engineer asked my husband if we were selling it and actually gave him his phone number! (At this point I should point out that our old car had extremely low mileage - no school runs in Dubai, we're both retired so work runs either.) The other thing to point out is that car dealerships are all monopolies, just as they are in the UAE. We were going to part exchange our old Toyota for the new one and had to take it to their main dealership in Al Wattaya to be valued. They gave us an absolutely rubbish valuation and we sold it privately (not to the ROP test engineer!) for 20per cent more (and that was after the buyer had it valued himself before buying it). I'm sorry not to be more help. If you're thinking of buying a new car perhaps you should look at prices in Dubai versus prices in Muscat. Where cars are concerned things do seem to be more expensive. This may explain the massive number of cars on UAE (especially Dubai and Sharjah) export plates which can be seen parked up all the way down to Muscat on the way from Dubai.
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 21 February 2013 - 00:57
Have you stayed at the Crowne Plaza?
debliz
452
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 21 February 2013 - 00:55
Hi Amigo, I'm afraid you'll have to go through the same process as us. You will have to de-register your car in Dubai and get export plates and insurance for the time your export plates are valid. This period can vary from seven days upwards. You can't simply drive your car to the border crossing and do the process there. With regards to import duty when bringing your car into Oman the Omani customs officers impose a rate taking into account of the age of your car which, when we sold our car just a little time after importing it into Oman, was a fair rate. As I said we thought it was going to be a daunting process but it all turned out to be relatively easy. Just keep every little bit of paperwork you need with you and, if you have time, several photocopies, too.
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 19 February 2013 - 01:44
I'm afraid you're going to have to pay. We tried to re-register our car a couple of years' ago and found that we had a fine for not wearing a seatbelt while in the Naif area of Dubai. We had NEVER driven in Naif in all the years we were in Dubai but the fine had DH's driving licence number and our car registration. Somebody had wasta, just like here in Oman.
debliz
452
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 13 February 2013 - 00:29
Quick and easy but depends on whether or not your guests are alcohol-friendly: Buy a packet of ginger biscuits. Whip cream. Pour either sherry or brandy into a shallow dish. Dip ginger biscuits quickly into either the sherry or brandy on both sides. Stick together with the whipped cream to make a log shape and then cover with the remaining whipped cream and finish off with shavings of dark chocolate. Put into the fridge until required.
 
 
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