Tallybalt | ExpatWoman.com
 

Tallybalt

Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 30 January 2012 - 13:04
The maid empties out the cat litter box. Does that make me a bad pet owner? Well if the responsible owner of the dog wasn't so lazy - the maid wouldn't have to do that chore anyway. It is the maids that don't pick up but its the owners that are at fault - walk your own dogs! isn't that half the pleasure of owning a dog?????? btw, I ALWAYS scoop my poop.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 26 January 2012 - 14:56
I was looking for adobo chili not long ago and finally found them at Maria Bonita on Umm al Sheif, just up the road from the Spinney's Umm Suqeim on Al Wasl. Although it's a restaurant they have shelves with some Mexican spices and peppers and bags of their nachos for sale. If you call them they will confirm if they have chipotle paste.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 23 January 2012 - 12:17
But almost all locals work in the public sector, no? And didn't they get a 40% pay raise last December? On top of a 70% pay raise in 2007? Now you can see why locals get frustrated when expats complain locals get higher salaries - they'll only ever get the local package, this means 2-5K more than an expats wage, only. But you'll always get low balled, you'd work for free if they'd have it their way, so just set the amount you're willing to accept, don't go under then don't look over the fence - I do agree with your point, though, as teachers packages are very inclusive.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 23 January 2012 - 08:42
The total tuition + room and board + misc expenses for a single year at MIT, according to their website, is 55,000 USD. That's $220,000 over four years. Quite expensive, I'm afraid. My Ivy League alma mater is just as expensive, and while I loved my time there and appreciated the wide variety of resources and made wonderful life-long friends, if I were a British parent and the choice was between four years at $55,000 per year or three years studying math at Oxford at an estimated cost of 17,000 GBP per year (approximately $26,000 USD), with the grand difference down to $220,000 versus $78,000, I know which one I would go for. Since we're highly unlikely to qualify for financial aid I would much rather send my child to the cheaper option and give him the differential to help buy his first house or fund his graduate education. I'm old enough to know that despite all the stigma attached to the prestige of attending a certain university over another university and despite all the hoopala about facilities and resources, most kids are very happy wherever they end up and for a bright child, he will do just as well in life regardless of the school he went to. I agree with scotchanddiet - send him on the college tour and he will come home MIT bound!!! They really get the kids pumped up at these events. 4 years ago my youngest brother started Uni at Florida State University and he was so excited! His Freshman year he worked as a lifeguard at the pool, joined a fraternity. etc etc. Students usually get involved in all of the sporting events - the American university athletics are so fantastic for school spirit/pride. There are just so many things going on besides the academics. Not sure if you saw this... http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/19/education/mit-expands-free-online-courses-offering-certificates.html @Tallybalt - 200K ?? I think that is a bit of an exaggeration...yes its high but inline with any other private US uni at 20K usd per year fall/spring. Yes Cambridge is a bit less at about 13K usd but the savings alone in living expenses... and is the US school worth it?? I think so... http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/qs-subject-rankings.html
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 22 January 2012 - 14:50
Laundry service is quite cheap. We send our sheets to the laundry service as it's easier than washing and ironing at home. If you're in a serviced apartment in TECOM, there's a number of laundries in the area. Trust me, they won't have a problem stopping by a hotel apartment. You ladies have got to be kidding me! Something as simple as this not available in Dubai? On the other hand it is probably to idiotic to want to do this yourself here. I don't have the guts to have a laundry come pick up my stuff at a hotel though. Anyway, should I decide to start my own business I have now found the niche! Thanks for your help, and should anyone do know about this being available after all, I'm all ears.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 22 January 2012 - 14:48
Our friends who used Dubai Pet Sitting had to sign various disclaimer forms that looked quite legal. They said the woman who runs it was very professional with signed receipts for all transactions. Given that there's also a website that seems to have been up and running since 2008, I'm sure they must be sponsored by someone or a business or a free zone somewhere. Someone who was running an illegal business wouldn't go to the trouble of having a public website with all the contact information listed on it, and also keep paper trails of her customers and financial transactions. <em>edited by Tallybalt on 22/01/2012</em>
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 19 January 2012 - 11:30
Mikwaukee is a much smaller city and much less interesting city than Chicago. If you had a longer trip I'd suggest going to Lake Geneva over Milwaukee, but with only 2-3 days you're better off staying in Chicago. There's enough going on to keep you occupied. Sorry to hijack but i had a similar question! We will be in the Chicago area for 2-3 days in April, is it worth going over to Milwaukee for a day trip while we are there ? Does Milwaukee have any sights or attractions much different than Chicago's ? edited by Arch on 14/01/2012 edited by Arch on 14/01/2012
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 17 January 2012 - 08:32
We have friends who used a nice young woman who runs her own pet sitting business. I think it's called Dubai Pet Sitting and you can find their website online. The woman's name was Sabrina, I think. It didn't cost 100 AED a visit.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 16 January 2012 - 21:09
In your post you say your son is in a position to apply to MIT, but I gather he hasn't done so yet? The admissions process is going on right now so I am assuming he plans to apply next year? In that case you're jumping the gun here. Teenage girlfriends come and go in a matter of months. That said, admissions into MIT is exceedingly difficult. I graduated from an Ivy League university and the admissions rate is about 12 percent, or even a bit lower these years. Thousands of well qualified students are rejected every year. Encourage your son to apply to MIT but I hope he has other schools he wants to apply to in the US and the UK because there is absolutely no guarantee that he will get into MIT. Worry about the girlfriend after he already knows what universities he's been accepted into. But I will be honest here and say that you should be very careful in deciding to commit to an expensive US degree. Is MIT or any top US university really worth the price tag, which will be over $200,000 for a 4 year degree, versus the much cheaper 3 year course at a top UK university? <em>edited by Tallybalt on 16/01/2012</em>
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 08 January 2012 - 14:07
Thanks to all, ladies. The Pajero and I are now on the chase!
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 06 January 2012 - 20:21
We really did feel like that everyone only looked at us with dollar signs in their eyes. Another good site for hotel reviews is booking.com. Oh i nearly forgot - triplecheck names of hotels and addresses especially if you take a look at Tripadvisor ratings and reviews. There are many hotels sharing the same name, belonging to different people, often even in the same street or across from one another. The surname Nguyen is also shared by around 40% of all Vietnamese to further complicate matters. You could easily book one hotel and read the reviews of another without knowing it. Be streetsmart too, you will be seen as a walking ATM ;)
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 06 January 2012 - 20:09
Just be aware that February is winter in North Vietnam. Hanoi and Halong bay will be cold. We were in Vietnam at the end of March and early April, and it was cold, wet and rainy. We did a two night, three day sail on Halong Bay and it was wet and foggy the entire time. The bay was still nice and atmospheric but I didn't necessarily find it amazing, and the water is filled with trash. Hanoi is very polluted, especially when it's cold due to the coal they burn for heat. DH and I were both sick after just a day in Hanoi. Of Vietnam, we liked Hue, Hoi An and Sapa the best. The tribal villages and markets in Sapa, up in the mountains of North Vietnam are truly wonderful to see. But it was still wet and cold! The food in Vietnam is brilliant, the touts less so. Getting around Vietnam is rather easy as you can arrange for private cars through your hotel or fly from one city to another, just get the scheduling correct. But for Sapa you need to take a grimy overnight train and then a long drive up into the mountains. The train gets into the mountains around 5 in the morning, and the return train to Hanoi also gets in around 4 30 am. It's a lot of effort but well worth it. Places like Thailand and Malaysia are very easygoing places, Vietnam not so. I didn't regret the trip, but we're unlikely to go back. At Halong bay we sailed on a boat called Oriental Sails. Not inexpensive, but most of the cheaper junks are deathtraps and it seems like every year a boat sinks and most of the tourist aboard drown. These would be the cheap backpacker boats, so it's well worth the money to go for the better boats. Just keep in mind you won't be the only boat at Halong Bay and at night the coves where the boats are berthed can seem like a vast boat parking lot. <em>edited by Tallybalt on 06/01/2012</em>
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 05 January 2012 - 15:59
Poor Goosie. Someone's saying boo to the goose. The US has 300 million people, 50 states, hundreds of cities and thousands of suburbs. Some have crime and are dirty and have poor schools. Most are clean and safe and have decent to excellent schools. It's all about where *you* move to. You'll be fine. Just do your research beforehand. Are you looking for older or newer suburbs? Most public (state) schools in most suburban jurisdictions will be perfectly acceptable and most of them will also offer accelerated programs if you have a particularly bright child. Some suburbs and neighborhoods will be known for top rated schools that are academic powerhouses, if that's important to you.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 05 January 2012 - 11:43
There really isn't anything comparable to the all inclusive masterplanned communities like the Ranches, Meadows etc in the NY suburbs. But NYC does have a whole range of fabulous older suburbs based around a village center with a commuter train station at its heart. There are four major suburban areas of New York: Northern Jew Jersey, Westchester County (New York), Fairfield County (Connecticut) and Long Island (New York). I'm most familar with Westchester as my sister lives in Chappaqua, a charming town that's only 50 minutes by train from Grand Central Station. If you want a sub-40 minute commute from Manhattan and yet want a green and pleasant suburban environment with good public schools, look at the Westchester towns south of White Plains. These include Scarsdale, Bronxville, Larchmont and Rye. They are more built out than Chappaqua but still very leafy and the schools are still absolutely stellar. New Jersey, especially Bergen County, has its own comparable suburbs with good schools but I can't comment on them.
Tallybalt
654
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EW GURU
Latest post on 04 January 2012 - 14:52
Wouldn't it just be cheaper for her to buy a tent, two kids bikes and a swing set in New Zealand?
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 04 January 2012 - 12:26
Keep in mind that on top of your rent you will need to pay a 5% housing tax (annually, divided into 12 monthly payments), another 5% to the agent when you lease the apartment and the monthly utilities (DEWA) costs. I think Gharoob in Mirdiff has 2-bedroom apartments for less than 60,000. You might also be able to find something in Jumeirah Lakes Towers. Probably the best value for your money is Silicon Oasis.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 14 December 2011 - 08:54
But what "travel-abroad" experience are we talking about here? Dubai isn't a hugely different place. Living and working in India or Thailand or Vietnam or anywhere Africa would be a significant "travel-abroad" experience. Western expat life in Dubai aren't fundamentally different from their home countries, except perhaps more sun and malls and bars. The Dubai "experience" still revolves around money, making it, having it and spending it. A person on 8,000 a month wouldn't be able to have that "experience" so is it still worth it to come to Dubai? While you can probably find a young person with a positive outlook on things to take the job, I still find it irresponsible for the company to pay the worker so little. Your job description includes significant driving around the UAE, correct? So why aren't you providing the car? Why are you expecting the poor boy or girl to have to rent a car out of a measly salary? If you can provide the car separately on top of the 8,000, it does make the offer a bit more reasonable. =singingcanary'>Well its not meant to be a dead-end continuing job. It's a project on a grant for 1, 2 years max. So it would be more like a yearly contract. Would you still think its not reasonable as a travel-abroad-gain-experience stint that pays just enough to get by? Thanks for your varying input and opinions ladies, lots of info to think about. <em>edited by Tallybalt on 14/12/2011</em>
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 13 December 2011 - 16:19
If I come up with a very basic budget, it will look like this: 3,500 for a maid's room in a Marina flat, including all shared expenses such as DEWA, DU, maid service. 2,000 for a monthly car hire, renting from Diamond Lease at 1500 AED/month plus monthly petrol expenses. After housing/transportation is paid for, I'm left with 2,500 a month. Out of this I would need to pay for food and entertainment expenses. Is this possible? I'm assuming so as long as I don't need to fly home or go on holidays with friends.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 12 December 2011 - 14:32
The Dubai Mall hasn't decorated for Christmas this year, and they used to have the most lovely decorations in past years. Someone "up there" must have ordered the mall not to decorate. We don't do Christmas locally as we always return home for it, so I haven't got into the entire Christmas spirit other than order gifts online for various family/friends back home.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 12 December 2011 - 10:31
No. It's right by the Jumeira Mosque. You need to head north on the Beach Road till it feels like you're almost to Sharjah (just kidding). There's a cluster of small shopping centers and the Dubai Marine Resort and the Jumeira Mosque. Magrudy's is in a shopping center right next door to the Spinneys. Edit: err....what happened to the original poster and her question? <em>edited by Tallybalt on 12/12/2011</em>
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 12 December 2011 - 08:45
Domestic help, some food items, petrol, delivery, car washing. We find dry cleaning much more expensive here than in the US. We pay twice for mediocre cleaning what we would pay at a good quality dry cleaners back home (DC area).
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 11 December 2011 - 14:14
They're both pretty tacky. If you want cheap tat for gifts, the Antiques Museum in Al Quoz is much closer. Another consideration is do you really want to lug all the gifts back to the US? I find ordering/delivering online to be much easier.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 08 December 2011 - 17:29
The Le Meridien in Vienna is lovely. Very comfortable rooms, fabulous showers and a lovely understated modern interior. It's on the Ringstrasse and only 10 minutes walk from St. Stephen's Cathedral. Hotel Bristol is a famous Viennese hotel and quite expensive. It's now owned by the Starwood chain that also owns the Le Meridien. We also stayed at the King of Hungary hotel on a different trip to Vienna. It's a bit more old fashioned, I'd rank it a high three star with character rather than five star, but the location cannot be beat as it's right in the center of historic Vienna. In Munich we've stayed at the Hotel Splendid Dollman, which is a lovely boutique hotel. It's not the most centrally located but it's only a short taxi or bus ride from the city center. <em>edited by Tallybalt on 08/12/2011</em>
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 05 December 2011 - 14:24
Of all streets in Dubai why was Al Dhiyafa chosen? One would think they would have chosen a more prominent street, say perhaps Emaar Boulevard in Downtown.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 05 December 2011 - 14:22
It's quite possible the bag is real LV. The woman could be trying to set up a business reselling branded luxury goods. If in doubt your friend could always go to a LV store and ask them to authenticate the bag.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 24 November 2011 - 13:35
DH's company has the 27th off and they've already announced that the 4th is off as well. But he'll probably still work through both days, if from home *rolls eyes*.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 23 November 2011 - 09:22
My cousin lived in Jakarta for several years. It's a huge, polluted and chaotic city, much bigger than Dubai, and will be more challenging in many ways. Most of the expats tended to live in a handful of areas including Kemang (where my cousin lived in a compound). From what I gathered the expat community is much tighter in Jakarta than in Dubai and everyone seems to belong to the same clubs and the kids go to the same 2-3 schools. Help is much cheaper in Indonesia and my cousin's family had a cook, maid, nanny and driver. Having a driver is essential. It's very easy to go to Bali, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand for vacations.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 21 November 2011 - 09:56
There's no golden rule for when decorations go up. When I was a child my parents slowly started decorating starting on the first advent when the advent wreath came out. The advent calendar also started on December 1st. Usually at the end of the first week of December my mother would go out to a friend's farm to cut branches of bittersweet vines to decorate the house with, and the tree usually went up two weeks before Christmas along with the rest of the decorations. Everything stayed up till Epiphany, January 6th. We haven't decorated for Christmas out here in Dubai as we've always gone home for Christmas. I like taking the boys from the land of sun and sand and suddenly plunging them into "Christmas" at Grandma and Grandpa's house literally overnight.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 19 October 2011 - 11:01
When we renewed our cards the typing center didn't hold on to the passports. They may have made copies of it but that was it. I would never leave passports with anybody else party because of fear of fraud and partly because knowing Dubai, there's a good chance they'll somehow lose it! Typing place in the Mazaya Centre, ground floor on the right just inside SZR entrance. Parking is easy and I believe they open early, 0800 ish. Need your old ID card and passport. They keep your passport for a few days and send you a text when it's ready for collection. Ask about delivery as I found out that I could have paid for courier service at the time of application. However, even if you don't pay for this any ID cards for under 15 year olds will be delivered to your house, as in our case. Mine and my husbands were delivered to two different post offices on opposite sides of Dubai. All this despite our applications being submitted at the same time. Good luck.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 18 October 2011 - 17:46
This is one of those areas where it probably pays to call around the airlines and do your research, as well as check with your vet. I've been told that if the pet flies on the exact same flight as yours, it's much cheaper and is treated as checked in cargo. But to ship the cat separately is much more expensive as you essentially have to buy a flight ticket for the cat. DH had a coworker who moved back to the US over the summer with his wife and their pet cat. The cat flew on the same flight as they did and it was apparently fairly inexpensive. Getting a private company such as DKC to do all the handling means the fees go up even more. <em>edited by Tallybalt on 18/10/2011</em>
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 18 October 2011 - 11:46
It's very difficult to find imported ice cream here that hasn't partially melted before refreezing, and that goes for all brands.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 18 October 2011 - 08:52
Our friends in Emaar buildings both the Greens and Downtown don't pay any separate AC bills. They only pay the monthly dewa which apparently doesn't include the AC usage. I gather that the landlord is responsible for any AC chiller charges as part of his maintenance fees and it's only in district cooling schemes where the tenant has to pay for AC.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 16 October 2011 - 16:06
I've seen Blue Bell at Carrefour. The Choithrams on Al Wasl usually has a decent selection of Blue Bell as does the Choithrams in the Greens. It's generally the only ice cream we buy in Dubai and it's never "not been there" when I go shopping. When I first got here, I found Blue Bell ice cream (being from Texas, Blue Bell really is the only acceptable brand of ice cream) at Choithrams. But we didn't have a freezer yet, so I just made a mental note that I could buy it at Choithrams.... Wrong! I haven't seen it there since. :( It's taken a lot of work, but I now manage to complete all of my shopping at Geant. The first few weeks, I made myself crazy driving to tons of different stores looking for specific American imports. But I finally started researching what local things could be used as substitutes for the ingredients I'm used to (i.e. labaneh for sour cream) and started trying to incorporate more local recipes into my menu planning. I still make American meals most of the time but I've found that trying local recipes is fun, easier, and often much cheaper. That being said, if I want good bakery cookies or sandwich bread, I send DH to Waitrose because no matter how many different brands of those items I try from Geant, what I can get at Waitrose is MUCH better. <em>edited by Tallybalt on 16/10/2011</em>
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EW GURU
Latest post on 16 October 2011 - 08:45
I heard through the grapevine that Safestway recently closed. Is it true? The food hall at Galleries Lafayette at the Dubai Mall carries a limited range of American processed junk...ahem...food.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 13 October 2011 - 16:05
Never lived in the US, have you? I have the same bank account that I opened when I was 14. Since then the bank's changed names due to mergers about six times. so just a couple of years ago Emirates Bank merged with National bank of Dubai, Then Emirates-NBD is merging with Dubai bank? Is it normal for banks to merge within such a short span?
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 12 October 2011 - 14:29
We're actually going to Cairo and Luxor before going to Sharm el Sheikh. I'm sure we'll be fine as none of the violence has been directed towards tourists. If anything the depressed tourist numbers has been to our benefit. Still, crossing fingers that nothing will happen while we're in Cairo. We are going to Egypt. Let's hope all **** doesn't break out while we're there! I have to say the recent attack on the Coptics is making me a bit nervous. I bet you are going to one of their sea resorts? In that case I wouldn't worry to much. We went there end of Jan when the whole thing started. We stayed at Sharm. It was quiet and pieaceful. What they showed on TV was only happening in Cairo. Unfortunatelly, we were not able to visit the pyramids as it was closed. We went one day to the market in Sharm, even all the travel agents (from the UK) did not recomment this - all the local guys told us it was safe. They had a demonstration while we were in the market. But it was peaceful, no problems at all. And all the tourists just sat at a distance in some cafe watching the whole thing. We spoke to couple of guys there and they were all very upset about what was being shown on TV. Hope you have nice holiday!:)
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Latest post on 12 October 2011 - 13:55
We are going to Egypt. Let's hope all **** doesn't break out while we're there! I have to say the recent attack on the Coptics is making me a bit nervous.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 12 October 2011 - 08:58
We've gone to the restaurant opposite Lamcy Plaza a few times. Very good and it's also cheaper than the JBR one, about 50 AED per person. But as typical for Pakistani/Afghan food it's very meat oriented. Lots of kebabs and curries with meat. Dessert options are sickly sweet. Given that it's only 50 AED per person the quality is indeed good and makes the restaurant a regular bargain. There's a new Pakistani barbecue restaurant next door to Maria Bonita on Umm al Sheif. Has anyone tried it?
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Latest post on 09 October 2011 - 11:43
Carrefour at the Mall of the Emirates. For a year I was buying butter in the regular refrigerator cases before discovering that it was also available (and cheaper) in the frozen food section. It's found with all the other frozen baked items. This is lurpak butter, by the way. That's more like it!! Which Carrefour is this? :)
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EW GURU
Latest post on 09 October 2011 - 11:13
You're not the only one to have discovered this. I baked all the time before moving here and discovering that the store/bakery baked goods were cheaper than making it from scratch. I still bake every now and then because it's a pleasure. I buy most of my baking ingredients at Carrefour. Butter in the frozen food section is as low as 4.50 AED for 400g. That's probably the cheapest I've seen in Dubai. Such as butter, flour, etc? In the UK I used to bake lots of cakes, etc with my LO's, I still do it here but with the price of all the ingredients it's actually cheaper just to buy them ready made. The cheapest butter I can find is around 8dhs per 400g, this is crazy!! Is there a cheaper alternative???
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Latest post on 05 October 2011 - 13:29
Isn't Kota Kinabalu a city rather than a resort destination? We flew through there on our way to Sabah and spent on one night at a rather basic hotel. Good food. Borneo is just lovely but the real standout was Gunung Mulu national park with all its amazing caves and jungles. If I were looking for a beach destination there's a few places in Sabah but they require tremendous effort and travel pains to get to. So I'd have to vote for Langkawi. Another possibility are the Perhentian Islands?
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Latest post on 03 October 2011 - 15:05
Dubizzle is really the best source for real estate in Dubai. Don't be afraid to list your apartment on it (actually, you'd be a bit silly not to). Trying to sell furniture online is an entirely different matter and while advertising real estate isn't hassle free, Dubizzle does expose you to a much larger audience than this lovely board. I'm a bit worried about Dubizzle... we sold some furniture on there and it was NOT pretty. I had to throw two people out of my apartment... It will be my last option. I figured we'd get a nicer person through this site!
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Latest post on 03 October 2011 - 11:57
And everything they sell is fake reproductions. Charging 10,000 AED for a "Qing dynasty" pine cabinet that was slapped together in a factory in China few months ago is fraudulent, but if you have money to spend and only care about how pretty the pieces are, they do have some nice tables and chests. Anyone who's hunting for antique chinese pieces should read the article below: http://www.gluckman.com/ChinaFraud.html It's now on Beach Rd in a villa with prices to match aren't they ever! I went in there and the shop assistant actually started telling me how expensive the rent on the villa was so they had to increase their prices, I was like, uhhh ok, thanks for that and left lol.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 02 October 2011 - 13:26
You're unlikely to get the actual antiques but you will find plenty of reproductions at very high prices trying to pass as genuine antiques (I worked in the antiques trade and can spot a fake from a mile off). But if you don't mind the dubious authentication and high prices, there's a place somewhere ni Al Quoz (roughly behind the Gold and Diamond Souk, I believe) that sells imported Chinese "antiques." Marina Store often has Chinese style pieces. Edit: Found their website: http://www.exoticafurniture.com/ <em>edited by Tallybalt on 02/10/2011</em>
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Latest post on 02 October 2011 - 13:22
We got ours at Intercoil. They have a showroom on Umm Suqiem Street opposite the Mall of Emirates. Very good quality for the rather reasonable prices they charge. It pays to visit a range of mattress sellers and test the beds. We found Ikea mattresses to be hard and they were pricier than Intercoil's. But other people love their Ikea mattress. I know someone who got her mattress from Carrefour and is very happy with it. Last but not least: make sure you measure the bed before you buy the mattress. Ikea sizes may not be the same as your bed size. <em>edited by Tallybalt on 02/10/2011</em>
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Latest post on 29 September 2011 - 11:55
Agreed. It's one thing if you're five, but not when you're 35. I don't walk around in my undies and DH certainly doesn't in his other than a midnight trip to the bathroom. But each to his own, I suppose. Your DH walk around the house in his boxers if you had a maid at home? Forget "letting him", why would he WANT to?
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EW GURU
Latest post on 29 September 2011 - 09:13
It's possible that if you take the kittens to the Al Barsha vet clinic they will give you the Feline Friends discount for neutering them. When we rescued our cats we told the vet the cats were from the street and we were automatically charged the discount level (about 300 AED each). This was a few years ago so it might be different now.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 27 September 2011 - 11:35
There's no need to decorate for Halloween. I'd say most people in the US don't decorate other than a pumpkin or two by the door. That was about as much decoration as my parents did but my mother did always make homemade donuts for Halloween. Some people do very much get into the spirit with fake cobwebs everywhere, scarecrows propped by the door and the whole haunted house theme. My favorite decoration is the witch and broomstick sticking out of the trunk of a tree as if she'd crashed into it. But as long as you put on a costume and get a jack o lantern for the front door you'll be fine and part of the Halloween activities. Just remember to put a candle in the pumpkin!
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EW GURU
Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 14:01
Just be prepared for the long, dark winters. I haven't been to Glasgow in ages but once spent a week there about fifteen years ago. Glaswegians are very friendly people and pretty much everyone of all stripes from all sectors of society will be receptive (unlike, say, Edinburgh, which is a much more restrained city). There's some marvelous Victorian architecture in Glasgow and the shopping is supposed to be the best in Scotland (I was once told that people in Glasgow spent their money on clothes whereas in Edinburgh they spent their money on school fees). That said, Glasgow is also a down at heels city compared to Edinburgh and it's pretty obvious that between the two places where the money really is. It's also provincial compared to London or even Edinburgh. But Glasgow is also well placed for some truly outstanding regions of Scotland - the West Coast and the highlands. In general as long as you make an effort to get out and meet people and take advantage of what the city offers, you should be happy (as long as you can cope with the wet winters!).
Tallybalt
654
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 09:11
Spinneys, Choithrams and Park & Shop all have pork sections and you should be able to buy pork medallions at all these shops. The best pork room I've seen in Dubai is at the food hall at Galleries Lafayettes in the Dubai Mall.
 
 
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