No frame of reference....

First day of work. The production office is situated in a theatre... seriously. A magnificent, ornate Arabian theatre by the sea! And speaking of the sea, this ocean is very very different to anything I have ever seen before. Because of all the reclaimed land, little channels of water literally snake in and around buildings and developments. Not a wave in sight and I can’t visibly distinguish any tides (will have to learn more about this...). Actually, I have absolutely no frame of reference for anything here, which makes it all so hard to describe. Even the light here is different. The sky isn’t blue - it’s almost the same colour as the white, white sand. It looks overcast, but it’s not. Many of the buildings come in various shades of sand. Even the grass is sandy-coloured. This lack of colour is somewhat disturbing for someone who comes from a country where (it now seems) everything is in vivid technicolour. The landscape is flat, flat, flat. But it’s not without its beauty. It’s kind of uncomplicated. A simple landscape for a region of the world that is so culturally and politically complex, I’m told that a lifetime of study wouldn’t be enough for me to understand it.

It also reached 45 degrees today - and it’s not even close to the middle of summer yet. Can’t wait for that.

The hotel I’m staying at is divine. The view from my room is the Grand Prix Circuit and is also next to the new “Ferrari Theme Park” which is due to open in October. This amusement park will house the biggest/fastest/allegedly-most-awesomest roller-coaster on the planet. I shall be avoiding it at all costs. But wish I could live in this hotel. Sigh...

Went out for supper with my new boss and some colleagues last night. And whadda ya know... working behind the bar was Palesa (from Soweto), Jack (from Tembisa) and Ross (from Cape Town). South Africans are clearly colonising the Middle East. Not sure if I should be afraid or not.

By the way... the top picture is the view from my hotel room - the GP circuit is the funny tent-like construction in the background. The 2nd picture is of the hotel pool - gorgeous, but not very refreshing.