St. Andrews vs. Natty Round 1

So I ventured down to St. Andrews again this weekend with my Moroccan friend Omar. We took on the Strathrtrayatranarathtyumtathrame course in the first round of what I hope to be many. Being my first round of the year ... good ol' Tom Morris' spirit, the deep rough, and my lack of being able to hit a single fairway resulted in an ego bruising +13 on the front nine (+ 9 on the first 6). In a comeback reminiscent of Rocky XXIII, I fought back on the final 9 with a solid three over par (including a 70 foot chip-in birdie) resulting in a respectable +16 (85).

The course was spectacular ... blue skies, yellow gorsh bushes, perfectly round clean bunkers, and a slight breeze. $50 for the round, $40 for rental clubs (respectable Callaways), well worth it.

Photos to come ...

Dubai

I became very intrigued with Dubai though a great friend I met at GE. Ali, a Lebanese who currently lives in Dubai, invited me to his home and I just could not pass up the offer. It’s really hard to put Dubai into words. Let me start by listing some of the amazing accomplishments, sights and destinations Dubai has to offer. The Burj Al Arab is the worlds only 7 star hotel, the worlds tallest building (Burj Al Dubai) is currently under construction, two large palm islands are being built off the coast as well as a cluster of islands in the shape of the world (yours for only a ridiculous sum of cash!), a fully submerged underwater hotel will be opening shortly, 1/3 of all the construction cranes in the world are in Dubai, and not to mention DubaiLand, the Ice Dome, or the indoor ski mountain. The skyline is modern, construction continues around the clock, new projects are dreamed up and funded daily.

The pace of growth brings new meaning to the word execution - all funded on a belief that Dubai can become (and it is) the service sector and tourism juggernaut of the Middle East, West Asia and Africa. Contrary to most peoples perceptions, Dubai has very little oil, in fact it will run out in five years. Oil accounts for only 3% of all exports from Dubai. Very little core industry exists besides construction. To attract the minds, keyboard pecking fingers, and wealth of the service and tourism sectors Dubai has erected towering office buildings, exquisite apartments on human made lagoons and rivers with enough air conditioning to re-freeze the polar ice caps all along endless sunny, hot beaches await. Everything is manufactured, the land used to be the driest dunes you could imagine. Most buildings are already sold out before they are built. All of this was something I had to see first hand.

First and foremost I noticed how genuinely kind the Emirates’ are, even from the airport I was struck with how modern the buildings, people, and customs were. The customs staff was overly friendly and inviting, and airport had an overall atmosphere pf cool, calm, collected and distinguishably organized. This trend continued during all my travels. Whether they were drinking Seattle’s Best Coffee, chatting on Bluetooth headsets, or drinking Red Bulls, the Emirates are definitely enjoying their new found fame and fortune. However never straying far from their roots as all are dressed in traditional apparel and frequent the mosques five times a day.

Night 1:
Ali, being the great host he is, knew the architect side of me had to see the Burj Arab. He took me straight from the airport to Club 360, a circular club built on a human made pier right below the Burj Arab where we had drinks with some other GE friends and watched the light shows on the side of the 7-star hotel. The Burj Arab is an architectural masterpiece and a true piece of art.

Day 1:
I spent the first full day on the beach recovering from a day of flying. The 40 Celsius (105ish) temperature felt quite comfortable with the breeze off the Persian Gulf. The sand was very fine, the water warm and clear, and the fellow patrons fun and engaging. That night we went to Kasbar, a club set in a classy themed Moroccan villa hotel. We spent the night partying in the VIP room listening to a mix of MC Hammer, Buddha Bar, and Lil’ Jeezy in an elegant, glamorous, beautifully decorated club.

Day 2:
Dubai is quite spread out with one main downtown hosting the Burj Dubai, the traditional old town, the creek, the Emirates Towers, and many other office buildings to the North up the coast of the Arabian Peninsula and New Dubai to the South, the home of the Burj Arab, the Madinat Jumeriah, and the man made canal which hosts the other group of office and luxury residential buildings. Ali lives between the two, near the Mall of the Emirates. This mall houses the indoor ski slopes and countless stores. I spent the morning meandering the shops and marveling at the talent of the skiers.

In the afternoon Ali arranged a Desert Safari. A black Hummer H2 picked us up and we darted out of town towards the heart of the desert near the Oman boarder. Being my first time in a hummer, I can only describe it as “spacious” and “tenacious.” We stopped in route to ride 500cc ATVs over the dunes. After almost killing ourselves racing over dunes at upwards of 60 mph (no waiver to sign in sight) we then let our driver Mohammed show us how it really was done as we tore off over five hundred foot tall dunes in the H2. We spent the afternoon and evening rocketing across the desert up and over dunes and sliding sideways back down in the H2. After sunset photos over the dunes we headed to a camp set up with a traditional dinner, shisha, camel rides and a belly dancer. Traditional Arabic food is fantastic, try it if you haven’t.

Day 3:
For my last full day in Dubai I wanted to make sure I saw some of the old traditional city as well as some of the resorts being built. I spent the morning in the old town, walking thorough various souqs (traditional markets), including the spice and gold souqs. I walked through the old town, visited a traditional mosque, and crossed the creek in an abra. This area is very vibrant as pashminas, traditional carpets, shishas, camel and tea souvenir shops all vying for the tourist dollars. Here, life as usual proceeds outside of the massive growth of gleaming buildings. The creek and the old town is the center of traditional Emirate life in Dubai but none of it is very old. Dubai is one of two main cities in the United Arab Emirates (the other is Abu Dhabi), the UAE was formed in 1971. Much of the history of the area dates back to only the 1960s as the land was not developed nor inhabited. Its interesting being in a place with less history than the US and as the Burj Al Dubai theme states, “we are building history.”

In the afternoon I went to the Burj Al Arab for a better look, it is so exclusive you have to have reservations to even visit the island (human made) the hotel sits upon. I snapped some photos and wandered to the Madinat Jumeriah. The Madinat Jumeriah is an intricate set of human made canals set among traditionally designed Arabic buildings all in a resort setting. The finest Arabic designs and architecture adorn the facilities with elaborate patterns, woodwork and tapestries covering the grounds. The Madinat poses a great contrast with the Burj Al Arab of the traditional designs and the new modern side of the city. I found a comfy couch and spent the evening watching the sunset over the buildings, the Persian Gulf and the Burj Al Arab marveling at what has been accomplished here.
Some final takeaways… Dubai is an amazing place, it is the epitome of a modern city based on the service sector. It is ready with open arms to become the center of that part of the world, and I think it will be. I believe there will be enough tourism, work, and growth to support the future of Dubai. The Middle East is a spectacular place with scenic deserts, clear waters, fantastic food, and generous people. It was quite a treat to visit this part of the world, not only visiting the Saudi Arabian Peninsula but also flying over Iran, Iraq, and other countries we typically only see in tragic clips on the news.

A few other points to note on Dubai. Dubai will have to continue to attract investment, will rely heavily on fossil fuel energy to maintain the growth and keep the city running (average temperatures in the 50 Celsius in the summer months might bring the A/C bill up a bit), and they will have to ensure that they are not violating human rights with the many Indian workers building the massive sky scrappers. Environmentally the city is progressing with aggressive recycling projects, but it still remains to be seen if the human built islands and the massive energy use will have a lasting impact. As long as these will be worked out, Dubai will soon no longer be an exotic destination in the middle of the Middle East, and a place we will all end up spending quite a bit of time, for work or leisure. I know I will be back.

Gowf

The Scots invented “Gowf” in the 1100s, and some of the first games were played in a small coastal village known as St. Andrews. Now, officially known as the Home of Golf, St. Andrews attracts golf aficionados, amateurs, and pros to its historic “Old Course.” Most famous for its 18th hole, which plays practically into the center of town, the “Old Course” has hosted the Open Championship, the oldest of the four majors, more than any other course. The 18th is also well known as an easy birdie in Tiger Woods 2005. I was more than willing to pay the whopping 125 pounds ($250) to play on the ancient turf, but each golfer is required to have a handicap card stating their handicap is less than 24. Less than 24 was not the problem, getting a handicap card proved impossible without playing the required 20 rounds. So, I resorted to visiting the course on a Sunday to at least see what it was like. Little did I know, they close the course on Sundays to repair the divots and to give it a “rest,” even though they only tee off 40 tee times a day. Never in the US would you see a course closed on the most popular of golfing days, a Sunday, heaven forbid! I was able to walk the whole course, right up and down all the fairways, on the greens and I even built a sand castle in a bunker (ok, maybe that’s a small lie). It really is a special place, you can just feel the golfing history, keep it down back there Sam Sneed. The course is rugged, there are no distinct fairways, flowering Gorse bushes are all over the course, and the bunkers are mammoth. I highly recommend a visit and a round if possible.

Edinburgh

Edinburgh, a two and a half hour drive South of Aberdeen and the capital of Scotland shares the “main” cities duties with Glasgow. Edinburgh is known for its ancient castle built on a craggy hill in the center of town. Our team decided to spend a weekend at an old manor outside of Edinburgh and explore the town for a weekend. The city is gorgeous and houses a significant amount of Scottish history. Sights not to miss include; the Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, a stroll though new town and old town, a walk up to Nelson monument and a few hours at the great club/bar scene. Just beware of the speed cameras on the way there and back, Doh!

Inverness and the search for Nessie

There is nothing like a little monster hunting after a long week at work. Um ok. Anyways, Inverness, the home of Loch Ness and the home of supposed monster Nessie (no sightings since 1993), is a mere three hour drive from Aberdeen along the Whisky Trail. I figured a journey to Scotland was not complete without attempting one sighting. While Nessie didn’t show her smug mug, Loch Ness, a loch with more water than all the other lochs in England combined, was still impressive. The area is known for rugged coastlines, expansive lush fields, historic castles, many famous single malt distilleries and more sheep than you might have in a BAAA'AAD dream (sorry, that was a BAAA'AAD one).

Aberdeen Scotland

Other Aberdeen Photos: Aberdeen

I arrived in Scotland at the beginning of April to work on an acquisition for GE. Work wise, that is about as interesting as that part of my life gets so I will refrain from any more details. While my hours out of the office are few and far between, I have tried to make the most of my time abroad. The assignment placed me in Aberdeen, the Granite City, an oil and university town on the East Coast of Scotland with a population of academics, oil tycoons, fisherman and golfers nearing 200,000. Also known as Aberdeenshire, Moray and Grampian this fertile area provides access to the North Sea oil reserves, is the home of the start of the “Whiskey Trail” and hosts one of Queen’s castles/summer retreats, Balmoral Castle. Aberdeen sits quite close to the artic circle, almost as North as Juneau Alaska. This provides up to 18 hours of daylight in mid July and as few as 6 in the winter. Like most of the UK, the weather patterns bring wet and cloudy weather most of the year, with peak temperatures reaching only the low 80s even in the hottest summer months.

More on Aberdeen. With the ever increasing demand and price for oil, Aberdeen has been the beneficiary of much wealth. While many of the homes look identical with their single story gray granite exterior, the interiors are often very elegant and show most of the affluence. Union Street, the main viaduct through town is dotted with fine restaurants, pubs, clubs (more on this later) art galleries, department stores and of course more than enough fish and chips restaurants to clog even the most congealed American arteries.

The city hosts a year round “fun park” called “fun beach” along the coast, fully equipped with a Ferris wheel, bowling alley, and a plethora of crappy American restaurants. The water is cold, but that doesn’t stop wet suit laden surfers from catching the five to ten foot waves of the North Sea. Other recreational aspects, besides the notorious drug and prostitution scene (a’hem), are golf, golf, golf, drinking single malts, golf and more golf. Everywhere there is a golf course, all in traditional links format with sand traps that gobble balls faster than TPG Sawgrass island green and rough that looks like sandpaper to a termite. The courses meander along the rocky coastline, each hole more scenic and deadly to your handicap than the last.

The local football club, the Aberdeen Dons, sit third in the Scottish Premier League (SPL) behind perennial champions Celtic and Rangers. I was lucky enough to attend a match at the tail end of the season while births to Europe for the next year were still up for grabs. Aberdeen played lackluster and lost, but I won as I added a glut of swear words and catchy derogatory phrases all loaded and shot through a thick Scottish accent to my repertoire. BAAAAARNE, YER A WAY-ST-A SPAA-CE, YUR CRUZ-IN FER A BRUZ-IN.

Last and not least, two of my favorite pastimes, both of which Scotland does well; clubbing and drinking good alcohol. For those who don’t know (shame on you), Scotland is home to Scotch, the traditional whiskey brewed all around the county. Many of the most well known scotch distilleries are within a two hour radius of Aberdeen in the Speyside and Highland areas. Most notably are Glenlivet, Macallan, Glenmorangie, Dalmore, and Glenfiddich. It has been a great joy learning the delicacies of single malt scotches (blend scotch is an abomination). Tours of the distilleries have been closed until May, I plan to take one soon.

Clubbing may be the other national pastime besides sipping single malts. In the past five years, many of the churches in the centers of Scottish and English towns have been converted to night clubs. If heavy boozing, scantly clad women, names like Soul, Babylon, and Priory and 3am closing times don’t get the sacrilegious juices flowing, the DJ spinning on the pulpit may put you over the top. Heathens!

I am still looking to purchase my first kilt, photos to come.

All Systems Go

At long last I finally sit down and work on my “blog.” Blogging is new to me, not the concept, but actually putting it into practice, so here goes nothing … Many people have asked about my trip, rather than write emails I can direct friends here. My goal is to keep it concise, informative, and hopefully interesting to read. Please post some comments and of course come visit.