Something as easy as crossing the street poses a challenge when you are still getting used to the change of driving side in a new country. I would get out of my hotel, approach the street, and instinctively turn right to look for on-coming traffic; traffic that was actually coming on at me from the other side! Welcome to right-sided driving, I thought to myself.
The first week passed like a flash...

infrstructure here is just 2 good; the airport is huge n full of escalators and horizontal auto-walks/walkways...i donno what they call them...roads r wide and tree-lined; parking meters everywhere; and fancy cars all around - corollas; mercs; BMWs, humvees, even limos!
Food is expensive; an average meal at an average restrnt for 1 costs abt 10-15 dirhams..almost averybody here is an expat - bur dubai, where i live, is some sort of a melting pot - indians; pakistanis; afghans, iranis; turks; lebnese, filipinos; europeans; africans; ;....mallus r everywhere...and the funny thing is even arab/middleeastern/irani shopkeepers speak hindi! ... I said sayonaara to the oriental lookin lady who runs the cheap ccafe that i frequent and it turned out she's korean and hates japanese!! The hunt for acco is on in full swing...saw an accomodation avialable advertisement on Gulf News site this morning - studio apartment, spacious, bla bla, Only for Keralites....looks like dere's no airline weight restriction on the baggage of bias that people can get from their home countries....more later