My Winter COVID Vacation in Dubai

Yes, I left the UK during lockdown to go to Dubai for 2 months over winter. I'm not an influencer and certainly wasn't getting free accommodation in exchange for a few Instagram posts, but I did have a couple of hotel stays in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but there was little beach and pool time as it's too cold at the moment. Ok it's still 25c, but when you're used to temps in the 40's in the summer, the sea does feel quite chilly.

Dubai's covid rules are different to the UK and change as the virus changes. At the moment no more than 4 in a coffee shop, 7 in a restaurant to sit together and tables 3ms apart. No indoor groups, but gyms and hairdressers are open. Malls and shops operating as normal, whilst Covid compliance officers are checking on numbers of shoppers, working practices, use of masks and hand sanitisers there's no one counting you in and out and taking your temperature any more.

Life in Dubai is very different to the UK, FULL STOP. I've family and friends around the world, locals and expats like us. Apart from a few countries with completely different demographics, Covid is behaving the same around the world. The number of deaths and cases differ depending on how or if they are reported. The UK is different because it's made up of different people, attitudes, entitlement (yes really). We don't choose to eat out often in the UK or go to the cinema or even visit nail bars and hairdressers. We spend our time in the UK with family, out door activities and with friends and as expats even though I'm back in the UK, I can't do any of that anyway, so it was nice to be able to have the option to be elsewhere.

I was in Dubai because I have a visa to live there with my husband for the past 6 years, however I've been spending more and more time in the UK over recent years and with us reclaiming our family home and relocating the cat and dog to the UK and covid hitting in March 2020 I've only spent 18 weeks there in the past 12 months. Only 14 weeks actually with my husband as he was away for one week with work then he managed to get shut in Saudi for an extra week when they closed their borders over night, I spent time in hospital with a slipped disc, had surgery and had then time in Abu Dhabi working on the golf.

I've received quite a bit of indirect criticism about being out in Dubai, but it's been my home for the last 6 years and my husband still lives and works there. I certainly wouldn't be contemplating travelling for a holiday, I'm more than happy to travel between the UK and Dubai as I have a home in both countries and can afford to isolate and pay for a hotel stay for quarantine purposes. 

There have been brunches, coffees with friends, cinema trips, using public transport, pub quizzes, walks on the beach as well as:

8 x PCR tests

2 x hospital stays

2 x hotel stays

2 x working at major sporting events

Early March 2020 schools closed, by mid March Emirates stopped flying and the end of March, Dubai closed its borders. Curfews in place and permits required to leave home.

June and residents and citizens were allowed to fly back in. My husband wasn't allowed to fly as he was over 60. Under 12's also weren't allowed, as well as no access to malls. 

July tourists allowed back in. Permission to travel from both UK and UAE required.

August and Peter was allowed to fly. 2 weeks isolation in the UK, then a PCR test required to fly back to Dubai. Same for me for my trip in September and 2 weeks isolation back in the UK.

October and citizens PCR on arrival, tourists PCR prior to travel and on arrival also. Isolate until results arrive.

Abu Dhabi has different rules which still require anyone entering to wear a tracking device while they are isolating for 10 days. A PCR test is required for residents of the UAE to cross the border also.

One Daily Positive Week 46 - Peter is home

I had my blood results back. I've only ever suffered with anaemia from low haemoglobin count of one occasion that was after an iron infusion to try and boost my ferritin levels. I suffered 9 day migraines after both infusions so not an option the Dr's or I am prepared to repeat. I don't store or absorb iron and after 18 months with an oncologist, a bone marrow biopsy and an endoscope that revealed a wheat allergy that caused some internal bleeding and no one is any nearer to discovering why. My white blood cell count is still elevated but no where near as high as it was before. The physical symptoms from the lack of iron is fatigue and breathlessness. However the migraines and the chronic pain have almost disappeared since I went wheat free. Stress and lack of sleep seem to be the trigger points at the moment.

I now have to wait till March for my next iron test, if levels have dropped then further investigations will be carried out, if they stay the same, then I'll just be monitored. I now have to keep a record of fatigue, breathing, headaches, pains, sleep pattern and a food diary.

314 Sunday Started the week with rain glorious rain. The skies were grey, it was windy, there was thunder and lightening. It felt like a proper Sunday, which was spent after a trip to the dog park with Bob, got back into my pjs, baked some cakes and put the TV on and spent the rest of the day on and off Ancestry.com who were offering a free weekend. Did a food shop, walked Bob, had dinner and a bath and watched TV.

315 Monday walked Bob and spent the day shopping, walking and exploring the Creek and the souks. Cooked fish and cauliflower cheese for an early dinner. Had a bit of a headache, but think that was from the heat and lack of fluids, although I did have 2 coffee stops. I got hopelessly lost driving today and ended up the wrong side of the Creek, driving through Deira and Naif. The back streets of beyond.

316 Tuesday Walked Bob, then cleaned the upstairs of the house. Headed off to Dubai Mall to go ice skating again, I really loved it last week. Then picked up a cake, balloons and decorations to get my friends house ready for her 50th birthday surprise which is today but she's not back in from Ireland until the morning.

317 Wednesday Walked Bob and then over to friends house for 9am to surprise her. Home by midday and got on with the rest of the house work. Spent the rest of the day in the garden. Peter started his journey home from Cape Town.

318 Thursday Peter home by 7am, it's my turn to travel in 12 days time. Peter unpacked, showered and went to bed as he has meetings in the afternoon. I did the washing, popped out for coffee and did some food shopping. I'm starting to organise what is going to the UK, what stays in Dubai and what gets donated. I tackled the storage cupboard under the stairs and didn't see the point of putting the Christmas decorations away, just to get them back out in 2 weeks time.

319 Friday Out mid morning to Festival City Mall for a coffee and a walk round, looking for 2 new outdoor lounger cushions, but can't find anything under £60 each, so I'm going to recover the current ones at £20 each. The rain isn't forecast until next week.

View of the Dubai skyline from Dubai Festival City.

320 Saturday Lazy morning, I actually slept from 10.30pm till 6am, but my neck is killing me. Walked Bob, it's chilly in the mornings. Popped over to Abu Dhabi on a beer run. Off out to meet friends for lunch then a walk on the beach.

Service station stop on the border with Abu Dhabi

On the blog this week:

Part 2 of our moving plans - Starting to get organised

Creating a garden in the desert - Recovering the garden after the summer

Organising the UK flat - Storage for small spaces 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Our Garden in Dubai this month. March 2019

We've had endless rain and wind and with it comes sand. Sand, everywhere, everyday that has to be swept up or it starts to take over the house.

The front balcony, closed now till next winter, but it will have random clean ups.

The balcony off the bedroom.

Daily sweeping of the sand.

Front door

Sand seeping in through the doors and windows.

Hose pipe to clean bedroom balcony then the patio has to be cleaned afterwards.

And then it rained the following day.

The sand carried in the rain sticks to everything like concrete.

A nice few dry, not too hot and free from wind days to do some gardening.

Lawn reseeded.

Outdoor plants thriving.

And then finally no more rain, no more wind and the garden is set up and operational. 

The only downside, it's now 36c and too hot to be sitting outside during the day.

The rest of the month is looking better and there is always the evenings, after sunset. I'll just have to light some citronella candles to ward off the mosquitos. 

The balconies will have to wait till next week.

Creating a garden in the desert - getting ready for winter in Dubai

Winter in Dubai, means getting outdoors. I spend the summers in the UK as that's where our families live and as I don't work there's no need for me to get cabin fever stuck indoors when temperatures reach 50c.

Summer is very humid in Dubai of which the moisture helps the plants, shrubs and trees to grow. Peter mowed the lawn a couple of times.

The garden was overgrown, covered in sand and several repairs needed carrying out, the umbrella cover had disintegrated.

I lost several plants, the tree had to be cut back after a couple of days of high winds and some rain, typically after I'd cleaned all the sand up and had to do it all again....grrrrrr.

New shrubs were purchased, seeds have been sown, umbrella repaired and we're now enjoying the outdoor space again. That was until we had our annual storm and everything got covered in sand again, however it did help the grass seed to grow.

January and February in Dubai with HDYGG?

As you may know by now I'm back in work full time and I no longer have the time to explore Dubai, but I have taken some pictures in January when the kids were visiting and realised I had quite a few that are worthy of a HDYGG post along with a couple taken out and about and in the garden in February.

The new Dragon Mart 2. This is the restaurant area.

 The end of the public beach on 'The Beach' 

 Lovely display of cacti leading from 'The Beach' to 'The Walk' at Jumeria Beach Residence.

Over looking 'The Beach' for lunch.

Spotted this plant in the desert, no idea what it is yet.

Saw another one outside school, I need to do some more research to find out what it is.

Fresh cut flowers don't last long indoors in Dubai, they are also expensive to buy as they are imported the small bunch of 6 tulips costs £6, they lasted 3 days max. The hyacinths smelt gorgeous and lasted over a week at the same price.

We've had our annual storm for January, we will get occasional short drizzles of rain until the end of March, but nothing to write home about. The sand storms are coming soon and they will cause more damage as the wind is salt laden which defoliates plants, water to trees and shrubs should be reduced now as they will lie dormant. The temperatures are ideal now to germinate seeds and I've a supply of zinnia and petunia seeds already sown.

For February I've been spending my Fridays as usual out in the desert, with Bob. It is lovely to see a bit of colour out there now it is winter, it won't be long before it is too hot to venture out there. The scenery is stunning once, but it's already a 40 minute drive to get here from home and one must drive a lot further inland to escape signs of life.

The area we visit is Al Quadra lakes which are man made, a pump oxygenates the water and drip feeds the irrigation system.

This photo is alongside the Sheik Zayed Road, we live the 1km over the 14 lane highway to the right, near the beach. The municipality keep Dubai very clean and tidy and there are flowers along all the roadside junctions.

 We had a trip to IKEA last weekend to buy garden furniture, we hadn't even parked the car before we had a row and apart from a few pots, we left empty handed.

This is the entrance to IKEA.

A few new plants were purchased from this garden centre.

 Finally I has strawberries in the garden, they aren't as sweet as I had hoped but went down well after cheese and home grown tomatoes on toast for supper.

 The sweet peas are doing well.

 And finally, the nasturtium has flowered, it's quite an achievement in Dubai for this to occur.