The other new year's eve we just had a little party in our flat in Al Muteena, Deira, Dubai because we didnt have a car then and getting a taxi here is a tough and risky misadventure. Tough for stiff competition and risky for wreckless drivers!
But last year, having provided by a modest Nissan Tiida car by my company then, we have got the comfort of moving about, in and out of Dubai. My wife's old neighbor in Paco, Manila is based in Ras Al Khaima, another U.A.E. emirate about an hour leisury drive from our flat in Al Ghusais, Dubai. And so, we decided to go there for the weekend and celebrate new year's eve in that coastal emirate away from the hustle and bustle of the big city called Dubai.
Our friend Jake lives very close to the beach, in fact the beach hotel we stayed in, Juma Al Majid Hotel is situated just at the back of his accomodation villa. It is an old hotel with ample but far from luxurious facilities like swimming pool and gym ( minus sauna and steam), pool bar, kid's playground , gardens and watering holes for locals and kabayans named " Makati Avenue " where a visayan band perform ( in my experience of bar hopping overseas, the bands are almost always "bisaya"). The room was... hhhhmmmmm....well... it's an old hotel.
I like the simple straight and long swimming pool where you can do a good length of laps and enjoy some drinks including beer and liquor by the pool bar. Prices are half the prices you pay in Dubai for a more crowded space and facilities! Derico, of course enjoyed the gardens with swings and other playground stuff. Diego sucked milk and slept alternately he he he he he, although he also enjoyed the attention given to him by the hotel staff who are mostly, you guessed it right, kabayans.
On New Year's Eve, all guests are required to attend their buffet party at the gardens ( of course plus extra charge ). The food was scrumptious ( european cuisine and grilled meat and seafoods) and drinks free flowing ( which included chardonnay white & cabernet red wines , whisky, vodka, beer of all brands except corona, my favorite "cerveza mas fina", he he he ). There was a program hosted by a Filipina with an " international" english accent, ha ha ha ha, after all the crowd was international and we were the only filipino guests that night. Some Russian singer perfomed among other nationals but the most awaited and applauded were the belly dancers from Egypt! There were several bonfires around the garden to counter act the very cool and windy evening. The party was culminated , as expected and required, by fireworks display by the beach then dancing , dancing dancing which Derico enjoyed to the hilt. I think he will grow up to be an energetic party animal! The gardens by the way sits on a cliff overlooking the beach.
After the party at the gardens and having tucked Derico and Diego to bed, we caught the last sets of the Pinoy Band in Makati Avenue and I have even managed to jam with them and sung "Unwell", ha ha ha ha ha ha. Bubot and I continued to party at the bar's dance floor and recalled our swing, cha cha, salsa and reggae moves. It was her first time to dance again after delivering Diego!
The next day, first day of 2007, we just lazed along the cliff overlooking the beach and moved down to the beach itself. Although the water was cold we were not able to stop Derico from playing and eventually soaking on the beach.
