Abu Dhabi weekend!

Me and Stephen went to Abu Dhabi last Thursday evening to meet up with our friends! We accidentally ran into Divashni and Dave at the airport so we all took a taxi together to the hotel. They had bought some champagne to celebrate so we went up to their room for a quick glass, as it was already 00.30. Three hours, two empty bottles and a plate of samosas and chips later we went back to our room!

The next day us two, Divashni and Dave met up with Lyndsey and Harry and headed over to the Fairmont hotel to have brunch!
We ordered the wine and beer brunch and it was amazing! The whole room was filled with food, one area was sushi, one seafood, one was Indian food, one was pasta, one was meat, one was cheese and another was desserts!

So we started at 12 and finished eating and drinking at 16.00. We had had a few bottles each by this point! Then we headed to the bar next door and ordered jaeger bombs! have no idea whose idea that was (Divashni!) Ended up staying there for 5 hours!!! Then we thought it was a great idea to go to the famous Emirates palace, it basically looks like it is made out of gold!!! It is huge, 1 km from one end of the hotel to the other and you can buy real goldbars out of a machine! So we sat down in one of their bars and kept drinking, we were quite loud by this point and kept being told to be quiet, which we thought was super funny! all the boys where smoking cigars and us girls where sipping cocktails and eating chips!
12 hours later from when we went to brunch we got back to our hotel, the girls went to bed and the boys went to the bar in our hotel and kept drinking!

Surprisingly enough everyone was ok the morning after except Stephen! we was quite pale the whole day! We did spend some time around the pool which didn't make thing better since it was 45 degrees!
Divashni and Dave went home around 5, us two and Lyndsey and Harry went out for dinner and we then headed to our flight, it didn't leave until 12.30 Saturday night, so wasn't home until 5.30am! But we had all Sunday to rest so was quite lovely!t

Sunday night ended by being invited to a golf/art event in the ITC Mauraya (the hotel of choice in Delhi of the the foreign dignitaries).  Was a bit of a society event with free drink, buffet, large screens to watch the end of the British Open.  I played a bit on the mini-golf but did not do well enough to win any prizes, Stephen was upset as they had new golf clubs up for grabs.

This was really a great weekend!

0Brunch time! no talking only eating.

Stephen showing of his big muscles. ;) 

Yes it is as funny in real life as on TV!

Harry found the desserts.

You even get postcards with the meal.

Dave and our new found friend Louise.

shots!

Posing.

The goldbar machine!!!

The pretty girls v/s the "cool" boys.

This is what the hotel looks like!

Emelie is in town!

One of my very best friends came to visit us on Thursday and staying with us for a week. On Thursday evening Stephen went out with his work colleagues and me , Emelie and one of the boys girlfriend went out for dinner. We then met up with the boys at the bar and the dancing began! The girl we went out with , Liz, and her boyfriend went home, as did most of the other men, so it was only me, Emelie, Stephen, Mark and Dennis left. Me and Emelie have not seen each other for a few months so it was so much fun! We danced the night away! And got invited to join a private party, continued with shots and drinks for a while.

On  Friday Stephen went to work and us girls went to had a long sleep before heading to Lodi garden, had lunch and walked around for a while. Lovely day!

Over the weekend me, Stephen , Emelie all went to Agra, we took Mark with us to play Emelies big brother. We went there on train, so for two hours we were singing and playing games:) There were some interesting people on the train, they even tweeted about us! (they were 50+ , Italian, American and Japanese in India to judge a cocktail competition)

We had a really great time, visited the Taj Mahal again, then went to the abandoned city called Fatephur Sikri on the Saturday. On the Sunday we went to the Sikandera tomb, it was the prettiest place we have been to so far, there was antelopes, peacocks and monkeys! Later that day we went to the Red Fort and it was raining a little bit so it wasn't so many people which was nice.

Back at the hotel we had massages and pedicures before ending the holiday with a quick meal and then headed for the train home.

Today Monday Emelie went sightseeing whilst Stephen and I went to work!



outside our hotel!





trainstation in Agra.



Friends on the train

At Taj Mahal

Me and Emelie sporting our supercool shoecovers.

Tea boy.

Big night out!

Yesterday I had my hair done in India for the first time, I managed to find a Toni&Guy so thought I would  be safe.
I don't know if I got completely fooled or they where right, but they managed to keep me in there for 4 hours, make highlights, cut my hair and telling me I had a very sensitive scalp and it would be good if I had other treatment for that as well. So had scalp treatments, scalp massage, steam treatments for the hair AND they managed to sell me their products because that's what my hair needed! hrm don't know if I will go back again...
The other funny thing was that in UK you have one person cutting/colouring your hair, here you have three people running around for you, one that combs your hair and hold it out of the way, one that cuts and styles it and one that washes it and gives you tea.
Anyway it looks good and I guess that is the main thing. I will use my super expensive hair products (one shampoo and one spray for sensitive scalps) with care and hope that they will last a very long time!

We went to Marks place last night, Dennis had cooked a lovely dinner for us and we where just chatting and drinking and having a good time, we then later went out (me, Stephen and Mark ) to one of the bars that they have outside, quite nice but they had this water spraying out in front of the fans, to keep it cool, so we were soaked when we left. We then went to an other bar called Buzz it was pretty cool. Lots of people, DJ's playing music above the bar on a little balcony, old, young and very excited Indians dancing the night away! Some where dancing with drinks on their head while doing the bollywood dancing! ( and actually managing ) Stephen and Mark tried not too successfully!
It was a good night all together!

Today it is Sunday and we are not doing too much, went to the market to buy our daily fruits and just had some lunch.  But that's it.

The first bar outside

new fancy hair and big cocktails!

Stephen is trying to help mark with the drinks on his head.

The boys night out.

dancing away

the Dj's.

me and Stephen in the first bar.

outside one.

more pictures from Mumbai

Here are some more pictures from Mumbai.

It was so cold that I had to go out and buy a pashmina! My first bit of bartering. 

This is the big outdoor laundry in Mumbai , people and hotels send their clothes, sheets and towels here and these people have got a little square each to wash the clothes etc, then they take them " inside" and the ladies iron them.

Hanging garden.

The only place there were no people at all!

Mumbai over the weekend

Last weekend we went to Mumbai for a nice weekend away. We both have been very busy lately so it was nice to go away! It is a 2 hours flight and about 10 degrees colder. I had to buy a pashmina when I was there because it was only 28 degree in the evenings. I did pretty good on the price as well, I have never bartered in my life ( we have been here for 3 months now) so started high I took off 60% on the price, got it for about 50% cheaper than he said to start with so pretty happy with that, Stephen couldn't believe his ears:)
We also saw all the attractions you are suppose to see and even got offered hash and marijuana ( very quietly ) but we looked at each other and laughed , so they took that as a no.
On Sunday it was raining a little, so instead of going to Elephant Island we had a lazy day topped off with a superb Champagne Buffet in the restaurant for lunch.
It was a nice weekend and we had a great time!

I have started working on my new business with an Indian lady I met and it is very exciting, I'm learning alot!

We have also collected the ring we had made in a jewellers located in Le Meridian with my star ruby. I told him how I wanted it to look and he made it, so we collected it today and it is beautiful!

Also yesterday we went to the gym as usual and Stephen had a meeting with a nutritionist and had the test we did in the beginning again, now he is 13.4% body fat! any less and he will not exist!!!!
I'm too afraid to do them again!

Oh and we have a whole family of lizards now, we have got Lizzy still, her two children jack and junior they are tiny and then we have got Daddy lizard, he lives in the kitchen and looks like a crocodile!

On Friday Stephen and his company was played cricket against the hotel we use to stay in and that some of them still live in. I couldn't watch because I was working but I met them at the hotel afterwards where we had  free drinks and super nice dinner together with both teams. He had cuts, bruises and open wounds on his elbows, knees and hips! And they didn't even win! Although the oldest player was 64 and the latest any of them had played cricket was last year and for the rest it was 13 years, 25 and 30 years ago or their first time ever they had a go and did not do too badly.  Except maybe Stephen who was out for a 2nd ball duck, he claims he was too tired from fielding in 40degree heat to bat at 3!

This is how the people live is the slum in Mumbai!

Chickens transported to the place where they die, hopefully sooner than later!



Child entertaining himself on the street.



the gateway in Mumbai, also a great place to buy drugs ;)

Taj Palace, where the Mumbai shooting took place.  

taxis!



You are like celebrity when you are not Indian.




Us with the Mumbai skyline behind us.



This is Mumbais beach, but it is full of rubbish and it smells so bad!

My ring:)

Busy week

This week I have been keeping myself busy by sewing dresses!
I went to the fabric shop and it was amazing, they have so many pretty fabrics and they kept pulling out more and more, long after I said that i was satisfied with what I'd got.
We also had some people over for dinner and our maid made us some really nice Tibetan food. She has not been here since Wednesday as her daughter is ill and in hospital which is not nice, she is only 4 years old !

Friday night we went to the gym as usual and had a good workout, I said to my personal trainer that I must be your best client as I am so enthusiastic, he didn't reply! hmm at least I'm trying and I think I'm doing well. Stephen also went with me and had his personal trainer and he only exercised his legs so on Saturday morning he was off to the gym again doing exercising his upper body, today Sunday he can't move! haha.
I did 4 times last week in the gym so I stayed in bed on Saturday until he came back.

We went out for a lovely meal with a group of men from Stephen work, we went to Bukhara, oh how we ate, and couldn't move afterwards! ended the night with a few drinks in the bar.

It is Sunday today and we haven't done much, we went to the market this morning and bought some lovely fresh fruit, and bread, so started the day with a mango smoothie.mmm
Stephens had a Swedish lesson again this afternoon since he hasn't done them for a while and he scored the highest score. Maybe we'll have him talking Swedish at the wedding next year!

  These are the two dresses I've made this week,
  one floaty butterfly in cotton/silk.
                                                                                    And one black tight in silk/Jersey.

Here we are in Bukhara eating a giant nan bread and watching the chefs cooking in the kitchen.