Lady Gaga Body Guards

On a recent visit to Romania, Lady Gaga's body guards knocked a guy to the floor that was ambling up to her looking for an autograph. Maybe an over reaction, but there are a lot of nutters out there, so you never know and they have to assume the worst case.






I saw these guys up close in India last year when myself and my friend Bert happened to be at the same market as her one night in New Delhi (see here ). A couple of them are absolutely massive - I wouldn't want to mess with them!

Couch to 5K

I really do need to get fit. I feel so lethargic and a bit of fitness wouldn't go amiss. So we have started walking/running/cycling etc and Tuesday nights are spent at  Train Yas . This is the app we are using now - Get Running . I am also posting results on Run Keeper to include cycling and when I am using a cross-trainer. Keep an eye on my Twitter account for new postings ( @neilroberts01 )

There's a store in Dubai that analyses your foot geometry and gait, and recommends running shoes that are designed for your feet. It turns out it is InterSport (like the ones we have in the UK), using their "Gait Analyser").  Below is the result of my analysis .....

So it seems I have high arches and never knew! "Moderate Pronation" indicates that I tend to walk/run with more pressure on the outside of my feet than the inside (I think!) . Now, I do tend to get various aches and pains in my muscles and back, so I am hoping that having some appropriate running shoes may help. The store assistant was very knowledgable and helpful and recommended two pairs that would be suitable for my feet. I decided to go for the Asics Lightening, which are really comfortable and lightweight with good "breathable" fabric. I tried them out last night when I did the first level of the C25K. The were really comfortable and my feet for sure didn't ache at all when we got back.

See you in Rio !

On the UAE roads....

I think this van may have just about failed it's MOT if it was in the UK!

Now, in the UK this is a very common sight on the motorways! People (err... I would say almost exclusively men!) taken short on the road, and pissing in 2 litre bottles. If you look on the hard shoulders and central reservations they are strewn with them. This is the first time I saw one here.

I'm not an expert, but I would suggest this pickup is over it's weight limit!

The Cove Rotana, Ras Al Khaimah

We stayed the night at this resort last night after I had business meetings in RAK in the afternoon. RAK is in the Northern Emirates and has a lovely coastline. It was also a good 10 degrees celsius lower as well, which was nice. The hotel was pretty busy with tourists, mainly from Germany and Russia. I did wonder if they had been duped into going there, thinking they were going to Dubai!

We had a nice room with a view of the sea...

This morning there was a huge flock of birds close to the shore line.

The birds heading out across the Gulf.

...and a nice send off from the hotel! 

Driving in the Middle East

...this is what you have to deal with.... !