Name : Secret DubaiAge : Undisclosed.
Location : Dubai, UAE.
Vocation : Media.
Philosophy : Love thy neighbour
Sum up what your blog is about.
It's about Dubai - its development, its people, and what it's like to live there.
Why are you doing your blog?
To record my experiences in Dubai.
What's the funniest entry on your site?
Probably the guy who had sex with a camel. And fell in love with it.
What is your writing style?
All over the place. Generally prose, often error strewn, frequently verbose, and sometimes I attempt the world's worst pastiche poetry based on popular song lyrics. "Desert doggerel", as I like to call it.
What do people commonly say about your site?
They love it or they hate it, and flame me ;)
What would you be doing if you weren't doing your blog?
Surfing the net.
Why should someone visit your site?
If they want to learn about the reality of Dubai.
What did you learn from your first love?
How wonderful and exciting love is.
Are there any blogs, you enjoy reading?
Absolutely masses. At least a dozen that I check on daily, and hundreds of others I keep track of with Bloglines.
What's it like living in Dubai?
Hectic, gridlocked, frustrating, surreal.
If you could invite anyone to a dinner party who would it be and why?
Agatha Christie so we could talk about writing.
What one website would you recommend and why?
Bloglines, because it is so incredibly useful for keeping track of blogs.
Tell us about a good deed you have done recently.
Nothing, I am currently very low down on the stairway to heaven. They're probably stoking the flames as I write.
Tell us a random funny story that comes to mind.
Most are unprintable unfortunately. Including my dream about seeing an extremely famous sheikh in the bath (there were plenty of modesty-preserving bubbles thank god).
What advice would you have given yourself 5 years ago?
See below - don't climb that damn rock face in Wadi Rum.
Any interesting travel stories?
When I was travelling through Jordan I fell off a rock face in Wadi Rum. I climbed up to take photos of the rock colours and patterns - they were all red and streaky - but then I couldn't climb down. The rock was really smooth and shiny and I couldn't get a foothold. I ended up falling down head first towards solid rock, with my guide essentially acting as a crash mat, I nearly killed him. By some miracle neither of us had anything broken. But since then I have suffered from crippling vertigo which I am trying to overcome through climbing walls and so on. It is very frustrating having an irrational phobia that is physically debilitating and against all common sense.
What's the most incredible thing that ever happened to you?
Winning a Bloggie felt pretty earthshattering. I think the most lifechanging thing for me was leaving the UK to go backpacking in Australia, and basically never going back. I've visited, but not lived there in nearly a decade now. Landing at Brisbane airport in the summer sunshine after the sh***y grey drizzle of wintry Gatwick and a nightmare 30-hour flight (Garuda - yay!) was so incredible that I actually cried when I saw all the bright flowers by the road on the way into Brisbane. Climbing Ayer's Rock/Uluru was also one of the most incredible experiences of my life, the beauty of the view from the top is indescribable.
Now it's your turn! Ask me one question, anything you like.
What keeps you blogging, Joe?
Joe Blogs : Meeting interesting people like yourself. Week in, week out. Learning about new cultures is great too. Being able to publish my writing is cool also. Visit Secret Dubai's Blog, it's definitely my favourite interview with someone from Dubai , as you can see from his picture, he is a cool cat.
Your Site Address : Secret Dubai
