we couldn ’ t understand , and this led to embarrassment .
Many expats reside in the UAE , in fact more than 50 % of the population weren ’ t born in the country . Through this we met many friends from Poland , as well as other parts of Europe , Africa , and South America , it was a wonderful time , laughing as we joked that it was easier to catch up on the other side of the world than at home . It was these times that we fell further in love with the region .
We were always kept busy , often whilst doing one thing we were being prepared for another activity . Even when we protested about being tired , we would be told , “ there is no time to sleep , come on , you can sleep when you ’ re old ”.
In our European culture we ’ ve become accustomed to weekends and the occasional evenings being for parties , not in Arab countries where they start as soon as the sun goes down . Whilst people like us go to sleep , they party , the following day they start maybe a little later , but like newborns , they are revived with new powers . Life is easier here , with smaller problems , less nerves , and less attraction to be drawn into the rat race .
We fell into this way of life and found it easier to live life like a ‘ sheik ’. It made our journey around the Arabian Peninsula longer and longer , and we were fine with that .
Travelling by motorcycle means freedom , independence and no barriers to networking and communication . Many times , we experienced a lack of encounters due to travelling by car or other forms of transport , an opportunity to meet amazing people lost . Motorcyclists understand each other , there ’ s no need for words and this carried to the openness and sincerity of the local community . It meant there was little time for rest as every free moment was consumed by motorcycle activities and exploring the local
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