(1) Those of you paying attention will remember that in our last blog the Weather Gods 
intervened and we could not go fishing. Well the waters of the Arabian / Persian Gulf returned to their typical calm last week and the entire family dragged their sorry selves out one early morning to see just how dumb some of these fish could be (sorry, editorial problem: please replace with 
"just how smart these fisherpeople could be").
intervened and we could not go fishing. Well the waters of the Arabian / Persian Gulf returned to their typical calm last week and the entire family dragged their sorry selves out one early morning to see just how dumb some of these fish could be (sorry, editorial problem: please replace with 
"just how smart these fisherpeople could be").The trip out took us past the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel and then past the Palm Jumeirah with The Atlantis hotel at it's peak and waving us farewell as we headed out to the far reaches of the Jebel Ali 
shipping channel to see what nautical beasties might be awaiting us.
shipping channel to see what nautical beasties might be awaiting us.The crew (meaning "the hired crew and boat" for we have no boat and if we did not all of us could easily identify the pointy end) set us up with three trolling rigs, one set near the surface, one near the bottom, and one at a mid-level. This excited those of us with hunter-gatherer insticts as we had all the beasties covered and soon would be hauling them aboard in embarassingly huge numbers. An hour later it seemed that all the fish were still in School (that word -- first time) and were too clever for us. Alexander and I spent our time watching the big ships head into Jebel Ali, whilst the ladies somehow pretended they were not even out at sea.
Finally a very large Kingfish (known that way locally, but actually a Narrow-barred Spanish Mackerel) decided to wag school and excite one and all on the boat. Ne
xt in was in equally large Barracuda that Alexander reeled in most of the way, the fish being a little the worse for wear by the time it arrived as some of it's family had decided to bite chunks out of it on the way. Two more 
smaller Barracudas followed which were released back to the depths.
xt in was in equally large Barracuda that Alexander reeled in most of the way, the fish being a little the worse for wear by the time it arrived as some of it's family had decided to bite chunks out of it on the way. Two more 
smaller Barracudas followed which were released back to the depths.We then changed to static fishing and set ourselves for bottom fishing in search of Snapper. Three gave themselves up to us, and we kept the largest and released the other two. The Kingfish was expertly reduced to fish steaks by the crew, and the Snapper was less expertly filleted at home and then the all went on the BBQ that night for a wonderful dinner.
(2) Melissa and I then snuck away this week for an evening to PierChic, the restaurant voted Most Romantic as well as Best Seafood in Dubai. As the name implies, it sits at the end of a pier and has a wonderful view of Dubai and a great outdoor setting whatever the time of year. Interestingly the restaurant has lights underneath it that illuminate the evening water, and which inevitably attract many small fish. On the evening we were there, it also attracted a school (that word -- second time) of reef sharks that lazily circled around. That is of course until some very large Barracuda arrived and then the sharks knew their place and cleared away whenever the Barracuda approached.
(3) Finally, this weekend Sarah was a member of the team selected by her school (that word -- third time) to participate in the World Scholar's Cup event here in Dubai. This tournament includes schools from 36 countries (noticeably New Zealand is absent) and the 2009-2010 theme was A World Divided. There are six areas of assessment: History (When the World Breaks); Science (Great Conflicts in Science); Literature (The Imagination of a World Divided); Fine Arts (The Art and Music of a World Divided); Economics (The Economi
cs of Wealth and Poverty); and a Special Area (The Psychology of War). The assessments include debates, open questions (TV Quiz style), written answers, and all with an emphasis on collaboration.
cs of Wealth and Poverty); and a Special Area (The Psychology of War). The assessments include debates, open questions (TV Quiz style), written answers, and all with an emphasis on collaboration.As evidenced by the photo, the Uptown High team from Dubai that Sarah was a member of won first place in the junior division (Years 6-8) of the Dubai tournament (covers the Middle East and Africa). The school received a trophy and each member received a medal. Additionally Sarah received an individual medal for being selected to participate in the Junior Debate Showcase.
