Hot News From Jebel Ali

Your fearless number one reporter Keefieboy brings you this eye-witness report. Passing Ibn Battuta Maul on the way to repay Etisalat for their extreme generosity in disconnecting my broadband on Christmas Day, I found the road was blocked by hundreds of Oriental-looking blokes marching in the direction of the China Court. Somehow I don't think they were going shopping. Returning from Jebel Ali, the road to China was blocked by dozens of policemen, cars and the kind of busses you use to take a lot of people to jail in. Some of the police were wearing riot gear.

More hot news. I arrived at the little Etisalat office (after detouring halfway to Abu Dhabi and then back to Jebel Ali Village because I managed to miss the turn-off in both directions) to find the car park completely empty. Now there is no way that Etisalat are going to take a day off to celebrate the Prophet Isa's Birthday (PBUH), and I was right. The old office is closed because they've moved to a big new shiny building not far away. Unfortunately, because of the crap road layout around Jebel Ali Free Zone's Main Gate, the only way to (legally) drive to the new office would involve a detour back to Jebel Ali Village. I kid you not.

So I walked over to the new office. It is indeed big and new and shiny, boasting no less than a dozen counters, one of which was actually open. But there's loads of room for people to queue in and we all enjoyed that.