| Guest spot in Dubai. Photos |
| On December 24, me and my dad were going to the airport. On Christmas evening, we had a flight to Dubai, with a stop in Istanbul, Turkey.We had to wait there for 4 hours, before we had a connection to Dubai. When we arrived, my friend and promoter, Suresh was already waiting to pick us up. He brought us straight to the hotel, because we were tired from the long flight. So around 05.30 we went to our bed, to wake up on 09.00 to hurry to the breakfast. Around 12.00 Suresh picked us up, and brought us to his gym in Dubai city. The gyms there are separated for men and woman. Strange for western people, because sometimes couples want to train together and that is not possible there. The gym was well equipped, with a lot of Hammer strength and heavy dumbbells. After the training with Hamdulla, a big guy from there, we went to a restaurant. The owner was also a bodybuilder, a cool guy from Iran. We had a great time in his restaurant, and the food was really good. |
| After that we had some time to change clothes, and someone picked us
up for a dessert safari. He brought us to a place where all the jeeps
came together, and we went to the dessert. It was really cool to drive
on some mountains, and you didn't know where you landed after the top.
After 2 hours, they brought us to a camp in the dessert, and we could
walk around and drink some local drinks. They were heating the barbeque,
so after one hour we had to go to our tent, for the good food. Eating
and drinking as much as we wanted, great for a bodybuilder on a diet.
When we finished the food, there came a belly dancer in the middle of
the camp, and everybody was sitting around her. So I know it before I
went to the circle, if I sit there, I have to dance, it's always like
that. And yes, there she was, I had to belly dance with her. She picked my dad also, but he didn't care, he likes to dance. Around 20.30, the driver brought us back to the hotel. I gave the little Korean kids some posters from me and there parents gave me some things from Korea. We had a great day. |
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When we came home, we had an hour to change, and Hamdulla picked us up,
to eat with some friends from him. We went to a restaurant in Dubai city. Some strange mixes of food, but for there that's normal. We had a great time there, and a lot of laughs. After the restaurant, we went to a pub, and drink some things before we went to the hotel. It was already late in the night, and the day after I had to pose, so I needed some rest. |
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At 10 a clock, Suresh picked us up, and brought us to his shop. He owns
some gyms and shops, and is doing a lot for the sport in Dubai and around.
I saw some great athletes there, and after 2 hours we went to Abu Dhabi,
where I had to pose. The promoter was waiting for us, and we went to a
restaurant, after a trip from 3 hours. After the lunch, we went to the Hilton hotel. Great hotel at the sea, with a nice view. At 18.30 they picked us up, and brought us to the contest. I had a seminar at the contest, so all the athletes came to a small theater, and asked some questions at me. There were sitting some doctors and promoters next to me and sometimes they said things to help the athletes. |
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I think the sport needs some good nutrition advisors and trainers there,
because some athletes think to simple, and don't know what they are doing.
After the seminar, the evening show started, and the quality changed a
lot. The bantamweight won the overall, great shape and very massive for
that weight. The only thing that was different from here is the Arabic
time. They took a break, but nobody says how long. So I was sitting there,
and I thought that everybody went to home. So I went to the guy who was sitting there with a supplement booth, and asked him if I could sit there, and sign some free pictures to give away. They where pushing to come to the table, I never saw this before. After half an hour the promoter came to me, if I could go onstage for my posing. I did my new show, with some special effects. The people went wild when I was going in the audience.Really great time, they love the sport, and have respect for athletes. |
| The promoter gave me a really nice gold sword, and another guy gave me a silver watch and the speaker gave me a silver collector's emblem from the boss of Dubai. They were very nice to me, and I don't forget that day. After the posing, we went back to the hotel, and there were already some guys to go out with us. So we went to a disco in Abu Dhabi, and had a great time with the guys.At 03.30 the disco closed, so they brought us back to the hotel. |
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Around 09.00 we woke up, and went to the breakfast, because I didn't eat
anything after the show. After the breakfast we walked around to a shopping
center, and went to the private beach on the hotel, to lying down in the
sun. Suresh picked us up with Hamdulla and asked us if we wanted to see
falcon hunting. I never saw that, so we came with him to his friend. We
drove to the dessert, and they had 10 different falcons with them. They
had some wild falcons, and some farm falcons. The wild falcons can fly
very high, because they do that in the mountains. And the farm falcons
have to learn to fly high. So they hang a bird on a flyer, and bring it
to 200 meter high. Then they take the falcon, and get the cap of there
head. When the falcon is free, he fly's over the ground, and looks for
the bird. When he found it, he has to climb in levels to the bird, till
he gets it. The other falcons fly straight after the bird, when they lose
them. It was strange to see, but for them it's a sport. After the falcon
hunt, we drove back to Dubai, to have a dinner with Suresh, his friendly
wife and his daughter. We went to a Chinese restaurant, and after the
Chinese we went to the first 7 stars hotel in the world. It was not normal, really too much for words. |
| So at 02.30 we had to fly back to Istanbul, to arrive in Belgium at 11u15. My girlfriend Carin was waiting us up, and was glad to see us after a Christmas that she spent without me. This was a trip that we never forget. |
| Thanks Suresh, for bringing me to Dubai |
| Siggi |