Ah! Dubai.\u00a0 The Jewel of the Desert, Pearl of the Middle East.\u00a0 With its rich culture, exotic beaches, authentic cuisine, world class hotels and restaurants, friendly locals, and luxurious lifestyle for all, Dubai is truly heaven on earth.\u00a0 Witness those who pay thousands to come from the slums of Europe to taste the\u00a0nectar of\u00a0this desert\u00a0flower for a short week, and the place speaks for itself.\u00a0 And with\u00a0a dozen exciting new projects under construction and a further dozen on the planning charts, life in the city can only get more idyllic.\u00a0 Who could want more?<\/p>\n
Well, me for one.\u00a0 I’ve had enough.\u00a0 I’ve handed in my notice, and after 6 weeks or so I will be moving to that other well known\u00a0holiday paradise, Sakhalin Island<\/a>.\u00a0 Here’s a description of its climate:<\/p>\n Owing to the influence of the raw, foggy Sea of Okhotsk, the climate is very cold. At Dui the average yearly temperature is only 0.5 \u00b0C (January -15.9 \u00b0C; July 16.1 \u00b0C), 1.7 \u00b0C at Kusunai and 3.1 \u00b0C at Aniva (January, ?12.5 \u00b0C; July, 15.7 \u00b0C). At Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky near Dui the annual range is from 27 \u00b0C in July to ?39 \u00b0C in January, while at Rykovsk in the interior the minimum is ?45 \u00b0C. The rainfall averages 570 mm. Thick clouds for the most part shut out the sun; while the cold current from the Sea of Okhotsk, aided by north-east winds, brings immense ice-floes to the east coast in summer.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n All the snow you can eat, and all the seals you can club.\u00a0 Now that’s what I call expat living.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ah! Dubai.\u00a0 The Jewel of the Desert, Pearl of the Middle East.\u00a0 With its rich culture, exotic beaches, authentic cuisine, world class hotels and restaurants, friendly locals, and luxurious lifestyle for all, Dubai is truly heaven on earth.\u00a0 Witness those … Continue reading