Title: One year in wonderland
Description: Christopher Combe is stuck in a rut. Maybe he's just eaten too much chocolate cake, but the sad fact is that his life lacks purpose and direction. Then, almost out of the blue, comes the chance of a lifetime: he is offered a job in the shiny new city of Dubai. Enticed by the prospect of a tax-free salary and year-round sunshine, Chris persuades his wife and two young children to join him for an adventure in the land of Burj, bling, belly-dancing and Bebsi-cola ... They encounter the good, the bad and the dusty. They are made to feel like VIPs in the palatial malls and hotels, but out on the hectic highways they see the white buses full of blue-overalled workers being ferried to the countless construction sites around Dubai and wonder what life is like for them. The family work through swathes of red tape in order to obtain visas, bank accounts and permission to drink beer, and they discover how healthcare works when there isn't a nice, free NHS to rely on. As the realities of Dubai are gradually exposed, Chris wonders what the future holds, both for his family and for the city that seems to want to grow and grow forever ... Based on the popular blog "Beer And Bloating in Dubai", this is the story of one British family's year in Dubai, presenting a forthright, funny and poignant outlook on their experiences. Written between the summers of 2006 and 2007, it offers a peek at what the city is like through the eyes of one mad fool who took the plunge ...
Subjects: British, Biography, Fiction, Employment, Social conditions