Dubai 2016 Highlights

First few days in Dubai

I have been in Dubai for three days now and so far it has been nothing like I expected and exactly as I expected:

Coming into the man-made
Dubai marina by ferry

The buildings are big!  So very big and there are so many of them.  The city stretches on for kilometres along the coastline and skyscrapers tower along the water from end to end.

Construction is everywhere and the recent slump in oil prices does not appear to affect it much.  Or perhaps it has and this is what a slump looks like.  The city of Dubai, apart from the historic district, did not exist 20 years ago.

The people are wonderfully friendly and helpful.  English is spoken by everyone I have encountered and all signs are in both Arabic and English.  That has made travelling fairly easy.  I have been asked daily about travelling alone but everyone has been more curious than anything.  It has not been as bad as I had expected.

Gold Souk

ATM machines that dispense gold bars do exist and there are a number of them around the city that I have seen.

It's a hard city to get around without a car.  I supposed a city built around the oil industry would be set up to drive around, walking is hard as everything is spread out and sidewalks are not very common.

People in Dubai do not pay income tax nor is there a value added tax on goods, this was put in place to attract people to work here.

It rains here a lot....well not really but it did yesterday.  All day and the day before had on and off  showers, so much for coming to the desert to get away from rainy Ontario.   Next week is looking better.

Burj Al Arab in the clouds 

Tim Hortons has locations all across the city, feels like home with a coffee shop on every corner.  I can now rest easy that I know what Tim Horton's looks like in Arabic.

Everything strives to be bigger and better but there is very little original architecture.

I found a coffee museum today, all else is irrelevant.

Nuffield Report is now online

It has been two and half years in the making but my Nuffield Report, the basis for my travels over the past two years is completed, reviewed and published.  I am very proud of this summary of my findings and how it all came together.  Based on everything I experienced I recommend the following for the Canadian beef industry.

  Enhance and expand Product of Canada guidelines and investigate the opportunity for an independent organization to oversee and promote the brand on all commodities
  Track greater data through our national traceability system and by requiring additional information such as a date of birth assigned to every tag
  Have a functional national database to trace value added data and enhance it based on specific branded beef programs needs
  As an unified industry continue to work with foodservice and retail outlets to ensure information they present to consumers is verifiable and accurate
  Enhance and expand regional eat local programs to encourage consumers to source local products and get to know the person behind the food
  Redesign labels on beef products and packaging to provide additional information to consumers

  Ensure beef producers in Canada understand how important traceability and consumer trust is and the need to keep that trust

The full report is available on the Nuffield International website.  Feel free to email me if you have any questions or want to discuss anything in the report with me.

 As 2016 continues to unfold, I have been able to take some time and reflect on what an incredible journey the past year was.  2015 will forever be the year I finished by Nuffield project, the year I spent an incredible six weeks in South America and the year I moved back to Ontario to farm.  A truly remarkable year and I can’t help but wonder what 2016 will bring.  New challenges, new opportunities and new adventures very likely.  

 My Nuffield report “Should my beef have a barcode?” will be published very soon and that will be my last Nuffield or production type post here, this site moving forward will be devoted to stories and updates on travels around the world.   

 The past two years have seen me travel over 120,000 kilometres on 37 flights and 150  nights away from home.  It has been a roller coaster ride of highs, lows and epic adventures, most of which I have outlined in the posts here.  The rest will only be told only over a few beers.  I want to wish everyone all the best in 2016.  I will add these final words of wisdom to close 2015 “Travel is glamorous only in retrospect” Paul Theroux and “Getting out of your comfort zone can change your life” Arlene Dickinson.

Top 10 Travel Moments

Continuing my Top 10 Lists is the ten most incredible things I experienced in the past two years.   Nuffield trips are centred around research, meetings and learning opportunities.  However, mixing in a little fun and filling half a day until the next meeting or coming into a city a day earlier allows for some sight seeing and rest.  I had a number of "can't believe I am here" moments while travelling,  narrowing down this list was a real challenge.

Top 10 Travel Moments:

10.  Random Roadside Attractions, Australia - The Big Guitar, Big Mower, Big Macadamia Nut, Big Pineapple, Big Ayrshire all things I came across while driving down the highway in Australia.

Henry VII's clock, Hampton Court

9.  Cattle Auction, Kostanay, Kazakhstan - While some people may think a cattle auction is not that exciting especially when it is in a language you do not understand, I found it fascinating.  The entire spectacle of the day was incredible as us as Canadian guests were treated as royalty.  A video of lot 1 selling is posted on Youtube.  

8.  In and Around London, United Kingdom - Hampton Court, Jane Austen House, Walking along the Thames River - London and the surrounding area was incredible.  The history and the natural beauty of the area was something to see and I want to go back when I have more time.  

7.  Hong Kong Disneyland - After almost five weeks on the road I and a few days in Hong Kong, I needed a break.  Meetings fell through and I ended up with some time on my hands, what a better way to kill a day then at Disneyland.

6.  Skiing in Santiago, Chile - Conditions may not have been ideal but two days of skiing in the Andes was quite the experience.  The Andes are extensive and rugged and stunning.  

5.  Uruguay - For those of you who I have talked to since I returned home in August, you know how much I loved the Uruguay section of my recent trip.  The city of Montevideo was incredible and the countryside even more so.  This is a country I will return to soon.  

4.  Hiking along the Great Wall of China - On a somewhat clear day which made it even better, then coming down through a small scale traditional farm in the Chinese countryside, it is a day I will not forget.

 

3.  Sunrise at Uluru, Northern Territory, Australia - I remember this day well, after a bad night sleep in a hostel the last thing I wanted to do that morning was get up before the sun was up and drive over to the viewing area.  But I willed myself to get out of bed that morning and I was glad I did.  The series of photos shows the entire sunrise over Uluru on a beautiful fall morning.

2. Igauzu Falls, Brazil - The pictures of these waterfalls do not do them justice. It is hard to even take them all in let alone describe.  Check out the video.

1.  Eiffel Tower, Paris, France - Paris in the fall in the rain.  It only gets slighty more cliche than that (it could have been the spring) but the sun came out when I arrived at the tower allowing me to take the stairs which was an experience in itself.  An iconic moment at an iconic location.  With one day in Paris it was the only place to go.

Top 10 Nuffield Visits

As I wrap up writing my report, I have had a lot of time over the past number of weeks to relive my travels and reflect on all that I have experienced in the past two years.  The people I have met, the things I have seen and the once in a lifetime adventures I have had all contribute to the learning experience that is Nuffield Study.  In honour of almost being done phase one of this process I am recapping some top 10 moments.

Top 10 Nuffield Visits:

10.  Alltech Conference, Normandy, France - An excellent conference with new people, interesting ideas and new perspectives.  Not to mention it was a beautiful town in the NorthEast of France and the conference centre was right on the beach.

9.  Allflex Plant Tour - Vitre, France - Staying on the French leg of my travels.  A behind the scenes tour of how ear tags are made was something to see.  

8.  Morning Star Pub - Belfast, Northern Ireland - Ok, I know what you are thinking.  Why did a pub land this low on the list?  It was not about the cider (well not just about the cider), this pub sold the products that they raised on their own farm and sources the rest of their supplies from local producers.  A shining example of how the Taste of Ulster Program can excel.  Not to mention the food was phenomenal.

7.  Nuffield Place, Huntercombe, United Kingdom - No Nuffield trip through the UK is complete without a visit to Lord Nuffield's home.  Learning about the man who starting the Nuffield Scholarship program was a very simple way to show gratitude and a fascinating journey back in time.

6.  SIAL Show, Shanghai, China - Dubbed "Asia's Food Marketplace"  attending this food service trade show was a full on assault on the senses, much like China as a whole, it needs to be seen in person to be appreciated.

 

5.  Beef Processing Plant Tours - In Canada it is a rare treat to get behind the scenes at one of our packing plants and rarer still when the plant is operating but I was able to visit plants in Australia, Northern Ireland and Brazil.  Seeing the traceability systems in these plants and the basic system employed in Brazil was a learning experience all it its own.

4.  Coffee Plantation, near Ribeirão Preto, Brazil - For those of you who know me the only surprise should be that this comes in at number four.  I love coffee but being a Canadian we don't get the chance to grow our own coffee beans.  I visit to a plantation in Central Brazil during harvest was a special treat for this coffee lover.  

3.  Fairs & Exhibitions - Visiting agricultural fairs is something that I have done for a number of years.  I spent a day at a fair in a number of countries; Argentina, Australia, Ireland and United Kingdom.  Seeing how agriculture innovation at each of these events and the youth who are the up and coming farmers is always a treat.  

2.  Contemporary Scholar's Conference, Sydney/Canberra, Australia - The official kick off event for all new Nuffield Scholar's, it is also the only chance that all the 2014 Scholar from around the world get together in one place.  Meeting so many great people in one place in one week was something else.

1.  On Farm Visits- By far the highlight of all my trips.  Whether it was pasture tours in Argentina, a day with Mr. Li in Qingdao, China or sitting down at the kitchen table to discuss ideas and swap Nuffield stories.  The face to face meetings with fellow scholars, current and past is the best part of the experience.  Nuffielders are innovative, optimistic, passionate people about agriculture and from that great conversations occur.  

  

The Nuffield Experience

My last Nuffield trip is now in the books; the suitcase is unpacked and life is slowly returning to normal.  Writing my report and presenting at the Nuffield Canada AGM in November are all that is left to do to complete my Nuffield requirements.  While a Nuffield journey never really ends, this first important stage is almost over.  I am having a hard time wrapping my head around this new reality.  It has been such a big part of life for the past 24 months (almost exactly 2 years since I got the call).  A Nuffield scholarship is not about the research, or the miles logged, the meetings taken or the ability to cram as much in as possible.  It’s about visiting people and places not as a tourist but as a friend.  It’s focus is talking with people and learning from them rather than just racking stats up on a tally sheet (for those who are curious I am still compiling stats) and it honestly is the best way to get to know all that is great about a country. 

Nuffield is also a community.  I have experienced this first hand.  The Nuffield International community is like nothing I have seen or heard of before.  It amazed me time and time again how people I didn’t know, would drop everything to show me around for a few days and usually on the drop of a dime.  It was based on nothing but an email and the mention of the magic word….Nuffield.  Many of them went above and beyond just showing me around, they invited me into their homes, gave me the keys to their truck and have shown me the time of my life.  It is amazing.  Truly awe inspiring and humbling.  

One question plaguing me on my travels time and time again.  How do I repay something like this?  There is no way in the moment.  As a traveller you are limited in your ability to do any justice to the act.  The more I travelled and thought about it the more I realized the answer was rather simple.  I suppose the only way is to pay it forward; answer the email when it arrives, invite the next scholar into your home, give them the keys to your truck if needed and show them everything that is great about your region and your country.  

The people who have helped me along the way are too numerous to mention here but I will include everyone in my final report.  I am forever grateful to every one of you and hope to welcome you all into my home one day.  

If you have been following my travels and ever thought a pang of jealously or envy (come on now, I know you have) apply for a Nuffield.  Anything is possible.  Applications are due April 30th each year, start thinking and planning now.  This time next year this could be you.  Visit www.nuffieldcanada.ca for more information or contact me directly. 

Twitter/Instagram:  @CherylHazenberg

Email:  cheryl.hazenberg@gmail.com