The richness of Dubai does not stop at the Gold Souk

 

My second day of touring started slightly later than the first.   I was continuing on the Big Red Bus (BRB)…but moving to the “blue” line which included the beaches, fabulous buildings and lastly, Atlantis…the copy resort of the one in the Caribbean…a pink palace with an aquarium, dolphin experience, waterpark …all perched on the edge of Dubai’s “Palm”  A man made land fill shaped like…yes…a palm tree.

Once again the Big Red Bus departed from WAFI…same things applied:

Pick a language and

Sit the heck down!

Well, I remembered so off we went.

The tour today was all beach and mall venues.

While yesterday’s tour was “old” Dubai, today would show the wealth and growth and newness.  Being a history major…I can’t say today’s tour would be as “interesting” but it sure would be beautiful.

The whole bus ride today was to make our way toward "The Palm”  I was happy because the winds died down and the “chill” was this made it tolerable to sit outside.

This is Saks Fifth Avenue.  I just like how it looked written in another language…like it’s not pretty enough in English!

Next, we come to one of the 8 zillion 5 star hotels in Dubai.  Trust me…there are tons:

Here are a few:

This is the Burj Al Arab. It is designed to look like a sail. The prices on these rooms go from $1,000 to $27,000 USD per night. Rumour has it that this is really the only 7 star hotel in the world!

  If you look at the helipad at the top of the building (the round thing)…you will see where Tiger Woods drove a golf ball off the top of the building and 2 tennis stars actually played a game!

 

Incoming helicopter…this is an optional way to the hotel from the airport.  I’m sure there is an extra charge!

If you don’t  want to be in the “Sail” hotel….you can be in this one that has the “Sail” hotel as a backdrop! This is Al Qasr.  Stupid gorgeous. 

 

Al Qasr takes a page from Venice…canals and all!  Each of these hotels have beautiful beaches within a stone’s throw!

This is Jumeirah Beach:  The water has the loveliest shades of green and blue.  I really do not have the words to describe it.  Well, I have one word:  Breathtaking!

 

The bus continued on to Atlantis: I was going to Atlantis to see their Aquarium. It is called The Lost Chambers.  I’m really not sure why…it’s not big enough to get lost in…but it was a good visit.

I was greeted by “river” rays.  They are tiny…and very cute.

This is a catfish!  HUGE!

I was most impressed by the jellyfish!  I was really working to get some great shots of them…but the little suckers just kept moving…here’s what I got:

I have actually flipped these…see the first picture?  They are normally bulbous side down…  If my camera had not had a low battery…I would have tons more shots.

I am forever looking for the next “best” shot.  This is what I think is my best shot…2 days after I got my camera:

 

I love this picture…I framed this picture…I want another “untouched” picture that looks like this!  I keep snapping. Thank you digital cameras!  Snap, delete, repeat!

ANYWAY…I finished my tour and headed back to the bus.

We toured more malls.  Ok..here’s the deal.  I live in a city where we have malls. LOTS of malls.  Too many malls to count.  You can bet that if there is an MTR station, there is a mall close by, so I wasn’t SO impressed with the malls.  I did NOT get out to see the ski slope at the Mall of Emirates. THAT might have been something. 

We made more stops…and then…the bus “voice” told us to ready our cameras for what is a great photo “opportunity”

This is the Burj Khalifa…the tallest tower in Dubai…and one of the tallest in the world. 

I always have my camera out…so as we moved by I zoomed in:

This is what I came up with:
I feel pretty lucky to have gotten this shot. 

Take a second and open this one up.  The sunlight reflecting off of the top…natural. I’m sure some camera guru would tell me all that is wrong with it…but I don’t care.  I think it really speaks to what Dubai is.  A desert that has been converted to an oasis and the Burj Khalifa is the centerpiece, almost the spokes-building for all things Dubai.

As part of the tour, we also got a boat tour of The Creek. I can’t say how much I think the BRB was a good value.

The tour was on an older boat, used at night for dinner cruises.  I’m glad our tour only lasts an hour because quite honestly, due to the tours I had taken over the two days, I had seen a lot of the waterfront:

If you look in the bottom part of this building, you can see the reflection of our boat…it is the kind of dark line right at the top of the reflection of the water in the building.

They even have “Duck” tours in Dubai…those vehicles that do land and sea tours. 

 

and lastly:

Crop shirt guy…he is the last thing I remember from my waterfront tour…he did not get the memo that this look left in the 90’s

Dubai is a pretty complex place…old, new, rich, poor.  I loved it.  Once again, I would like to spend more time there…and just re-visit and absorb.

The Wheels on the (Big Red) Bus…

(you know the drill…click on the pics for a better view)

Corey had meetings (the REAL reason for our trip) to Dubai, so for two full days I was on my own to explore.

I had done some research on tours and the pricing.  The offers were pretty standard: City Tours, Beach Tours, half day, full day, and then, by luck…I struck GOLD…nooo that’s later…I struck RED.

The Big Red Bus Tours of Dubai.

What could be MORE perfect than to be shuttled to the cities attractions.the tours cover ALL of the above…half day if I want, full day if I want…city, beach.  I was IN.

I found the cost reasonable.  $60USD for 24 hours, $80USD for 48 hours.  The bus picked up right at WAFI…one of the popular malls which was conveniently right next to our hotel.

The premise of the tours is “Hop On/Hop Off” As the bus travels a circuit, you just tour the city at your leisure. I am NOT a Big Red Bus Tour (BRBT) novice, having been on one in Hong Kong and London. It has proved to be a good touring solution in the past.

Now, let’s get one thing clear.  It’s not REALLY 24 or 48 hours.  The buses run from 9 am to 6 pm ish.  Night tours are extra.   There are a couple LAWS on the BRBT….if you lose your ticket you “lose your ride.” Next…when the time stamp on your ticket says it has been 24 or 48 hours you are OFF THE BUS.  No questions.  OFF.

I chose to grab a 48 hour ticket. 

The tour comes in Eight languages…sigh.  No “American”  Well, I guess I would have to listen to it in “English”.  Every time the guide said “color” I would envision “colour”  I could handle it.

Next:

  There is a “proper” way to ride the BRB. If you have any doubts about this, just look at the conveniently displayed stickers!  Psst… the green check indicates proper BRB behaviour (look at that…I’ve been on the bus 5 minutes and I’m already spelling in “English”).

The BRB has two routes, the Red Route (city) and Blue Route (beach)

My first day out I chose the City Tour.

My first stop was the Dubai Museum. Along with the “hopping on and hopping off” the tour tickets come with “extras”   At this stop there is an optional walking tour that I thought would really help me get the lay of the land.

Dubai was a fishing and pearling village back in the day.  There is evidence everywhere of how important fishing and shipping are to the area.

Here is a picture of the fort itself:

“The Creek” cuts Dubai in half and really is the lifeblood of the area.

There were some pretty cool excavation examples:

This is a lady buried. And next to her:

A couple buried together. (click on these..they are cool)

After moving through the museum (the timing was perfect – I was done just in time for the walking tour!

This tour is done twice a day.  There were eight of us.  I was surprised that more did not take advantage of this!  Our guide was Jennifer and she spoke perfect English.  She gave us some tips about the city (haggle haggle haggle) and plenty of history.

This is an Iranian Mosque.  You can tell because of how ornate it is. 

The whole building is mosaic.

Here is an example of another Mosque…much plainer:

We walked through the fabric souk (market).  Most of this area is wholesale only.  Store after store with bolts of fabric inside and out. 

There were so few shoppers I have to wonder how they stay in business…well, at least there were very few “physical” shoppers.

The buildings are not “original” but have been restored in a historically accurate way.  The sticks you see were actually used to hang laundry!  They openness you see in the towers help cool the buildings in the summer heat (and BOY does it get hot there…up to 46C (SEE…1 hour on the tours and I am actually thinking in Celsius…damn “English’)

We continue to walk along, cross The Creek in a water taxi:

These are used extensively….this guy is taking a little snooze, but normally he is quite busy I am sure.

Next we visit the Spice Souk. 

 

ANYTHING you want…you can get here.  In the second picture…the “ball” things up front are dried lemons.  Next to that is Hyacinth…good for high cholesterol and hyper-tension. One of the biggest sellers is Saffron.  You know…the spice that “by the pound” is pricier than gold?  They have tons of it and even advertise it as a “good gift”.  I blew that one.

Next, we move to what Dubai is known best for :  GOLD

This ring is in the Guinness Book of World Records AS the BIGGEST ring in the world!  I’m thinking it’s a ring that will fit an elephant…but, ring it is!

Hong Kong has a bunch of gold.  Hong Kong as a million jewelry stores…but there is something special about the Gold Souk.

Dubai is best known for its 22k gold.  It is an amazing color. Very different from 14k.

Next, the jewelry is (a little bit) negotiable.

The gold is so much more accessible with it hanging from rods, store after store.  Inside each store there are counters and back rooms, with gold all ready to be eyed, touched, tried, purchased.

WOW. 

After the tour, I said goodbye to Jennifer and made my way back to look at some souvenirs.  I saw plenty of Pashminas…but quite honestly I see tons of them here in Hong Kong and Shenzhen.  Quite honestly, so much of what I saw, I have seen before.   I passed.

Here are a couple of shots from the water taxi:

The Creek is also a huge artery for ocean shipments in the region.  I was amazed at how much freight is moved on these old wooden boats!  They go all over the area and as far as Africa!

I spent the rest of the day “hopping on and off” at my leisure.  The only stop I found disappointing was one of the Heritage stops…it was an area that comes alive at night, so not much to see there.

The BRB took me right back to the hotel.  Even after 7 hours of touring and all that hopping, I had not reached 10,000 steps.

Annoying!  But I was tired!  I settled into the lounge for tea and a look at my pictures

The BRBT was a great success.

Tomorrow:  The Beach Tour!

The Luau in the Desert

First…I WISH I had more pictures for this…but then, when I think back…the real high point of this night WAS the Sand dunes and the desert!  (Well, as I re-read that...it was not really the high point..but it was the most picturesque part of the evening just for the sheer reason that by the time we got to the dinner portion...the sun was almost down.)

After we were done sliding, unsticking and generally having a terrific time in the sand, it was time to go to the “village in the desert” for dinner, henna tattoos, camel rides and “experiencing” local life.
How did we know about the village?  WAY off in the distance we could see rows of lights…one of the riders in our car asked our driver what the lights were. He answered “it’s a village”…to which she responded…”OH, that must be a village in the desert”  
UM

Not sure what her first clue was?  Could it have been where we were? (Dubai).  Could it have been where we had JUST been (the DESERT)…or maybe the SAND in her shoes gave her the answer she sought.  Well, she was VERY astute and our car headed that way.

We first saw a “walled” city…and everyone who worked the event was male dressed in traditional garb.

We were kind of just let loose by our driver, so Corey and I made our way to the super-hard and heavy pillows that surrounded low tables.  Naw….not too interested in sitting there….so we made our way to a Gazebo.  MUCH easier on the back.

We were given appetizers….a vegetable roll up, fruits, a nice snack.

The henna tattoos had me especially interested and I made my way there before the crowds figured out where to get that done.  I chose to have it put on my arm vs. my hand since I wash my hands so much, I was hoping the tattoo would last longer.
The tattoos are floral…and this took her all of 30 seconds to do!  (there never would be a line)  It turns out she was one of two women we would see that evening.

Notice it is BROWN Henna….We learned our lesson from Mexico and the use of black henna…just ask Kirk…it was NOT pretty and involved oral and topical antibiotics and a mark on his arm that lasted 6 months…good parenting at it’s best.

The Tattoo was included in the price of our evening….I wish I had had one put on my ankle.
Interestingly, there was alcohol there…I guess this is a bend towards tourists.  I had a not bad glass of wine.

Next came a belly dancer.  Just one…which was interesting b/c she had a HUGE stage to cover and she did it well. I’m not sure how they get their hips to do all that work while the tops of their bodies stay perfectly still..but she managed it beautifully.

This is where I turned to Corey and asked him if the guys thought we were silly for doing this ride and dinner.  To which he responded:
“Well, it’s just like a Luau…but it’s in the desert”  Fair Point!  I’ve been to plenty of Luau's on Maui.  It is a way to share culture.

…and then…here came a pretty big part of the evening…

A Camel ride..yes…also included in the price of our evening.

Here are the pics…and STOP LAUGHING right now…b/c I share most things…I will share the “Gooberest” picture of the night…Corey is still laughing.
 Can you see in the 2nd picture I’m just laughing hysterically?

First…yes, they have mouth covers.  My sister bets that THESE guys have never        miss-behaved but since Camels have such a bad rap….ALL have to wear them. They actually remind me of skull caps for noses.

(we aren’t sure what the specky things are…the flash was picking up something)
Soon…off we walk
The shadows we cast were pretty cool…but the flash wiped them out
Here’s me throwing the “Shaka” sign for our friend Doug
I spent the ride “talking” to my camels.  I apologized for my weight…chatted to them about their nose caps…I’m odd…no two ways about it.  I talk to ALL animals…like these camels (or the cats in HK) understand English…well, it makes me feel better
All too soon it is time to get down which is the most exhilarating part We all survived…I am still thrilled…and I was amazed that hardly ANYONE took advantage of this! 

Next..we came in to have dinner…Wait for it…Men and Women queue separately for dinner…like TWO serving stations…this was very very odd for all of us.

BUT, it explains what I had seen at breakfast…a gentleman at his table and his helper and female companion (wife?) at another.  This is another nod to very local traditions.

Dinner was buffet (as I shoved down images of Noro-virus being on EVERYTHING) and consisted of salads, breads…all things local…(two days later…we are well)

If I thought it was tough to count Chinese Food…this stuff was especially tough!

The proteins were chicken, lamb and fish. All good (and for me…the non-adventurous eater…all recognizable)
To end our evening there was a performance by a Whirling Dervish… Sorry for the super bad picture…but there he is whirling over his head…and then…..
The DISNEYLAND Electrical Parade broke out!  I hadn’t seen THAT since I turned 35…let’s just say it was many years ago before the darn thing was sent to Euro – Disney
Lights aside…the performance was amazing…

Sadly, after that it was time to go.  The other two couples in our group did not do Henna OR camels….I did not get over to the Hubbly Bubbly (pipes)…I can not fathom WHY you would not take advantage of all (or most) things offered..but ok…that’s just me

All in all, I think we took pretty good advantage of seeing what the local tours had to offer.

I am in heaven!