2nd March
Our flight headed out on time only to go back to the gate due to a technical issue. The engineers were called in and we were told it should be 10 minutes.
Two hours/one movie later (Goodbye Christopher Robin) we set off for our 17 hour flight to Dubai.
3rd March
Using Jay's research before we arrived we headed to our accommodation on the metro. We felt proud as we figured out the ticketing machine in a minute which is good in our sleep deprived state. We got off at the closest station to our destination and we used offline Google Maps to find the house. We are staying with a friend of a friend (Stanny and his wife Anjali). They have turned out to be very welcoming.
After (a second) breakfast we headed out to the markets (souks). Stanny dropped us off at the gold souk where we saw shop after shop of ridiculously over the top gold jewellery.
Then we saw the silver souk followed by the spice souk.
After that we went on the Abra (local tradition boat) for only 1 AED! Definitely one of the highlights of the day for us both.
On the other side of the water we headed to the textile souk.
After that we came across the Al Fahidi Fort and Dubai Museum The museum looked tiny but for 3 AED we thought, "Why not?" This turned out to be the second highlight of the day. Most of the museum was underground. We spent at least half an hour learning about the history of Dubai and about the culture of the people who live here.
From here we checked out Hindu Lane and then went to see a historic village. The buildings in the village were built in a traditional style but the inside of the buildings had museums and restaurants After wandering around for awhile we decided to head back to the metro station On the way we found a place selling samosas and vada pav. However apparently they had none at that time so we ordered Chole Bhatura instead It was good.
Then it was off to the metro station to see Dubai Mall. It was huge! It had sections, so that all the electronic stores were together and all the shoe shops were together etc. Shops don't interest me but what was interesting is that the mall had an ice rink and an aquarium in it!
While there we used the free Internet to book a desert safari for the next day. We waited till 6pm to see the water show.
Then we went to the Mall of Emirates to see where we'd be picked up from for the tour.
After a long day on very little sleep we headed back to the accommodation.
4th March
We decided to go to Atlantis the Palm to see the man-made islands. We got a lift to the monorail station and boarded.
Once there we had a walk around taking in the views with a brief stop at Nasemi Beach.
Then it was back to the monorail, onto the tram followed by the metro to get to the Mall of Emirates.
After a yummy lunch at the foodcourt we made our way to Lulu Hypermarket where we would be picked up for our desert safari.
It turns out that Dubai is not big on punctuality. The minibus turned up at about 3:30pm, we were told to be there at 2:40pm. After this we all boarded the 2 minibuses in a disorganised manner which took forever. It was not a streamlined process. At 4pm we finally left the carpark. About an hour later the bus driver pulled over to a petrol station and announced a 15 minute break. People asked how far we were from the desert and he said 5 minutes away. More confusion over why we need a break so close to the destination It turned out that the 4WD vehicles at the other end weren't ready.
At about 5:30pm we arrived at the desert where we stood around for another 15-20 minutes. Finally we were directed to a 4WD and we set off.
The driver swerved left and right spraying sand everywhere and I could see why people in the know had warned us not to eat too much before the trip.
After a fun ride we stopped for a break to take pictures...
Then it was more crazy driving that took us back to where we began! Here we were told to swap cars. I have no idea why. It looked the same but it was silver. This car took us to the camp that had the food and entertainment.
After a cup of tea Jay and I decided to go on the camel ride. I'd refused in India but thought I'd give it a go this time As I suspected camel riding is not my thing. So that'll be the first and last time I ride a camel. Fortunately the rides are very short so everyone has an opportunity to have a turn. It's hard to get on and off the camel as they are quite high even while seated. It's also a bumpy ride.
After the camel ride we got some snacks. They gave us samosas, vada and bhaji. The first entertainer came up on the stage and did some kind of dance that involved constantly spinning around for about 10 minutes while turning some cloth. It was interesting especially when the lights of the costume lit up.
Then Jay went to try on a traditional costume while I tried the henna.
The next performance began - a fire dancer. Then the buffet was open and everyone lined up. There was a huge selection of food and it was quite nice. Once everyone sat back down the belly dancer performed.
When her dance finished all the lights came on and the bus drivers came in to herd us back to the 4WD vehicles. We were taken in batches back to the minibuses where we had to wait about 30 minutes before the bus driver came. Then it was an hour back to where we were picked up. Our friend gave us a lift from there home.
5th March
Today we decided to explore the Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) area. It turned out to be a beach with lots of places to eat near it.
After wandering around for awhile we decided to take a taxi to the Souk Madinat It was really beautiful.
After that we went to our accommodation and chatted with our new friends Then we all went out to dinner at Chilli's. It was yummy, but the portions were large.
After that we came across the Al Fahidi Fort and Dubai Museum The museum looked tiny but for 3 AED we thought, "Why not?" This turned out to be the second highlight of the day. Most of the museum was underground. We spent at least half an hour learning about the history of Dubai and about the culture of the people who live here.
From here we checked out Hindu Lane and then went to see a historic village. The buildings in the village were built in a traditional style but the inside of the buildings had museums and restaurants After wandering around for awhile we decided to head back to the metro station On the way we found a place selling samosas and vada pav. However apparently they had none at that time so we ordered Chole Bhatura instead It was good.
Then it was off to the metro station to see Dubai Mall. It was huge! It had sections, so that all the electronic stores were together and all the shoe shops were together etc. Shops don't interest me but what was interesting is that the mall had an ice rink and an aquarium in it!
Then we went to the Mall of Emirates to see where we'd be picked up from for the tour.
After a long day on very little sleep we headed back to the accommodation.
4th March
We decided to go to Atlantis the Palm to see the man-made islands. We got a lift to the monorail station and boarded.
Once there we had a walk around taking in the views with a brief stop at Nasemi Beach.
Then it was back to the monorail, onto the tram followed by the metro to get to the Mall of Emirates.
After a yummy lunch at the foodcourt we made our way to Lulu Hypermarket where we would be picked up for our desert safari.
It turns out that Dubai is not big on punctuality. The minibus turned up at about 3:30pm, we were told to be there at 2:40pm. After this we all boarded the 2 minibuses in a disorganised manner which took forever. It was not a streamlined process. At 4pm we finally left the carpark. About an hour later the bus driver pulled over to a petrol station and announced a 15 minute break. People asked how far we were from the desert and he said 5 minutes away. More confusion over why we need a break so close to the destination It turned out that the 4WD vehicles at the other end weren't ready.
At about 5:30pm we arrived at the desert where we stood around for another 15-20 minutes. Finally we were directed to a 4WD and we set off.
The driver swerved left and right spraying sand everywhere and I could see why people in the know had warned us not to eat too much before the trip.
After a cup of tea Jay and I decided to go on the camel ride. I'd refused in India but thought I'd give it a go this time As I suspected camel riding is not my thing. So that'll be the first and last time I ride a camel. Fortunately the rides are very short so everyone has an opportunity to have a turn. It's hard to get on and off the camel as they are quite high even while seated. It's also a bumpy ride.
Then Jay went to try on a traditional costume while I tried the henna.
When her dance finished all the lights came on and the bus drivers came in to herd us back to the 4WD vehicles. We were taken in batches back to the minibuses where we had to wait about 30 minutes before the bus driver came. Then it was an hour back to where we were picked up. Our friend gave us a lift from there home.
5th March
Today we decided to explore the Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) area. It turned out to be a beach with lots of places to eat near it.
After that we went to our accommodation and chatted with our new friends Then we all went out to dinner at Chilli's. It was yummy, but the portions were large.
Wow, looks like you and Jay are having an amazing time so far!! Loved the pictures. So glad you're enjoying yourselves and am looking forward to the updates!!
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