Dubai

On Saturday, three of us headed to Dubai for the day. WOW! That was definitely an experience in cultures!! We had decided to take the public bus instead of a hotel car or taxi. The bus, which took about one and a half hours, cost 15 dirham (about 4 dollars). Because of their belief that women should not have to suffer by standing in line here, travel becomes quite pleasant! On the way, we passed many beautiful buildings, but I had been wanting to see the Aldar HQ building because we had watched it being built on a TV show called, “Can it be Built?” I didn’t get a great picture, but I have now seen it!

When we arrived in Dubai, however, we traveled to the main bus station, which is located in what appeared to be Little India. Disoriented, we wandered into a small hotel to ask directions and to use the restroom…..hmmm….that was an experience too!! I will have to say that I laughed more on this one day that I have in quite a while!

We took various taxis to see the sights:

The Burj Al Arab: Dubai’s iconic building, recognized most anywhere in the world

The Burj Khalifa: sometimes called the Burj Dubai (tallest building in the world)

The Mall of the Emirates (with Ski Dubai—snow skiing in the desert!): Lots of great shopping here, but I used my willpower!

Wild Wadi (Water Park): We didn’t even know this was here, but it’s right where we went to see the Burj Al Arab.

The city skyline: There are too many amazing buildings to picture! They definitely have an eye for a curved design. Very few buildings are square or rectangular. Even the underpinnings of the bridges are architecturally beautiful: different shapes with designs on them! Dubai is home to 10 of the world’s 50 tallest buildings. The taxis and buses all took us down Sheikh Zayed Road, which is a futuristic view with all the unreal skyscrapers. The city skyline will never be mistaken for any city other than Dubai!!

The Textile Souk (where I bought a cute red skirt): This is a traditional bazaar with restored buildings under a wooden roof. There are elaborate latticed windows and Islamic lamps hung from the roof. There are mostly Indian traders, some of whom are direct descendents of the original traders who came here in the 18th century. Directly behind the souk was a tiny restaurant called Bayt al Wakeel. We got spring rolls and hummus and…..gulp….a refreshingly cold Diet Coke!!

Even the trip to the restroom there was an experience: you walked up winding stairs where you had to duck your head to fit and ended up several stories higher, looking out over the creek.

Textile Souk

We rode on a dhow across Dubai Creek. Dhows are wooden boats which are used for offshore fishing and, in the past, for pearl diving. Some of these boats are 100 years old. The larger boats ship goods to and from neighboring Gulf countries and to Iran, Pakistan, India, and West Africa. They look surreal when pictured in front of the very modern high-rise buildings that line the waterfront of the creek.

When it was time to come home, we headed back to the main bus stop, only now there were THOUSANDS of people, mostly men, headed home for the night. (I am NOT exaggerating!) I had a nightmare vision of waiting for a ticket and bus seat for hours! Instead, an officer walks up to us and leads us straight to the ticket window (the line of men stretched for blocks!!). While purchasing our tickets, we saw a man with a rope beating any man who tried to get in the wrong line! As soon as we had our tickets we were told to go to the front of a line about to board the bus, and we were put in the front seat. No males were allowed to sit in the front unless they were escorting a woman. The bus ride home took about 2 hours because we made a few stops to drop people off. It was so good to be back home. Traveling and sight-seeing in another country and language can be mind-boggling and exhausting. Many times we had to make a decision about what to do and where to go, and as Heather says, almost every time we made the wrong decision! But, we do learn from our mistakes, so the next trip should go more smoothly.