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Friday - Dubai Typed at the departure gate in Dubai Airport We are booked to explore the city on a tour. All 8 of us on the same bus. Boarding at 0930, we set off with great enthusiasm. First stop, a shopping mall. Jan elected to walk straight out into the sunshine and peer at the tallest building in the world (860 metres), of which she took a stunning fone image earlier today from the boat. We were too close and my camera need 3 frames to see it all. Across the road was a much more interesting set of shops. it was yet another mall but featured much smaller stores than where we first taken. Jan found shop selling dates with all kinds of fillings and she made up a mixed parcel for Christmas Day. Then I found and ice cream shop, my triple cone was £10 - it is Dubai after all. After joining the others in a coffee shop and discovering free wifi we spent the rest of the 2 hour stop yakking and peering at phones, but not shopping ! We rejoined the bus having located 2 lost members of the busload who managed to be late. Next we drive to Burj Al Arab (the sail shaped hotel) en route our guide lady said we could not just wander about but had to go straight to a lift and go up to floor 27 for lunch. I joked about poor tourists being in the service lift, but we were ushered to the main lift through the lobby, which was decorated for Xmas and quite stunning. We entered a lift and the escorting flunky waved a card at the floor selector and off we went. The restaurant was laid up with circular tables set for 10 people. Around the room was a very extensive buffet, with nice cheese and pretty desserts to finish. Most people dived for the windows and tried to get pictures, but the glass was dirty making it difficult. We had to rush lunch having arrived late because of lost souls. After lunch most people sought the loo and the room seemed to be almost empty. I found myself alone looking for the gents, when I emerged (having taken the obligatory picture) there was noone about. Eventually I found a staff member and asked for the lift. He put me in the lift and again waved a card at the floor selector. I assumed that I was going to the lobby (4 floors were labelled lobby because it covers 4 floors !). The bloke obiviously assumed I was with another party/group or maybe even a guest, because I exited the lift into another restaurant full of very ethnic looking folk. I was welcomed and waved towards a table. I had to point out that I was lost and was seeking the lobby ! You could not make it up ! I was put back in a lift and found the front desk, wandering outside to join the others. The bus was late so we stood in the sunshine and watched the Rollers and Range Rovers come and go. No beautiful SLs though - never saw one in Dubai. Actually I found Dubai dusty and exhibiting a pervasive smell. It was busy, but nowhere near as well organised as I had expected. The place is also substantially a building site. Some of the latest buildings are quite unusual - the drive to be different succeeds. In contrast Muscat was just lovely with far more style and even a classy building code. Our next stop was the aquarium which has several excellent tanks, some pictures attached. We re-boarded the bus and waited again for the same couple to come 10 minutes after everyone else was on board. The next stop was an art centre - it was closed. I think we stopped to let the guide have a fag. We then arrived at Dubaui Museum with 15 mins to look around. It was worth a lot more than that. We landed up rushing through the presctibed route and waiting on the bus for the late couple. Driving down to the docks we boarded a motorised dhow and went about a mile to the gold souk. The boat ride was the highlight of the day. We had been told not to stand because the thing might capsize. Makes no sense ! - unless one moved as well. Still re rolled along in a Health & safety nightmare. No life jackets, no seats, just a raised platform, no rail and choppy water but really quite fun. We arrived at the souk and Jan found a spice man, again we bought nutmeg, red peppers and plain dates for Christmas. Then we wandered around looking at he almost continuous rows of gold/silver and diamond stores - all tiny. One of our 8 bought a small gold item. During the window shopping a man waved a 75% off notice in Jan's face from inside the window.. We then awaited the bus again and eventually arrived on the boat at nearly 7pm. The group met for a quick snack, Dave wanted to drinks a celebratary wine or 3 but he was howled down as everyone wanted to just sleep before the long day and early start on the morrow. Written at home Up at 2.30am, both alarms enabled Jan to wake me, she hasn't slept. We rush through a shower and grabbing our travel bags rush to the disembarkation point just before the alloted 3am appoinment. We then sat until 4am when a flustered crew member collected us and escorted us off boat to a pile of baggage. The bags were laid out in groups. We grabbed ours and pushed towards the first bus - obviously the one furthest away! As we sat on the bus Jan said she felt quite Germanic pushing to the front (using a finger to echo a famous moustache), the long wait had garnered basic human traits. Dubai is the largest airport in the world, but at 0430 group check in is deserted and after 5 minutes we had boarding cards for our 7.20 departure. We drifted through having our carry-on weighed, immigration and arrived at duty free. We had croissants that seemed to be made from a concrete derivative and then proceeded to the gate. I was selected for special treatment and definitely scanned and rubbed all over for cocaine and/or drugs and maybe Ebola, rabies, STDs as well as bubonic plague. An hour later we boarded the A380-800, (my first go), the plane takes off 30 mins late and is half full which surprised me as it seemed packed when I reserved seats. The aircraft is much improved with in-seat entertainment nearly up to date but one huge problem for me - no subtitles on anything and weak audio even at full volume. We landed about 20 mins late. Our friendly taxi driver was waiting at the exit. We are home ! The house is warm, Tesco delivered as requested and there is G&T in the cabinet. Jan lost a chicken which obviously died because we left it without saying we would be back. I have fixed a jammed radiator and made the kitchen light work (cleaners had knocked the switch off during the spring clean) It was lovely to spend time with the family. This is THE END |
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