We were up a bit late for breakfast because of noisy guests upstairs. After the hotel's substantial breakfast buffet, we walked out to Baniyas Square to catch an underground metro train to Union Station. Then, we switched to the Red Line under the creek and past Burjuman. The destination was the station near the Karama area. Well, specifically we were headed to the station closest to the largest, five-storey Day-to-Day Department store. It's the flagship store of a chain with prices that make one consider the sanity of the global supply chain.
Just being inside the building makes one a participant in rampant consumerism. It's so weird but it sort of fits well into the city called Dubai. Hundreds of thousands of tourists fly in, fill up suitcases full of cut-rate goods, and fly home with bounty from the world over. Ironically, some of the items are from their own countries, but these shoppers get a better deal doing so here rather than at home. It's all sort of a headscratcher that has been going on now for decades.
It's all thanks to the Almighty UAE dirham that has been exactly chained as 3.67 to the US dollar for at least half a century. I've noted the new 2025 symbol for the currency. It's now represented by a 
before a number. I think Jay's sisters spent a total of 500 of them. This represents a far greater value in merchandise than could have been purchased for an equivalent number of rupees spent domestically in Sri Lanka. As well as the mind boggling selection in the UAE, the added value makes shopping so enticing here.
before a number. I think Jay's sisters spent a total of 500 of them. This represents a far greater value in merchandise than could have been purchased for an equivalent number of rupees spent domestically in Sri Lanka. As well as the mind boggling selection in the UAE, the added value makes shopping so enticing here. 
We had a late lunch in a Sri Lankan restaurant just across the street called the Pappadam.