Bye Bye, Dubai

 

Day 128 - It hardly seems as though we've been in Dubai for a week and a half! It seems even more shocking we have to leave tonight!  How did the last 10 days go so quickly?

Interestingly, we did a 'dry run' today to show Jay's sisters the departure section of Terminal 3.  We will be going to the airport at around 10:15 tonight but they won't head to fly back on the Emirates flight to Sri Lanka until tomorrow morning.

   

6.6 KM of Walking

 

Day 127 - Oh my!  Our time here is growing shorter.  Tonight will be the last full night of sleep Jay and I get in Dubai.  We have a 2:30 AM departure to Turkey on Friday morning.  However, Jay's sisters get to stay in the apartment until the early morning as their flight to Sri Lanka will be during the mid-morning on Friday.

This means that this was the last full day for normal tourist activities.  So, we went to the completely free Al Fahidi Historial Neighbourhood.  It's an area along the creek that has been preserved and reconstructed.  It shows life in Dubai in earlier times, including a few original buildings from the 1930s and older.  It is predominately a large arts center now and for places showcasing history.

Oh, and I think their several camels, must be the only ones remaining in Bur Dubai.

We took an Uber going but walked back to the Sharaf DG Metro station when returning.  

Other highlights of the day included some last-minute shopping in the area.  Jay's younger sister even got a phone, a VIVO Y33S that should keep her going for a number of years.  We started to set it up tonight just so it will be 'used' rather than 'imported' when they go back home.

6.8+ KM of Walking

Day 126 - Today, we visited a place that definitely wasn't on my list of things to see in Dubai.  However, Jay's sisters had seen pictures and videos of Dubai's Miracle Garden on the Internet.  So, we took the Metro out to the Mall of the Emirates as the bus system runs a special #105 just to the gardens.  (We did have a bit of trouble getting to the bus stop, which is clearly visible from the Metro Station.  The quick way is to take a door marked 'exit' and NOT TO follow the signs that point inside the mall.)  We wasted a bit of time.

The gardens themself truly are a bit of a miracle.  The bus took us and other tourists a half-hour into the desert near Barsha.  The gardens are more than 10 years old and it is rather amazing to see hundreds of millions of blossoms in the middle of the desert.  (Their website boasts about 150 million at any particular moment.)

Jay's sisters were in photo-selfie heaven.  They walked around much more than Jay and me.  That is the reason there's a plus sign in the title.  We sat at a table in an area covered with vines.  The wild birds definitely were doing the same!  We sipped water bottles as it was a lovely 28C.  The gardens are only open six months a year and it was getting near the end of the season.  The flowers surely looked great near the end of March.

Of course, we had to return to the Mall of the Emirates.  It is quite a bit farther out on the Red Line than the Dubai Mall.  However, it is known for Ski Dubai.  Although we didn't don winter attire and take the chair lift to the top of the indoor ski hill, we did snap a photo from the warm side of the glass.

Oh, Dubai!  Dreams can become reality with enough money and energy!

6.2 KM of Walking

 

Day 125 - We will have been here a week tomorrow. Today, Jay's sisters got serious about shopping. It's a bit weird that people flock here to buy cheap goods. Many of the things were actually made in the places where they'll be repatriated. Additionally, they are stocked, sorted, and sold by fellow countrymen and women. And it all makes economic sense that Dubai gets a get cut and visitors get bargains.

Jay's elder sister needed new luggage as she shared luggage coming.  In order to maximize the 25 KG each in the checked bags and 7 KG in the carry-ons, they'll get a lot here.  Their luggage will contain clothes, purses, gifts, chocolate, perfumes, nuts and spices, shoes (lots of shoes), and cosmetics.  We brought back the empty bags to the apartment and the sisters continued shopping.  

Later in the late afternoon, we walked back to the Karama Day-to-Day.  It is a five-storey department store of bargains.  They did a very good job as the luggage weighed-in a little short of the limits.  That means they still have a little leeway if they spot things during the three remaining days in Dubai.

  

Hardly Any Walking (for Me)

Day 124 - Well, Jay and his sisters are doing a whole lot of walking right now. Just after lunch, they went off to visit Dubai Expo 2020. There are just eleven days left in the six-month event. I expect they will have put on quite a few kilometers visiting some pavilions on the expansive grounds. 

On the other hand, I stayed here to nap. I didn't sleep well last night and I feel rather moody. I don't know if these conditions are related.  I didn't feel as though I wanted to head out with them but hoped to let them enjoy a bit of time together.  After all, when we worked here from the beginning of the 1990s, having his sisters visit Dubai would've seemed pretty unlikely in this lifetime!  Now, I do feel bad that I decided not to tag along!

I just got back from walking over to the BurJuman and Metro for, at least, a smidgeon of exercise.  There is almost always a crowd in the Carrefour supermarket where we get the majority of our groceries.  We walk in a back entrance to the mall and through part of indoor parking.  Then, we proceed down this path.  I couldn't count the trips we've made on this route to the store and the Metro.  So, it seems worth putting a photo here.

6.6 KM of Walking

Day 123 - To start off Saturday, we ducked into the Day-to-Day that's just across the BurJuman intersection. OMG, women can spend hours and hours shopping! They've retained the hunter and gather instincts of our ancient relatives, I guess. I was never so bored for quite a long time. Fortunately, we needed to eat, so we came back to the apartment for lunch, eventually!

We read online that the Burj Khalifa does not run the laser shows every day. As we'll not be around next weekend, we wanted to head back to catch the evening fountain and light show.

   

We took the Metro and found it marginally less busy although a Saturday night.  Inside the mall, the same could not be said.  An entire city's worth of people were inside. and in the area around the lake.

The Burj Khalifa is quite attractive, when plain ...

   ... or dressed during one of the half-hourly choreographed fountain performances ...

  ... but it was pretty flashy when all decked out with lasers lit!

After the 8:15 laser show, we went back into the Dubai Mall.  I cannot start to estimate the number of people in the complex.  Tens of thousands, I'd guess.   Build it ... and they'll come.   Dubai's success cannot be duplicated everywhere but it surely is one way to a vibrant economy.  The Emiratis are a small minority of their own country, but they have gained a number of international cities and the perks that go with them.  They've created something big out of nothing in record time.

The food court could hold thousands and all the tables were full.  We did eat Chinese food and managed to get a place to eat it.  We got back to the apartment after 10:00 PM.

8.4 KM of Walking

Day 122 - Today felt cool for us as the shamal lowered the temperature to around 24C. That sounds warm enough but after so many months of tropical weather, we thought about jackets. 

The morning started with just a walk to see the shops, such as the Bonanza in the area around the BurJuman. Then, we walked to the other side of our apartment and visited a larger department store called, Zaharat Al Sharq. Although I don't want the hassle of carrying things home, I bought a few things.

Later for the evening, we took the Metro to Al-Ras.  There are two tunnels where the lines go beneath the Dubai creek this is the end closest to the opening to the Gulf.  In Arabic, the name translates to 'head'.

This is the best place to walk to the Gold Souk, as one walks through an area with bulk spice and nut distributors.  The gold market never fails to impress, especially now with gold hovering around $US 1900 / ounce.

Then, we continued to walk back to the abra crossing on the Deira side.  We did some of yesterday's trip in reverse.  From the creek, we walked through the Meena Baazar, where there are a lot of Indian shops. 

We walked closer towards the Sharaf DG Metro station but when noticing the clock, decided to have dinner at an outdoor, sidewalk place we'd eaten at back in November and December.  The restaurant was right next to the Metro entrance and the next stop was ours at the BurJuman.

My Mi band activity tracker said today's walking added up to 8.4 kilometers today.  Guess, I'm stuck with blog post titles like this!  

7.8 KM of Walking

 

Day 121 - A shamal blew in today. We were expecting a bit of cloudy weather, but the cooler Mediterranean breeze only arrived with a tiny bit of dust. This type of mini dust storm can happen and it makes the long-distance views look a little hazy. However, it made for a great day to show the older, more original, part of Bur Dubai and Deira. We got on at our close Metro station and got off nearer the mouth of the creek at Al Ghubaiba.

 

We walked up the Bur Dubai side along the water and through the old souk.  I like the fact the original parts of the city were not bulldozed and they didn't simply turn into a museum.  There is still plenty of regular business.  For example, Jay's sisters bought some spices at a famous shop that gets lots and lots of business.  Although not his native language, the store assistant carried on the conversation in Sinhalese as soon as he confirmed they were from Sri Lanka.  

Of course, we hopped on an abra.  This way to get across the creek is a few hundred years old.  Now it costs a single UAE dirham (a bit more than a US quarter) to cross.  It's still used as daily transport for thousands of passengers per day.  

We walked and stopped in a shop or two on the Deira side.  From Baniyas Square we got back on the Metro and returned to the Bur Juman station and had a late lunch at the apartment.

After a little downtime, we ended up dedicating most of the evening to a little shopping.  Dubai is known as a great place to shop.  A consumer at most any price-point can find exactly what they need.  It is famous for Sri Lankans and I knew the ladies would find the Day-to-Day chain amazing.  I didn't know, though, it would take quite so long to explore each of the five floors.

Although we walked to the Karama Store at 4:40, we didn't get back for at least four hours.  We did buy chicken shwarmas as takeaway for us and because they're vegetarians, falafel wraps for Jay's sisters.  Jay and I have been in and out of the Middle East for decades, so it was amusing to hear them try to pronounce falafel as it was a word they'd never heard!

CMB to DXB

 

Day 119 - I cannot say I'm a fan of getting up at 5:00 AM. However, today's trip to Dubai went without hitch. Our driver came to pick us up a few minutes before our 6:15 request. The airport is only about 25 minutes from the house, so we were inside it in plenty of time as our flight wasn't scheduled until 9:55 AM. 

For some reason, it was completely full of either Russian or Ukrainian passengers. The flight was codeshared with Air Mauritius, but that doesn't explain anything. Sri Lankan air is still flying to Moscow but I'm pretty sure it's possible to fly out of Dubai to the cities affected by the ongoing war. Anyway, we were in 39 J and K but Jay's sisters had to sit in 49 D and E. We could wave. 

The most memorable thing about the four-hour flight was the meal. Ah, to be on airlines that still put a little effort into the free food! I'm pretty sure we all opted for the spicy, Sri Lankan white fish and red rice. The salad was great and the dessert a mango mousse as well as a rice pudding was pretty filling. My white wine was served in a plastic cup but, at least, it came out of a bottle. Way to go Emirates! 

The time is just 1.5 hours ahead here. We sort of breezed through immigration and customs. We would have been faster, but Jay's sisters insisted on snapping pictures of the cavernous, splashy, bright interior.  Terminal 3 does look a little like a cross between a cathedral and a pop music video.

Next, we got an airport taxi capable of holding the four of us and the luggage. The driver was an Emirati woman and getting to The Rose Garden Apartments Hotel in Bur Dubai took less than a half-hour. The traffic lights were long but she made up for it by driving very quickly!  We were unpacking before 2:00 PM although it was 3:30 in Sri Lanka.

This 2-bedroom apartment is great.  It's on the same floor as the little studio we had for our first month on the trip.  We walked up to the roof and saw Mohammed, our pool attendant.  He's from India and Jay brought a package of Sri Lankan tea for him.  Next, we walked over to the BurJuman and bought provisions for the kitchen.  After it started to get dark, we walked to a Lulu Center to finish up on what we had missed.   As we didn't find enough in the cooked section, we stopped at a Moghal restaurant just across the street from the station.

We managed to stay awake until 10:00 but it's been a long day that is actually 1.5 hours longer ...