Abramson's Adventures: Dubai....

Dubai is our port of call for March 16th,

In the middle of the great Arabian Desert, Dubai is the second largest of the seven United Arab Emirates. An emirate is simply a political territory ruled by a dynastic Muslim monarch. Dubai rests on the southern end of the Arabian peninsula in the Persian Gulf.

The language is Arabic but English is widely spoken.

Population is approx 2,500,000

Currency is Emirati Dirham (AED).....1USD = 3.68 Dirham

Climate, From December to March temperatures average 75F,

Summer temperatures can be as high as 118F or 45C

Our Excursion was named Easy Dubai

This half day driving tour is perfect for passengers who are curious to learn more about Dubai but don't want to walk long distances or spend the entire day away from the ship. Your narrated journey starts at Port Fashid where you will be warmly welcomed by your guide before heading to the magnificent Burj Al Arad Hotel. This 321 meter building is famous for its sail shaped tower. Drive across the city to view the Jumeirah Mosque, a superb example of Islamic architecture, and one of the most photographed sites in Dubai, before heading to the ancient Al Bastakiya quarter, which is famous for its traditional wind towers. Enjoy a photo stop at Shekh Saeed Al-Maktoum's House which dates back to 1896, and now showcases photographs, coins and historical documents.

Try your hand at haggling for gifts at the Gold Souk , where traders sell everything from gold bars to necklaces.

Tour 8:30 till 12:00

Above is a description of the tour which we took. Now I will try to tell you about our day without jumping around too much.

We woke before six and of course we had to take pictures and watch as the Island Princess made its way into its birth. The course took us out and around to enter the city, passing the Palm Islands and many amazing sites as we entered. We got our first glimpse of Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. It has a high speed elevator that takes you to an observation deck on level 124. The glass walls provide a panormanic view of the city , dessert and ocean.

The sun rise gave the city a golden glow

We had a room service breakfast and watched as the ship pulled into port. We were docked at the new cruise terminal, less than 2 years old. Around seven we headed for the Princess theatre where our group was to meet. We received our stickers, we would be silver 10 for this adventure. We were assigned a row in the theatre and then as the buses were ready we were called to proceed to immigration.

Dubai was requiring a face to passport inspection, so we had to present our passport. Someone would check that our face matched the picture on the passport and then we would proceed to security where our bags would be x-rayed to make certain there was no contraband .

We were impressed with how quickly this proceeded, considering that there were more than 2500 people being processed. They too could give Singapore lessons on how this can be done. I did not take photos of this out of an abundance of caution.

Once outside we were directed to our new air conditioned buses. A driver and guide were waiting for us.

The driver was extremely skilled which was necessary in this traffic. The guide was an Egyptian who spoke excellent English with a slight but understandable accent.

This was our view as our excursion began, We drove through the city being impressed with how clean, how modern and how appuliant the city is. It is clean to the point of being pristine. There are flowers almost everywhere and the grass and shrubs are neatly trimmed. Ever the clippings are not to be seen. Our guide explained that blossoms are only seen in their winter because the summer is too hot, flower blossoms die in the heat. Because of the heat many businesses close from noon until four during this summer season.

We continue to be amazed by the architecture of this city. Most of the city is less than 23 years old and the new and varied buildings reflect this. Everywhere you look you see a new and varied skyline.

Soon we arrived at our first stop, the Burj Al Arab Hotel. We had 10 minutes to take photos. To enter the gate you must have proof of a reservation for accommodation or for dinner or for high tea. This opulent 5 star, 321 meter high hotel is the jewel in Dubai's crown. Built in the shape of a towering sail, this magnificent structure is the tallest all suite hotel in the world over water.

This edifice is located on its own island and was the first structure to attract world attention to Dubai. Mr Google shows dozens of pictures inside and out , have a look .

In this area is an impressive water park. We only saw it from the entrance. Our guide told us the cost of admittance is 80 to 90.00 a day. These photos ( stolen from Mr Google) may tell you why it is so costly.

Next we continued our tour of the city with the next stop being the Jumeirah Mosque.

This awe-inspiring Jumeirah Mosque is one of the most photographed sites in Dubai, and a splendid example of Islamic architecture. It features baroque towers, minarets and an impressive dome. It is only 35 years old, it is large enough to hold up to 1200 worshipers and it is the only mosque that is open to non-muslims. There are specific hours and the very strict dress code is in effect.

Next stop is the area of Al Bastakiya. Here we saw many artifacts and a sample of what dessert life was like in the very early days of Dubai. The heat was so very intense that I did not spend much time here.

Our last stop was the spice Souk and the gold Souk.

Our guide gathered all who wanted to shop and he lead us across the very busy street. Ken stayed on board the bus but I ventured out looking for my Xmas tree decoration.

A Souk is really a bazzar. In a way it reminded me of Grandville island but a lot crazier, a lot more crowded and a lot hotter. I did not go to the gold souk, I had no intension of bartering for gold anything. I guess you can buy everything from gold bars to gold trinkets . I stayed in the area where you could get souvenirs and spices. Our guide suggested we not use credit cards here. I gather some merchants have been known to add a zero to some sales slops. They do take US currency here so I was off to fine a perfect bauble for our tree.

Basically I do not enjoy shopping where there are no price tags. I always feel that I have either paid too little or too much. I did find 2 items that will suit.

One item is a magnet and the other was labelled a key chain.

I paid a total of 7 dollars.....too much???? or did I get a bargain?

A Suck is basically a covered area with wall to wall stalls on either side of a none too wide pathway. Along the way their ate side alleyways that also have shops. Everyone is selling spices, pashimas and souvenirs. I cannot imagine any of them making a living.

This was not easy because the vendors are very aggressive. I modeled several pashima before I managed to convince them that I was not interested. Except for not using the phrase "almost free" it was much like other markets I have been in. With the heat and the aggressive sales people this was a very long 45 minutes.

This marked the end of our excursion and we made our way back to the ship. This would be a 40 minute ride when our guide pointed our many more features of this amazing city.

In Old Town we saw examples of wind towers. Before air conditioning houses had an open column not unlike a large chimney which allowed the hot air to rise up and escape the main part of the house. Apparently the people had winter bedrooms and summer bedrooms.

Some sites on the drive back to the ship.

World's tallest building.

General observations:

It is too hot for me to live here.

The city is vibrant and rich and modern.

The emiraties have many perks of citizenship including being given a home when they marry

( but only for the first marriage)

Their culture is very oppressive when it comes to women's rights. It was sad to see ladies completely covered in black with only their eyes not covered when I was feeling so hot and so uncomfortable in my dashiki. One lady even has an organdy veil over her eyes. I did not try to take pictures of the locals because that is frowned upon unless you ask permission.

Their system is very advanced when it comes to health care and education.

There are no homeless people, and no casinos.

Tourists can wear almost anything they like once they do not go into a mosque. Our destination expert told us about a lady who was wearing a caftan when she was made to leave a mosque because her wrists were showing. She made the mistake of telling the official how stupid their rules were. A police officer was waiting for her when she got back to her bus. Only a smart talking guide prevented her arrest.

Cost of living is very high especially for foreigners when it comes to things like rent. Buses and mass transport are well developed and not too expensive.

In the evening there was a folkloric show. I attended. It was not the best I have ever been to . Basically it was belly dancing.

After the show we sat out on the balcony and watched the activity on the ocean. Private yachts went back and forth for hours. It very much reminded me of the days when we used to drive up and down the main streets on weekend evenings. We called it " shooting the drag" No cars here but lots of water craft big and small. No sail boats were seen. Dinner cruises with music playing while the revelers dined added to the scene.

We enjoyed the sunset before we called it a night.

This welcoming oasis is considered to be the beating heart of the United Arab Emirates and the business hub of the Middle East. Remnants of its colonial past are evident in the older parts of the city while modern buildings shops and streets show off its contemporary spirit. It's this dual personality that makes Dubai such a fascinating city to discover.

From camel rides to high tea, from the luxurious to the exotic, Dubai is an oasis of intoxicating beauty and remarkable experiences worthy of any " Bucket List"