Dubai - Day Two

Dubai is fantastic, I highly recommend a few days here if you're passing through! I probably wouldn't recommend the end of July since it's basically unbearable. The government has decreed that construction workers have to have a two hour break during the middle of the day until the end of August after one worker died and about 4 per day are hospitalised.

I had a great time yesterday at The Mall of the Emirates, it's ridiculously huge. I only really explored the bottom floor but it seemed endless. Every time I thought I'd seen everything I'd turn left into a bit I hadn't seen. They have all the stores we'd recognise, including Winners (not familiar in NZ, sells discount name brands) which was a bit funny. There's the designer street too, YSL, Gucci, Armani... And it's decorated a bit classier than the rest of the mall so it keeps it's elite feel, like a little boulevard :) Ski slope was weird. People skiing in traditional Islamic garb with boots and puffy jacket, it's an unusual sight. I spent a couple hours wandering before getting a taxi home (taxis are really good here, I haven't had a ride cost more than about NZ $10 yet.)

Spent yesterday afternoon reading and learning Swahili because air conditioning is magical and I had no one to guilt me into exploring :)

Today is Thursday and everyone informed me that on Thursday I would go to the Jumeira Mosque, so I did. Basically the Sheik established a centre for cultural understanding and four times a week they hold an educational tour of one of the big mosques. It was very interesting, in a beautiful setting and I learned a lot. It is led by a volunteer and I learned more in an hour and a half than I have ever learned about Islam in my whole life, completely worthwhile. And I took lots of photos. I made someone take one of me so maybe I'll figure out how to put pics up here. Don't hold your breath!

After leaving there I decided home was boring and the guidebook recommended the Dubai Museum so I got another taxi and learned all about Dubai. It's quite funny, they talk about finding stuff that's as old and 3300bce and then skip straight to about 1840 when Dubai was properly settled, so I have no idea what was happening in the 5000 years between. It was pretty interesting, highlight being the super tacky mannequins used to build a souq (marketplace), Bedouin camp and pearl harvest. Much like the Christchurch Museum but bigger and less realistic.

Left there and had a wee wander, found completely by accident the royal court which is beautiful and has its own little village of hotels and shops all pretty and traditional. Then came my big mistake, I decided to keep walking. I walked for about 15 minutes and found what must be the only taxi-scarce area in the whole city. I couldn't flag one down to save my life, which was potentially in need of saving. Heat stroke is very common (cf dead construction workers) and it was about 2pm so very hot. I bought two bottles of water and finished both.

To escape the heat I ducked into a small mall and got lots of staring and looks, I thought maybe because I was a tourist or didn't have a head scarf but when I saw myself in a mirror later I was about the colour of a beet, so probably they were deciding whether I needed an ambulance. Long boring descriptions of me wandering aimlessly, asking directions (from not very helpful people) and flagging every taxi I saw (all full or on wrong side of street) go in here. Finally found a hotel with a taxi stand, hurrah. Nice man turned air con on to the highest setting and got me safely home. I gave a tip.

That's it! Religion, history and a near death experience. All in a day in Dubai.