Friday afternoon our group of 66 climbed onboard two coaches and had a 4 1/2 hour tour of Dubai. The origin of Dubai goes back to 1830 when traders from Oman came here to make a life for themselves. At that time the city was called Al Wasl. It is fascinating to ssee how the old and the new Dubai live side by side (or across the creek) from each other. Our first stop on the tour was to Jumeirah Beach. Jumeirah means "Land of the Moonlight". Along this stretch of beach is where the luxury hotels and resorts are built up as well as palatial size homes and villas. Along this same stretch of Jumeirah Road stands the Jumeirah Mosque. This mosque is one of the few places where they have on display a copy of the Koran translated into English. As we headed towards the Dubai Creek, which is 14.5 km long, you can see the obvious difference between old and new Dubai and its way of life. Our guide pointed out the large blue Dhows which still ply international waters, sailing to far off ports with their wares. In contrast luxury yachts are moored near by. Our Dhow Dinner cruise in the evening was a great way to experience the culture from the creek all while enjoying traditional Indian and Arab cuisine.
Another stop in our city tour was the Dubai Museum and fort. This structure was built in 1785 originally as a residence for the ruling family, then it became a dungeon, a place of refuge during the was and eventually this museum. It was interesting walking thru the gallery and seeing displays of what used to be the way of life in old Dubai. After the museum we were off to visit the Souks, or markets. A note of explanation is necessary-Friday and Saturday is the "weekend" for the people here in Dubai which means that it is a day for all the Indian people to be bussed into town for shopping, visiting with relatives, eating and just congregating in LARGE numbers. Therefore, the Gold Souk was exceptionally crowded today, with people bartering, buying, selling and telling you anything to get you separated from your dollars. All the gold was pretty to look at, lovely to touch, but definitely not in our budget at this time. Upon leaving the Gold Souk we walked over to the Spice Souk where our guide took us into one shop to complete our purchases and get us all back on the bus in a timely manner. The bus literally crawled through the hundreds of Indians milling about in the streets, on the sidewalks and everywhere! Unbelievable to witness!
Some interesting facts I learned about Dubai:
Population of Dubai Emirate is approximately 2 million, of which 80% are Ex-Patriots. Of those 80%, 43% are from India, and one particular province within India. The other 20% of the population are domestic residents.
UAE is the 5th richest oil producing nation in the world
The tallest building in Dubai iis the Burj (means tower) Dubai at 818 meters. It is not totally completed yet due to the building slowdown here.
The Burj Al Arab hotel is 321 meters tall which makes it 1 meter taller than the Eiffel Tower.
Residents of UAE pay NO taxes. Dubai is a duty free shopping zone.
Ex Pats are treated with more respect and hospitality in Dubai than they would be in their home countries.
Dubai is 98.5% crime free, and in Dubai women enjoy equal rightswith men.
Just thought I'd share those tidbits with you all. More about our Desert Safari tomorrow.
Another stop in our city tour was the Dubai Museum and fort. This structure was built in 1785 originally as a residence for the ruling family, then it became a dungeon, a place of refuge during the was and eventually this museum. It was interesting walking thru the gallery and seeing displays of what used to be the way of life in old Dubai. After the museum we were off to visit the Souks, or markets. A note of explanation is necessary-Friday and Saturday is the "weekend" for the people here in Dubai which means that it is a day for all the Indian people to be bussed into town for shopping, visiting with relatives, eating and just congregating in LARGE numbers. Therefore, the Gold Souk was exceptionally crowded today, with people bartering, buying, selling and telling you anything to get you separated from your dollars. All the gold was pretty to look at, lovely to touch, but definitely not in our budget at this time. Upon leaving the Gold Souk we walked over to the Spice Souk where our guide took us into one shop to complete our purchases and get us all back on the bus in a timely manner. The bus literally crawled through the hundreds of Indians milling about in the streets, on the sidewalks and everywhere! Unbelievable to witness!
Some interesting facts I learned about Dubai:
Population of Dubai Emirate is approximately 2 million, of which 80% are Ex-Patriots. Of those 80%, 43% are from India, and one particular province within India. The other 20% of the population are domestic residents.
UAE is the 5th richest oil producing nation in the world
The tallest building in Dubai iis the Burj (means tower) Dubai at 818 meters. It is not totally completed yet due to the building slowdown here.
The Burj Al Arab hotel is 321 meters tall which makes it 1 meter taller than the Eiffel Tower.
Residents of UAE pay NO taxes. Dubai is a duty free shopping zone.
Ex Pats are treated with more respect and hospitality in Dubai than they would be in their home countries.
Dubai is 98.5% crime free, and in Dubai women enjoy equal rightswith men.
Just thought I'd share those tidbits with you all. More about our Desert Safari tomorrow.
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