Hi from London!!!!
It's a beautiful spring day here in London:-)
Dubai was AMAZING....when you come....definitely stay more than two days!!!!
Met a variety of really interesting people from many different places...
Went dune bashing my first afternoon with a couple from Saudi Arabia, Ja 'afay Al Rasheed and his wife Dalal Al Rashed.
Have really enjoyed learning more about Islam....from getting to know them, then doing a 'Hop on/ Hop off' bus tour with lots of commetry yesterday and going through the Dubai Museum.
...What an amazing city....it's so artifical!!!! It's easy to forget it's built on the desert becasue you see parks and lovely gardens...but take a closer look...and there's all the irrigation running through the gardens (amidst the sand!)...walk on the grass and it's often wet..and it's not from morning dew! Ratehr the computer built in irrigation system that's just watered the lawn! Dubai goes through millions of gallons of water each day to keep it looking the way it does.
...There's new buildings going up everywhere...all the time... and the foundations are all built on sand...Sand, sand, sand everywhere!!! That's the thing that made such an impact on me...how different their building construction sites look from our Western ones. Out of the sand are the iron pillars that the new buildings are built on....everywhere new buildings are going up....and the affluence of some of these places is mind-boggling...right down to the articfical islands!
...On our way out to the desert dunes it grew very hazy and grey...we werer driving through a sandstorm... We watched the sunset over huge undulating sand dunes, rode camels and ate a traditional sit down bbq....seated on cushions around low tables...in the middle of a simulated villigae in the desert....we had our hands and arms painted in hana.... traditional Arabic body painting then watched traditonal dancing by a man in a skirt...followed by a belly dancer (at this point I was really struggling to stay awake...it had been a LONG day from leaving our land of the long white cloud.... 23 hours later arriving in Dubai at 5am and then exploring some of Dubai before doing the sand bashing. Have enjoyed learning lots about Dubai and the Emirates. But definitely had enough sitting on a bus yesterday! What a relief to be able to hire a bike and go biking down the Dubai Creek (a creek that was dredged 5 meters to make it deep enough to support all the dowls that arrive from all around the middle east, India and beyond for the thriving import/export trade). The 'creek' divides two of the main areas in Dubai, Bur Dubai from Diera. I rode my bike up to Bur Dubai Souq (market) and then along to a Heritage Village. Such a great way to explore Dubai!
Amazing beautiful fabrics and things to buy at Bur Dubai Souq ...and very good (persistent) sales(mostly)men!:-) Ate traditioanl Iranian food for dinner with two girls Jamila (from Tunisia) and Neha (from India). We were all getting something to eat and they invited me to join them...so kind:-) Later I visited the Spice Souq (market) and enjoyed more waterbus rides up and down the creek before collecting my gear and heading back to the Airport for the last leg of my journey.
Lots of people have been suprised to see a female travelling by herself...the girls commented on it and so did Dalal's husband Ja'afay. I haven't felt lonely but have really enjoyed the opportunity to explore and would love to go back to Dubai to explore more:-) Knowing I'm going to be seeing Margie and Brian (my aunt and uncle) has been lovely and it's quite surreal to finally be here.
Photo's pending and well done if you read all of this!!!
Hope you're all well.
Big hugs and lots of love
Love Shell
XXX
It's a beautiful spring day here in London:-)
Dubai was AMAZING....when you come....definitely stay more than two days!!!!
Met a variety of really interesting people from many different places...
Went dune bashing my first afternoon with a couple from Saudi Arabia, Ja 'afay Al Rasheed and his wife Dalal Al Rashed.
Have really enjoyed learning more about Islam....from getting to know them, then doing a 'Hop on/ Hop off' bus tour with lots of commetry yesterday and going through the Dubai Museum.
...What an amazing city....it's so artifical!!!! It's easy to forget it's built on the desert becasue you see parks and lovely gardens...but take a closer look...and there's all the irrigation running through the gardens (amidst the sand!)...walk on the grass and it's often wet..and it's not from morning dew! Ratehr the computer built in irrigation system that's just watered the lawn! Dubai goes through millions of gallons of water each day to keep it looking the way it does.
...There's new buildings going up everywhere...all the time... and the foundations are all built on sand...Sand, sand, sand everywhere!!! That's the thing that made such an impact on me...how different their building construction sites look from our Western ones. Out of the sand are the iron pillars that the new buildings are built on....everywhere new buildings are going up....and the affluence of some of these places is mind-boggling...right down to the articfical islands!
...On our way out to the desert dunes it grew very hazy and grey...we werer driving through a sandstorm... We watched the sunset over huge undulating sand dunes, rode camels and ate a traditional sit down bbq....seated on cushions around low tables...in the middle of a simulated villigae in the desert....we had our hands and arms painted in hana.... traditional Arabic body painting then watched traditonal dancing by a man in a skirt...followed by a belly dancer (at this point I was really struggling to stay awake...it had been a LONG day from leaving our land of the long white cloud.... 23 hours later arriving in Dubai at 5am and then exploring some of Dubai before doing the sand bashing. Have enjoyed learning lots about Dubai and the Emirates. But definitely had enough sitting on a bus yesterday! What a relief to be able to hire a bike and go biking down the Dubai Creek (a creek that was dredged 5 meters to make it deep enough to support all the dowls that arrive from all around the middle east, India and beyond for the thriving import/export trade). The 'creek' divides two of the main areas in Dubai, Bur Dubai from Diera. I rode my bike up to Bur Dubai Souq (market) and then along to a Heritage Village. Such a great way to explore Dubai!
Amazing beautiful fabrics and things to buy at Bur Dubai Souq ...and very good (persistent) sales(mostly)men!:-) Ate traditioanl Iranian food for dinner with two girls Jamila (from Tunisia) and Neha (from India). We were all getting something to eat and they invited me to join them...so kind:-) Later I visited the Spice Souq (market) and enjoyed more waterbus rides up and down the creek before collecting my gear and heading back to the Airport for the last leg of my journey.
Lots of people have been suprised to see a female travelling by herself...the girls commented on it and so did Dalal's husband Ja'afay. I haven't felt lonely but have really enjoyed the opportunity to explore and would love to go back to Dubai to explore more:-) Knowing I'm going to be seeing Margie and Brian (my aunt and uncle) has been lovely and it's quite surreal to finally be here.
Photo's pending and well done if you read all of this!!!
Hope you're all well.
Big hugs and lots of love
 |
| Passing time at the terminal in Brisbane wearing the beautiful jade pendant Mum, Mikie and Tracy gave me |
Love Shell
XXX
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