As a result of a business trip Garry had to Germany, we
decided at short notice to meet in Dubai as it was an opportunity to
see his daughter, Hayleigh, who lives and works there.
For some unknown reason, I felt a bit weary to fly on my own,
but that insecurity soon passed and the Emirates flight was exceptionally enjoyable. Flying
is not my best pastime and at the time when I despondently looked at my watch
and wondered how I was going to make another two hours, the pilot announced
that our decent was about to start: I had failed to incorporate the two-hour time
difference between the two countries!
Arriving at Dubai's International Airport was an experience!
It is massive, but I eventually managed to find my way out. In the long walk I
started to wonder how I would get hold of Garry who was meant to land from
Germany about 20 minutes before me; I however grasped that it was not going to
be that easy to 'bump' into each other. My cell phone was not on roaming and I
had no way of contacting him or Hayleigh. I however held on to the arrangement
that if all else fails we would meet at Arrivals. It was a matter of
keeping focused to get to Baggage Reclaiming, which involved a train ride and
some escalators.
Surprise, surprise! As I was waiting in the queue at
passport control, Garry called out to me! He was in another queue behind me. We
hugged and kissed each other as we had not been together for more than a week.
We were both fully aware that physical affection between a man and a woman is
frowned upon, although it is apparently more acceptable between married couples;
but still the local custom has to be respected. Throughout our trip I found
that difficult as we are so used to always holding hands and touching each
other.
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| The city from Hayleigh's apartment |
We linked up with Hayleigh and Marnus at Arrivals and they
took us to their apartment at Yassar Gloria, just off the Sheikh Zayed Highway
close to Internet City, where we settled in, had some South African red wine (which
I bought at Duty Free) and ordered a room service dinner for two, which ended
up being ample for four people.
The one-bedroom residential hotel apartment was spacious and
well furnished. Garry and I got lost on their huge king-size bed, which I
gather would be very welcome during their hot summers although the apartment is
well fitted with good air-conditioning. The hotel staff was always friendly and
courteous and they have all the necessary facilities. It makes sense that
Hayleigh settled on such a deal as everything is included and taken care of.
Incidentally, while were there, the water tap in the kitchen broke off and
after we reported it, it was replaced within half an hour, followed by a
telephone call to inquire whether we were satisfied with their service.
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| In Hayleigh's apartment having dinner |
Accommodation, as with everything else in Dubai, is
expensive, especially for South Africans with our weak currency (Rand). We were
therefore elated when Hayleigh informed us that they were asked to pet-sit two
cats of friends' of theirs, which meant we could stay in their apartment.
Luckily by then we had not booked or paid any deposits yet. This arrangement
was indeed welcomed.
Hayleigh had managed to get two days leave and picked us up
the next morning at 9am, for which we were late as we passed out and slept
right through the night. Close to Dubai Media City we met up with Marnus and
had a lovely breakfast. I chose an egg and tomato dish, which reminded me of
Turkey as we had similar breakfast dishes there. I suppose it is more correct
to say it is Middle Eastern cooking.
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| The bogus water taxi |
From here we went by Metro train to Burjman and Union
stations respectively and things got somewhat fuzzy as we got lost, walked
unnecessarily far as following Google Maps took us to a harbor which was still
in the process of being constructed, which meant retracing our steps on a hot
day. After schlepping through the older
parts of Dubai we eventually found the signs of the Roads and Transport
Authority System known as the RTA which took us to the Dubai Creek that we
needed to cross to get to the old part of Deira where the Spice Souk and other
souks were to be found. It was a first for Hayleigh, as Garry and I love these
old markets which we also visited in Turkey and Israel. There is a 'rule' in Dubai - you
have to haggle over the price of an item you are interested in and apparently
you have to settle for nothing less than at least half of the asking price.
Hayleigh has already mastered this art and she operated like a fish in the water.
After a 'street lunch' of chicken and Biryani, which was quite tasty and the
chicken very tender, we proceeded towards the Deira undercover Fresh Produce and Fish Market, situated between Deira and Al Ras. What an experience! The market has every kind of fresh fish imaginable; lovely fresh fruit and vegetables,
cheap dates and many other lovely delights. We bought some fresh prawns,
vegetables and with the help of Mohammed who used a wheelbarrow to transport
our parcels, obviously for a fee, we started towards the Metro to get back
home. It is against the many rules of
the Metro that no fish is allowed on the train but, Mohammed being aware of
that, camouflaged our prawns in different packets which he got from all the
stall keepers that he knew, in order for it not to smell and we managed to
travel undetected on the train, back to the apartment. In Dubai strict fines
are imposed if rules are transgressed. Thankfully no one asked to inspect our
parcels and if anyone got a whiff of the fish they did not let it on. It was a
most enjoyable day and we arrived home later and over a glass of red wine we
started preparing our meal. It was a happy occasion and hopefully enjoyed by
all!
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| Beautiful fresh produce which can be bought individually |
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| Dates galore! My favorite |
From there we went to a tiny restaurant with about 4 tables
(2 inside and 2 outside) called the Biryani Pot - a favorite of Hayleigh and
Marnus. We had a lovely biryani and butter chicken which we shared between the
three of us, but which was ample and most enjoyable. What a treat! From there
Hayleigh went to show us the Kite Beach, one of a few free beaches, which they
like to frequent and which Garry and I decided to visit on our last day. From
there we traveled to the Green Planet, at the City Walk, close to Jumeirah and
Al Safa, where an indoor Rain-forest has been created. It stretches over four
floors and replicates a typical tropical forest. We saw the most delightful
birds and other creatures and I even had the privilege of seeing a real sloth!
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| The building that houses the rain forest |
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| A toucan in the rain forest |
That evening we met up with Marnus at the Dubai Merina and
we shared a super meal of Marnus' choice. Once again, typical Middle Eastern
delights comprising meatballs, vegetables, mezze and bread. The latter which I
didn't eat, because of a sensitivity to wheat. It is really sad not to be
eating bread in the countries serving Middle Eastern food as their different
breads form an important part of the meal.
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| In the Miracle Garden |
The next day, Garry and I went off to explore on our own. We
chose to go to the Culture Village situated on the banks of the Dubai Creek. We
managed the Metro fine, got off at the right stops, found the proper Water Taxi
which charged us 1 Durham (and not 30 Durhams as the bogus taxi did the
previous day). The Culture Village is
still under construction but we managed to visit the Archeological Museum where
we watched an incredibly beautiful multi-media presentation of the excavations
that are being done in Dubai. It so happened that the Sheik flew over the area
one day with a party and they saw unusually different patterns in the sand and
dunes in the desert. Excavations started and many artifacts were found dating
back 3-5000 years ago. It seems the area was a trading post at some point in
time. We also went through a photo exhibition and written information and proof
of the pearl diving period for which Dubai was originally famous and which
used to be its sole income. From there we went to the Sheik's father's house
that has been restored and there we found more valuable information about Dubai
and its development over the years. This is really something which Garry and I
both enjoyed. We had a lovely lunch at the museum. He settled for chicken
livers and I had my hummus but of course the bread was out of bounds and they
served me fries with it (Dubai understands gluten-free very well), which was
welcomed. From there we went to the Gold and the Textile souks.
The next day, being our last we decided to spend at the
beach. The hotel had a shuttle service which we made use of. We rented an umbrella and chair and soaked up the sun.
Swimming was incredibly pleasant as the water is warmer than the Western Cape (according to Garry all
water is warmer than the Western Cape!) and the sea is more like a bay or a
lagoon. No rough waves. I watched the kite surfers and thought it ideal to learn
there as they ski over the water and they do not have serious waves to contend
with. We would have liked to stay longer but unfortunately we had set a time
with the shuttle so just after lunch-time we packed up and went back to the
hotel. Garry got too much sun that day, which I found strange as he was mostly
under the umbrella. It is not even full summer yet, but their sun is harsh
indeed! After a wash and something light to eat we decided to use our last few
hours to go and see the Mall of the Emirates where the ski park and slopes are.
This did not impress me as the snow looked dirty and I thought it quite
dangerous for the little ones who go boarding there. That evening we met up
with Hayleigh and Marnus and they took us to a lovely Japanese restaurant where
we enjoyed the most divine food.
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| Visiting one of the Souks |
Four days in Dubai and we basically saw what we wanted to
see. The most important was to see Hayleigh in her environment and to get a
feel for where she finds herself. It is going well with them and we will see
where life takes them. My impressions of Dubai? Yes, it has a modern history of
only 20 plus years, but there is an underlying old history that I do not think
many people care about or bother to find. We enjoyed it. It was good to see
that a country can be well run. It is home to so many different cultures -
Indian, Philippines, eastern Europeans, Chinese, South Africans and many many
more.
