With Friends in UAE - Dubai, Saturday April 22

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Although I made no notes, who could forget the fabulous shop of wood furniture, exotic carvings, and miscellaneous other things? Peggy was used to dealing with the vendor, so they went off in pursuit of whatever it was she wanted. I trailed through the aisles, marveling at the mainly Indian tables, chairs, chests and carved ornaments. Everything was almost jumbled together with space for walking amongst the innumerable items for sale. As Peggy and John were completing their negotiations, I discovered a box with dozens of painted china cupboard/drawer pulls. Immediately I wanted them for my kitchen cupboards and drawers. Closing my eyes, I mentally calculated how many I would need. Then I dug through the collection to select as many different patterns as possible. My own negotiations commenced with the vendor.

In the afternoon, we visited the Heritage Village . The traditional buildings were “air conditioned” by wind towers . These were built tall above the house; as any breeze passed, it was trapped by the tower, and being cool, it sank into the house, displacing hot air that floated up and out. Also, I was pleased to see Bedouin tents set up; in Morocco, years previously, I had seen Bedouin tents in the distance but never had the chance to see them up close. Inside, thick furred skins, blankets and rugs furnished the canvas homes.

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Photos

Items of decor for sale
Worthy of lengthy exploration

Wind Tower
Heritage Village

Door to furniture shop
Inside, a cornucopia of carving

Cabinets for lots of little things
Ideal for collectors

Ceremonial chair
Similar to some in West Africa

My knob collection
A selection of knobs on my kitchen cupboards

End of Dubai Creek
The Creek is a dredged inlet from the Persian Gulf.

Heritage Village
Reconstructed traditional buildings

Sheik Saeed house - restored
Elegant and cool construction

Interior courtyard with shaded walk
Sheik Saeed's house

Model of Sheik Saeed's house
Large dwelling

Woolen tents
Bedouin dwellings

Furnishings in tent
Natural hides and thick woven blankets/rugs

Cool wooden shelter
Heritage Village

Storage chest
Heritage Village

Natural fence
Ultimate in environmental construction

Traditional coffee service
Grinding and steeping

Comments

[Isabel Gibson]

Kitchen knobs
If I knew, I'd forgotten where the knobs came from. That explains their exotic appearance: sort-of similar to Mexican ceramics but hardly to be mistaken for them. I'm impressed that you arrived home with the right number . . .