Lightening struck twice but the sun still shines!

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Never put off to tomorrow what you can do today. However, for us the opposite was true. We were going to visit the old part of Dubai in Bastikaya tomorrow before we checked in with MSC. As the ship wasn't leaving until 7pm we did not have to check in until mid-afternoon. We decided against this option and planned on a lazy morning tomorrow and head for the MSC Lirica immediately after we checked out of the Ahmedia Heritage Guest House. So, we brought forward out schedule to wander the streets of the old town which included an old fort (Fort Fahidi) and the Dubai Museum.

We had read that the Metro would not start running today until 1:30pm. This was not a problem. The older quarter of Bastakiya was on the opposite side of the Creek to where we were staying so this gave us the opportunity to sample the delights of an abra. The penny had not yet dropped!!

An abra is a simple boat. Nowadays motorised but originally these ferrymen had to earn their 1 dirham by physically punting their way across the creek. The boat has a raised plinth that runs down the centre of the deck. The passengers all sit on both sides facing outward. There is no safety rail or guard so if the boat is jostled by the wake of a passing dhow it's a matter of gripping on to whatever you can grab hold of (even if it is some startled local who was probably out for a quiet Friday morning stroll and has ended up being accosted by some mad English woman, Roisin!!). The fee remains 1 dirham per person (18p) and the journey lasts approx. 6-12 minutes depending on which abra station you wish to depart from/arrive at. Just like a bus service, each station displays the number of the abra and the route. They are running constantly so no more than 5 minutes is the usual waiting time.

We cut through a few back streets and found ourselves walking along the Deira corniche toward 'Old Deira Souk' landing stage. We passed a number of dhows loading their wares to take to other parts of the Emirates and beyond. This is a very ancient and traditional mode of transporting goods that is still employed today. Right about now surreal moment #3 occurred. On the quayside adjacent to a tired looking dhow, a stevedore had loaded sacks of spices and crates of fruit onto a battered dolly and wheeled it up the gangway where he was manually storing the load in the dhow's hold. This was manual labour at its most intense. There were no mechanical devices used here. Just hard graft. Lying next to this more conventional cargo were 24 boxed 46" screen plasma TVs waiting to go the same way as the fruit and spices!!

The Creek gets very busy during the day for as well as the abras, dhows take tourists up and down the creek on a 90 minute pleasure cruise. Add to these the ferry and the yellow amphibious Wonder Buses all makes for a very chaotic scene to the untrained eye. It's all down to immaculate timing. Having successfully negotiated stepping off the abra at the other side without falling overboard, we watched the haphazard show continue as the abras zigzagged their way across the creek always full, never empty of tourists and locals alike, clumsily progressing like some sort of uncoordinated Boyzone, when they first started out on the Late, Late Show with Gay Byrne, routine. Like that early performance, it miraculously works!!

Despite the Creek handling large amounts of traffic daily, the water is remarkable clear. We stopped and watched a school of small fish dart from abra to abra nibbling on the barnacles below the waterline whilst the countless jellyfish floated around looking bored with themselves. Don't blame them really. Watching them float around made me think: ‘What were jellyfish about? What is their purpose? I read somewhere that a jelly fish is 97%!w(MISSING)ater. Why not give them an extra 3%!a(MISSING)nd make them water??!

From the Bur Dubai landing stage we headed in to the old part of Dubai. While vast swaths of the city have been demolished in the relentless drive toward the future, Bastakiya harks back to the quiet fishing village that once was. Many of the building have a square funnel shape, some with wooden struts protruding from each side. There are known as wind towers and were early forms of air conditioning. Some modern buildings, to maintain authenticity, are built with wind towers to blend in to the surroundings. These are only for decorative purposes. However, the wind towers on many of the buildings in Bastakiya are still used today.

The temperature was touching 80 degrees F. It was just past 10:30. The shade and aircon of the Dubai museum would be a welcome respite. As we approached the museum gate, Roisin cried ‘Oh! You're having a laugh!!'

I can assure you, the Islamic Sabbath is no laughing matter. This was Moscow all over again. We consulted our guidebook and sure enough on page 35 of the Berlitz Dubai pocket guide (2012 edition) Dubai museum (Sat-Thur 8:30am-8:30pm, Fri 2:30pm-8:30pm) Fridays in Islamic nations are equivalent of our Sundays and not the best time to go museum hunting. Although the doors were shut, the gate of the museum was slightly ajar which is always an open invitation to a scouser!! We managed to squeeze in to the grounds where we had a close up view of a stunning pearling dhow in the plaza next to fort Fahidi. The fort itself (also closed) was built in 1799 to guard the landward approach from the town. It would have served as a refuge for the inhabitants of the town in the event of an attack. Fahidi fort is a simple square high-walled structure with a round tower at each corner. Think Trumpton and there you have it!!

We checked the guide book for our next location, the Dubai Heritage Village. This was less than a mile up the Bur Dubai corniche. Sure enough, this didn't open until 4:30pm but we decided to explore anyway. From the museum we had to cut through the Bur Dubai souk. The alleyways are not wide so it makes swerving the inevitable impossible. As we continued through the passage ways, every stall owner stepped in front of us wanting us to ‘just look!' The temptation was great but our will power had to be strong. When it comes to cheap trinkets and tacky souvenirs, I'm browse royalty. Just when the urge was becoming too great for me to resist, the call to prayer sounded. I'm sure I imaged this but I felt we had walked in to a Dr Who episode as it seemed that everyone stopped the hard sell in unison and turned toward their stalls, all with vacant expressions of their faces; reached for the tarpaulins and proceeded to cover their wares whilst they all headed off in the same direction for one of their 5 a day!!

At the start of the heritage village is the house of Sheikh Khalifa bin Saeed Al Maktoum of the clan Maktoum!! The Maktoums go back to 1833 where Maktoum Bin Buti Al Maktoum and 800 members of the Bani Yas tribe established the Maktoum dynasty.

The Heritage village covered a fair area and although it didn't open until 4:30pm you could still wander around. The Heritage village (when it opens) gives an insight into how life was like in the Emirates before the discovery of oil and is a focus for cultural activities, music and dance. We wandered in to the desert area which should be renamed the deserted area! Empty nomadic tents were scattered around the area and signs indicated the activity within each tent. One tent was a hospitality tent a la Bedouin style whilst another tent was where the women of the village sat and weaved traditional patterned fabric from goat and camel hair. At the far end of this section stood an enclosure of camels. We asked their handler about the baby camels but struggled to understand his response. We think he was telling us that one of the camels is 1 year old whilst the other one is 10 months or he could have been saying that 1 camel ride is 10 dirham. Or maybe he was trying to sell us a camel!! In these circumstances we found it best to keep smiling, nod and walk slowly away.

I had seriously thought about buying a dish dasher and a khaffiyah to go native while we are here in the Middle East however whilst we were having lunch the following spectacle made me change my mind. Approaching us were 2, obviously westerners (from their features) wearing the traditional Emirati costume. No matter how authentic their attire was, they still looked like 2 nobs in fancy dress on their way to a stag party!

Back at the hotel I asked the reception what is the significance of Muslim women wearing black. ‘There is an old saying', he started, ‘a long time ago the Prophet Mohammed he commented on how the women of one particular tribe looked like crows lined up. He also praised how chaste they were.'

At this point I was thinking, ‘Is this supposed to be a compliment?'

He continued, ‘These women wore black cloaks. This probably didn't have any significance. It is likely the only material they could get their hands on at that time as colour hadn't been invented! But because this pleased Mohammed, the wearing of black amongst women has become traditional.'

We spent the afternoon relaxing at the hotel on the sun terrace before heading back to the Heritage Village literally across the creek from where we were staying. The notice board stated that performances of show were between 7pm-9pm every day. We took our position at the back of the al fresco theatre and waited for the show to begin.

A multitude of men in white traditional Emirati dress climbed on to the stage. All of varying ages and sizes and all carrying a cane with a crooked handle. It looked like we were witnessing the start of a very bad Charlie Chaplin look alike competition!! The Arabic music started in earnest and the entertainment (!) started to rhythmically sway from side to side whilst waving their canes up and down in time to the music. Periodically one would make his way to the front of the chorus and lead the chanting. I'm assuming that these were shepherds and they were acting out a traditional folk story by some sort of expressionist dance movement. More ‘shepherds' joined them on stage from the audience. At this point it was difficult to ascertain the difference between the audience and the performers. If you are in the UK, watching a nativity play, it is quite easy to spot the cast as most have towels wrapped around their heads and are usually under 5 years old. However, here everyone looked like either a shepherd, one of the 3 kings or a wise man!!!

After about 25 minutes of the same, one of them lost the cane and started doing what looked like a Tommy Cooper impression (minus the Fez). See photo!!

The Heritage Village is free and none of the participants are expecting any kind of payment for demonstrating their craft or ancient traditions. This evening was, for us, very entertaining although I doubt not in the spirit it was meant!!

Tomorrow we board the MSC Lirica for the start of our 18 night odyssey. We haven't even set foot on the ship yet and it feels like we have been away from home for ages.

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