Happy New Year!!!

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Well, last night was quite an adventure. It sure was something to see once in your life but I would say that the after experience, it was worth it. It was a spectacular fireworks display and they sure do know how to impress!!

December 31st started with a walk about the old part of town through the Gold Souk and the Spice Souk. I had been to them before but it's always a site to see and wander through. It's amazing how these areas of town still survive after what I saw later in the day. The Spice Souk has an amazing aray of spices from all over the world with a lot that you can't either get at home or they are waaaaaaay too expensive. One store had a very large fish bowl filled with saffron.....at home that to would cost your life savings....I was afraid to ask how much it would have been here.

After exploring the souks, I went across the road to the Dubai Fish and Produce Market. These are the things I really love to see and go exploring in. Great photo ops and lots of hustle and bustle. There is something about walking through a fish market in a far off land and picturing what I could concoct up for dinner. There were so many different types of seafood that I had never seen before....and I have seen many fish markets. The produce was colorful and fresh. I picked up some apricots , bananas and a white peach for lunch. (yes I do eat a little healthy while away).

I sat outside the market and ate lunch and People watched. This is a very class society. You can see who fits into which rank and the respect they garner from them othes. There were men in the market that wore shirts with 'Labourer' on the back and push wheelbarrows around and follow the ladies that were out shopping for the day's/week's worth of food. They would follow the ladies out to the waiting chauffered cars waiting to return them to home somewhere. It really is amazing how different yet the same our cultures are even living soon far away. I think that I would prefer to do my shopping at at a market like this one versus Safeway or IGA at home. Guaranteed freshness here. Plus the variety would be the best thing for cooking something exotic.

Then it was one last abra ride across the creek. I think this has got to be one of my favorite water rides around the world that I have been on. (Star Ferry in Hong Kong and the ferries on False Creek are up there as well) The way people just get on and off these things and how there is no need for the overdone safety measures we have at home just amazes me. We really do seem to overdo things at home. Things get to be overthought too much and seem to kill the joy and simplicity of it all. It cost 1 dirham (30 cents) to cross and the ride is 5 min or so, there is no overhead and stuff to deal with yet they operate and seem to be doing an excellent job at it.

Then it was back to the hotel for a nap, organize stuff for leaving the next day and rest for the evening's adventure. I left to go to the Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa around 1730, the metro was beginning to get busy by the time the train arrived at the station there. They got us off the train and then it was like leading cattle to a feeding trough.....they literally had chutes for the people to go through. They even separated the families and women from the rest of us trying to get to the site. (More on the in the next paragraph) by the time you got to where your thought you were going in to watch, it was a no go as I was a single male and not with a family.

This is a very segregated society when it comes to male vs female: different prayer rooms, different metro cars at certain times of the day and as seen around the world the burka is everywhere here. Coming from the west it is a little difficult to comprehend the fact that women are still separated from men in many aspects of day to day living. Even to the point that they are covered up or just not allowed in certain places. But then you get to the metro station and try to get out to go see the fireworks and they pull the women from the lines and have separate corridors for them so the men won't be leacherous and disgusting to them. There just seems to be sooooo many males (3:1 ratio) here I guess they have to look out for them. At home you would have one of them taking her heels off and just smacking the bastard with them...lol.

So, then I got to explore the Dubai Mall some. OMG...that place is glitzier then Beverly Hills. They had every high end store you could think of....Zara even had a home store and there was a Minolo Blonik store just for shoes. (those Sex in the City fans will know who that is) Starbucks was all for me and then to go park my butt for a few hours until show time. Found a good spot and sat and sat and sat. Crowds formed and it got to be really crowded. If there was a crowd like this at home I would have been out of there so fast. In Vancouver I just would not have felt safe In a situation like this. This probably goes to my WASP upbringing in Victoria and the fact that I have seen two riots inVancover and just really don't trust young males in a large group.

The biggest difference here was the fact that there was no alcohol!!! Like none what so ever. Everyone was well behaved and I saw very few police anywhere. The only uneasy feeling I had was when I felt someone trying to pickpocket me. I turned and smacked his hand and he just looked at me. I was the only white person around and used street smarts to realize that it was probably not the best thing to make a scene and just moved along. Nothing was stolen and I was not harmed.

On with the show......the fireworks were amazing!!! All that off one building and the even incorporated the surrounding billings into the show with fireworks coming off of every roof it seemed. The Burj Khalifa is one massive monster. You litterally have to crane your neck straight up to see. The show lasted about 10 minutes and there was no music....at least from where I was. I really do think that the fireworks festival in Vancouver is probably one of the best to see. It just is so far better then anything else that I have seen (Sydney, Australia had a pretty good light show when I was there in 2007).

Then the chaos ensued. Imagine getting somewhere between 500 000 to 750 000 people together and then having them disperse. Yikes. With one metro line and most people dependent on it and it was after midnight, there was just bound to be agony. I ended up walking down the metro line for about 5 stations (about 6 kilometers) until I got to one where I could get in to get on the trains. My feet were ready to be traded in!! Once I got to the platform it was crazy when the doors opens. I literally had someone pull me in and hold my back in the train so the doors could close. The last time I saw anything like this was in 1990 in Osaka on the way to Expo 90 and perhaps at Robson Square during the Vancouver Olympics. I don't mind crowds but these were nuts. I am very thankful for the space and openness of home! Canada is truely a blessed country. (and yes I do realize that I am going to the most populated countries in the world over the next few weeks)

Well that was a ramble, but I am sitting in Dubai airport waiting for a flight to Mumbai. I didn't get on the first two I tried due to weight restrictions on Jet Airways and Emirates just being full. There are thee more flights on EK today so I honk I should bet ble to get on one of them. The Emirates Terminal here is amazing. It is huge and clean and new. The other international terminal is obviously the old one and they are slowly undergoing some Reno work to that one but you can see where their priorities lie.

So until next time and then it will be greetings from Mumbai......HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone!

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