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Published: September 20th 2006
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Well here we are!
In the delights of the fastest expanding city in the World and MAN is it hot! But ace nonetheless! Staying in uptown Lamcy Plaza with some ace people - who are doing a fantastic job of showing us the best bits! Definitely the way to go....... not quite slumming it in the expected hostels just yet.....but our time will come!
Spent most of the first day asleep! Shameful I know but took an overnight flight where....cheek of all cheek...the air stewards kept waking us up! Namely to give us food....but puh-lease girls need their sleep! Woke in the afternoon to brave the wild outdoors and made it across the square we are staying on to a shopping mall (don't panic....we didn't buy anyhting more than the compulsary pineapple juice.....to ward off the bugs from the air conditioned flight.
That evening we caught an abra (boat taxi) and went to the otherside of the creek to take a look at the gold, spice, material...oh and general cheap-plastic-tat souks which were pretty amazing. How all the shops stay in business I will never know! Also sampled the delights of the local cuisine with a shwarma and
a freshly squeezed fruit juice......mmmmmm-mmmmmmmm pretty tasty I have to say!
Next morning...shame of all shames slept until mid-day! Probably saved ourselves in the long run though as headed to Jebel Alley Sailing Club, to go to the beach (where we swam in a VERY warm, bath-like sea - neither particularly pleasant nor refreshing!) although having superb friends in high places greatly helped as we were then able to chill ourselves sufficienlty in the pool and lounge about in the sun. (Which - we discovered that evening - wasn't the best plan for Jen - who developed a bit of a headache to say the least and went to bed at 9!) Was able to see the monstrosity that is the Palm from there as well as the building site that is 'New Duabi'......this place is going to be Hotel Capital in a very short space of time........ended the evening talking to some of our host's friends who were very cynical about the whole idea - and I can see what they mean!
Next day saw us heading back to the Souks for a look in the day light (also gave us the chance to take some piccies)
but man was it hot....in the end we were forced to seek shelter in the Dubai Museum which was in fact suprisingly interesting (though this was largely helped by the fact that it was air conditioned!) Then proceeded to spend the rest of the day in a bar called Cactus Cantina,where - get this - ladies' drinks were entirely free....sufficiently whiled the rest of the day away there as you may have guessed!!! Had BIG plans for the evening then (check out the skin flints) decided the taxi fare was too much ( it would have been a tenner each!!!!) and went downstairs to a fantastic thai restaurant....I know, I know next stop and all that...but we do have to suss out what we like!
Friday (equivalent to Saturday in Europe!) and we headed to the beach to gradually further the tanning process - it's all about avoiding skin cancer! Spent a good few hours languishing in the sea and on the beach...SPF 30 all the way! Then headed to the shops again ( there are hundreds (and I mean HUNDREDS) of shopping malls here....) where you can hardly tell that you are abroad given the sheer quantity of
westerners, in preparation for a dinner party at S&M's flat (our hosts!). Became the gallery slaves for the evening...... you have to give something back for free accommodation and they refused to accept much else!
Saturday....WOW...our chance to see how the other half live! We tootled off to Dubai Creek Golf and Sailing Club, where S&M were members, to the most luxurious changing rooms, pool and sports complex EVER!!!! You guessed it....spent another day languishing by a pool..........we had to make the most of it, we were shortly to leave all aspects of luxury behind! OOOOOOOHHHHHH then did the most amazing outing of the trip so far and went Dune Bashing.....this is 4x4ing in the sand dunes, at speed (tippy tippy all the time) and man was it ACE!!!!! Soooooo much fun. Had a bit of a near death experience with THE most erratic driver ever on the way out.....There are 6 lane motorways here, which he proceeded to weave in and out of at high speeds with little regard for mirror-signal-manouvre and even less consideration for law. To the extent that (when forced to take evasive action after an undertaking 4x4 maniac driver nearly drove us off the
road and forced us to miss a fuel station entrance) our driver decided to reverse...YES reverse...
up the motorway! Who, when looking over his shoulder to do so remarked that we needn't look so terrified - FAT CHANCE! Anyway........we did eventually get to the desert in one piece and were able to jump out and get some piccies before the sun set - note our scary driver in the pic - looks fairly harmless hey?! Before proceeding to Dune Bash our way around the desert.....pictures are somewhat dodgy I'm afraid! But it was ABSOLUTELY ace! Although Jen did end up feeling a little queasy and I developled severe pins and needles in my arm - I was rather tense you see!!!! Finished the evening with a BBQ under the stars in a somewhat makeshift camp, where we watched belly dancing, saw camels (could have ridden them but felt too sorry for them!) and generally star gazed to our hearts delight! All in all - pretty fantastic - oh and made it back to the flat in one piece! PHE-EW!!!!!
Sunday - and skiing took our fancy! I know - IN DUBAI?! They stop at nothing there!!!! Quite an impressive
Snow dome come ski slope... fraid I wimped out somewhat and only took to the beginner's slopes but managed to get a 3 course meal thrown in as well as BOGOF beginner'sskiing between Jen and I.....remind you of anything.....oh and they even have a Nando's here....but we rose above it!!!!!!!
Our final day was celebrated in style! Went to the Wild Wadi water park with flumes that even push you back up the hill!!!!! Spent most of the afternoon going round and round and round!!! ACE!!! Even braved the Jumeirah Scarer...and got some fantastic photos from the top of the tower looking out over the Burj al Arab....which unfortunatlely we didn't quite make it to. (Thought TBH think I would have shied away from spending 30quid on a drink! Even if I was in a 7 star hotel!!!
Next....on to Singapore!!!!
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Miranda
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Wahey, that all sounds so cool!! That's a helluva lot to do in such a short amount of time!! Glad ur having such fun.