Dubai a day in the Life (It's surreal!!)

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We awoke at about 8am after a sound night's sleep. We weren't the only ones who seemingly had a sound night's sleep as we never heard the morning call to prayer. Either the Imam has read yesterday's blog and thought 'Hmmm! Texting. Now there's a novel idea!'or he is saving himself for the big derby soccer match tonight: Al Ahli versus Sharjah. I have it on recommendation that this rivals the Milan derby, Barca –v- Real Madrid and even Liverpool –v- Manchester United. Kick-off is at 20:30 so Roisin and I will be heading out early to try and pick up some tickets.

Our plan today is to take the Ferry down to Dubai Marina then from there head for the monorail that travels the length of the Palm Jumeirah.

It was back to normality at Al Ras metro station where for 14 dirhams (£2.60) an all-day travel pass can be purchased (in standard class, for a change). On the platform we noticed yet another special carriage. This was for women and children only. It wasn't segregation as women and children can travel in any carriage. This seemed to be more of a concession. Out of respect? This concession is only between 7am-9am and 5pm – 8pm. From experience the carriages can become very crowded and as there is no-one to monitor the crowd control it remains with the individual if he or she wished to be crammed in to a confined space. It still amazes me how the platform stays so empty until seconds before the train arrives. As if by magic, the hordes descend and rush for the nearest carriage where as if by more magic, it happened to be the one we were standing by. Crammed with practically my nose pressed up against the window, the doors whooshed close and the train was on its way once more. Luckily we were only travelling the one stop; to Al Ghubaiba. Trying to make a positive out of a negative I reminded Roisin that this would be good practice for the crunch match tonight. The football suddenly didn't sound so appealing to her!!

We alighted at exit 2 of the metro station just by the start of the Heritage Village. The flowers were in bloom and the floral display added much needed colour to the browns and reds of the buildings in the immediate vicinity. The ferry terminal was 150 yards from the metro station. We paid our 50 dirhams each (£8.30) for the 90 minute, 20 mile journey from the Creek, a salt water river that separates Deira Dubai from Bur Dubai; to the Dubai Marina.

The trip took us out of the mouth of the creek where we hugged the coast line. We crossed Port Rashid and passed downtown Dubai where the Burj Khalifa towered above all other skyscrapers in the cluster. The mid-morning sun was catching the sand particles and there seemed to be a shroud of mist constantly surrounding this part of Dubai.

This had been a very pleasant way to spend a morning. The ferry was a catamaran and while it wasn't ‘tear arsing' down the Gulf, it was moving fast enough to appreciate the warm breeze out on the aft deck.

We got talking to a couple from Aberdeen, Mick was originally from Bradford but due to his lifetime career of working offshore, had met his Scottish wife and since settled down North of the Border. He explained that he worked in Dubai 30 years ago when it was no more than a fishing village and a stopover for ships passing through the Red Sea en route to India and the Far East. Mick gave the impression that he had lived. He had recently flown in from Cambodia and now he had just met up with his wife. They had been in Dubai for 1 week already and were flying home later this evening. He explained that due to his off shore work, he had to spend a certain number of days outside the UK otherwise he would be liable for a hefty tax bill. When he suddenly asked what line of business Roisin and I were in and not wanting to discuss our profession after him confessing his ‘tax avoidance scheme' to us in detail, I panicked and said that I am a dental surgeon and Roisin works in a wig factory. The dig in the ribs from Roisin made me realise straight away that not only was Mick as bald as a coot, he also only had about 3 teeth left in his skull!!! Mick then proceeded to tell us his life story. His mother worked down the pit and his father was a prize fighter or did his father work down the pit and his mother was a prize fighter?

At this point we were starting to lose the will to live but from Mick's appearance either could be true.

The approach of the 7 star, sail shaped hotel the Burj Arab looming over the paltry 5 star characteristic looking Jumeirah Beach Hotel was a good opportunity to take our leave and head once more, out on deck.

We now approached the bridge that joins the mainland to the Jumeirah Palm. As mentioned earlier, this is a manmade structure created using land reclamation from the Persian Gulf. The Palm Jumeirah is in the shape of a palm tree. It consists of a trunk, a crown with 17 branches, and a surrounding crescent island that forms a 7 mile long breakwater. The island is just over 3 miles long and is connected to the mainland by a 280 yard bridge. Most of the branches have small service roads that lead to many villas and holiday homes. A few of the branches still have to be developed. We did not expect to see so many large apartment blocks towering above the Palm that filled the central truck. These culminated in the magnificent and imposing Hotel Atlantis at the crown. We are hoping for a much better view of this goliath of hotel later when we plan to take the monorail the full length of the Palm.

Our ferry trip was almost at an end. Mick and his wife were still sat where we had left them 40 minutes ago. We now entered the Marina district. This cluster of skyscrapers has its own champion. All cameras were now pointing to a twisty building known as the Cayan tower. At 306m even this is in the record books for being the tallest twisty building in the world beating the Tore Espacio in Madrid. However, the Chinese, not to be outdone, are hot on the heels of this prestigious award and the Shanghai Tower is well under construction. When complete, this will stand a whopping 632 metres high.

After a light lunch in the Marina Mall we now had to figure out how to get to the monorail. We started walking in the general direction along Sheik Zayed Road. After about 20 minutes we arrived at the walkway for a metro station. As Sheik Zayed Road is the major highway that runs the length of Dubai, it is impossible to cross hence the walkway. However, the walkway was about ¼ of a mile to reach the Metro. If we took the metro to the next stop we would still need to navigate ourselves to the metro stop. It seemed a hell of a walk or perhaps a taxi ride away. As it was pleasant and the Jumeirah Palm can't be THAT far away we decided to continue walking. You'd think we'd learned from our last jaunt walking from the metro to the Burj Arab. Things were going swimmingly until Sheik Zayed Road swerved to the right and turned in to a 6 lane flyover whilst our pavement veered left, ending abruptly as road works took over and although the pedestrian walkways were clearly marked, took us over some of the narrowest and roughest terrain we had experienced. Through busy car parks, steep grass verges and even stopping to chat to friendly security guards we finally arrived at our destination. It turns out that the extensive road works around the Palm Jumeirah is the start of laying down the track for a second metro. Totally unrelated to the main metro and only serving between the Palm Jumeirah and the Dubai Marina.

The same rules applied to the monorail as on the metro. It was so deserted when we arrived we, at first, thought we were at the wrong place. However minutes before the monorail arrived so did the crowds!

The journey takes 10 minutes and costs 25 dirham return (£4.60). The Atlantis Palm is more than a hotel, it is a whole resort. Towering above the green lush setting on the crown of the Palm the resort is home to its own Water Park and aquarium where for a (large) fee you can go swimming with dolphins.

We didn't particularly have any plans whilst we were there. It was now past 4pm and we had been out all day. We had a stroll along the corniche and on our way back to the monorail noticed how class follows you around or in this case I was following class. A lady (I think) in full head to foot abaya with a niqab veil covering all but a slit for her eyes was walking in front of us, with this very modest garb she carried a duffel bag over one shoulder - with the Liverpool FC crest plainly visible. I was so awestruck by seeing this sight I forgot to ask myself the obvious question. Someone who was so obviously adhering to strict Muslim beliefs, where was she going or where had she been with that duffel bag. To or from the waterpark? To or from the gym? The mind is still boggling as to what kit she had in the bag!! As surreal moment #1 was over, we headed back to the hotel via a £3 taxi ride from the monorail station to the metro.

Dinner was taken at the restaurant next door to our hotel serving a fusion of authentic Arabian and Indian cuisine. As we do not get breakfast on Saturday, our final day in Dubai before we head off aboard the MSC Lirica, Roisin suggested we come here for breakfast having seen the sign advertising ‘Breakfast served here'. Breakfast ranged from Our Soup to Goats Head. To be honest I didn't think goats head was the sort of thing one ate for breakfast!! Regardless of my observation Roisin declared: ‘We ain't having breakfast here'. Instead we decided to raid the supermarket across the road for something a little more conventional!

So, 8 stops on the green line from Al Ras to Stadium metro stop. It was 7:45pm and k.o was at 8:30. A few supporters were starting to arrive so we just followed them. The Al Rashid stadium is only a few hundred yards from the station. This was surreal moment #2. Many of the supporters were wearing the traditional pure white garment, the dish-dasher, some even wearing the Middle Eastern hat, the Kumar or the kaffiya together with a red white and black football scarf around their neck. We must have looked strange to the locals in our shorts and t-shirts!!

The 18,000 all seater stadium is home to Al Ahli FC. This, literally translating to "national" in Arabic. The team was established as late as 1970, when three local teams joined together to form the club. The club won three UAE League titles in the '70s and won its fourth in 2006, and fifth in 2009.

The original Al Ahli logo reflected a falcon on top of a football and the words "Al Ahli Club" written horizontally. After rebranding themselves to Red Knights in 2006, the logo changed to a horse head shape with the letters A C (Al Ahli Club) on top. The new logo represents strength and high spirits also it goes along with their nickname Red Knights.

We arrived at the main gate and immediately set out to look for the ticket office or the turnstile. As we approached an entrance, a man was standing to the side and everyone was walking in taking something from him. I noticed the ticket office next to this entrance was in darkness. I said to the man ‘Ticket?' He just smiled said ‘Yes, please take', handing us what looked like 2 tickets and waved us on! What a result that was. I had set a budget of about £18 each to get inside. We're now £36 up on the deal. More beer for us inside the ground..oh! wait, I forgot…!!!

The Club don't employ stewards to keep the peace. They employ the army. My bag was searched and the water was not allowed in. I had to drink it beforehand. Roisin offered her bag to be searched but the soldier refused to search a ladies bag and waved her straight in.

It was a matter of sitting anywhere although very difficult to distinguish the away fans or as the placard referred to them as guest supporters due to everyone wearing white dish-dashers. Despite giving the tickets away and Al Ahli being top of the league, the stadium remained less than half full. They couldn't even give the tickets away, quite literally!!

10 minutes before kick-off, the Imam called everyone to prayer from a mosque that is attached to the stadium. It's the first time I've seen a stadium empty out before the game began!! However, everyone was still in their seat before the kick-off…included the Imam who has now found another use for the microphone he uses to amplify his voice from the speakers hidden atop the minaret. He led the fans in their chanting. Both sets of fans had their own band. A tabla, various percussion instruments and a blowy Eastern pipey thing not unlike what a snake charmer uses. Some of the chanting I recognised although ‘The Great Escape' or ‘Vindaloo' was missing from their repertoire!! Not least when one of the players shot wide of the upright goal post. As this is a dry state I'm sure the chorus must have gone thus: ‘He shot, he missed, he definitely isn't pissed Majed Hasan, Majed Hasan!!'

At half time we wandered outside and once again my bag was searched, this time for cigarettes! Roisin nipped to the ‘ladies' and was quick to comment that it is the first time she hasn't had to queue. This was due to the fact that there were no women present! We spotted one other female during the whole 90 minutes. A Monty Python sketch flashed across my mind where just before a stoning in the ‘Life of Brian', John Cleese asks the predominantly bearded males if there are any women present. Perhaps the stadium was full of women but heavily disguised!!

The game finished 2-1 to the home team. We made our exit a few minutes early to beat the rush which we did with ease.

We never made it home for Match of the Day but when the whole day has been a winner we were happy to linger in our memories a little while longer!!

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Comments

[William Atkins]

Thanks for making me laugh out loud! And vicariously spending some time in Dubai. We once changed planes there and could see the Burj Al Arab from the air.

[Andrew]

Love the panicked dentist and wig factory made up professions.