Day 233 - The Gold Souk - The Spice Souk - Free Things in the Dubai Mall
Sunday, February 24, 2019.
Gregory had found a dhow boat ride across Dubai Creek and wanted to take us to the souks on the other side. We took the metro to the closest stop, and we could see cruise ships (Costa and Cunard) from the metro, but there was a wide highway and a tall fence on the other side.
We walked about 1km and finally came to a pedestrian tunnel which took us not only under the road, but also under the creek! We actually walked instead of taking a boat. By then, we were all a little disappointed and upset. The kids just wanted to go back home and use the pool and me, I don't know what I wanted. [Gregory's note: food and a taxi.]
At least we had the chance to look into the water. The tide was coming in, and we could see blue jellyfish floating in from the gulf. Gregory oriented himself and led us to the spice market, which was just a couple of blocks away. At first, I was upset that we went to the market because we don't like shopping and we never buy anything, but then I realized that I love to go to the markets to see the people and see the interactions between the locals and the tourists.
A few blocks away, we arrived at the gold market. Gregory knew that I didn't want to see another market, and I was pretty hungry, but it was the gold market, after all, so...Gregory tried speed walking through -- maybe he got scared that I would want to buy jewelry. Kidding, he knows that I don't wear fancy jewelry but I did want to peek, so he sat down and told me that I had ten minutes! [Gregory's note: 10 Arab minutes!]
Sunshine was upset as well so I just rushed and saw the jewelry. I wanted to leave too, since every single shopkeeper was inviting me in. I thought about Egypt and how annoying and pushy salespeople can be!
We walked out of the market looking for a restaurant because we were all obviously hangry. We ended up in an Indian restaurant and we loved it. We told our waiter that we were going to India and he got all excited and brought us more sauces to try with our rice. He was from the south of India and he was extremely nice. As Gregory likes to say, he earned his tip!
TIP: if you are looking for reasonably priced food in Dubai, find an Indian restaurant! They are all over town. We ate well for $2.50 - $5 each.
Walking through the markets, it felt like we were more in India or Pakistan because most of the souvenirs were made in those countries and the salesmen were also foreigners. They kept trying to guess where we were from. Many of them kept yelling shakira at Sunshine. I thought they were referring to the singer but I stopped and asked them what it meant and they said it means beautiful. I did not like how they were staring at her!
They also tried to get us into their stores by grabbing hold of our arms or wrapping the scarves around our necks. I should have just walked away with one.
Daniel and I stopped at some of the spice stands to ask what each spice was. We saw roses, thyme, sulfur, incense myrrh, etc. It was very interesting but when you know that you can't buy anything, you finish your shopping very quickly!
We stopped at a lassi store for a smoothie and fruit juice. I was so full from lunch that I couldn't have one. The kids did, of course! After that, we called Uber and went home. Sunshine and Daniel went swimming in the heated pool in our apartment building. I took a nap.
At night, we took Uber to the Dubai Mall. [Gregory's note: it's the biggest mall in the world at over 6 million sq ft!] Gregory and Daniel had described it as WOW and it was! It is very fancy and flashy. It is enormous, just rows and rows of fancy stores and restaurants! It took us 20 minutes to walk to the waterfall, which is 4 stories high and covers an entire wall.
I was impressed by the decorations everywhere and by the amount of money that Arabs must have. I saw fully covered women walking in and out of fancy stores like Cartier, Gucci, and Prada. I was wondering why they buy all that expensive stuff when you can't even see that they're wearing it. Well, we could see the Fendi and Vuitton purses, for sure.
[Gregory's note: and it wasn't just 1 wife, either! You would see an Arab man walking in front of 4 or 5 women -- his wives. And they all want to shop at Gucci? Watch out -- oh, wait, they get their money from selling oil! And with all the SUVs in the US, the oil money is only going to get bigger. So spend, baby, spend! Buy those wives more Gucci!
On another note, in equal numbers were blond girls with cutoff shorts, Philippinos, Indians, Africans, and people from just about everywhere around the globe. Really amazing, and great to see them all living together in harmony, more or less.]
We stopped Yogurtland for frozen yogurt and to watch the fish in the immense aquarium window (you have to pay if you want to go in, but you can see most everything for free from the mall). Above the aquarium is the (of course) world's largest OLED display, 820 flat panel TVs!
We also watch the show of the water fountain outside. It reminded us of Bellagio in Las Vegas. Dubai really looks like the United States, just more flashy [and more Arabs]. The city is made to impress and it does in a way but not in a nice way, at least for me. I don't know how to express it with words, is just looks everything to fake for me.
I wonder what their lifestyle is like and I wonder how spiritual they are. I ask myself this because there was a prayer room next to super expensive and fancy stores at the mall. I mean, if you are that spiritual, I don't think you would be praying in a shopping mall. Anyway, these are only my thoughts, nothing more!
We stayed to watch the late fountain show then headed home around midnight. Dubai is definitely a city to be seen at night!
For pictures please click here
https://photos.app.goo.gl/qo7iGCGZwudoKKXL7
Gregory had found a dhow boat ride across Dubai Creek and wanted to take us to the souks on the other side. We took the metro to the closest stop, and we could see cruise ships (Costa and Cunard) from the metro, but there was a wide highway and a tall fence on the other side.
We walked about 1km and finally came to a pedestrian tunnel which took us not only under the road, but also under the creek! We actually walked instead of taking a boat. By then, we were all a little disappointed and upset. The kids just wanted to go back home and use the pool and me, I don't know what I wanted. [Gregory's note: food and a taxi.]
At least we had the chance to look into the water. The tide was coming in, and we could see blue jellyfish floating in from the gulf. Gregory oriented himself and led us to the spice market, which was just a couple of blocks away. At first, I was upset that we went to the market because we don't like shopping and we never buy anything, but then I realized that I love to go to the markets to see the people and see the interactions between the locals and the tourists.
A few blocks away, we arrived at the gold market. Gregory knew that I didn't want to see another market, and I was pretty hungry, but it was the gold market, after all, so...Gregory tried speed walking through -- maybe he got scared that I would want to buy jewelry. Kidding, he knows that I don't wear fancy jewelry but I did want to peek, so he sat down and told me that I had ten minutes! [Gregory's note: 10 Arab minutes!]
Sunshine was upset as well so I just rushed and saw the jewelry. I wanted to leave too, since every single shopkeeper was inviting me in. I thought about Egypt and how annoying and pushy salespeople can be!
We walked out of the market looking for a restaurant because we were all obviously hangry. We ended up in an Indian restaurant and we loved it. We told our waiter that we were going to India and he got all excited and brought us more sauces to try with our rice. He was from the south of India and he was extremely nice. As Gregory likes to say, he earned his tip!
TIP: if you are looking for reasonably priced food in Dubai, find an Indian restaurant! They are all over town. We ate well for $2.50 - $5 each.
Walking through the markets, it felt like we were more in India or Pakistan because most of the souvenirs were made in those countries and the salesmen were also foreigners. They kept trying to guess where we were from. Many of them kept yelling shakira at Sunshine. I thought they were referring to the singer but I stopped and asked them what it meant and they said it means beautiful. I did not like how they were staring at her!
They also tried to get us into their stores by grabbing hold of our arms or wrapping the scarves around our necks. I should have just walked away with one.
Daniel and I stopped at some of the spice stands to ask what each spice was. We saw roses, thyme, sulfur, incense myrrh, etc. It was very interesting but when you know that you can't buy anything, you finish your shopping very quickly!
We stopped at a lassi store for a smoothie and fruit juice. I was so full from lunch that I couldn't have one. The kids did, of course! After that, we called Uber and went home. Sunshine and Daniel went swimming in the heated pool in our apartment building. I took a nap.
At night, we took Uber to the Dubai Mall. [Gregory's note: it's the biggest mall in the world at over 6 million sq ft!] Gregory and Daniel had described it as WOW and it was! It is very fancy and flashy. It is enormous, just rows and rows of fancy stores and restaurants! It took us 20 minutes to walk to the waterfall, which is 4 stories high and covers an entire wall.
I was impressed by the decorations everywhere and by the amount of money that Arabs must have. I saw fully covered women walking in and out of fancy stores like Cartier, Gucci, and Prada. I was wondering why they buy all that expensive stuff when you can't even see that they're wearing it. Well, we could see the Fendi and Vuitton purses, for sure.
[Gregory's note: and it wasn't just 1 wife, either! You would see an Arab man walking in front of 4 or 5 women -- his wives. And they all want to shop at Gucci? Watch out -- oh, wait, they get their money from selling oil! And with all the SUVs in the US, the oil money is only going to get bigger. So spend, baby, spend! Buy those wives more Gucci!
On another note, in equal numbers were blond girls with cutoff shorts, Philippinos, Indians, Africans, and people from just about everywhere around the globe. Really amazing, and great to see them all living together in harmony, more or less.]
We stopped Yogurtland for frozen yogurt and to watch the fish in the immense aquarium window (you have to pay if you want to go in, but you can see most everything for free from the mall). Above the aquarium is the (of course) world's largest OLED display, 820 flat panel TVs!
We also watch the show of the water fountain outside. It reminded us of Bellagio in Las Vegas. Dubai really looks like the United States, just more flashy [and more Arabs]. The city is made to impress and it does in a way but not in a nice way, at least for me. I don't know how to express it with words, is just looks everything to fake for me.
I wonder what their lifestyle is like and I wonder how spiritual they are. I ask myself this because there was a prayer room next to super expensive and fancy stores at the mall. I mean, if you are that spiritual, I don't think you would be praying in a shopping mall. Anyway, these are only my thoughts, nothing more!
We stayed to watch the late fountain show then headed home around midnight. Dubai is definitely a city to be seen at night!
For pictures please click here
https://photos.app.goo.gl/qo7iGCGZwudoKKXL7
Informative Post! Dubai Mall is a world-class destination worth exploring with loved ones. A Visa to Dubai is all one needs to get to this amazing place & gather memories for life.
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