No road trip is complete unless the roads are crowded, there are people who cannot drive, and you have a do a few u-turns before you start heading in the right direction. Considering what could have happened, I was happy that getting lost was our only trouble getting to Dubai. Eric, Yang, Ryan, Judy, of course Hannah, and myself were looking to not spend too much money this Eid holiday, but we needed to get out. Our solution was staying in Dubai for a few days.
We stayed at the the Hotel California--enter short song refrain here-- and boy was it a unique hotel, but I will come back to that later. The best part of Dubai is that you can walk around and explore the city. There are so many interesting buildings and shops to see. Because of Eid Al Adha most of the stores were closed the first night we got there. That led the girls to go to the salon while the men went of to explore more.
Thank God Yang was with us, because I am not sure what would have happened if she was not there. We found a good salon where the people were really nice and not that expensive. She communicated with them in Chinese and then translated for Judy and I. Yang and I got a haircut, but Judy decided to wait. Mine is really cute, but it was stressful to get it. Allowing someone in a foreign country to cut my hair, who I know nothing about, have no reference to judge them from . . . I was tense up until that first cut. After that I figured I couldn't go back now so might as well just wait and see what happens. It isn't anything drastic, but just enough change to make me feel fresh again. We also got pedicures and learned a valuable lesson. When you get a good pedicure--wait until the end of the trip. Our feet were fresh and baby soft . . . for half a day. The next day we walked around the city and ended up with blisters and rough spots. Overall, my feet are better than they were, but it was a lesson learned and I will be getting the pedicure at the end of the trip not the beginning next time.
Enough on that, back to the hotel. It has six floors. Only three have rooms. The other floors have restaurants and most intriguing-- nightclubs. Not western style nightclubs, but almost any eastern nationality that you can think of. There was a Filipino, Indian, Pakistani, etc. All of them you are able to drink, smoke, and listen to loud music while "women" dance. That is where the similarities to a western nightclub end. In these clubs are men and the dancers. Yang, Judy, and I were the only females in the place that were not working. Given those details I will let you fill in most of the blanks, but I do want to give you a few reminders. As liberal as Dubai is, it is still in the United Arab Emirates and therefore a predominately Muslim culture. Though the Filipino girls were a little scantily dressed, this was not the case in most of the other clubs including the Pakistani. They were in full sarees and shalwars. They would dance on a small stage with a table bordering it. The men would sit and watch and that was all. No emotion, not grabbing, occasional present giving, but otherwise they drank, smoked, and watched. Not what I was expecting, but I guess they are a private culture so it makes sense. Needless to say, it took us a little while to really understand what was happening and once we finished our drinks, we were happy to leave. I was glad to not be able to understand the language because it gave me the ability to observe from an outsider's perspective. I'm not sure it would have been very comfortable had I been able to truly understand everything that was going on. I was more than happy just observing.
The next day was really nice. It wasn't too hot, unless you stayed in the sun too long. We got up early or at least that was the plan. It turns out the one person who wanted to sleep in was the first one up and ready. Who was that? Me. I know shocking, but they said seven so I was ready. Seven thirty rolls around and I am waking them up. Breakfast was good, nothing grand, but we are not staying at hotels on ADEC's dime anymore so the five stars are out. We went walking with the intention of finding the gold souk, but ended up getting side tracked along the way. After seeing the girls dance, we had commented on how pretty and comfortable the outfits seemed. With long sleeves they would be good for work as well. About a block from the hotel, we found a shop where would could get them. He had some ready made available, but my broad shoulders were not fitting these shirts. Instead, I ordered two to be made and we picked them up the next morning. It is weird having two custom things now. My couch and shalwars. I haven't had custom before. Not that I didn't have nice things at home, I did. I was very blessed in being able to have all that I had growing up and now. I was just thinking that it is hard to figure out what tense to write in when talking about home and here. Yes, I currently live in Abu Dhabi, but I am not foreseeing it being something permanent. Then again, I never saw it happening in the first place so who knows. That said, what I have now I will not necessarily have later, and at the same time what I had at home I still have, sort of. Now that I have gone completely off topic, back to the shalwars.
I would have made my father proud had he seen my in that shop. Coming to this country I knew that a lot of the stores I would be able to negotiate to get cheaper prices. However, that did not mean that I was that skilled or comfortable with trying to haggle. In the shop I was a whole new person. I brought my total down 70 dirhams. I know it doesn't really sound like all that much, but it was a big deal for me. After finally getting done with the fabric choices and measurement, we left to continue on to the souk.
What we didn't realize when starting out was how long the walk was going to be. We had to stop to make sure we were heading in the right direction, but we finally made it. I'm not sure what I was expecting to find when we got there, but for some odd reason it was different. Not sure how, but just not what was in my head. There was more gold than I have ever seen in one place. It almost made me want some yellow gold of my own, almost. It was good that it was late in the year. It would not have been so pleasant to wander if it was not winter. The only bad part was all the people trying to sell us things. I got asked if I wanted a handbag, t-shirt, drink so many times. Other than that I found myself wishing I had more money because I found a few items that I think my family would have loved, but unfortunately, I am not rolling in the dough. At least not yet. After the souk we were hungry for lunch, but had no idea where to go. Solution--wander until we found something.
That is one of the nice things about Dubai. If you wander long enough you will find what you want. We lucked out and ate at this Iranian place. I had some really good chicken and, of course, rice. One thing I have noticed about the "local" restaurants here is though they may called it Iranian, Egyptian, etc. in the end the basic flavors are the same. It is all really good, but the same brand under a different name. I sometimes wish I could truly try new things more often, oh well, I will settle for good food for now.
I will now skip ahead past boring details of us walking some more and such and skip to the boat tour. We had ordered the shalwars to be made, but at 2 we needed to check the fit. This almost ended up becoming a problem for us. We arrived and only some were ready to try on. We waited and tried them on, fixed fitting issues . . . then it got to be 3:15. The boat tour was at 3:30. Not a big issue if we were nearby, but we needed to go across the creek. The sweet shop owner helped us by calling a taxi. Well, at least we thought he was calling a taxi. Turns out he called a friend who had a SUV. We were nice a comfy in the backseat with four people, but we got there and on-time. The boat did not leave until after 4 in true arabic fashion and one particular lady on the boat was not happy about that. I had to start laughing because it was obvious to me that she had not been in this country very long. The majority of people did not seem phased by the late start of the tour, but this one woman apparently had a schedule to keep. The ride up and down the creek was beautiful. The sun got in our eyes every once in a while, but overall it was good weather and pretty views. We all agreed that next time we should try and do a dinner ride up the creek. I got a lot of pretty pictures, even some that were less touristy and more artistic. Not that there is anything wrong with the tourist picture, but I like to get more artistic with my pictures every once in a while. It was nice to be by water. That is the only problem with Liwa. I am always happier on the water or near the water and it is impossible to do that where I live. Though I am not complaining because where I live is beautiful in its own way and the people are fantastic.
It was a bit difficult to get a taxi after the boat tour, but we managed to figure something out and head to mall for dinner and maybe a bit of shopping. We were also hoping to see a fountain show that was supposed to be really nice, but things didn't work out that way. Dubai Mall, what do I say . . . HOLY COW. I really started feeling like I wanted to be back in Liwa after spending sometime in the mall. I thought that Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi was bad . . . it has nothing on this place. It is twice as big and way too many people. I am sure it didn't help that it was Eid so more people were probably out and about, but I was all to happy to get out of there when the time came. However, that took a little while. The taxi queue was ridiculous. It went out the door and wrapped around in circles. I think it took at least a half an hour to finally get through the taxi line. The good thing was they seemed to be used to that sort of thing. It was very efficient the way that they managed the large lines, but it was just so many people.
Our last day in Dubai was spent picking up our shalwars. It took longer than expected, but when we finally got on the road. I was happy and sad at the same time. As much fun as Dubai was and there were still plenty more places to go . . . I was ready to come home. I needed a nice rest in my own bed before a day of fishing on Friday.
We stayed at the the Hotel California--enter short song refrain here-- and boy was it a unique hotel, but I will come back to that later. The best part of Dubai is that you can walk around and explore the city. There are so many interesting buildings and shops to see. Because of Eid Al Adha most of the stores were closed the first night we got there. That led the girls to go to the salon while the men went of to explore more.
Thank God Yang was with us, because I am not sure what would have happened if she was not there. We found a good salon where the people were really nice and not that expensive. She communicated with them in Chinese and then translated for Judy and I. Yang and I got a haircut, but Judy decided to wait. Mine is really cute, but it was stressful to get it. Allowing someone in a foreign country to cut my hair, who I know nothing about, have no reference to judge them from . . . I was tense up until that first cut. After that I figured I couldn't go back now so might as well just wait and see what happens. It isn't anything drastic, but just enough change to make me feel fresh again. We also got pedicures and learned a valuable lesson. When you get a good pedicure--wait until the end of the trip. Our feet were fresh and baby soft . . . for half a day. The next day we walked around the city and ended up with blisters and rough spots. Overall, my feet are better than they were, but it was a lesson learned and I will be getting the pedicure at the end of the trip not the beginning next time.
Enough on that, back to the hotel. It has six floors. Only three have rooms. The other floors have restaurants and most intriguing-- nightclubs. Not western style nightclubs, but almost any eastern nationality that you can think of. There was a Filipino, Indian, Pakistani, etc. All of them you are able to drink, smoke, and listen to loud music while "women" dance. That is where the similarities to a western nightclub end. In these clubs are men and the dancers. Yang, Judy, and I were the only females in the place that were not working. Given those details I will let you fill in most of the blanks, but I do want to give you a few reminders. As liberal as Dubai is, it is still in the United Arab Emirates and therefore a predominately Muslim culture. Though the Filipino girls were a little scantily dressed, this was not the case in most of the other clubs including the Pakistani. They were in full sarees and shalwars. They would dance on a small stage with a table bordering it. The men would sit and watch and that was all. No emotion, not grabbing, occasional present giving, but otherwise they drank, smoked, and watched. Not what I was expecting, but I guess they are a private culture so it makes sense. Needless to say, it took us a little while to really understand what was happening and once we finished our drinks, we were happy to leave. I was glad to not be able to understand the language because it gave me the ability to observe from an outsider's perspective. I'm not sure it would have been very comfortable had I been able to truly understand everything that was going on. I was more than happy just observing.
The next day was really nice. It wasn't too hot, unless you stayed in the sun too long. We got up early or at least that was the plan. It turns out the one person who wanted to sleep in was the first one up and ready. Who was that? Me. I know shocking, but they said seven so I was ready. Seven thirty rolls around and I am waking them up. Breakfast was good, nothing grand, but we are not staying at hotels on ADEC's dime anymore so the five stars are out. We went walking with the intention of finding the gold souk, but ended up getting side tracked along the way. After seeing the girls dance, we had commented on how pretty and comfortable the outfits seemed. With long sleeves they would be good for work as well. About a block from the hotel, we found a shop where would could get them. He had some ready made available, but my broad shoulders were not fitting these shirts. Instead, I ordered two to be made and we picked them up the next morning. It is weird having two custom things now. My couch and shalwars. I haven't had custom before. Not that I didn't have nice things at home, I did. I was very blessed in being able to have all that I had growing up and now. I was just thinking that it is hard to figure out what tense to write in when talking about home and here. Yes, I currently live in Abu Dhabi, but I am not foreseeing it being something permanent. Then again, I never saw it happening in the first place so who knows. That said, what I have now I will not necessarily have later, and at the same time what I had at home I still have, sort of. Now that I have gone completely off topic, back to the shalwars.
I would have made my father proud had he seen my in that shop. Coming to this country I knew that a lot of the stores I would be able to negotiate to get cheaper prices. However, that did not mean that I was that skilled or comfortable with trying to haggle. In the shop I was a whole new person. I brought my total down 70 dirhams. I know it doesn't really sound like all that much, but it was a big deal for me. After finally getting done with the fabric choices and measurement, we left to continue on to the souk.
What we didn't realize when starting out was how long the walk was going to be. We had to stop to make sure we were heading in the right direction, but we finally made it. I'm not sure what I was expecting to find when we got there, but for some odd reason it was different. Not sure how, but just not what was in my head. There was more gold than I have ever seen in one place. It almost made me want some yellow gold of my own, almost. It was good that it was late in the year. It would not have been so pleasant to wander if it was not winter. The only bad part was all the people trying to sell us things. I got asked if I wanted a handbag, t-shirt, drink so many times. Other than that I found myself wishing I had more money because I found a few items that I think my family would have loved, but unfortunately, I am not rolling in the dough. At least not yet. After the souk we were hungry for lunch, but had no idea where to go. Solution--wander until we found something.
That is one of the nice things about Dubai. If you wander long enough you will find what you want. We lucked out and ate at this Iranian place. I had some really good chicken and, of course, rice. One thing I have noticed about the "local" restaurants here is though they may called it Iranian, Egyptian, etc. in the end the basic flavors are the same. It is all really good, but the same brand under a different name. I sometimes wish I could truly try new things more often, oh well, I will settle for good food for now.
I will now skip ahead past boring details of us walking some more and such and skip to the boat tour. We had ordered the shalwars to be made, but at 2 we needed to check the fit. This almost ended up becoming a problem for us. We arrived and only some were ready to try on. We waited and tried them on, fixed fitting issues . . . then it got to be 3:15. The boat tour was at 3:30. Not a big issue if we were nearby, but we needed to go across the creek. The sweet shop owner helped us by calling a taxi. Well, at least we thought he was calling a taxi. Turns out he called a friend who had a SUV. We were nice a comfy in the backseat with four people, but we got there and on-time. The boat did not leave until after 4 in true arabic fashion and one particular lady on the boat was not happy about that. I had to start laughing because it was obvious to me that she had not been in this country very long. The majority of people did not seem phased by the late start of the tour, but this one woman apparently had a schedule to keep. The ride up and down the creek was beautiful. The sun got in our eyes every once in a while, but overall it was good weather and pretty views. We all agreed that next time we should try and do a dinner ride up the creek. I got a lot of pretty pictures, even some that were less touristy and more artistic. Not that there is anything wrong with the tourist picture, but I like to get more artistic with my pictures every once in a while. It was nice to be by water. That is the only problem with Liwa. I am always happier on the water or near the water and it is impossible to do that where I live. Though I am not complaining because where I live is beautiful in its own way and the people are fantastic.
It was a bit difficult to get a taxi after the boat tour, but we managed to figure something out and head to mall for dinner and maybe a bit of shopping. We were also hoping to see a fountain show that was supposed to be really nice, but things didn't work out that way. Dubai Mall, what do I say . . . HOLY COW. I really started feeling like I wanted to be back in Liwa after spending sometime in the mall. I thought that Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi was bad . . . it has nothing on this place. It is twice as big and way too many people. I am sure it didn't help that it was Eid so more people were probably out and about, but I was all to happy to get out of there when the time came. However, that took a little while. The taxi queue was ridiculous. It went out the door and wrapped around in circles. I think it took at least a half an hour to finally get through the taxi line. The good thing was they seemed to be used to that sort of thing. It was very efficient the way that they managed the large lines, but it was just so many people.
Our last day in Dubai was spent picking up our shalwars. It took longer than expected, but when we finally got on the road. I was happy and sad at the same time. As much fun as Dubai was and there were still plenty more places to go . . . I was ready to come home. I needed a nice rest in my own bed before a day of fishing on Friday.
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