Saturday 19th January 2008
Day 1: Arrival in Dubai and a visit to the Gold Souk
So here we were waiting for our suitcases by the baggage conveyor at 3.30am in Dubai airport. My body clock was telling me it was 11.30pm the night before – which it still was in the UK - and that I should be closing my eyes and shutting down for the night. It was very tempting and I knew that if I allowed myself to succumb, I’d be snoring within minutes. Something told me it was going to be a long day ahead.
The announcement that there has been a delay with the off-loading of luggage from the plane was met with a chorus of sighs and mutterings amongst the jet-lagged crowd. It was too early to check into the hotel and our designated transfer driver was not due to arrive for another couple of hours so on this occasion I found myself just observing their crest-fallen faces as an innocent bystander.
The smell of freshly brewed coffee steaming from the cup in front of me soon brought me round. My suitcase was next to me, my travel book opened at some random page, the lights were on but still no signs of anyone at home as I struggled with the battle to stay awake. It was now 6am (i.e. 2am UK time) and I resigned myself to the fact that nothing less than an intravenous caffeine drip was going to make the slightest bit of difference on this particular morning.
Enjoying my coffee at the airport.
Our driver looked as tired as we did (or maybe he’s just not the cheerful type!) and within minutes our suitcases were secured in the back of his Space Wagon and we were on our way. We were heading towards the Seaview Hotel in the district of Bur Dubai, where we would be staying in the next week.
The journey seemed pretty mundane at first as we passed regular nondescript concrete blocks. Halfway through, we were pleasantly surprised to see the individual high-rise buildings that make up the financial business district. They were lined up superbly in front of a warm pinky-purple backdrop that marked the promise of a sunny day.
First impressions of the hotel were good; it looked like a clean and classy establishment with its marble interior, high ceiling atrium showing each of its eight concentric floors. I looked down at my watch - 7.30am. Still too early to check in (2pm is the normal check in time), so we waited on the leather couch for a vacated room. There were four other families already waiting, tucked away in various alcoves within the reception area.
Two hours went by and the initial excitement, chatter, flicking through travel guides and maps turned to heavy eyelids and shifting around restlessly trying to get cosy on the increasingly uncomfortable couch. I drifted in and out of sleep and eventually woke up with a dull headache. We were taken to a room by 10am and predictably, we were both out like a light.
Having caught up on lost sleep and feeling more human again, we ventured out of the hotel in the late afternoon to explore what the city has to offer. We started off walking towards Dubai Creek, passing through the Little India area close to our hotel. What was immediately apparent was how few women there were milling around. I’d say 95% were men and 5% were women. In the heart of Little India, a mixture of clothes and general household stores, launderettes, eateries, machinery workshops, to name but a handful, lined the streets. It is a vibrant and colourful place with a general buzz in the air.
We arrived at the creek and admired the view of the numerous boats along the busy waterway. The old wooden dhows (traditional Arabian boats) still ply the waters, looking majestic. The abras (water taxis) constantly zigzag from Bur Dubai to Deira. Abras will only set sail when there are twenty passengers, which isn’t a problem, as there seemed to be a constant flow of people wishing to get across to the other side. At 1 Dirham (15p), it was not difficult to understand why.
Abra with a full count of people crossing the creek.
Over on the Deira side, we walked around the Gold Souk – a wooden roofed street with no shortage of gold stores selling every type of jewellery imaginable. The gold looks yellow and very dazzling. A few shops have security guards patrolling the entrance but the majority do not appear to have invested in this precaution. Having had our fill of gold, we doubled-back on ourselves and ventured to the spice souk (Deira Old Souk). The traders appeared to be closing up for the day and we didn’t see much evidence of spice for sale, only a few die-hard bric-a-brac sellers making the most of what little footfall there was left.
Gold bracelets on display at the gold souk.
The gold souk.
Promising to return on another day, we took another abra back across the creek. The sun was setting and there was a warm glow in the sky as we watched the world go by on this little motorboat. A few of the buildings were lit up, which added to the ambience. Even though there appeared to be more people out and about, the atmosphere was relaxed.
Crossing the creek at dusk.
We stopped off for food at an Indian restaurant once back in Bur Dubai, where a curry dish cost £2 (meal for two, including drinks, came to £6) – en excellent bargain, even compared to our local curry house's Sunday lunch menu back home.