DAY 31 in Dubai

We docked in Dubai at 6.00am where the temperature was already around 30C By the time we got off the ship at 9.00am it was 45C, it’s quite a dry heat and just feels like you’re standing with the oven door open.  The cab driver was saying in June and July it frequently hits 55C….  October to January are the coolest months of the year here. Cabs are very cheap and plentiful. Our first stop was the Gold Souks as we were told they open from 10.00am to 1.00pm then close for the afternoon and open again from 4.00pm to 11.00pm. The souks are only a short distance from the cruise terminal so we were there just before they opened.  I can now understand what everyone raves about when talking about the gold in Dubai.  I have never seen so many elaborate pieces of 22ct gold in my life. Also stunning diamonds set beautifully in rings, bracelets and necklaces. I love jewellery and was disappointed not to be able to stay longer as there was so much more to see.  However, we had to move along so we jumped in a cab and went to the Khalifa tower. OMG what a fabulous looking building that is, quite unbelievable. I left the others and went to the Dubai Mall which is right next to Khalifa whilst they took the pressurized elevator to the 124^th floor.  You’d never catch me doing that. ;) Anyway they returned not long after as it was fully booked.  Apparently the best way is to book your elevator trip to the 124^th floor online before your arrival in Dubai.  It’s also cheaper that way, only UAE100.00 whereas if you buy it in Dubai you pay UAE300.00, UAE100.00 equals approximately US$30.00.

The shops in the Malls are amazing; they certainly have a lot of style here. The Dubai Mall has a full size skating rink as well as every shop you can imagine.  I was surprised to see a Waitrose Supermarket there also. Waitrose is from the UK for those who may not know.

From the Dubai Mall we caught another taxi who offered to take us on a two and half hour tour for US$110.00 which was excellent between the six of us. So off we went out to the Burj, Atlantis, and other stunning Arabian hotels.  Then it was off to the famous island called ‘The Palms’. It even has its own Monorail. Each road is called Frond A, Frond B etc. The Sheik of Dubai gifted a huge mansion on The Palms to Michael Schumacher the Formula One driver. We wonder what he had done to deserve that, but it was a monster of a house and looked very opulent. The Sheik has three sisters and he built them enormous houses looking over the ocean on the road out toward The Palms. Oh to have him for a brother. J Glenn, wouldn’t you like to be a Sheik of somewhere?  If you were, just remember who’s your sister….lol.

Then it was time to visit the Mall of the Emirates and the famous Ski slope.  Unbelievable to think we walked in from 45C heat into snow, chairlifts and toboggans.  Another amazing Mall, they certainly know how to do things right in Dubai.

We all loved the city and would return in heartbeat, next time for a longer stay. It’s easy to understand why so many move to Dubai to work for a year but stay for decades. Although it appears from what we hear that it’s not as lucrative to work here as it has been previously. However it’s clean, no graffiti anywhere, has style, amazing restaurants and is friendly. The high rise buildings compliment every Architect.  It’s hard to imagine that 14 years ago Dubai was just a little city of the Middle East with nothing but oil.  Now it’s a tourist destination of the world and I’m sure it will continue to be even when they run out of oil, which they say isl in the not too distant future?  Also petrol is only 50c a litre and there’s no tax on the purchase of cars so there are ‘designer’ cars everywhere.

Captain Charles has taken over the helm. He also has a good sense of humour.  He’s announced this evening that when he finds the keys he’ll get the ship started and we’ll be on our way to India.

Gordon, our new Cruise Director, has been with Royal Caribbean for 22 years and sounds very professional and speaks well and has a good sense of humour which goes down well with everyone.

Tomorrow day 1 of 2 days at Sea en-route to Goa, India.