Arrive into Dubai for a couple of days
Thursday 30th January
foggy or perhaps smoggy 22 degrees, quite pleasant as we tied up in Dubai.
We didn’t walk before breakfast as we knew that we would be walking all day. It eventually materialised that we walked over 13 miles.
Anyway, we disembarked at around 8.15 after breakfast and past through customs. A fairly straightforward and painless process. Then found out that the shuttle didn’t start until 10am. So we headed out to wait, only to find the bus shuttle waiting. Slight communication problem. Headed out at 9.15, yet the traffic was so heavy we didn’t get to Dubai Mall until 10am. A gigantic plush, glitzy place, housing all the most expensive jewellers and outfitters, along with the famous aquarium and fountains and of course Waitrose and Marks & Spencer’s. A shopping heaven if you were that way inclined. Nevertheless, Judith did find a couple of items to purchase. But we had only come to the mall to catch the underground. Unfortunately you can’t get to anything from the port without a taxi. No way of walking out, even though the old town was only a short distance away as the crow fly's, too many six lane roads overflowing with traffic blocked the way.
Traffic was mainly stagnant, due to the number of highways that bisected the main through route. Every 20 yards you would hit another set of lights and wait for 5 minutes. Thank goodness we chose the metro system. We purchased a card, similar to the UK Oyster card for the equivalent of £5, that lasted us the whole day. Highly efficient and covered the main areas. The place is like a massive building site and sprawls along , hugging the coast for at least 20 miles, with various areas dedicated to the financial district, world trade, internet, media. The living areas for the masses seem to bleed inland into the interior, whilst the more expensive locations are at the lagoons. The man made Palms shaped islands that make up canals for the rich to moor their boats along side their houses. We visited this at the end of the day, initially to view the Palm shaped development from a bar on top of a hotel. But this didn’t happen. It took us an hour on the metro to get to the special monorail link. But we couldn’t find the hotel that was recommended. Took the monorail to the bead and the large hotel at the pinnacle, The Atlantis. A massive hotel complex surrounded by a water park, but no high level bar. The whole place looked like and felt something out of Disney Land. The restaurants were all themed, dedicated to Gordon Ramsay and other notable chefs, the names of which l can’t just recall. We headed to one bar in the complex, but it faced the ten pin bowling alley that was sited in the restaurant complex. Must say, that it was very popular.
Back to the mall to watch the fountain demonstration. The Mall was heaving, head to tail black clad attractive ladies with Gucci bags, men in their traditional long flowing white covers, plus millions of other shoppers. A mass of consumerism. Not sure if they were window shopping or spending their tax free earnings. Then again, they could just be escaping from the eventual tedium of travelling home through the overcrowded, congested traffic.👍
Thursday 30th & Friday 31st Jan Dubai in the morning, 24 degrees, slightly misty, or then again it could be fog or more likely smog. Left Judith to lie in bed till 9.30, at which point l took down a freshly brewed cup of coffee and a sugared donut. Looked so good, l should have picked one up for myself. I was trying to be good. It’s so easy to go off the rails and dive into all manner of delectable offerings available, only to be disappointed after one bite. The other day l chose a donut to go with my coffee. It had a thin iced topping, but it was filled with overly sweet custard. Wrong move. Should just keep to the cinnamon ones, which are light and not overly spiced.
Spent the morning in the arrival hall trying, in vain to connect to the internet. Ultimately gave up and returned onboard to use my free allowance.
Walked around the deck to build up our steps, enjoying the sun and slight breeze. As we doing our steps we noticed a familiar face, and recognised a couple who we used to play cards with on the Ventura, a P&O ship on the winter Caribbean winter trip a couple of years back. They had got married and are now living on Isle of White. They say the had fallen in love with Cunard. So much so, that they had reached the top rewards grade of diamond within their first year. They had sold their individual houses, and the combination of funds had enabled them to spend months away. Agreed to meet up some time for cards.
Then into the first lecture of the day. An excellent and truly amazing talk from a retired US Navy captain, Dr David White on how to read waves. Learning about sea swell, internal waves, storm waves, rogue waves and tsunami’s. I didn’t believe you could determine the size of waves from the weather and looking at the direction and length of the waves. It was so interesting, that l went back to the cabin later in the afternoon to watch the whole lecture again on the tv.
A talk on Oman followed and covered such things as Sinbad, frankincense and why this area was not effected by the Arab Spring uprisings that spread through this part of the world.
It was down to the late king, who died earlier this year. A total Anglophile, he had developed the progression of his country in a slow measured and sustainable manner. Unlike Dubai which had expanded at a phenomenal rate, destroying all its heritage in the process. (80% of the population of Dubai are expats).since Qaboos bin Said of Oman ascension to the throne back in 1970 he had been a true advocate of peace in his homeland amongst the tribal factions and the rest of the gulf. He grew Oman and brought his people into the 21st century with flair and imagination.
His father had kept him in isolation in a very sheltered manner. Even though he lived by the sea, he wasn’t allowed to go into it. At the age of 16 to Sandhurst, after which he spent time in the British army before returning to Oman, where he was imprisoned. His father had drifted into dementia, but a non apposed friendly military coup overthrew him and put his son in control.
Soaked up the sun in the afternoon, small amount of walking. Then it was shower followed by dinner.
The movie was Maleficent Mistress of Evil. Dint even realise that it was the last film in the trilogy.
foggy or perhaps smoggy 22 degrees, quite pleasant as we tied up in Dubai.
We didn’t walk before breakfast as we knew that we would be walking all day. It eventually materialised that we walked over 13 miles.
Anyway, we disembarked at around 8.15 after breakfast and past through customs. A fairly straightforward and painless process. Then found out that the shuttle didn’t start until 10am. So we headed out to wait, only to find the bus shuttle waiting. Slight communication problem. Headed out at 9.15, yet the traffic was so heavy we didn’t get to Dubai Mall until 10am. A gigantic plush, glitzy place, housing all the most expensive jewellers and outfitters, along with the famous aquarium and fountains and of course Waitrose and Marks & Spencer’s. A shopping heaven if you were that way inclined. Nevertheless, Judith did find a couple of items to purchase. But we had only come to the mall to catch the underground. Unfortunately you can’t get to anything from the port without a taxi. No way of walking out, even though the old town was only a short distance away as the crow fly's, too many six lane roads overflowing with traffic blocked the way.
Traffic was mainly stagnant, due to the number of highways that bisected the main through route. Every 20 yards you would hit another set of lights and wait for 5 minutes. Thank goodness we chose the metro system. We purchased a card, similar to the UK Oyster card for the equivalent of £5, that lasted us the whole day. Highly efficient and covered the main areas. The place is like a massive building site and sprawls along , hugging the coast for at least 20 miles, with various areas dedicated to the financial district, world trade, internet, media. The living areas for the masses seem to bleed inland into the interior, whilst the more expensive locations are at the lagoons. The man made Palms shaped islands that make up canals for the rich to moor their boats along side their houses. We visited this at the end of the day, initially to view the Palm shaped development from a bar on top of a hotel. But this didn’t happen. It took us an hour on the metro to get to the special monorail link. But we couldn’t find the hotel that was recommended. Took the monorail to the bead and the large hotel at the pinnacle, The Atlantis. A massive hotel complex surrounded by a water park, but no high level bar. The whole place looked like and felt something out of Disney Land. The restaurants were all themed, dedicated to Gordon Ramsay and other notable chefs, the names of which l can’t just recall. We headed to one bar in the complex, but it faced the ten pin bowling alley that was sited in the restaurant complex. Must say, that it was very popular.
Back to the mall to watch the fountain demonstration. The Mall was heaving, head to tail black clad attractive ladies with Gucci bags, men in their traditional long flowing white covers, plus millions of other shoppers. A mass of consumerism. Not sure if they were window shopping or spending their tax free earnings. Then again, they could just be escaping from the eventual tedium of travelling home through the overcrowded, congested traffic.👍
Thursday 30th & Friday 31st Jan Dubai in the morning, 24 degrees, slightly misty, or then again it could be fog or more likely smog. Left Judith to lie in bed till 9.30, at which point l took down a freshly brewed cup of coffee and a sugared donut. Looked so good, l should have picked one up for myself. I was trying to be good. It’s so easy to go off the rails and dive into all manner of delectable offerings available, only to be disappointed after one bite. The other day l chose a donut to go with my coffee. It had a thin iced topping, but it was filled with overly sweet custard. Wrong move. Should just keep to the cinnamon ones, which are light and not overly spiced.
Spent the morning in the arrival hall trying, in vain to connect to the internet. Ultimately gave up and returned onboard to use my free allowance.
Walked around the deck to build up our steps, enjoying the sun and slight breeze. As we doing our steps we noticed a familiar face, and recognised a couple who we used to play cards with on the Ventura, a P&O ship on the winter Caribbean winter trip a couple of years back. They had got married and are now living on Isle of White. They say the had fallen in love with Cunard. So much so, that they had reached the top rewards grade of diamond within their first year. They had sold their individual houses, and the combination of funds had enabled them to spend months away. Agreed to meet up some time for cards.
Then into the first lecture of the day. An excellent and truly amazing talk from a retired US Navy captain, Dr David White on how to read waves. Learning about sea swell, internal waves, storm waves, rogue waves and tsunami’s. I didn’t believe you could determine the size of waves from the weather and looking at the direction and length of the waves. It was so interesting, that l went back to the cabin later in the afternoon to watch the whole lecture again on the tv.
A talk on Oman followed and covered such things as Sinbad, frankincense and why this area was not effected by the Arab Spring uprisings that spread through this part of the world.
It was down to the late king, who died earlier this year. A total Anglophile, he had developed the progression of his country in a slow measured and sustainable manner. Unlike Dubai which had expanded at a phenomenal rate, destroying all its heritage in the process. (80% of the population of Dubai are expats).since Qaboos bin Said of Oman ascension to the throne back in 1970 he had been a true advocate of peace in his homeland amongst the tribal factions and the rest of the gulf. He grew Oman and brought his people into the 21st century with flair and imagination.
His father had kept him in isolation in a very sheltered manner. Even though he lived by the sea, he wasn’t allowed to go into it. At the age of 16 to Sandhurst, after which he spent time in the British army before returning to Oman, where he was imprisoned. His father had drifted into dementia, but a non apposed friendly military coup overthrew him and put his son in control.
Soaked up the sun in the afternoon, small amount of walking. Then it was shower followed by dinner.
The movie was Maleficent Mistress of Evil. Dint even realise that it was the last film in the trilogy.
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