Ski slopes and sand dunes

Yesterday was our first experience of the dubai metro. The rail is raised above the city and offers great views on all sides through big glass windows. Surpisingly, the trains are really busy all day long! Maybe that is only surprising to a South African... The train left us at the Mall of The Emirates which is quite an impressive building. It is huge, but apparently (and unfortunately) has the largest carbon footprint in the world. This is mainly due to the large indoor snow park and ski slopes. We booked a 'discovery ski lesson' i.e. for the totally clueless! Our instructor was really good and had us up and going in no time. His motto is: if you believe you can, then you can. That's a good one to remember for most things in life. Bron was the first in the class to fall on her bum and did so many times. Justin only fell once, 'avoiding someone'. Snow might look light and fluffy but falling on it was definitely not pleasant! Bron has many bruises and sore muscles today!

Skiing wasn't as hard as we thought it would be. Think the trick is knowing how to brake. Bron's problem was getting her ski's crossed and not being able to untangle them before bailing. But after the lesson we feel more confident and able to tackle a beginner lesson to learn how to turn and jump, and then some real slopes!

We also visited the Madinat Jumeirah Souk, or traditional market, near Burj Al Arab (the sail looking building). It wasn't quite as old and traditonal as we had hoped but was still pretty cool. We bought some roasted nuts covered in honey, chocolate or sesame seeds, yum! In SA, 'nuts' would usually mean peanuts but here they are cashews, almonds and hazelnuts. Way better! Bron also got a 100% silk scarf from India for a steal.

Today started with exploring the spice and gold souks. Bargaining is a must in the souk as some sellers take a chance and really try to rip you off. Think we were overcharged for my pashmina but how were we to know? Definitely suggest investigating the prices around the market before buying and then bargaining as well. It was quite interesting walking around the markets though. We found that is were you see the real people of Dubai. A lot of foreigners work in the tourist attractions but walking around the souks gave us a feel of the old Dubai.

The water taxi or 'abra' was a great experience too. For only AED1 (R2) we crossed to the other side of the creek. Abra's are traditonal boats which are quaint and romantic looking until the engine starts up and spews out diesel fumes.

This evening we enjoyed a sundowner dune safari cruise through the desert. It was well organised and a lot of fun. Bron felt a queezy at times but was worth it. The dinner included many traditional dishes and their lamb chops can compete with SA! Bron recieved a traditonal henna tattoo and we enjoyed a camel ride outside the camp. Hoping no fleas jumped across!

So in two days we went to the two extremes of snow and desert in the winter of Dubai. Today ends our time here and tomorrow we are off to London in time for New Year's Eve! If you are in the London area during the month of January please let us know, we would love to see you. Wednesday next week we fly to Dublin in the Emerald Isle for 5 days. Lots of cold weather coming our way!! See you soon Shell and Graham!

Wishing everyone a happy and blessed New Year and 2011

x



Abra - used to cross Dubai Creek



A Dubai Metro Station





Gold at the Gold Souk










Dubai Skyline
(the Burj Khalifa in the centre is the tallest building
in the world at about 900m high)

Old boat outside Dubai Museum



Spices from the Spice Souk