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Latest updated page Memphis Belle
29-1-2002


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***Dubai***
June 2001
Th. -Fr. | Sat.-Sun. | Mon.-Tue. | Wed.-Thu.

My Eurasia Trip 2001
Thailand | Dubai | UK | Sweden | Estonia | Lithuania | Byelorus | (unfinished) Ukraine


From Bangkok - I was surprised at how short the flight seemed (I guess a relatively short distance.) L'dMAO at Victor Meldrew in 'One foot in the Grave', excellent choice for inflight entertainment - British Comedy, I'm suffering huge withdrawal symptoms. Anyway, a couple of films later and it was already 4:30 and we were landing at Dubai International airport.

So, check this out, I step out of the air conditioned airport at 4:30am and it's warm, very warm. I asked a couple of hotel drivers about how to get to the Al Ahli club and whether it was possible to walk. I was told that it was a couple of km, which to me is nothing, but luckily one driver was passing that way anyway and gave me a lift with some American Syrian businessmen. Was dropped off around 5-ish at the Al Ahli Club. According to the L.P. website, that's where the Dubai Hostel is located - but no more clues than that. I asked a security guard from a nearby underground parking lot who tried calling the telephone number for me from a pay phone, however his phone-card was out of credit (although he refused to believe so and continued trying to stuff it in the card slot. He insisted that the it was the phone that was broken although the LCD display showed that he had no credit.

A passing taxi driver urged me to get in ('Git in', come on!') after I enquired about the whereabouts - even after I repeatedly asked him if he knew where the Hostel was (he, he even had a difficulty on understanding the word 'hostel' so I've no idea why I was getting in. By now the sun was climbing the sky and there were many workers making their way to some unknown destination. The driver beckoned to a couple of workers to ask about the hostel, and I got out. Now it was getting seriously hot. I walked up and down for a short time, my pack seemingly heavier and heavier, and then walked into the lobby of the Burstan hotel. Luckily, the concierge pointed me in the right direction and lo and behold, there it was nestled behind a couple of shops. The area I was in was very, very flat. No high rise buildings save for the Burstan hotel which (memory fails me) couldn't have been more than 6 stories.

At 5 something in the morning there was only one guy up, and he was cooking breakfast (well, to be more accuate, warming the narn bread and pouring corn flakes into bowls.) He booked me in and after taking a much needed shower I slept until around 8, went downstairs and had cornflakes before deciding not to play until at least the aftenoon. It appeared that I was sharing with two guys, one from Jordan and another who left the same day I arrived . Assim, the Jordanian, works in T.V. or something so he gets in really early in the morning and sleeps until quite late.

So I slept until the afternoon then got out down the road to the Burstan center where I found internet at 15 Dhiram per hour. Wow! GBP3 - that's expensive compared to what I'm used to. In fact everything here is that bit expensive. Hotels are in the range of GBP20+ per night, which is a far cry form the GBP1.50 I've been paying in Thailand. The cheapest I've found so far is the Dubai hostel (a YHA hostel) which is about 60 Dhirams a night (about GBP11.94.)

After an hour on the web I had lunch at the mongolian BBQ (also at the Burstan) for 18D for a set menu (GBP3.60! Phew!)

looking out over the 
Creek from the Gold Souhks.

Next, a bit of exploration. The bus from the Hostel to the Gold Souhks is only 1D. If looking at streets full of gold shops interests you, then that the place to go. Tens, maybe hundreds of gold dealers and jewellers. Very fancy, but not my bag. Although maybe I should look to convert my British Pounds if the UK's going to join the Euro. I'm sure I'll lose a whole bunch if I just sit on it. I did the walkie thing until I could feel the blisters forming. It was getting late and I was considering a trip across the creak by dhow (traditional creak boat) when I bumped into Ryan and Jody who've been here a week already. Actually, Ryan's mum works in Dubai so he comes over once or twice a year, but this was Jody's first trip. Ryan advised me that the Dhows should only be 50 Fihl (100 Fihl = 1 Dhiram) and if you give bigger coins or notes then they'll try to get out of giving change. A few days ago, apparently, Ryan had to help himself to change from the takings box after one Dhow pilot refused to ive change from a five Dhiram note. I didn't have any change so Ryan paid for me. A couple of nights previously they'd come across a shawarma bar they'd liked and since then they'd been back both nights. They took me past the old Fort which houses the underground museum, which, according to the guys, is good to see at night. The shawarma bar, named Tastey Bite and is on Al Fahidi St. Inside is just like any other franchise with bright yellow decor and easy to clean, bright tables. We had a set meal with fallafel and peppers. The food's not at all bad and not too expensive. The guys working there are all really friendly too.

After eating, which with chatting and getting acquainted all told took over 1 1/2 hours, we took a walk through the market and took a dhow back over the river. Once there on the other side Ryan said he'd drop me at my hotel and then I could check if there was a curfew. We had a loooooooong trip around the area, trying to find the hostel, all the time listening to "Kevin 'bloody' Wilson", pretty funny stuff.

Eventually after a bit of 'dune' bashing on the sands next to the hostel, I ran in and checked to make sure there was no curfew before coming back out to the guys in Ryan's mum's 4X4. The took me out to the Irish Village.

After being in totally what I imagined to be a 'middle eastern' all day, the Irish village knocked the wind out of my sails. A home-style pub in the middle of Dubai. I hadn't seen so many white faces since... since... well, okay for a couple of days actually since leaving Kaoh Sarn Road. It's pretty expensive though. Jody had something alcoholic while Ryan and I had Cola but the bill still came to 43 Dhirams (about GBP8.60) which was only one pound cheaper than the ton of food we'd had at the Tastey Bite. The atmosphere's pretty good, a few 'hoorah Henry' type expats ('Hwoargh! My daddy owns Cornwall!' Giggle, giggle, giggle! Y'know the kind, "G&T, and the same for my PDA!" No-one's had the heart to let them in on the fact that the Empire no longer exists.) Anyway, that sometimes makes it all the more fun.

We stayed for a while before Rayan & Jodie took me back to the hoste, via a sandy parking lot where Ryan felt he had the need to check out what four wheel drive's really all about. Impressive but I'm sure it'd be a whole lot more fun in the deset.


Friday.

so knackered from the previous few days I just found I couldn't get out of bed. Missed brekky but was just in time for lunch - just. Met Coco, a Sri Lankan guy who emigrated to Australia about 20 years ago. He's been studying Education this past four years so he can join his brother who's teaching in the UAE. Coco took me over to the Lulu Hypermarket just down the road as he needed to get some toiletries. We walked around for a while and he left to follow up job opportunities. I had a look around the electrics before heading out. coco had told me about an internet cafe just past the Diera bus station which only cost 10 Dhirams per hour (GBP2) as compared to 15 Dhirams at the Bustan.

I took a bus ride to Fish Roundabout and then walked the rest, under the searing heat of a merciless sun. I'm surely going to suffer when I get back to the UK I remember thinking. While I was online Judy popped up for a chat. "Are you always in the internet cafe?" was her mian question. No, but nearly always. The cafe is behind an Indian restaurant run by a Pakistani guy. This is what I've noticed here, Most people here are Indian or Pakistani or from other Arab nations. I brought my Arabic phrasebook and have been studying it a little but get no real chance to use it. "Asif Minfadlak, bi kam wahiid shay?" "Excuse me please, how much is a cup of tea?" I guess all the indiginous Dubai-vians(?) are as rich as ... Arabs.

After the net cafe I stopped into the Indian restaurant and had chicken byriani. Ah, curry, curry, hot stuff.

From Deira I took a long walk over to the river and on the way I sat in a park for 5 minutes to take photos and got chatting with an East German couple who spoke very little English. We chatted a little about Dubai and a lot about the Eruo. I came away so stoked that although my grammar must really suck big time I managed to stumble along with my really underused German. It reminds me of the plan I had 10 years ago to spend a year in Europe, 4 months each in Germany, French and Spain. I still have to do that. I'm sure that 4 months in each of those four ocountries. I'm sure that that would sort out my European languages. I walked north up on Baniyas Rd. and took a Dhao across the creek. I walked through the market and past the museum and how I got there I don't know but I found two internet cafes that only charged 5 Dhirams an hour, right next door to each other. I made a mental note of these places and walked a little further. I came to an electronics store called Jumbo which was closed until 4:30. As by this time it was only 3:30 I stopped in a the big 'M' and had a coffee, only 2 Dhiram. I sat and tried to catch up with my journal a little. As I've said before - when you're having a good time, who wants to sit and write.

When it was past 4:30 I strolled into the computer store and was further disappointed by the lack of a power adaptr for my Casio A-11A. I bought it a few months ago and the dodgey geezer who sold it to me slipped the wrong adaptor into the box. Anyway, once I get the adaptor then I' m set 'cos it recognises the 56k modem I bought in Korea. But nobody seems to have the power adaptor for it. Doh!!! For pretty much the rest of the day I walked around the computer area.

I had dinner at the Tastey Bite, where I was last night, and got chatting with the staff. There's one young guy who looks like he's Chinese but with really blue grey eyes. He's from Uzbekistan and has been in Dubai for 3 monhs. He asked me if Jody and Ryan are sister and brother - I think my reply was "I don't think so!" Bless! I think he was a tad disappointed. From the Tastey Bite I took a Dhow across the creek and tried to get the 13 bus back to Al Quseis (Alka Seltzer.) However one small problem. The queue of the the Gold Souhk bus station was a few buses long itself. In the UAE Thursday and Friday are the days off so everbody goes back home Friday evening ready to start the new working week on Saturday. While waiting for the bus I started talking with the only guy around who spoke any decent English. He wasn't wearing the Ghallibya but the white cotton suit worn mailnly by Pakistan Muslims. We got to taling and he asked me about Taiwan and Europe and visa stuff and told me that he'd come here about three years ago but it took him 2 years to get his driving licence - I didn't ask why but I'll hazard because it's too expensive for driving lessons on a regular basis in Dubai. Pretty much as it was for me when I was yougner, and now I can afford the lessons I'm never home long enough. At the end of the long journey home we exchanged addresses and he invited me to his lodgings althuogh I declined as I was just ready to crash. As the journey progressed it seemed that everyone and their dog was wigging in on our conversation. As I got off the bus and crossed the road there were no less than a half dozen hands waving goodbye from the bus. I'm sure that everybody there is looking at me and wondering why, if I have the money to travel to Dubai, don't I take a taxi instead. A couple of times I've felt eyes checking out my camera and belongings but I've not felt any malice, just curiousity.

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Th. -Fr. | Sat.-Sun. | Mon.-Tue. | Wed.-Thu.

My Eurasia Trip 2001
Thailand | Dubai | UK | Sweden | Estonia | Lithuania | Byelorus | (unfinished) Ukraine

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