No worries - no arrests taking place, at least not this time. Notice that I am smiling !
I have asked several different Dubai police officers if I could take their picture and these two are the first that agreed to it ! They were happy to smile for the picture and go along with my request. Funny thing...the police officer with the phone to his ear was not really speaking with anyone. His phone rang earlier, before we took the picture, he said goodbye in Arabic and continued to hold the phone to his ear like he was talking. Maybe he wanted to look busy for the photo ? Was he acting ? Didn't think I should ask, but doesn't he looks official with this phone to his ear and hand tucked into his belt ? I thought so! I was just happy to get a picture.
These two happy police officers were friendly and more than willing to be engaged in conversation. They asked what country we were from (we were with two other couples, one couple is from the United Kingdom and the other couple is from Canada), but of course the minute I spoke, they knew which country I was from and said, "Oh , you are one of those Americans". One of "those" Americans ? I asked - what does one of "those" Americans mean ? You know - you are one of them .....hmmm....all right, we can leave it at that. But they quickly followed up, " we like Americans" - " they are OK". I was so glad to hear that I, being one of those Americans, is OK. It could be a lot worse, a lot, lot worse , you never want to be on their "not" OK list . At that point, these two officers would no longer be smiling and I would probably be crying.
We were in an area of the city called Bur Dubai situated by Dubai Creek. It was decided to have dinner at Bayt Al Wakeel Restaurant, one of the oldest restaurants in the city, sitting on the balcony that over looks the creek. Dubai Creek is wide and deep, not what I had conjured in my head as a creek, and for 2 dirhams ( .50 cents US), they will take you across the creek on the abra, an Arabic water taxi. See picture below. Can't beat that for .50 cents.
Looking at the menu, the only food item I recognized was the word hummus. One of the women familiar with the restaurant, agreed to order for all of us, the food was delivered and I still questioned, "what is it"? Food dishes kept coming , things I had never seen or I am certain, eaten before. The friend that ordered the food said,
"be surprised and enjoy". I never did get a straight answer on what we were eating, and eating in the dark didn't help, but overall it was actually pretty good.
Dinner was done and we were off, exploring on foot the older part of the city, specifically the souqs of Bur Dubai. Souq is the arabian word for market.
The souqs are all hustle and bustle, pushy vendors selling pashima scarfs, Arabian lights, Turkish plates and wears, pointy Arabian "genie" shoes, sandals made from camel leather, Indian foods, incense, more camel this and camel that, traditional clothes, and other things that you probably could not find anywhere else. As you walk down the alleys, the workers drape scarfs on you and get right in front of you trying to make eye contact. They continue to use numerous tactics to lure you into their individual shop and if you like something in their shop, let the bartering begin. The alleys and shops were alive tonight - crowded , grungy and filled with smells like you have never smelled before. I kept thinking to myself, "what is that smell ?" As we passed by a small restaurant and other shops, you could smell the shisha waterpipes. The shisha smoke is sweet, fruity and actually smells good when you get a faint whiff. Like I have mentioned before, the smells of Dubai, the Middle East are very unique and I am really like them.
Besides the goods mentioned earlier, there are textiles and fabrics of all kind and color. Sewing shops galore and they are at every twist and turn. My friend Syd would love it here. Anything you want sewn or made, it can be done here for cheap and it is gorgeous.
We were away from the glitz and glamour of the city and as we got deeper into the maze of alleys and side roads, it was as if we had stepped into a third world country.
The deeper we got into the alleys the worse the lighting became, becoming more narrow, dirtier, the smells more intense and stronger, the incense was thick, no English was being spoken, but none of that prevented us from still looking, exploring . We even came upon a Hindu Temple that was tucked away down one of the alleys. It was hard to take it all in, there were so many things I had never seen before, but I loved it and wanted more. All of it was so awesome, I love this place.
It would probably be best to visit these souqs during the day, but this little trip to the souqs and Dubai creek- what fun !
Once we move to our new apartment, I will need to come back and purchase some things for my new home. I am planning on decorating with the rich, Arabian colors that are so abundant in Dubai.
This place intrigues me, so I will be back... a lot. There is another area of the city, similar to Bur Dubai, that I still need to explore in the near future and can hardly wait.
I am fascinated and amazed at the glitz of the new city, but intrigued and invigorated by the old, traditional shops in the old part of the city. Two different worlds, one city ! I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday night and thank goodness no arrests.
I can't wait to see the souqs!
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