Day 5 Friday 22 March – Dubai on Oceana
After I opened the curtains I could see the planes overhead streaming in to land at Dubai airport. It was cool on the balcony and there was a touch of rain in the gentle wind. I watched as an MSC cruise ship slowly came towards the harbour through the mist.
Our breakfast was in the Ligurian restaurant and we joined two other couples who were flying back to the UK later that day. Around us the restaurant was very busy with other leaving passages. We listened to stories about the ports visited over the previous weeks. Of particular interest was the visit to an island where the crew had ferried food and BBQs ashore and set up on the beach a large party for the ship.
The ship had also cruised over to India and Mumbai and then visited a couple of other ports before returning back to Dubai. This sounded a perfect way to visit India.
After breakfast we met our friends and queued to catch the free shuttle bus. This took us to the Dubai Mall under the Burj Khalifa.
We had decided to visit old Dubai and to go to the souks there. We walked under the mall to the taxi rank and there we take a taxi to near the gold souk.
The taxi driver was not talkative like our other drivers so far in Dubai. The taxi swung into a lay-by and we joined the crowds thronging the streets. Across the road we could see a row of dhows docked along the side of the creek.
The Gold Souk
We joined the crowds down the street. We passed other souks both on the left and on the right. These were named for utensils and for herbs.
Further down the street we came to an archway and entered the Gold Souk.
Shops were on both sides of the covered souk. I was surprised at how many were closed or even completely shuttered up. We passed alleyways on each side that had even more shops. The souk was covered and the street was wide and even had benches along its sides.
Other tourists were making their way through the souk following tour guides. We just wandered along stopping at shop fronts to see what was on display. Remarkably we were hardly accosted to buy or to step inside.
Outside the Gold Souk
The souk had many entrances and after retracing our steps we probably turned the wrong way. The streets outside now were empty of tourists and even local residents. They were lined with closed businesses and shops.
We eventually came to another creek but there were no docked dhows was just an open expensive water beyond an empty expense of concrete over a deserted road! Our map, provided by P&O, gave us a clue that we had walked completely the wrong way. The next question was which street would we take to get is back to the gold souk?
After a few hundred yards we came to a junction that had a very busy street. On the corner was a large glass fronted shop selling spices.
Once inside we were pounced upon and treated to explanations about the benefits of the spices on offer. After much persuasion we succumbed especially as the chosen spice was clearly a (spoken) bargain. Once at the cash desk the price mysteriously had shot up. After a few moments of embarrassment and then a gentle “no thank you” we all left the shop.
Walking down the street we came to another entrance of the Gold Souk and using the map provided at the entrance we could work out just where we were and more importantly where to walk next. We walked back through the souk and this time left at the entrance we had originally entered.(Note to self to remember the next time you come to a gold souk to remember the gate you entered.)
