I’ve had a wonderfully busy April what with visits from both my Mom and then my Dad, and then a little mini holiday in Spain to visit my Brother and his family (and that gorgeous nephew of mine). It’s lots of fun having visitors, especially people who have never been to Dubai before. Mom and I had a grand old time exploring the city, shopping, having lunch and generally catching up on all the chats and laughs we haven’t had for over a year together. One of the things I did here for the first time was the Big Bus Tour. I actually learnt quite a bit, although the commentary is horribly out of date in some places, and still refers to projects that have definitely been shelved. However it’s a great way to spend a couple of hours and see the city, especially the older parts of Deira and Bur Dubai where parking is a nightmare most of the time.
To get onto the blue route for old Dubai (or was it red) we had a bus change-over at Wafi Mall. We took the opportunity to have lunch there at Wafi Gourmet (yum yum like always) and Mom really enjoyed the fresh lemonade and hummus on the terrace. After lunch we strolled down to the pick-up point for our next tour, and even though we were the only ones waiting initially pretty soon there were a crowd of other tourists waiting alongside us. By the time the bus arrived the natives were getting restless, which wasn’t helped by the fact that the driver took about 5 minutes before deciding to open the door. Well I did not expect such pushing and shoving from the wrinklies! Some guy stood on my foot, I was elbowed in the ribs and some poor guy at the back of the queue was actually shoved into the water feature. I could not believe the argy barge going on. Well we managed to drag ourselves onto the bus in one piece, thank goodness, and settled down for the rest of our tour.
At Burjuman Centre we had to change buses again (yeah not sure why as we were staying on the same route) and as the rest of the trip was pretty much all along beach road Mom and I took the decision to change modes of transport, and take the metro back to Mall of the Emirates. As it was close to 4 or so in the afternoon by the time we got off the train we walked up Umm Suqiem Road to the Souq Madinat, our starting point that morning, and where the car was parked. A very pleasant stroll actually, the weather was still very nice (early April). The two things Mom seemed most impressed by was how clean the streets are, and the flowers and grass all along the highway (see photo above).
Whilst we are on the subject of walking you might be interested to know that a non-profit group here has been leading walking tours of the city to encourage residents to connect with Dubai. Called “Cutting through the city” the tours have been running during the spring, on a Friday, and take 3 hours. The route starts at Downtown near Burj Khalifa, crosses Sheikh Zayed Road into a run-down sand-lot in a neighbourhood called Defence Neighbourhood. Winding through empty lots, past police buildings and across Al Wasl road you end up on a fisherman’s section of Jumeirah Beach. Another set of walks is planned for the fall, so if you are interested check out the website of Tasmena, the organisers or register on their Facebook page to get updates.
One thing Mom and I did whilst in Madrid with my nephew (her grandson) was build a lot of sandcastles. Ok my brother did the digging and hard stuff! Funnily enough they have just had the first Emirates International Sand Sculpture Festival in Abu Dhabi. Artists from South Africa, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, the UAE, Holland and England spent 9 days creating works of art in the sand on the Corniche. Visitors to the exhibition were greeted by a massive likeness of Sheikh Khalifa along with the message “Kulluna Khalifa” or “we are all Khalifa”. Although it seemed to my nephew that the most fun part of the whole sand castle building process is kicking them over at the end. Somehow I don’t think anyone would have appreciated that in Abu Dhabi this week :-).
(* picture source – scanned from The National newspaper)
One thing all my visitors ask me is if the numerous half-finished buildings they see all over Dubai are actually being worked on. Whilst some clearly are getting done, some clearly are not. And it seems I am not the only one tired of looking at all this unfinished mess. The director general of Dubai Municipality, Hussain Nasser Lootah, issued the directive earlier this month to demolish unlicensed, dilapidated and abandoned properties so that the remaining building stock complies with existing standards. Once notified, owners of the buildings involved will be given six months to demolish, restore or complete construction of their properties. I am very happy about this, although I feel for the people who have bought properties that never got built.
I can’t believe the Royal Wedding is actually tomorrow. I can’t imagine how Kate Middleton is feeling, but I am 100% certain she is going to make a radiant bride indeed. Enjoy it if you are watching!