Day Thirty Seven - In Dubai once again

Well, after an overnight flight of just about 9 hours with fitful sleeping, 2 1/2 movies, 2 meals and only a little turbulence, we arrived safely in Dubai at 5:45 am. Picked up by coach and taken to a hotel half way between downtown and the airport where they agreed to take us at 7:30 am in the morning, probably the earliest check-in I've ever been in on!

Everyone disappeared to their rooms for a much-needed nap!

At noon, a shuttle left for the big famous Emirates Mall with the indoor ski slope.  I was on a mission to get back to the Souq Madinat where I'd met Trevor's traveling companions on my first Dubai stay.  There had been some awesome items I'd seen that I wanted to bring home for souvenirs!

Fortunately, the Souq and the Mall were not far from each other so I did both! 

Souq Madinat is new but built in the traditional Arabic style with rich dark wood ornate ceilings and features and sand-colored thick walls.  Flowing through the Souq is a 5 km. waterway - blue and refreshing looking - that you can take a boat on for a tour.  A gorgeous hotel is featured with guest suites that overlook the waterway -Venice style.

Boutique shops and old-style wooden shopping carts lined the "alleys" of the Souq just as they would have been in the streets of centuries ago.

I lunched in a lovely restaurant by the water with a cool breeze keeping the sun at a bearable temperature while watching the little boats carrying people to their shopping or adventures.

Thinking that I should really check out the famous Emirates Mall, I reluctantly went there and regretted it as soon as I did.   But that's just me.  Not the biggest shopper in the world and preferring history and local flavour to brand names and glitz, I wandered around and was only fascinated by the indoor ski slope with a penguin pool - THAT was certainly impressive!

Met up, fortunately, with Klaus and Gerrit but, unfortunately, led them astray on a taxi ride from hell back to the hotel(s!) which cost three times as much time and money! (note to self - don't leave your hotel without the hotel address somewhere on your person - duh!).

Finally back at the hotel, exhausted and sleep-deprived, one beer was all I needed to put me into dreamland!

Tomorrow...,, home again, home again, jiggety jog.... JT