8th July

After breakfast in the hotel we ventured across the road to the City Centre Shopping Mall.  As soon as we opened the door we were accosted by the heat.  By current averages today is cool at only 43 degrees, earlier in the week it was up to 50.  There is a wind but it is hot and carrying dust from the surrounding desert and a blanket of haze hangs over the city so not the best for taking photos.  Apparently this is typical for this time of the year, you only get clear days between Dec and May. We were really only shopping because it was in air-con comfort and came home with no new purchases.  In the afternoon we went on the city sights tour that was part of our stop over package.  We were collected at 2:30 in a mini bus and delivered to the Burj Al Arib which is the world’s most expensive hotel with the most expensive cocktail.  Not sure that is something I would be bragging about if i was managing it. We followed the coast past the beaches (very bleak looking) and the Jumeirah Beach Park which is free and open to everyone, except on Mondays when it is open exclusively for women.  We visited Jumeirah Mosque then passed Union House where the agreement was signed between all the 7 Emirates to form a union.  Next was the old quarter where the first permanent homes were built from coral cut from the banks of the river and the fort which these days houses a very interesting museum.  We took a water taxi across Dubai Creek and entered the spice and then gold souks. It is now 4 hours on tour and we are being plagued by Arab men who want us to follow them up to their apartments to sell us copy products labelled Armani, Rolex, Gucci, D&G ...........  the list goes on but we manage to dismiss them all.  At the last minute I found a pair of earrings I wanted and decided it was worth the haggle.  We were happy with the final price.  Our guide has been terrific today, going out of his way to answer our questions and add a personal touch to the blurb which was otherwise tinged ever-so-slightly with very favourable comments about the Sheik and progress of Dubai.  Not surprisingly, no mention of the current economic crisis and if you take a close look at all the construction sites there is no action taking place.

We took a taxi back to the hotel and discovered that there is more than one Ibis Hotel in Dubai.  We will never know if we were ripped off or if it was an honest mistake but we did a lap of the city and retraced quite a bit of the afternoon’s tour to get back to our particular one.  After a shower we try the taxis again to take us to Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building at 174 floors.  Just as we arrived at Dubai Mall the fountain went into action which was an amazing show of coordinated water spouts, lights and music.  This takes place every 30mins, there is a different production each time and they last for about 5 mins. We had a quick bite to eat in the Mall then took the lift to the observation deck on the 124^th floor of the tower.  The lift was so quiet and smooth the only way you knew for sure you were climbing was the pressure changes in your ear canals.  The views were amazing, something out of fantasy land and then the next fountain sequence took place; was wonderful to watch from above.  What a day full of amazing opulence and grandeur – it seems everything is done bigger and better in Dubai.  Eric put it very nicely when he compared the Sheik of Dubai to Louis XIV – ‘this is a modern day Versailles’.