Sun, Sand and Snow!

2nd February, Sunday. We arrived in Dubai, 5.30am after a 14 hour flight from Melbourne. Dubai Airport looked different in daylight and busier than four months ago, when we were here at the start of this trip. We made our way to the metro station, which was deserted apart from the attendant who helped us fathom out how the ticket machine worked.

The metro system is only a few years old, fully automatic and is worth the trip to Dubai, just to go on it. But, we had four suitcases and a couple of shoulder bags! We were very weary from the flight and must have looked a sight, compared to the immaculately dressed men in their kandura (known locally as a dishdasha), an ankle-length, long-sleeved garment usually made of white cotton and a kaffiyeh (white headdress of cotton fabric) held in place by a rope (agal).

We got the metro to Sharaf DG station and crossed the road to the Pride Hotel Apartments, which we had booked online from Melbourne. We were too early to get into our room, so we left our cases at the reception and went exploring. The hotel is situated in a fairly undeveloped area of Al Barsha, with only the main highway running alongside the metro line. We headed for what seemed the nearest built up area, past the newly finished Al Zahra Hospital until.. oops! A large busy roundabout, with no pedestrian access. So back we go and in the other direction, past the hotel and then a shortish walk to the Mall of Emirates.

This was open to go around but none of the shops were open yet, except a few fast food places. After a bite to eat and a stroll around, we got back to the hotel at around 10am, booked in, unpacked a few things that we needed for the next few days, set the alarm and slept…zzzzz.

A couple of hours rest was enough to liven us up a bit. We found out that a Hop on Hop off bus tour runs in Dubai and stops at The Mall of Emirates, so we walked back there, booked it and off we went.

The plan, as we usually do, was to go round the whole tour once, then get off at interesting looking places the second time around. There are two routes around Dubai and we chose the more coastal route. The weather was fine but not as hot as Melbourne but as this is winter in Dubai, to be expected. The afternoon progressed, sadly the weather deteriorated.

There was also a big hold up in the traffic and it took so long to complete once round that it was dark by the time we got back to the Mall of Emirates.

Part of the tour took us to the Palm Jumeira. This is said to be such a beautiful place but it was cold, wet and dark. It looked more like Thamesmead than the Persian Gulf!

Obviously, best seen from the air. I had to find a few photos online to show what it should look like.

Back at the Mall of Emirates, we had a rather nice meal at their equivalent to a food hall. A big open hall, divided into individual restaurants, with waiter service.

Ski Dubai is also here. A huge indoor ski resort, that runs all year round. The last thing I expected to see in the desert!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ski_Dubai

We walked back to the hotel quite late but to a good nights rest.