The old and new faces of Dubai

Tuesday
We had been in communication with Gadgetkid about our few days in Dubai, and today we took them up on a couple of their suggestions. She had mentioned she could get us a deal on the Big Bus tour if we were interested. After some discussion, we decided it would give us a good overview of the city, so we took her up on her offer. She had to be there in person to get the offer, so she and G. kindly met us at Wafi Mall where the bus starts from. I have been following Gadgetkid for several years now, so it was great to finally meet them both in person. We just had about ten minutes to chat this morning before the bus left, but hope we will have a longer Blipmeet tomorrow! Our first place to get off was the Dubai Museum, located in the Al Fahidi Fort which was built in 1787, the oldest existing building in the city. We found it very interesting and really well done, depicting through colourful dioramas and exhibits everyday life in the days before the discovery of oil. The museum features galleries that recreate parts of historic Arab houses, mosques, Souks, date farms and desert and marine life. It also includes an exhibit on pearl diving. The bus then took us into the Soukh area by the Creek, and we passed the colourful little abras that ply their way up and down and across the Creek, as well as all the dhows with all their cargo piled up on the quayside ready to be loaded. Next we passed the newly opened Frame, then we headed out to Jumeirah Beach and Burj Arabe, where we got out to have a walk and take some photos. Next stop for us was the Marina area, where we enjoyed a walk and a bite to eat, taking in all the huge skyscrapers all around. Our final destination was Atlantis on the iconic Palm Jumeirah, where there was just time for a walk along the front taking a few pictures, before taking the next bus back to its terminus. From here we took the metro back to our hotel, where we just had time to change and get out for our dhow dinner cruise. There are so many dhow dinner cruises on offer, it would have been hard to choose, so we were very happy to go with Gadgetkid’s recommendation, and were certainly not disappointed. The food was good, and it was just a wonderful experience cruising along past the lit-up buildings and all the other activity on the Creek, especially all the other illuminated dhow dinner cruise boats